Maybe it’s a child who can read after losing his eyesight in an accident or a grandmother who can see her grandchild clearly for the first time — cornea donation changes lives. As our recipients can attest, donors make an incredible difference in people’s lives.

Saving Sight provides corneas for an average of seven people everyday thanks to the compassion of donor families like yours. That’s seven people each day whose lives are greatly improved by cornea donation and transplantation. Cornea donors are also able to make a gift that will support ocular researchers who need donor tissue to find the cures and causes of eye diseases. Today’s eye tissue donation could lead to tomorrow’s cure!

Donor Families

We offer donor families several ways to honor their loved ones:

1. If you wish to communicate with his or her cornea recipient, you may correspond anonymously through Saving Sight (see details below), or
2. You may share your family member’s story with our communications department so others can learn of his or her generosity in life and in death. You can share your story through our online form or by calling 800-753-2265.
3. Volunteer with Saving Sight to help promote the gift of sight in your community.
4. Submit a picture and memory to our Saving Sight Virtual Legacy Garden on Instagram. 
5. Join our Donor Family Group on Facebook.

On behalf of the people whose lives are changed by cornea donation, we thank you for your support, generosity, and compassion.

Click here to read about the legacy that eye donors have given.

Recipients

Recipients, too, are encouraged to honor their donors. You can do so in a few different ways:

1. Participate in the correspondence process by writing to your donor’s family (see details below).
2. Share your story with our communications department so others can learn of the life-changing benefits of cornea donation and transplantation. You can share your story through our online form or by calling 800-753-2265.
3. Volunteer with Saving Sight to help promote the gift of sight in your community.
4. Join our Cornea Recipient Group on Facebook. 

Click here to read recipient stories.

Correspondence

Correspondence can be a positive part of the healing process for many people. Donor families and cornea transplant recipients alike have told us about its therapeutic effects. That’s why Saving Sight offers donor families and cornea transplant recipients the opportunity to write to each other in a safe and encouraging environment. The gift of sight is confidential, so your identity will remain anonymous should you choose to participate in the optional correspondence process, which helps preserve everyone’s privacy. Saving Sight acts as an intermediary to accept the letters and then pass them on to the appropriate party for as long as both parties are interested in participating.

The identities of all cornea recipients and donor families are kept confidential. Saving Sight accepts correspondence from both recipients and donor families, then forwards these cards or letters to the appropriate party. This keeps the exchange anonymous.

To request more information about correspondence, please call Saving Sight at 1-800-753-2265 or message us through our contact form.

Support Resources

Listed below are several websites about support groups and information for donor families.

• National Donor Family Council: Information on local donor family councils and nationwide events.
• M.I.S.S. Foundation: A foundation dedicated to providing support to families who have lost young children.
• MAT Support Groups: Mid-America Transplant Services support groups in St. Louis, Springfield and Southeast Missouri.
• MTN Support Groups: Kansas City and Kansas state-based donor support through Midwest Transplant Network.
• The Compassionate Friends: Offering more than 600 support groups nationwide to help families dealing with the death of a child.