Florida Lions Eye Bank February 22 Newsletter

Monthly Newsletter

FEBRUARY 2022 | VOL 2

Florida Lions Eye Bank is celebrating our 60^th Anniversary!

In January 1962, cooperation between Lions Clubs of Florida and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute established Florida Lions Eye Bank as the first eye bank in the state of Florida.

When we opened our doors 60 years ago, we made corneal transplantation in Florida possible for many patients and their doctors who were previously limited by the short supply of human eye tissue. We recovered 205 eyes from donors and provided 62 corneas for transplant during our first year of operation. Since then, we have provided over 65,000 corneas for transplant, restoring sight to tens of thousands of recipients.

WELCOME TO OUR NEWSLETTER

We are excited to introduce our new monthly e-newsletter! Look for our newsletter in your email box on the second Wednesday of every month, where we will share the latest information on Florida Lions Eye Bank and our Beauty of Sight Foundation!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

NEW FUTURE HOME

As many of our supporters know, last year Florida Lions Eye Bank purchased a lot at 1800 NW 7th Ave in Miami to serve as the site of our new headquarters. Last month, the board of directors selected Coral Gables-based architectural firm, Wolfberg Alvarez & Partners, to begin the design phase of the building. This new facility will feature state-of-the-art laboratories for processing corneal tissue and Serum Tears and allow us to expand our services to the community.

Beauty of Sight, the Florida Lions Eye Bank Foundation, has launched a Seed Campaign to assist this effort. Funds donated to the Seed Campaign will support remediation and preparation of the site so we can break ground on a comprehensive eye bank and education facility that will better serve our community. Please click the link and select Seed Campaign to contribute to this effort. Thanks to a generous donor, all Seed Campaign donations will be matched, instantly doubling your gift!

Thank you for being part of Florida Lions Eye Bank’s journey toward our new home. We look forward to sharing updates with our patients, surgeons, and community.

We look forward to celebrating this momentous anniversary throughout the year!

DONATE NOW

GRATIS CORNEA PROGRAM

For most patients, corneal transplantation is covered by their insurance. This cost includes the corneal processing fee to cover the cost of the recovery and processing of the corneal tissue by the Florida Lions Eye Bank laboratory. However, patients without insurance and without the means to pay may find themselves unable to undergo corneal transplantation because of the financial burden associated with this surgery.

Florida Lions Eye Bank’s foundation ensures that no patient will have avoidable blindness due to lack of funding. The Cornea Gratis Program has helped subsidize the tissue processing fee cost. It allows the Florida Lions Eye Bank to provide tissue completely free to patients without insurance and without the means to pay. All donations to this program help support needy patients in our community who require a corneal transplant.

DONATE NOW

DUAL-CHAMBER PATENT

Florida Lions Eye Bank is thrilled to announce that we’ve received our first patent! The dual-chamber vial, created in collaboration with Dr. Alfonso Sabater, is a new type of device for storing human corneas before they’re transplanted. Existing storage vials contain a single type of liquid media that bathes the cornea during storage, preserving the graft for up to two weeks after recovery.

In contrast, Florida Lions Eye Bank’s dual-chamber vial keeps each side of the cornea in contact with a different type of liquid media. This is because corneal epithelial cells, located on the outer surface of the cornea, and endothelial cells, located on the inner surface of the cornea, are different types of cells that exist in different environments in the human body. The dual-chamber vial is designed to mimic these different environments, thus reducing damage to the graft during storage.

At present, the full benefits of Florida Lions Eye Bank’s dual-chamber vial are being studied using corneas donated for research. Preliminary studies show that storage in the dual-chamber vial decreases swelling of the cornea and reduces damage to cells on the exterior of the graft. This investigation is made possible by the hundreds of selfless individuals who choose to donate their eyes to research every year.

OUR FOUNDATION

Beauty of Sight Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides financial support for vision-related research and innovation, including ophthalmic services for Florida Lions Eye Bank’s patients and professional partners. Our focus is threefold:

ONE

To support the philanthropic work of Florida Lions Eye Bank.

TWO

To fund innovative ophthalmic research aimed at treating and curing ophthalmic disease.

THREE

To support other programs and initiatives aimed at improving patient access and experience.

VISIT BEAUTY OF SIGHT

BEAUTY OF SIGHT FOR CHILDREN

Beauty of Sight Foundation brings smiles with its continued funding of Beauty of Sight for Children. Join this effort and bring a smile and comfort to a child by donating $10 for each stuffed animal.

DONATE NOW

FLORIDA LIONS EYE BANK

WWW.FLEB.ORG