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2015 EYE DONAT ION IMPACT REPORT
Eye Donation | Page 2
Saving Sight is a regional 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to change lives by
saving sight. Founded as an eye bank in 1960, today we serve more than 100,000 people
worldwide with a range of vision health services. To prevent future vision loss, our KidSight
program provides free vision screenings for children, identifying potential vision problems
and ensuring children at-risk get the eye care they need. Our Eyeglass Recycling Program
collects used eyeglasses, prepares them for recycling, and distributes the eye wear free
of charge to help correct refractive errors for those in need. And for those whose sight
is threatened by injury, disorder or disease, we continue to coordinate eye donation for
transplant and research to restore sight.
This report details our work, and the work of our partners, to help 1,796 generous eye
donors give the gift of sight in 2015 through research and transplantation. The process
starts with a donor or donor family who says yes to donation. Hospital staff and community
partners make referrals and assist Saving Sight in the recovery of tissue. Saving Sight
processes recovered tissue and distributes it to surgeons and researchers who restore
sight through transplant surgeries or the advancement of medical practice. Our recipients
couldn’t be more grateful for the selfless gifts they receive to help them see.
One corneal surgeon tells his patients, it takes an orchestra to bring them the gift of sight.
Whether you are the conductor or a cellist playing first chair, as you will see in the pages
that follow, together we change lives by saving sight.
Eye, organ and tissue donation saves and changes lives, but many
don’t know just how important donation can be. Saving Sight
provides leadership for Donate Life state teams in Missouri,
Kansas, and Illinois to help increase designations on our
donor registries. Saving Sight staff are also active in
communities across our service region, educating the
public about donation at community runs and walks, health
and wellness fairs and other events. In 2015, Saving Sight
hosted donor designation drives at high schools, colleges,
blood drives and community events to help more individuals
become donors. Staff also provided education on donation to
lawmakers, hospital staff and other professionals who have the
ability to help facilitate the gift of sight through eye donation.
Donor Designation
Eye Donation | Page 3
Rick gave freely of his time to help
others and enjoyed spending time
with his family. He lived an active
lifestyle and was an excellent athlete
who continued to play volleyball until
he passed away during a match at the
age of 61.
Because living an active lifestyle was
important to Rick, he and his wife
Theresa had talked about eye, organ
and tissue donation and end-of-life-
care. She and Rick were both blood
donors and registered organ donors;
they believed in giving what they
could to help others.
When Rick passed away, Theresa said
hospital staff, the funeral home and
Saving Sight explained the donation
process and made the difficult
situation as positive as it could be for
their family. It was impactful for her that
Rick was able to help people until the
very end through the gift of sight.
“It just helps me as I transition to life
without him – it helps me know that I
honored a wish of his,” said Theresa.
A Legacy Lives On
1,796 Heroes Like Rick Gave the Gift of Sight
State Donor Designation Shares
The total number of designated donors as
a percentage of all state registrants age 18
and older. Join the national donor registry
online at registerme.org.
40.7% First-Person Authorization
Source of Consent for Saving Sight Eye Donation Cases
Next of kin consent rate as a percentage of all approaches made by Saving Sight.
59.3% Next of Kin Consent
Saving Sight’s Next of Kin Consent Rate
2013 2014 2015
43.4%38.28%39.05%
59.7% 74.3%59.9%
Donation Referral | Page 4
As a patient education coordinator
and head of the Organ, Eye and
Tissue Committee at Hays Medical
Center, Dorothy Gideon knows
the importance of eye, organ and
tissue donation. She also knows the
impact hospital staff have on the
donation process.
“Hospital staff play an important
role in getting the referral made
in a timely manner, taking time to
answer the needed questions to
screen the potential donor and
doing proper eye care,” Dorothy
says. “The smoother the facilitation
process, the greater the opportunity
to help those in need.”
Dorothy has been a champion of
donation at Hays Medical Center.
She’s raised awareness about
donation through educational
booths at the hospital and in
the community. Each April,
the committee Dorothy leads
celebrates Donate Life Month by
baking cookies at the hospital
and delivering them to each unit
at Hays Medical Center with facts
about donation. Dorothy has even
helped ensure Saving Sight can
get tissue recovered at the hospital
to its lab as quickly as possible by
connecting Saving Sight to FedEx
pickups at Hays Medical Center.
Champion of Donation Dorothy Gideon
Donation Referral | Page 5
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital
Boone Hospital Center
Bothwell Regional Health Center
Capital Region Medical Center
Cox Medical Center Branson
Cox Medical Center South
Freeman Hospital West
Hays Medical Center
HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital
HSHS St. John’s Hospital
Hutchinson Regional Medical Center
Lake Regional Hospital
Lawrence Memorial Hospital
Memorial Medical Center
Mercy Hospital Joplin
Mercy Hospital Springfield
Excellence In Eye Donation Awards
Saving Sight’s Excellence in Eye Donation Award recognizes hospitals that demonstrated
an outstanding commitment to eye donation. The following hospitals were selected for
achieving an eye donation consent rate that exceeded 45 percent and having at least 10
patients donate eye tissue in 2015. We applaud them for empowering people to give the
gift of sight and for striving to create a culture that supports donation. Thanks to the staff at
these hospitals, more people were able to receive sight-saving cornea transplants last year.
Mercy Hospital Washington
Mosaic Life Care
Olathe Medical Center
Ozarks Medical Center
Passavant Area Hospital
Phelps County Regional Medical Center
Providence Medical Center
Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center
SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital - Jefferson City
St. Catherine Hospital
St. Francis Health
University Hospital
University of Kansas Hospital
Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan
Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg
Donation Referral | Page 6
Hospital Name Total Suitable
Eye DonorsDonors Transplants
Consent Rate
Conversion Rate
PRC Territory
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital* 19 13 23 82% 68% 4
Allen County Regional Hospital 11 2 0 42% 18% 1
Anderson County Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 1
Ashland Health Center 2 0 0 0% 0% 1
Atchison Hospital 5 3 4 67% 60% 2
Barton County Memorial Hospital 9 2 4 38% 22% 3
Bates County Memorial Hospital 2 0 0 0% 0% 2
Bob Wilson Memorial Grant County Hospital 4 1 2 50% 25% 1
Boone Hospital Center 67 30 38 54% 45% 3
Bothwell Regional Health Center 44 15 19 59% 34% 2
Cameron Regional Medical Center 27 11 19 44% 41% 2
Capital Region Medical Center 42 17 16 60% 40% 3
Carlinville Area Hospital* 7 4 4 80% 57% 4
Carroll County Memorial Hospital 4 1 0 33% 25% 2
Cass Regional Medical Center 18 7 9 62% 39% 2
Cedar County Memorial Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 3
Center for Behavioral Medicine 0 0 0 0% 0% 2
Cheyenne County Hospital 4 0 0 0% 0% 1
Citizens Medical Center, Inc. 4 2 2 60% 50% 1
Citizens Memorial Hospital 19 9 13 63% 47% 3
Clara Barton Hospital 5 1 2 20% 20% 1
Clay County Hospital* 7 0 0 25% 0% 4
Clay County Medical Center 6 3 6 60% 50% 1
Cloud County Health Center 5 0 0 0% 0% 1
Coffey County Hospital 8 4 6 50% 50% 1
Coffeyville Regional Medical Center 16 3 3 33% 19% 1
Colmery-O'Neil VA Medical Center 7 3 2 80% 43% 2
Comanche County Hospital 3 2 3 67% 67% 1
Community Hospital Onaga 1 0 0 50% 0% 1
Community Hospital St. Mary's 4 4 2 100% 100% 1
Community Memorial Healthcare 5 1 2 25% 20% 1
Community Memorial Hospital 6 2 4 33% 33% 4
Cooper County Memorial Hospital 9 4 7 63% 44% 2
Cox Medical Center Branson 48 23 22 64% 48% 3
Cox Medical Center South 314 150 143 60% 48% 3
Cox Monett Hospital 9 3 6 45% 33% 3
Crawford Memorial Hospital* 12 2 1 50% 17% 4
Decatur Health Systems 1 0 0 0% 0% 1
Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center 3 2 2 67% 67% 2
Edwards County Hospital & Healthcare Center 2 1 2 50% 50% 1
Ellett Memorial Hospital 2 0 0 0% 0% 2
Ellinwood District Hospital 2 1 2 50% 50% 1
Ellsworth County Medical Center 4 1 2 25% 25% 1
Excelsior Springs Hospital 9 6 8 88% 67% 2
F.W. Huston Medical Center 0 0 0 0% 0% 2
Fairfax Community Hospital 5 1 2 33% 20% 2
Fayette County Hospital* 8 4 8 50% 50% 4
Fitzgibbon Memorial Hospital 8 2 4 33% 25% 2
Fredonia Regional Hospital 4 2 2 50% 50% 1
Freeman Hospital West 170 75 72 53% 44% 3
Freeman Neosho Hospital 18 6 10 33% 33% 3
Fulton Medical Center 2 1 0 75% 50% 3
Fulton State Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 3
Geary Community Hospital 12 6 8 54% 50% 1
General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital 8 1 1 50% 13% 3
Girard Medical Center 1 1 1 100% 100% 1
Golden Valley Memorial Hospital 12 3 6 36% 25% 2
Goodland Regional Medical Center 6 1 0 25% 17% 1
Gove County Medical Center 6 4 4 80% 67% 1
Graham County Hospital 4 2 4 67% 50% 1
Great Bend Regional Hospital 12 7 10 58% 58% 1
PRC Territory 1Heather Britain620-665-1423Hutchinson, KS
PRC Territory 2Justina Barnes, BSN, RN816-255-1359Kansas City, MO
PRC Territory 3Haley Lyne 417-569-1270 Springfield, MO
PRC Territory 4Richard Hamilton217-718-6002Springfield, IL
Hospital Referral PartnersContact a Partner Relations Coordinator
* Data reported may differ from actual numbers due to incomplete data.
Donation Referral | Page 7
Make the initial
referral call to the
organ procurement
organization within
60 minutes of
cardiac death.
Hospital Name Total Suitable
Eye DonorsDonors Transplants
Consent Rate
Conversion Rate
PRC Territory
Greeley County Hospital 2 1 2 100% 50% 1
Greenwood County Hospital 2 1 2 50% 50% 1
Grisell Memorial Hospital 3 1 0 33% 33% 1
Hamilton County Hospital 1 0 0 0% 0% 1
Hannibal Regional Hospital 42 10 17 30% 24% 4
Hanover Hospital 1 0 0 0% 0% 1
Harrison County Community Hospital 7 5 7 83% 71% 2
Harry S. Truman Memorial VA Hospital 29 8 10 39% 28% 3
Hays Medical Center 29 12 15 52% 41% 1
Heartland Behavioral Health Services 0 0 0 0% 0% 3
Heartland Long Term Acute Care 7 2 2 60% 29% 2
Hedrick Medical Center 6 3 4 60% 50% 2
Herington Municipal Hospital 3 0 0 0% 0% 1
Hermann Area District Hospital 4 1 0 25% 25% 4
Hiawatha Community Hospital 6 0 0 17% 0% 2
Hillsboro Area Hospital* 6 3 6 57% 50% 4
Hillsboro Community Hospital 2 2 4 100% 100% 1
Hodgeman County Health Center 6 2 4 43% 33% 1
Holton Community Hospital 3 1 2 33% 33% 2
Horton Community Hospital 1 0 0 0% 0% 2
HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital* 33 11 12 52% 33% 4
HSHS St. Francis Hospital* 8 1 2 29% 13% 4
HSHS St. John's Hospital* 176 87 105 70% 49% 4
Hutchinson Regional Medical Center 49 22 28 57% 45% 1
I-70 Community Hospital 3 2 4 67% 67% 2
Irwin Army Community Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 1
Jewell County Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 1
Kansas City VA Medical Center 17 8 10 61% 47% 2
Kearny County Hospital 5 0 0 0% 0% 1
Kiowa County Memorial Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 1
Kiowa District Hospital 2 1 2 50% 50% 1
Labette Health 9 5 8 67% 56% 1
Lafayette Regional Health Center 8 1 1 33% 13% 2
Lake Regional Hospital 59 28 41 61% 47% 3
Landmark Hospital of Columbia 9 5 4 56% 56% 3
Landmark Hospital of Joplin 10 3 0 50% 30% 3
Lane County Hospital 2 1 2 50% 50% 1
Larned State Hospital 1 0 0 0% 0% 1
Lawrence County Memorial Hospital* 11 5 8 56% 45% 4
Lawrence Memorial Hospital 49 28 34 65% 57% 2
Lincoln County Hospital 1 1 2 100% 100% 1
Lindsborg Community Hospital 4 4 6 100% 100% 1
Logan County Hospital 5 2 4 40% 40% 1
McPherson Hospital 9 1 2 17% 11% 1
Meade District Hospital 4 2 3 50% 50% 1
Meadowbrook Rehabilitation Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 2
Medicine Lodge Memorial Hospital & Physicians Clinic 4 0 0 0% 0% 1
Memorial Health System of Abilene 9 5 8 60% 56% 1
Memorial Medical Center* 247 132 161 71% 53% 4
Mercy Hospital Aurora 5 1 0 25% 20% 3
Mercy Hospital Carthage 10 3 2 44% 30% 3
Mercy Hospital Cassville 6 3 4 60% 50% 3
Mercy Hospital Columbus 5 1 2 33% 20% 1
Mercy Hospital Fort Scott 11 4 6 50% 36% 1
Mercy Hospital Jefferson 81 24 25 36% 30% 4
Mercy Hospital Joplin 61 24 24 54% 39% 3
Mercy Hospital Lebanon 4 2 2 50% 50% 3
Mercy Hospital Moundridge 0 0 0 0% 0% 1
Mercy Hospital Springfield 306 156 143 62% 51% 3
Mercy Hospital St. Francis 5 3 3 75% 60% 3
Mercy Hospital Washington 70 28 36 52% 40% 4
Ways Hospital Staff Can Support
Eye Donation
Get more than one
contact number
for the patient’s
next of kin.
* Data reported may differ from actual numbers due to incomplete data.
Donation Referral | Page 8
Hospital Name Total Suitable
Eye DonorsDonors Transplants
Consent Rate
Conversion Rate
PRC Territory
Miami County Medical Center 9 3 6 38% 38% 2
Mid America Rehabilitation Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 2
Minneola District Hospital 3 1 2 33% 33% 1
Missouri Rehabilitation Center 0 0 0 0% 0% 3
Mitchell County Hospital Health Systems 6 1 2 22% 17% 1
Moberly Regional Medical Center 7 4 8 57% 57% 2
Morris County Hospital 8 0 0 0% 0% 1
Morton County Hospital 4 1 2 33% 25% 1
Mosaic Life Care 111 45 69 49% 41% 2
MU Women's and Children's Hospital 7 2 2 29% 29% 3
Nemaha Valley Community Hospital 2 1 1 50% 50% 1
Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center 8 1 2 17% 13% 1
Ness County Hospital 1 1 1 100% 100% 1
Nevada Regional Medical Center 8 4 8 78% 50% 3
Newman Regional Health 12 8 10 67% 67% 1
Newton Medical Center 11 8 13 77% 73% 1
Northeast Regional Medical Center 15 5 9 46% 33% 2
Northwest Medical Center 3 2 4 75% 67% 2
Norton County Hospital 3 2 4 67% 67% 1
Olathe Medical Center 67 30 43 52% 45% 2
Osawatomie State Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 2
Osborne County Memorial Hospital 1 1 2 100% 100% 1
Ottawa County Health Center 3 2 4 67% 67% 1
Ozarks Community Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 3
Ozarks Medical Center 36 13 18 48% 36% 3
Pana Community Hospital* 6 0 0 25% 0% 4
Paris Community Hospital* 6 2 4 50% 33% 4
Passavant Area Hospital* 32 14 22 57% 44% 4
Pawnee Valley Community Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 1
Pershing Memorial Hospital 11 1 1 10% 9% 2
Phelps County Regional Medical Center 41 19 18 69% 46% 3
Phillips County Hospital 5 2 2 50% 40% 1
Pike County Memorial Hospital 11 4 4 56% 36% 4
Prairie View Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 1
Promise Hospital of Overland Park 3 3 3 100% 100% 2
Providence Medical Center 63 31 38 57% 49% 2
Putnam County Memorial Hospital 6 2 3 33% 33% 2
Ransom Memorial Hospital 12 8 9 67% 67% 2
Rawlins County Health Center 2 1 2 50% 50% 1
Ray County Memorial Hospital 6 1 0 40% 17% 2
Republic County Hospital 8 3 2 43% 38% 1
Rice County District Hospital 7 4 4 67% 57% 1
Richland Memorial Hospital* 11 2 0 29% 18% 4
Rooks County Health Center 2 0 0 0% 0% 1
Rush County Memorial Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 1
Russell Regional Hospital 3 2 4 100% 67% 1
Sabetha Community Hospital 3 2 1 67% 67% 2
Saint John Hospital 8 5 7 63% 63% 2
Salem Memorial District Hospital 9 2 4 40% 22% 3
Salina Surgical Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 1
Samaritan Memorial Hospital 7 0 0 0% 0% 2
Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System* 48 24 38 60% 50% 4
Satanta District Hospital 1 0 0 0% 0% 1
Scotland County Hospital 11 2 4 33% 18% 4
Scott County Hospital 5 0 0 20% 0% 1
Sedan City Hospital 5 2 2 40% 40% 1
Select Specialty Hospital - Springfield 9 6 0 78% 67% 3
Select Specialty, Kansas City, KS 3 0 0 0% 0% 2
Shelby Memorial Hospital* 7 2 4 57% 29% 4
Sheridan County Health Complex 2 2 3 100% 100% 1
Signature Psychiatric Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 2
Hospital Referral Partners
Don’t release the
deceased to a
funeral home until
you’ve heard from
Saving Sight.
Once a patient
has passed away
and their family is
no longer at the
bedside, perform
SEE:
Saline eye drops
in each eye,
Elevate the head
to 30 degrees,
Eyelids closed and
apply lightweight
ice packs over
closed eyelids
(don’t tape eyelids
closed).
* Data reported may differ from actual numbers due to incomplete data.
Donation Referral | Page 9
Hospital Name Total Suitable
Eye DonorsDonors Transplants
Consent Rate
Conversion Rate
PRC Territory
Smith County Memorial Hospital 8 1 2 13% 13% 1
Southwest Medical Center 9 3 5 71% 33% 1
SSM Health St. Francis Hospital - Maryville 8 3 4 38% 38% 2
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Centralia 34 11 15 43% 32% 4
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Jefferson City 31 12 16 58% 39% 3
St. Catherine Hospital 26 11 11 52% 42% 1
St. Francis Health Center 53 31 29 67% 58% 2
St. Luke Hospital and Living Center 6 0 0 0% 0% 1
St. Lukes Cushing Hospital 10 6 7 73% 60% 2
Stafford County Hospital 2 1 2 50% 50% 1
Stanton County Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 1
Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital 11 4 4 50% 36% 4
Stevens County Hospital 3 0 0 0% 0% 1
Sullivan County Memorial Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 2
Summit Surgical Hospital 0 0 0 0% 0% 1
Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital 6 1 2 20% 17% 1
Taylorville Memorial Hospital* 11 2 2 43% 18% 4
Texas County Memorial Hospital 20 5 1 53% 25% 3
Thomas H. Boyd Memorial Hospital* 6 2 2 40% 33% 4
Trego County-Lemke Memorial Hospital 5 0 0 0% 0% 1
University Hospital 207 85 75 55% 41% 3
University of Kansas Hospital 180 101 119 65% 56% 2
Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan 26 15 17 68% 58% 1
Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg 30 16 19 62% 53% 1
Vibra Hospital of Springfield* 5 1 2 40% 20% 4
Wamego City Hospital 3 3 4 100% 100% 1
Washington County Hospital 2 1 2 50% 50% 1
Washington County Memorial Hospital 21 5 10 40% 24% 4
Western Missouri Medical Center 10 3 6 38% 30% 2
Western Plains Medical Complex 19 7 9 47% 37% 1
Wichita County Health Center 1 1 2 100% 100% 1
Wilson Medical Center 4 1 2 50% 25% 1
Wright Memorial Hospital 10 2 4 29% 20% 2
Referral Location Donors Surgical Tissues PRC Territory
Bates County, Missouri Coroner 1 2 2
Cedar County, Missouri Coroner 1 2 3
Christian County, Missouri Coroner 1 2 4
Cremation Society of Kansas and Missouri 1 2 2
Crossroads Hospice KS 1 2 2
Davis - Anderson Funeral Homes - Carlinville 1 2 4
Frontier Forensics 48 84 2
Greene County, Missouri Medical Examiner 1 2 3
Harbor Light Hospice 1 2 4
Harrison County Hospice 1 2 2
Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice 2 3 1
Hedges - Scott Funeral Homes - Camdenton 1 2 3
Compassus - Springfield 1 2 3
Hospice Services, Inc. & Palliative Care of Northwest Kansas 1 2 1
Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care 2 2 2
Klingner - Cope Family Funeral Homes - Eastlawn 1 2 3
Midland Care Connection 1 2 2
Phelps Regional Homecare 1 2 3
Promise Skilled Nursing Facility of Overland Park 1 2 2
Shawnee County, Kansas Coroner 5 10 3
Shelbyville Manor 1 2 4
Simmons - Rentschler Mortuary 1 2 1
Wyandotte County, Missouri Coroner 1 2 2
Community Referral Partners
Timing is critical,
but Saving Sight
recognizes the
need for time
and space.
Communicate with
us about how the
family is currently
coping.
Call Saving Sight
staff at 800-753-
2265 if you have
questions at any
time about where
a case is in the
donation process.
Set up a
professional
development
session or request
badge cards to
help your staff
facilitate donation
by contacting
your Saving Sight
partner relations
coordinator.
* Data reported may differ from actual numbers due to incomplete data.
Stewardship of the Gift | Page 10
In 2014, Saving Sight invested in
lab equipment upgrades and staff
development to begin processing
tissue for Descemet’s membrane
endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK).
The procedure is anticipated to
become common practice for
corneal transplant surgeries in the
future due to the improved visual
results and recovery times the
procedure provides many patients.
Saving Sight provided corneal
tissue processed for DMEK for the
first full year in 2015, helping more
donors give and more patients
receive the gift of sight.
DMEK Processing Enhances Stewardship
99% of Surgically Suitable Tissue
Transplanted
Stewardship of the Gift | Page 11
Director of Partner Relations Michala Stoker, BSN, RN, was
appointed to Missouri’s Organ Donation Advisory Committee
by Governor Jay Nixon. The state-wide committee assists state
agencies in developing programs to raise awareness of organ, eye
and tissue donation among the public and recommends priorities
for expenditures from the state’s Organ Donor Fund.
As director of partner relations, Stoker has collaborated with
hospitals, medical examiners and coroners, funeral home directors
and organ procurement organizations across Saving Sight’s service
region to help donors give the gift of sight. She currently serves as
the state team leader of Donate Life – Missouri where she works
with partner organizations throughout the state to educate the
public about donation and increase donor designations on the
organ, eye and tissue donor registry.
Director of Partner Relations Appointed to State Board
Chief Business Development Officer Coauthors Research Study
Gabriel Rand (left) and Patrick Gore (right) at the Cornea Society and Eye Bank Association of America’s Fall Educational Symposium.
Research co-authored by Chief Business Development Officer
Patrick Gore suggests Saving Sight and other eye banks could use
information available in donor medical records to identify tissue
which may be better suited for research than transplantation. The
study of 12,703 cornea donors presented at the Cornea Society and
Eye Bank Association of America’s Fall Educational Symposium found
use of certain topical glaucoma medications was associated with
lower corneal endothelial cell density of donors. Cell density is an
important factor in determining the best use of donated eye tissue.
By using this information to evaluate potential eye donor cases,
Saving Sight and other eye banks could focus on recovering
tissue for transplant which provide the best chance for successful
outcomes. Other tissue could be recovered specifically for research
purposes to help save sight through advances in medical practice.
Tissue Utilization | Page 12
Saving Sight distributes eye tissue for transplant in the U.S.
and around the world. Andrew Moyes, MD, of Kansas City,
Missouri performs surgeries with tissue provided by Saving
Sight here at home and abroad. Since 2006, he’s made 15
trips to Haiti as part of the iTeam at Northwest Haiti Christian
Mission. The iTeam provides eye care in the poorest zone
in Haiti where the population of approximately 300,000 has
no access to eye doctors. That care included three corneal
transplants performed by Dr. Moyes in 2015, which can be
lifesaving for recipients in the country.
“Blindness is lethal in Haiti. If you’re blind in a developing
country, the 5-year mortality rate is close to 60 percent,” Dr.
Moyes said. “People come to our eye clinic for our services
from all over Haiti and even from the Dominican Republic.”
In part with tissue provided by Saving Sight, Dr. Moyes and
the iTeam are working to prevent blindness in Haiti. “The eye
bank has been super helpful,” Dr. Moyes said. “We couldn’t
even dream of doing it without Saving Sight.”
Changing Lives Abroad
Tissue Utilization Transplant Tissue Distribution by Surgery Type
Donated Tissue Advances Medical ResearchEye donors give the gift of sight through cornea transplants, but also have
the opportunity to change the lives of those affected by eye conditions
by providing tissue for research and education. By age 80, half of all
Americans will be affected by cataracts. With lens tissue provided by Saving
Sight, researchers at the University of Colorado are studying the various
mechanisms involved in cataract genesis and researchers at Washington
University in St. Louis are testing compounds which may inhibit the formation
of cataracts. This research is leading to advances in the treatment of
cataracts thanks to the generosity of eye donors.
33% Non-Surgical Use
67% Surgical Use
96 Other (DALK, ALK, K-Pro)
129 Glaucoma Shunt
237 DMEK
1,152 DSAEK
1,518 PK
Tissue Utilization | Page 13
A nearly 25-year career as a corneal surgeon has taken Shachar
Tauber, MD, from New York to New Orleans, Alaska to Yale. Twelve
years ago his career brought him to Springfield, Missouri and he’s
been working with Saving Sight ever since.
“When I worked on the East Coast, we didn’t have this kind of
relationship with our eye bank. Saving Sight has been like our
personal banker,” Dr. Tauber said. “Knowing they’re there, that
you can trust that tissue, it’s a relationship that’s made me a
better surgeon.”
Dr. Tauber’s practice performed more than 120 corneal surgeries
last year. His patients are grateful to regain their sight and he shares
the credit. “I’m just the conductor of the orchestra,” Dr. Tauber said.
“There are many people involved in the transplant from the donor
and their family to the hospital staff to Saving Sight who recovers,
tests and prepares the tissue to the technicians and nurses in my
office,” Dr. Tauber shared. “Patients are exceptionally grateful and it’s
heartwarming to be with them as they get their vision back.”
Cornea Transplants Take an Orchestra
Non-Surgical Tissue UtilizationTransplant Tissue Distribution by Geographic Area
Patrick Gore, RNChief Business Development Officer813-753-4487
Lynn Forest-SmithDirector of Business Development727-253-0752
Contact Our Business Development Team for More Information
Request Tissue by Calling Client Services at 816-255-1307
1.7% Illinois
13.6% Kansas
22.1% Other U.S.
22.5% Missouri
40.1% International
23% Education & Training
77% Research
Get 24/7 support from our Client Services team
Request tissue and schedule surgeries online with Midwire Match
Receive processed tissue 7 days a week
Recipients of the Gift | Page 14
For over 30 years, Barbara has made a difference in the lives of her students, first as
an elementary school teacher and then as a university professor who taught early
childhood and special education courses. Barbara is also an avid Mah Jongg player,
enjoys making jewelry and loves to read. Now retired, she continues to change lives
by teaching university courses online and volunteering with the American Red Cross.
Fuchs’ dystrophy threatened Barbara’s ability to continue changing lives, but thanks
to the generous gift of an eye donor, she’s still active serving communities through
the Red Cross. With a team of other retired educators, Barbara visits schools in
Missouri to talk with thousands of 3rd-5th graders each year about emergency
preparedness and basic coping skills in disasters.
“Thank you – those two words don’t say it enough,” said Barbara. “You don’t really
realize how important sight is until it’s gone – it’s a miracle they can make it better.”
Retired Educator Continues to Change Lives Thanks to the Gift of Sight
Recipients of the Gift | Page 15
After her life was touched by eye donation, pre-schooler
and 5 time corneal transplant recipient Gentry Howard
and her family have volunteered with Saving Sight to
become ambassadors for donation. In 2015, Gentry
provided artwork for Saving Sight’s annual holiday
card. The Howards also shared how eye donation had
changed Gentry’s life through a video that reached
more than 200,000 people online and was recognized
by the Eye Bank Association of America as a winner
of its “Through My Eyes” Art Contest during National
Eye Donor Month. Gentry and her family have honored
donor families by participating in The University of
Kansas Hospital’s annual Rose Ceremony and helped
raise awareness about donation in the community by
volunteering at public education events.
An Ambassador for the Gift of Sight
We Changed the Lives of 3,016 People
In 36 States and 22 Countries
Eye Donation | Page 16
Nonprofit OrgUS Postage
PAIDSt. Louis MOPermit #4400
You can change lives by signing up for the donor registry at registerme.org