Who We Help

Each day, eight cornea recipients in the U.S. and around the world receive the gift of sight with eye tissue provided by Heartland Lions Eye Banks.

As a Lions eye bank, we believe in community first. All corneal tissue we retrieve is offered first to eye surgeons in our three-state service region of Missouri, Kansas and Illinois. If tissue is not needed immediately for a cornea transplant in these states, it’s distributed to surgeons nationally or internationally.

·        2,178 individuals in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois donated their eyes through the Eye Bank

·        2,816 cornea recipients received the gift of sight

·        2,921 corneas were provided for transplant; 1,968 were transplanted in the U.S., 953 in the 41 other countries to which we supplied tissue

In addition, the Eye Bank believes no one should suffer from vision loss because they are unable to afford treatment. Through the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation’s Eye Care Assistance program, the Eye Bank has been able to provide gratis corneal tissue to those who meet the guidelines for assistance.

If donated tissue cannot be transplanted, it may be used by ocular researchers across the U.S. who are working toward discovering the causes and cures for a variety of blinding eye diseases and eye conditions.

With your financial contribution to the Eye Bank, we will be able to continue our efforts to help those most in need.