Iowa Eye Association News Sept, 2002. Series 2, no. 37.

University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

NOTE: This page is for archival purposes only and may contain information that is outdated.

Year of Change And Growth for
Iowa Lions Eye Bank

By Pat Mason, Executive Director

	On December 18, 2001, the Iowa Lions Eye Bank moved to 2346 Mormon Trek Boulevard, Suite 1500, Iowa City. The new location allows for expanded space and additional staff members. The Eye Bank will continue close affiliation with the Department and UI Hospitals and Clinics in order to continue to serve the needs of patients.
The Iowa Lions Eye Bank has also adopted a new logo that exemplifies both the concept of corneal transplant surgery and the compassion expressed by the donor and donor family through donation.

Thanks to the generosity of eye donor families, the Eye Bank provided 840 corneas for transplant and 605 eyes for ophthalmic research in 2001. We cannot express enough gratitude to all the families who made the decision to donate their loved ones' eyes so that others may see. We also thank Iowa nurses, physicians, chaplains, social workers, hospice caregivers, and funeral directors — the health care professionals of Iowa are the key to making donation a positive experience for all involved.

In order to keep up with increased donation activities as well as donor awareness and donor family support service activities, the eye bank has added a second education coordinator, bringing the total number of employees to seven full-time and nine part-time. Kathy Barnhart provides educational programs and training to health care professionals. She also participates in donor family services and public relations activities.

As reported in the last Iowa Eye Newsletter, the Iowa Lions Eye Bank initiated a program in early 2000 in which the technical staff travels to hospitals throughout eastern Iowa to perform corneal in-situ excisions. The process is working very well in areas in which it has been implemented. Outside of eastern Iowa, the Eye Bank continues to rely on certified eye enucleators, typically funeral directors and nurses, to perform the valuable services of eye enucleation.

In recent years, the Iowa Lions Eye Bank has shared in donor family support services and activities with the Iowa Donor Network, Iowa's organ and tissue procurement organization. Eye, organ, and tissue donor families can submit stories about their loved ones to be published in a memory collection called "Memories from the Tree." Also, families may make a quilt square in memory of their loved one. Collected quilt squares are sewn together to make a large quilt that is displayed upon request throughout Iowa to promote eye, organ, and tissue donor awareness. There are currently four quilts. Our donor families have found such activities so meaningful that in 2002, the Eye Bank will be launching its own Donor Family Remembrance Album. This album will contain pictures and stories specifically of eye donor families and will be on display in the lobby of the Iowa Lions Eye Bank and will travel to special events. As an example of how special these memories are to our donor families, we offer the following quotes: "He didn't have time to say goodbye, but I feel he would be happy to know that someone is benefiting from our donation of his corneas;" "I was so happy to hear that his eyes could be used for donation. Whoever got his eyes, I am sure can see life so much clearer."