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Missouri Lions Eye Tissue Banks |
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Columbia 404 Portland St. Columbia, MO 65201
(573) 443-1479 (800) 753-2265 |
Springfield 1730 E. Portland Springfield, MO 65804
(417) 882-1532 |
St. Louis 3455 Bridgeland Drive Bridgeton, MO 63044
(314) 344-1171 (800) 331-2636 |
The Eye Research Foundation is incorporated as an organization separate from the Missouri Lions; however, their Board of Directors is almost entirely Missouri Lions and their officers are all Missouri Lions. Each Lions District has one elected representative on the Board in addition to the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Lions Council of Governors. This organization has several functions. They are Eye Research, Operation of the Missouri Lions Eye Tissue Banks in Columbia, Springfield, and St. Louis, Glaucoma Screening, Eyeglass Recycling, Amblyopia Screening, Indigent Patient Care, and Public Education.
The Eye Research Foundation is located in its own
building at 404 Portland in Columbia Missouri. The present day Foundation is a
result of the conversion of the Eye Research Foundation of Missouri (ERF),
formed in 1973, to a totally Lions Project in 1987. The Eye Research Foundation
was a cooperative venture between the relocated Eye Research Foundation of
Bethesda, Maryland (formed in 1957) and the Lions of Missouri. The ERF was to
house University Research and operate the Lions Eye Tissue Bank that had, since
1960, been operated by the University of Missouri. In 1974 building, on six
acres of donated land, began using a Lions building fund. The fund was started
in 1967 to construct and equip a modern eye clinic, laboratory research space
and facilities for The Lions Eye Bank.
Visitors are always welcome and tours can be arranged for individuals or groups. CALL 573 443-1471 with questions, for tours, or club programs.
The Missouri Lions Eye Tissue Bank collects, processes,
tests, and disseminates corneal tissue to doctors through out the State for
transplant. The Foundation also has agreements with the Lions of Illinois to
collect and process tissue from parts of southern Illinois and with an eye bank
in Kansas City to place the tissue they collect. If the tissue is transplantable
but not used by Missouri doctors, the tissue is offered to doctors in Illinois
and Kansas, other states in the United States, Germany, the Far East, and
finally South America. Tissue that is unusable for transplant is utilized by the
Foundation for research. Funding for the eye banks comes from Lions Clubs and
District donations, donations and grants from individuals and Foundations, The
Missouri Lions All-Star All-State Football Game, and a processing fee collected
from the tissue recipient's insurance, when available. In 1994 the Eye Bank, one
of the largest eye banks in the U.S. received 2,452 eyes; provided 1,054 cornea
transplants (1 every 8.3 hours). Missouri, with 318 transplants (at least 14
recipients in each of our 11 Districts), tops the list of recipients; with 370
going to 33 of the remaining U.S. states; and 366 utilized in more than 15 other
countries around the world.
The Missouri Lions Eye Tissue Bank is a charter member of
the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) and technicians are certified through
EBBA sponsored courses and seminars. In addition the Missouri Lions Eye Tissue
Bank rigidly follows EBBA medical standards as well as guidelines set by the FDA
in the processing and evaluation of eye tissue, including tests for HIV,
Hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis on all surgical quality corneas.
The eyes should be removed as soon as possible after death and before the body is embalmed by a trained enucleator (such as a certified embalmer, nurse, doctor, mortician, eye bank technician or others completing the course offered by the eye bank each year). To facilitate receipt of donor eyes, a collection substation system has been set up throughout the state of Missouri, consisting of more that 250 eye enucleation kits.
Once the eyes are removed, they are transported by volunteer Lion Transport members (or, in some cases, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and local airlines) to the eye bank branch closest to the place of death. These transporters are called on at all hours, day or night, to assist the eye bank.
In September 1993, the Foundation opened a federally certified
clinical laboratory so that the Eye Bank could more quickly get results of the
blood tests that are needed for each eye donor before transplants can be
arranged. Since time is of the essence in a transplant situation, having our own
blood testing facility gives the Eye Bank staff much greater flexibility in
preparing corneas for transplant. Since opening the laboratory, several other
transplant-related 
organizations have asked us to perform tests on their
samples, since they face similar time constraints in their endeavors. We have
been very pleased to be able to offer corneas for transplant more quickly, as
well as assist other transplant organizations to provide better service.
Each year thousands of individuals are faced with the devastating effects of corneal blindness. You can open the window of the world by giving the gift of sight and pledging to donate your eyes upon death, to the Missouri Lions Eye Tissue Bank.
Anyone can donate! You are never too young or too old to be an eye donor. The color of your eyes doesn't matter. Your gender, blood type, race, or how well you see doesn't matter, either. Even people with eye diseases can donate their eyes. In fact, diseased eyes are invaluable for use in research of a cure.
There is no cost to the Donor or the Donor's family. All costs associated with the program are covered by donated dollars and processing fees charged the tissue recipient. In fact, it is illegal to buy or sell human eyes, organs, and tissues.
Problems with disfigurement are very rare, and usually no visible signs are present to show that a person's eyes have been donated. Normal funeral arrangements can be made. Also, all major religions fully approve and support eye donation as a humanitarian gesture.
There is no reason why YOU should not be an eye donor.
PLEASE sign a Lions Eye Donor Card or if you live in Missouri sign the back of
your drivers license. Tell your relatives, physician, clergy and friends of your
desire to become an eye donor. In Missouri, next-of-kin consent is required for
donation, so it is crucial that your family knows ahead of time how you feel
about it.
The Foundation conducts research into eye diseases and disorders and ways to provide tissue of a higher and more consistent quality to the doctors for transplant. The Foundation has earned a reputation nationally and internationally for excellence in research. While research is still performed at the Foundation, dramatic decreases in federal funding have increased emphasis on supporting outside research with non-transplantable eye tissue. In response to specific requests from scientists, the eye research foundation is currently providing eye tissue for:
Glaucoma is a blinding eye disease associated with elevated pressure within the eye, eventually causing deterioration to the retina and optic nerve. One of the leading causes of permanent blindness, glaucoma, known as the "Sneak Thief of Sight" causes a gradual loss of peripheral vision which is often slow moving and painless, and hence goes unnoticed by its victims. However, glaucoma can be prevented if detected in its earliest stages.
Glaucoma screening started at the Foundation in the fall of
1981 when the Independence Eastview Lions Club donated $6,280 to purchase a
non-contact tonometer. A second tonometer was donated by the Freistatt Lions
Club in early 1995, effectively doubling our screening capability. Any Missouri
Lions Club can schedule the use of the equipment and its operator by calling the
Foundation.
In 1994 the Foundation provided over 80 screenings in over 60 Missouri cities. Of the over 5,000 individuals screened, over 300 were detected as having elevated intraocular pressure and were advised to go to their eye doctor to confirm the finding and receive treatment. Since the program started about 14 years ago, more than 56,000 Missourians have been tested for glaucoma. Of those tested, more than 4,000 have exhibited the symptoms of glaucoma.
The Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation hopes to help locate the over 43,000 Missourians who have glaucoma -- 22,000 of whom are unaware they have this condition leading to irreversible blindness.
Public Education is an attempt to inform the people of Missouri in the causes and prevention of blindness and as a result lower the high incidence of blindness in the State. The Foundation has approached this problem in several ways:
The Foundation also functions as a central receiving point for used eye glasses. Each pair of donated glasses is then cleaned, sorted and analyzed for its level of correction and made ready for the needy in Third World countries. Some of the glasses are used by the Missouri VOSH (Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity) in their program in Central and South America and more recently in Africa. A large block of the used eyeglasses are used by the Missouri Lions Mission to Guatemala with the remainder going to various other Lions and non-Lions programs through out the third world countries. Annual collections are about 85,000 pair; with distributions of about 55,000 pair.
Since July 1989, recycled eyeglasses have been sent to Bali, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Nepal, St. Lucia, Venezuela, the Yucatan, India, Mexico, and Brazil.
Indigent Patient Eye Care is a new program of the Foundation with the Foundation working in cooperation with the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Missouri-Columbia (UMC) to increase the availability of eye care to indigent patients throughout Missouri. Candidates are first screened for eligibility for various government programs. If found indigent but not qualified for government aid, the Foundation will pay reduced fees at UMC for evaluations and minor treatment. In cases where major treatment or surgery is indicated, UMC will provide the service and seek alternate sources for recoupment of expenses.
Another new program at the Foundation is Childrens Amblyopia Screening, a pilot program started in late 1994 in conjunction with Children's Hospital in St. Louis. Foundation staff and Lions take special photographs of children (photorefraction) in nursery schools, Wal-Marts, etc. Photographs are evaluated by Children's Hospital for signs of amblyopia ("lazy eye"). Parents of children with symptoms are alerted and urged to have the child fully examined by the doctor of the parent's choice.
The technique uses a Polaroid camera that has had the flash unit moved to a point very near the camera lens to enhance the "red eye" effect. By taking two photos of a child's face at precise camera angles and distances, trained medical staff can study the spatial arrangements of the "red eye" within the eyes of the child on the photos to gain information about the child's ability to have his/her eyes "work together".
This program is still in the formative stages, but it has tremendous potential to identify thousands of preschool children throughout Missouri with amblyopia. The earlier in life amblyopia is detected, the easier and more successful the treatment will be. Sadly, many people in the past have found out too late about their condition, and have eventually lost all vision in that eye. Amblyopia is not only a major visual problem, but also a major learning problem. Many students who were thought to be "slow" or disinterested in school have later been found to have amblyopia as the cause of their learning problems. Lions have an opportunity to drastically increase the vision and quality of life for thousands of children through this project.