The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) will be raising awareness during the month of November about the life-changing opportunities that are created through eye donation. Eye Donation Month 2018 will focus on all the individuals that make the gift of sight possible. Eye bank staffs, funeral directors, medical examiners/coroners, hospital administrators, cornea donor families and cornea recipients are the enduring champions for the millions of people around the world whose lives are transformed through cornea donation and transplantation.

In 2017, more than 50,000 corneas were provided for transplant with a more than 95 percent success rate. Almost anyone can be a cornea donor, regardless of vision, age, or past ocular health issues such as cataracts or laser vision correction. The transplants performed each year increase their recipients’ productivity and reduce their healthcare costs, contributing $6 billion in benefits to the U.S. healthcare system.

It all starts with registering to be an eye, organ and tissue donor and sharing your decision with your family and loved ones.

Individuals interested in learning more about cornea donation and transplantation should visit the EBAA website at RestoreSight.org. While there, visitors can also get information on how to register as a donor to leave the lasting legacy of the gift of sight.