About Heartland Lions Eye Banks

Heartland Lions Eye Banks (HLEB) is a program of the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation with the mission to preserve and restore sight. The Eye Bank retrieves, processes and distributes the highest quality donor eye tissue to corneal surgeons in our three-state region of Missouri, Kansas and Illinois before it's offered to surgeons nationally and internationally.

In 2012, the Eye Bank -- one of the five largest in the nation and the only Lions eye bank in the states of Missouri and Kansas -- gave the gift of sight to 2,464 people by providing tissue for corneal transplantation. Regaining sight through transplant is a miracle for those who have suffered from an ocular disease or injury.

"The gift of sight is something that should never be taken for granted. I thank the Lord that there are facilities such as yours to help people from all walks of life enjoy the daily wonders around us. It is so gratifying to look at my grandchildren and great-grandchildren and enjoy the expressions of wonderment in their faces as they grow and discover new things in life."
-Cornea recipient

In addition to providing quality tissue for cornea transplants and vision research, the Eye Bank is also actively involved in our local transplant and Donate Life America communities to increase public awareness of organ, tissue and eye donation. Likewise, the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation provides a variety of vision-related programs and services in the state of Missouri.