City Health Systems Joined The Eye-Bank to Promote Eye Donation
November is Eye Donation Month, an annual observance established by the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) in 1983 to raise awareness about the importance of eye donation and the benefits of corneal transplantation. This past November The Eye-Bank collaborated with hospitals in its service area to promote the importance of eye donation and encourage people to enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry. Having hospital systems like Mount Sinai, NYC Health + Hospitals, NYU Langone and NewYork-Presbyterian participate allows The Eye-Bank to educate a much larger audience of New Yorkers.
During November, Mount Sinai Health System filmed an interview with local Funeral Home Director and cornea transplant recipient James Donofrio. In the video, James shared that he was going blind at an early age and thanks to the skill of his surgeon, David C. Ritterband, M.D., and the generosity of his eye donors, James is able to see today. Having his sight restored allows him to serve his community and manage his funeral home. Mount Sinai Health Systems shared James’ story on social media reaching a much wider audience with information about eye donation. NYC Health + Hospitals shared an Eye Donation Month video produced by The Eye-Bank featuring The Eye-Bank’s Medical Director Michelle Rhee, M.D. who is also the Associate Director of Ophthalmology at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst. Dr. Rhee emphasizes the importance of eye donation with viewers while encouraging them to sign up to be donors. As a cornea surgeon, Dr. Rhee relies on receiving quality donor eye tissue for the sight-restoring transplants she performs.
Himani Goyal, M.D.
NYU Langone Health featured a special patient story about Eye-Bank volunteer and corneal transplant recipient Oscar E. Martinez Ruiz in their hospital’s online News Hub. Oscar was very close to losing his eye, but thanks to a corneal transplant his sight was restored and with it his independence. Eye-Bank Medical Advisory Board Chair Himani Goyal, M.D. contributed to the article by providing her unique perspective as both a corneal surgeon and a leader in the eye banking community.
Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate needing a cornea, so I want to share my story and educate patients and potential donors. -Oscar E. Martinez Ruiz, Cornea Transplant Recipient
NewYork-Presbyterian also produced a social media patient story introducing one-year-old corneal transplant recipient Greyson. He was born with a blinding eye disease, but thanks to the selflessness of his eye donors, he will grow up with eyesight. Eye-Bank Medical Advisory Board Member Danielle Trief, M.D. was Greyson’s surgeon. His parents are grateful to Dr. Trief for the care she provided their son and to his donors for his gift of sight.
I am forever grateful to his two donors for giving him the change to see. -Nicole Moonassar, Greyson’s Mother
Throughout Eye Donation Month, The Eye-Bank’s Hospital and Community Liaisons, were at various times accompanied by incredible cornea transplant recipients who were happy to volunteer their time to meet with hospital staff. For many hospital staffers, it was the first time they had ever met someone who had received the gift of sight. They were very pleased to hear the personal stories and know their efforts every day within the hospital unit contributes to sight restoration. Eye-Bank volunteers like Elena Dinn, Ellen Yoshiuchi, and Oscar E. Martinez Ruiz came to these visits to share heartfelt personal stories of what eye donation meant to them. They expressed that it is because of nurses and their cooperation and knowledge of the eye donation process they are able to see again.
The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration is profoundly grateful for the collective efforts of its hospital partners in raising awareness and supporting the beautiful gift of sight to the larger New York audience. Collaborations like these highlight the value of community, the impact of generosity, and the transformative power of eye, organ and tissue donation.
And even though November is Eye Donation Month, signing up to be an eye, organ and tissue donor in the Donate Life Registry can be done at any time at the DMV, for example, or here.