Eye Donation Month

Oct 7, 2020 | News

A Community of Compassion

Celebrating the community present in giving the gift of sight to others during Eye Donation Month in November.

Eye Donation Month | November 2021

Join Saving Sight in celebrating the gift of sight and raising awareness about corneal donation and transplantation during Eye Donation Month in November. This annual observance, created by the Eye Bank Association of America, serves as an opportunity for eye banks, partners, and communities to commemorate the lives of individuals who have given vision to others through eye donation. The 2021 Eye Donation Month theme, “A Community of Compassion,” highlights the many individuals who work together to make restored vision through transplantation possible.

Honoring the Gift of Eye Donation

In 2019, 68,759 individuals in the U.S. became eye donors, providing hope and sight to others in need of restored vision. At Saving Sight alone, eye donors help to give the of sight to 8 individuals each day. Scot, pictured to the left, is one of the many heroes who have given sight to others living in the darkness of corneal blindness.

Read Scot's Story

You Can Help This November!

One of the many ways that you can support Saving Sight’s mission to change lives by saving sight is to help us raise awareness for the need for eye donation and help get others to join the organ and tissue donor registry! Whether it’s making a goal to get a group of friends to register online, or sharing a story on social media about the life-changing gift of eye donation, Saving Sight has got you covered with resources.

Follow Saving Sight on Facebook at @WeSaveSight for stories to share all month long. And, when you’re on Facebook be sure to check out the Eye Bank Association of America’s profile picture frame commemorating Eye Donation Month. To access the profile picture frame just log into your personal Facebook account, click your profile picture and select “update profile picture” and then “add frame.” If you search for Eye Donation Month, you’ll find a special frame created just for November! Stay tuned to our social media feeds all month long for other extras like stickers and camera effects and how to use them!

Finally, please make sure that you are directing individuals to registerme.org as a call to action for them to sign up on the eye, organ and tissue donor registry! Their selfless decision may someday give others both life-changing and life-saving gifts.

The Healing Legacy of Eye Donation

Hear Byron’s story and legacy as an eye donor, as told by Patrice in this moving remembrance courtesy of the Eye Bank Association of America.

Kathy’s Journey of Restored Sight Through Transplantation

Kathy's journey to restored sight began after her cataract surgery in the fall of 2023. The procedure that she expected would improve her vision did not deliver the results that she was expecting and led to the discovery of underlying vision issues. “After my cataract...

Transplant Recipient’s Vision Twice Renewed

Scott's journey to restored vision began on a farm in central Kansas when he was 19. After unloading grain from storage bins, Scott noticed that his left eye had swollen shut. Scott eventually found his way to Dr. Bruce Grene in Wichita, Kansas where he was treated...

A Transplant Becomes an Opportunity for Regained Sight

For years, Karie of Kansas City, MO, suffered from reduced vision in her right eye after a bout with shingles while on chemotherapy. She was left with scarring from the shingles on her eye that impacted her vision and resulted in corneal blindness. At first, she was...

Neal’s Restored Vision Provides New Clarity

Neal's life took a transformative turn in April 2022 when he underwent a corneal transplant, bringing newfound hope and clarity to his world. Neal, a resident of Kansas City, suffered from Fuchs Dystrophy, a progressive eye condition that clouded his vision and...

Transplant Recipient Begins 2023 With a New View

“Frankly, I was thinking that there was a good chance that I was going to lose my sight, and it didn’t occur to me to think about a transplant.”

Restored Vision Gives Funeral Home Director New View

As a funeral director, Diantha worked closely with the eye donation process for many years in her family’s funeral home. She often spoke with families whose loved ones had chosen to give the gift of sight, and therefore was very familiar with Saving Sight and its...

Changing Lives Through Sight Restoration in Tanzania

On July 2, 2021, Saving Sight distributed 6 corneal tissues to the Donor Network of Arizona to be used by one of their surgeons in Tanzania for a mission trip. Dr. LeeSa Jackson joined Dr. Elisante Jackson Muna at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center to perform a...

Becky’s Legacy

In Memory of Becky H., 1973-2021 "Becky was a strong advocate for those in need, especially children. She loved genealogy, German food, and her family and friends," says Eric. #LegacyGarden #DonorHero

Changing Lives Through Sight Restoration in Pakistan

In 2018, Saving Sight began working with Dr. Fawad Zafar. Dr. Zafar is a urologist who lives in Iowa and also coordinates the acquisition of corneal tissue for transplant in Pakistan. “In April 2017, one of my class fellows who was a doctor, but left medical...

Melanie’s Legacy As An Eye Donor

"My mom was extremely devoted to her family, especially her mother, two kids and five grandchildren. She had just gotten her first granddaughter after four boys and was so proud. She was extremely giving, to the point she’d go without so others had. She was an AMAZING...

Support the Mission

You can help us our quest to educate others about the life-changing gift of eye donation by purchasing our Eye Donation Month merchandise. Each image features the words of donor families and transplant recipients about how eye donation has provided hope and healing in their lives.

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Local Coroner Connects Families to Gift of Sight in Moments of Darkness

Jul 24, 2020 | Community Partners

Coroners and medical examiners work in difficult and often emotionally taxing situations. From doing investigative work at death scenes, conducting autopsies, and notifying the next-of-kin about a death, the job is often demanding and not fully understood by the communities these individuals serve.

Taney County Coroner, Tony Mullen, believes that donation is one way he can bring hope to others during a time of grief.

In southwest Missouri, one county coroner has found a way to serve his community in a way that brings hope of restored sight and life to others in the darkest times of loss. Taney County Coroner, Tony Mullen, works with local eye tissue bank, Saving Sight, to offer the opportunity of eye donation. For many families, honoring their loved one’s wish to give the gift of sight through donation brings a sense of peace and hope during the hardest time of their lives.

“When you can physically see the results of donation, it’s huge,” said Mullen. “As a family member, I would feel honored if my loved one could be a donor.”

As the county coroner, Mullen is in the unique position to work with agencies like Saving Sight when a death occurs to offer donation as an option in many cases. Mullen is also committed to educating others in his local community about donation and providing resources to help others understand the process. He believes it’s crucial for an individual to make their wishes about donation known to their family.

“For many people, the only exposure they have to donation is at the DMV when they sign up,” said Mullen. “In the position that I’m in, I have the opportunity to educate others.”

Each day, Saving Sight provides the gift of sight to nine individuals through the gift of cornea donation and transplantation. Additionally, 110,000 individuals in the U.S. are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. You can make a difference in the lives of others by joining the eye, organ, and tissue donor registry at registerme.org and sharing your decision with your family.

Our Response to COVID-19

Mar 25, 2020 | News

As COVID-19 continues to be top of mind for many in the U.S. and worldwide, we’d like to share the measures that Saving Sight is taking to ensure the health and well-being of our patients, families, partners, and staff.

Even in these uncertain times, our commitment to the mission of changing lives by saving sight is first and foremost. Saving Sight will continue to serve others by connecting them to the gifts of donation and transplantation. We are taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our staff and patients who will receive the gift of sight from donors. This includes screening all donors for potential and diagnosed COVID-19 cases.

While our clinical operations continue, Saving Sight and its partners have canceled or postponed all community events, including those associated with National Donate Life Month in April. Although difficult, this decision was made to limit the exposure of our donor families, recipients, our team, and the community-at-large to the risk of coronavirus.

Finally, we’ve taken additional measures to protect our Saving Sight team, including suspending non-essential travel and arranging for our staff to work from home, wherever possible. The safety of our team is a top priority, and we will continue to evaluate our response and make decisions in the best interest of all as the situation evolves.

Event Updates

Candlelight Memorial Ceremony, Springfield, MO – March 28, 2020
This event has been postponed, please stay tuned for more information at a later date.

Board of Directors Meeting – March 28, 2020
Meeting will occur via conference call instead of in-person. Please contact our team at 800-753-2265 if you will be in attendance and need dial-in information.

Mosaic Celebration of Life – April 1, 2020
This event has been postponed, please stay tuned for more information at a later date.

University Hospital Celebration of Heroes – April 1, 2020
This event has been canceled.

Celebration of Life and Rose Dedication Ceremony, Freeman Hospital West – April 14, 2020
This event has been postponed, please stay tuned for more information at a later date.

Missouri Donor Day at the Capitol – April 14, 2020
This event has been canceled.

National Blue and Green Day – April 17, 2020
This virtual event is still on! Please visit Donate Life America’s web site for additional information on participating.

KU Rose Ceremony – April 18, 2020
This event has been canceled.

ARVO Annual Meeting – May 1-7, 2020
This event has been canceled.

ASCRS Annual Meeting – May 15-20, 2020
This event has been canceled.

Saving Sight Impact Report

Mar 1, 2020 | News

Our Impact in 2019

Thanks to the many partners who help us facilitate the gift of eye donation, and to the thousands of individuals who said “yes” to giving that gift, we were able to impact the lives of more than 7 individuals a day last year.

Together, We Change Lives

2019 was a record-breaking year, in which Saving Sight provided the gift of sight to even more individuals through the help of our many partners in donation. We’re proud to share our successes with you and humbled to say thank you for your support. We hope that you enjoy hearing the stories of those we’ve served this past year, and that you’ll take the opportunity to share their stories with others, as well.

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