The Power of You: Register to Donate Your Eyes

WASHINGTON,  /PRNewswire/ -- November 2018 is Eye Donation Month, and the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) will be raising awareness about the life-changing opportunities that are created through cornea donation. 

Eye Donation Month 2018 will focus on all the individuals who make the gift of sight possible.  Eye bank staff, 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.

Did you know?

• More than 50,000 corneas were provided for transplant in the U.S. last year. Corneal transplants have a 97% 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 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.

During Eye Donation Month, EBAA and its 85 member eye banks will promote cornea donation and transplantation awareness, encourage individuals to register as eye, organ and tissue donors, share stories about donors and their families, and celebrate cornea recipients.

EBAA is the nationally-recognized accrediting body for eye banks. Since 1961, EBAA member eye banks nationwide have made possible more than 1,800,000 sight-restoring corneal transplantations. 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.

Editors please note:

November 2018
Eye Donation Month
www.eyedonationmonth.org 
To register as a donor: https://registerme.org/campaign/restoresight 
#eyedonationmonth2018

About the Eye Bank Association of America
The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA), established in 1961, is the oldest transplant association in the nation and sets standards, provides education, and engages in advocacy to support eye donation, and cornea transplantation and research. EBAA has led the transplantation field with the establishment of medical standards for eye banking, and comprehensive training and certification programs for eye bank personnel. Over 90 member eye banks operate in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. These eye banks made possible 84,297 sight-restoring corneal transplants in 2017. To learn more, visit www.restoresight.org.

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SOURCE Eye Bank Association of America