Who We Help
Connecting Cornea Recipients & Their Eye Surgeons to Quality Corneal Tissue
Each day, approximately seven 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.
2012 Eye Donation Stats
- 2,171 individuals in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois donated their eyes through the Eye Bank
- 1,180 transplants were performed by our partner surgeons in our three-state service region
- 2,467 corneas were provided overall for transplant; 1,798 were transplanted in the U.S., and 669 were in 27 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 people who meet the criteria 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.
