Florida Lions Eye Bank February 2023 Newsletter

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

FEBRUARY 2023 | VOL 2

YOU ARE INVITED TO OUR OPEN HOUSE

Want to learn more about the Florida Lions Eye Bank and our Beauty of Sight Foundation? Consider attending our Annual Open House, scheduled for Saturday, March 18, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The day will include a presentation in our auditorium, tours of our cornea, pathology, and research labs, and a catered buffet lunch. This event is FREE, but you must be registered to attend.

Location of Open House:

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

900 NW 17^th Street

Miami, FL 33136

RSVP required

Call, text, or email Lion Mara

786-801-8541 ||m.budnetz@miami.edu

Schedule:

Registration & Voting: 10:00am – 10:30am

Presentation in Auditorium: 10:30 am – 11:30 am

Tours of Laboratories: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Lunch on Retter Patio: 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

FLORIDA LIONS EYE BANK COLLABORATES WITH LIONS CLUBS IN PERU TO HELP FACILITATE FOUR CORNEAL TRANSPLANTS

In early February, Florida Lions Eye Bank collaborated with Lions members in Lima, Peru, and the local Eye Bank of Peru to help restore sight to four visually impaired patients. Recent political unrest in the capital city has made it difficult for patients to receive corneal tissue needed for transplantation. That’s when the Lions reached out for our help. Once all domestic needs have been met, Florida Lions Eye Bank often sends excess surgical tissue to Central and South American countries, which generally suffer from a very short supply of quality corneal tissue for transplantation.

Florida Lions Eye Bank technician Katrina Llanes, who has a family in Peru, quickly became passionate about this project and helped coordinate the gratis delivery of four surgical-quality corneas to Lima.

“Being able to help the people of Peru has meant so much to me. They are so thankful for the corneas that we were able to send them, and I hope we can continue to work with them to help patients in need,” said Katrina.

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 the means to pay may find themselves unable to undergo corneal transplantation because of the financial burden of this surgery.

The Cornea Gratis Program has helped subsidize the tissue processing fee cost. It allows the Florida Lions Eye Bank to provide completely free tissue to patients without insurance and the means to pay. All donations to this program help support needy patients in our community who require a corneal transplant.

DONATE NOW

SERUM TEARS PROGRAM

Serum Tears are an ophthalmic biological therapy that combines the patient’s blood serum with sterile, preservative-free saline.

Unfortunately, most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, do not typically cover Serum Tears. As such, patients are responsible for the cost of this therapy.

Recognizing this need, 0ur Beauty of Sight foundation launched the Serum Tears Assistance Program, which provides free eye drops for patients in need. To receive free eye drops, patients must complete an application and provide proof of their stated income. Patients are qualified based on the United States Federal Poverty Guidelines and, if approved, receive a 3-month supply of drops free of charge.

DONATE NOW

Please donate today to support our programs, including our Gratis Corneal Tissue program, Serum Tears Assistance program, and Research programs!

FLORIDA LIONS EYE BANK

WWW.FLEB.ORG