OCTOBER 2022 | VOL 10

JOIN US IN CELEBRATING WORLD SIGHT DAY

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2022

Twelve million Americans and over a billion people worldwide are blind or visually impaired. Through its foundation, Beauty of Sight, Florida Lions Eye Bank is working hard to find treatments to cure and prevent eye diseases and vision loss.

We’re looking forward to a day when everyone in the world can see clearly, and live a life free from visual impairment. With your support, our vision will become a reality. 

Contribute to Florida Lions Eye Bank’s philanthropic programs, supporting vision-related research, treatments, and special projects. Now, more than ever, we need your support to continue providing these critical programs.

CURRENT PROGRAMS

Serum Tear Financial Assistance: This direct assistance program offers free or reduced-free autologous serum eye drops (to treat severe epithelial defects and dry eye disease) to patients with demonstrated financial need.

Gratis Cornea Program: Provides free corneal tissue for transplant surgery for patients not covered by health insurance and with demonstrated financial need.

Beauty of Sight for Children: Gives a free plush toy to children having ocular surgery in South Florida.​​​​

​Research Program: Allocates funds to ophthalmic researchers working to prevent or cure blindness or visual impairment.

Florida Lions Eye Bank attended the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting

Florida Lions Eye Bank staff members Mellissa Pottinger, Sabrina Rodriguez, William Buras, Concetta Triglia, and Elizabeth Fout attended the AAO meeting this year. They delivered educational programming about corneal graft preparation. In addition, as part of over 300 informational and educational sessions provided during the meeting, Florida Lions Eye Bank staff hosted wet labs for DMEK and DALK training assisted by Bascom Palmer faculty members. 

Wet labs, or professional education training sessions, are one of the ways in which non-transplantable donor eye tissue can be used. As a nonprofit eye bank, Florida Lions Eye Bank is dedicated to honoring the wishes of those who register as donors and using their gifts to benefit transplant recipients and the greater medical community. As such, all tissue for our AAO wet labs was selflessly given by eye donors and their families. We are immensely grateful for everything eye donors teach us about how to serve our community better. 

Over 25,000 ocular health professionals around the world attended AAO 2022, recognized as a gathering “where all of ophthalmology meets.” Florida Lions Eye Bank was honored to be part of this important annual event. Follow us on Instagram at florida_lions_eye_bank to see our AAO 2022 pictures!