March – National Eye Donor Month

For 34 years, Eye Bank Association of America (“EBAA”) and its member eye banks have utilized National Eye Donor Month to raise eye donation awareness, honor donors, and their families and celebrate cornea recipients. The invaluable efforts of eye banks and corneal surgeons to restore sight worldwide are also highlighted.

President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Eye Donor Month; every year since then, a member of Congress has read a proclamation emphasizing the importance of cornea donation on EBAA’s behalf.

Last year, the Eye Bank Association of America’s (EBAA) member eye banks made possible over 74,000 sight-restoring corneal transplants. During National Eye Donor Month, EBAA and its member banks promote eye donation awareness, encourage individuals to register as eye, organ and tissue donors, honor donors and their families and celebrate cornea recipients.

In her proclamation, Rep. Velazquez expressed her gratitude to donors and member eye banks for their contributions to the development of treatment and cures for corneal blindness. “In 2015 alone, EBAA member eye banks recovered 118,752 corneas from 66,065 donors and provided 74,173 corneas for transplant in the U.S. and around the world.” she said.

Rep. Velazquez commended EBAA member eye banks and EBAA for their efforts in sight restoration. She also encouraged her colleagues to support their local eye banks and urged all Americans to “give the gift of sight” by registering to become an eye, organ, and tissue donor. Kevin Corcoran, EBAA President and CEO, expressed gratitude to Rep. Velazquez for her acknowledgment of the EBAA and its member eye banks and their work toward the greater goal of restoring sight worldwide.

To view Rep. Velazquez’s complete proclamation and other materials for National Eye Donor Month, please visit the EBAA’s 2017 National Eye Donor Month web page.