LONE STAR LIONS EYE BANK


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Bess Beliveaux, CEBT
Executive Director

Richard E. Nieman, MD
Medical Director

Lion John B. Hopkins
President

Lion J.P. Kirksey
First Vice President

Lone Star Lions Eye Bank
102 E. Wheeler
P.O. Box 347
Manor, TX 78653

Phone: 512-457-0638 or
1-800-977-3937
FAX: 512-457-0658

Samuel Fulcher, MD
Corneal Consultant

Robert L. Rock, MD
Corneal Consultant

George C. Thorne, Jr., MD
Corneal Consultant

Gary R. Rylander, MD
Corneal Consultant

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LCI approved draft constitution & bylaws

Click here to see the latest Sight Journal

Scriptures that may be useful for the subject
of organ and tissue donation

A guideline for writing to transplant recipients and donor families

Lone Star Lions Eye Bank services 36 counties and 60 hospitals. We distribute locally first; then, regionally, nationally and internationally. We provide eye tissue to 70 surgeons worldwide.

Specular Microscope

The specular microscope is used to count and evaluate endothelial cells of the cornea. The endothelium is the innermost layer of the five layers of the cornea. There are 3 cell counts done on each cornea. The minimum standard is to have at least 2000 cells per square mm for transplant. Specular microscopy is a valuable tool to enhance the success of corneal transplant surgery.

The Eye

The cornea is the clear, avascular tissue on the front of the eye that accounts for 70% of vision. In a normal eye, light passes through the cornea and the lens and reaches the retina. The cornea and lens focus the incoming light onto the retina. In an eye with corneal blindness, the cornea is no longer clear, and light can not reach the retina. Unlike cataracts, which are opacities in the lens, corneal opacities can not be repaired with artificial replacement. Human donor corneal tissue is required for sight to be restored.

The Donor Cornea

The surgeon removes approximately an 8 mm diameter "button" from the donor cornea. The surgeon uses a circular blade, a trephine, to cut the button. After the donor corneal button is prepared, the surgeon will remove a like-shaped, slightly smaller portion of the patient's diseased or damaged cornea. The surgery typically takes one hour and the patient is able to go home the same day.

Sutured Eye

The donor corneal button is sewn into place using continuous or single sutures. The suture material the surgeon uses is smaller in diameter than a human hair. The sutures are usually removed in the doctor's office months after the surgery. The surgery is 90% successful.

Numbers of Tissues Distributed

584 corneas were provided for tranplant in 2005
59 scleral tissues were provided for various ocular surgeries
155 donor eye tissues were placed with ocular research programs

Links to Other Sites of Interest

  • Airlifeline
  • The National Kidney Foundation
  • Texas Transplantation Society
  • United Network of Organ Sharing
  • First Family Pledge Congress
  • Eye Bank Association of America
  • Lions Clubs International
  • Central Texas Blood and Tissue Center
  • Book People

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Please send comments to:
Bess Beliveaux, CEBT
Executive Director