AUGUST 2022 | VOL 8

FLORIDA LIONS EYE BANK'S ASSOCIATION WITH THE EBAA

Florida Lions Eye Bank is proud to be closely involved in the development and guidance of the Eye Bank Association of America, or EBAA. Founded in 1961 as the world’s oldest transplant association, the EBAA is an internationally recognized standards-setting body for eye banks. The EBAA is also responsible for accrediting eye banks, ensuring member eye banks’ adherence to best practices when obtaining, medically evaluating, and distributing ocular tissue for transplant, research, and education. EBAA eye banks provide tissue for approximately 85,000 sight-restoring corneal transplants each year, about 1,000 of which are provided by Florida Lions Eye Bank. 

For the 2022-2024 committee cycle, which started on July 1st, several Florida Lions Eye Bank staff members were chosen to serve in leadership roles or on committees. Following is a list of Florida Lions Eye Bank’s staff, titles, and leadership roles at the Eye Bank Association of America.

• Elizabeth Fout, Executive Director: Secretary/Treasurer of Board of Directors; Chair Finance Committee
• Vivian Lopez, Quality Assurance Director: Co-Chair Quality Assurance Committee
• Concetta Triglia, Director of Lab Services: Medical Advisory Board; Scientific Programs Committee
• William Buras, Director of Business & Project Development: Accreditation Board
• Katrina Llanes, Recovery Technician: Research Committee
• Mellissa Pottinger, Recovery Technician: Technician Education Committee
• Erica Babich, Donor Coordinator: Donor, Partner, and Community Relations Committee

Florida Lions Eye Bank is grateful for the ongoing service of our devoted staff, not just to our organization but to the mission of eye banking throughout the world. For more information on the EBAA, visit its website at www.restoresight.org.

Florida Lions Eye Bank staff members Erica Babich, Mellissa Pottinger, Yirien Garcia, Elizabeth Fout, and Concetta Triglia at the EBAA’s Annual Award Dinner.

FLORIDA LIONS EYE BANK HAS A RECORD-BREAKING YEAR

Each year, Florida Lions Eye Bank provides hundreds of corneas to patients in need of sight-saving surgery. Each year the number of transplant corneas provided depends on the number of transplant suitable corneas recovered in the South Florida area.

This past fiscal year ended on June 30^th. Florida Lions Eye Bank had a record-breaking year, providing 1,055 corneas for transplantation. This represents a 25% increase over the previous year and the largest number of corneas provided for transplant in over 25 years! Florida Lions Eye Bank is proud to provide the Beauty of Sight to members of our community and couldn’t do this without the generosity of eye donors and their families who make this work possible!

EYE BANK BOARD MEMBER ASSISTS DURING SIGHT-SAVING MISSION TRIP TO PARAGUAY

Florida Lions Eye Bank Board member Maria Felisa DeKler recently traveled to Asuncion, Paraguay, to help provide the Beauty of Sight to needy patients. DeKler is a Certified Surgical Technologist, President, and Medical Mission Leader for Fundacion Panambi. She traveled to Paraguay with Dr. Aarup Kubal, Medical Director of Fundacion Panambi, where they performed 14 corneal transplants using tissue donated by three US eye banks, including Florida Lions Eye Bank.  “Words cannot express the gratitude of all 14 recipients,” said DeKler, who has been on the eye bank Board since 2019. Fundacion Panambi plans mission trips each year, and Florida Lions Eye Bank is proud to support this sight-saving work!

On May 16, 2022, Dr. Aarup Kubal performed a successful corneal transplant on a 14-year-old recipient using tissue donated by Florida Lions Eye Bank.