Iowa Eye Association News Sept, 2001. Series 2, no. 36.

University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

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Iowa Lions Eye Bank Continues to Grow

The Iowa Lions Eye Bank reported a record year in 2000 with 1,408 eyes received and 832 corneas provided for transplant (an increase of 113% over 1999). These provided for 299 corneal transplants in Iowa, 261 elsewhere in the U.S., 122 for transplants through various international programs, and 150 corneas provided without charge for transplant to third world countries in need. In addition, 310 eyes were provided for age-related macular degeneration research and the remaining 266 went to various other research and teaching programs. Since 1960, eye banks nationwide have made possible more than 700,000 sight-restoring corneal transplants, and the Iowa Lions Eye Bank has provided tissue for 8,554 corneal transplants in that period.

Iowa Lions Eye Bank staff work hard in their commitment to ensure that families receive the opportunity to donate and that the donated tissue is utilized in the best possible manner. Eye Bank staff consists of Pat Mason, Executive Director; Garret Locke, BS, CEBT, Technical Director; Greg Schmidt, BS, Technician; Eileen Schmidt, Technician; DeAnne Sesker, BS, EMT-P, Education Coordinator; Jan Reiter, BS, Administrative Assistant; and Jessica King, student assistant.

In November 1999, the eye bank began performing in situ excisions (cornea only removals) for hospitals within a sixty-mile radius of Iowa City. Effective June 1, 2001, the ILEB expanded this service to the rest of eastern Iowa. This has alleviated some of the responsibility and reduced the load for volunteer enucleators and Iowa State Patrol. Eye bank technicians travel to the site, review the medical chart, perform an exam, and recover the corneas. This process allows the cornea to be immediately preserved for transplantation versus receiving a whole globe at the eye bank laboratory and excising the cornea several hours after the removal of the eye. The results are increased viability and quality of the tissue for corneal transplantation.

The Iowa Lions Eye Bank is among 32 eye banks in the U.S. taking part in a national cornea donor study. The Cornea Donor Study (CDS), coordinated by the Jaeb Center for Health Research in Tampa, Florida, is working with 122 surgeons nationally to recruit 1,000 patients for this five-year study. The National Eye Institute and the Eye Bank Association of America help fund the CDS. The study will answer the question of whether older-age donor cornea tissue should be used for transplantation, a question posed by eye banks and corneal surgeons for years. "Not only should the study help to answer this question, it may broaden tissue availability domestically, as well as to the transplant community the world over," says Roy Beck, MD, PhD, of the Jaeb Center for Health Research. The steady increase of refractive surgery has the potential to cause a shortage of corneal tissue available for transplant in the future. Corneal refractive surgery patients are not suitable donors for transplant because the surgery reshapes the cornea. These reshaped corneas may be donated for research, however. The use of corneal tissue from older donors could expand the donor pool by 20 to 35 percent. Patient enrollment began in January 2000, and in the first 17 months, 600 patients had been enrolled. Locally, John E. Sutphin, MD and Michael D. Wagoner, MD, medical directors for the Iowa Lions Eye Bank, are participating in this study along with the eye bank and photography service.

The Iowa Lions Eye Bank was recently invited to join Vision Share, a national consortium of eye banks cooperating to provide mutually beneficial support services to member eye banks, ensuring the highest quality donor eye tissue and services. Vision Share is a leader in the eye banking community in promoting the highest achievable standards in regard to donor tissue, quality, and donor screening for the benefit of recipients. There are currently thirteen eye banks holding membership in Vision Share.

News releases, public service announcements, news feature stories, and a print media public awareness campaign were among the activities the ILEB participated in for National Eye Donor Month. In a related awareness activity, nearly 800 attended Governor Tom Vilsack's Iowa donor family recognition event at the State Capitol. The ILEB was an active participant in this successful and moving tribute to donor families.

The Iowa Lions Eye Bank is fortunate to have an excellent working relationship with the approximately 400 Lions and Lioness Clubs in Iowa with nearly 13,000 members. These clubs play a vital role with the Iowa Lions Eye Bank and its various projects, working together to bring the "gift of sight" locally, nationally, and internationally.

For more information regarding the Iowa Lions Eye Bank, log onto the website or call (866) HELP SEE (toll free in Iowa) or (319) 356-2871.

by Pat Mason, Executive Director