Lions Gift of Sight Today Newsletter:
A publication for our friends and partners
Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Neurosciences
University of Minnesota
Spring-Summer 2024
© Copyright 2024 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
Lions Gift of Sight TODAY is published twice a year by the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Lions Gift of Sight
1000 Westgate Drive - Ste 260
Saint Paul, MN 55114
For more information, visit LionsGiftofSight.UMN.edu or call 612-625-5159.
Lions Gift of Sight (LGS) is a community-based non-profit eye bank. Founded in 1960, it is the oldest donation organization in Minnesota. LGS serves the needs of donors in Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and North Dakota, 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year. LGS distributes corneas for transplant and eyes and corneas for research and medical education throughout the world.
With a stringent eye bank quality assurance program that audits all aspects of operations, LGS upholds the highest tissue quality standards. LGS is accredited by the Eye Bank Association of America, inspected by the Food and Drug Administration, and follows OSHA and University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research guidelines. LGS is owned by the Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and is proud to be part of the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Table of Contents
Executive Director, Sean Poppoff, Message: Changing the Eye Banking World
I think I exaggerate only a little when I say that exciting developments take place at Lions Gift of Sight daily. But when it comes to Kerify, there is no exaggeration!
Kerify (or Assessing Without Guessing) is an automated advanced image analysis platform, which accurately evaluates a cornea post processing. Kerify analyzes a photo of the processed donor cornea to quantify and map the areas of damage, returning results within 30 seconds. The data helps eye banks and cornea surgeons determine donor cornea quality more accurately and far more quickly than current methods, thus improving patient outcomes and eye bank operations.
It was late in 2023 when Lions Gift of Sight (LGS), the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA), and ADCIS (a computer company in France) signed a formal partnership to launch Kerify. Kerify marks the first time that the EBAA has invested in an eye bank product that has the potential to revolutionize post processing evaluation. An outcome of five years of work at LGS, the concept was originally inspired by a Lion in Woodbury, Minnesota, who toured the eye bank and observed the manual labor involved in post processing cornea evaluation. The Lion proposed using advanced imaging analysis to bring automation to the task, and the result is Kerify.
Says EBAA President and CEO, Kevin Corcoran: “Kerify Vision is the next step forward in eye banking. We’re confident that this technology will result in greater certainty for surgeons, improved operations for eye banks, and better stewardship of the gift of sight provided by our generous cornea donors.”
We anticipate this product launching in the second half of 2024.
Article Pictures
At the top of the article is a headshot of Lions Gift of Sight Executive Director, Sean Poppoff.
An included picture shows Director of Business Development, Brian Philippy, presenting at the Eye Bank Association of Australia and New Zealand (EBAANZ) Inaugural Conference at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, March 5-6. Brian was the keynote speaker and shared the news of Kerify with our friends down under. Sean also attended and was an invited speaker.
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What’s U got to do with it? Everything!
As readers of the LGS Today newsletter, you’re already familiar with Lions Gift of Sight’s work to raise awareness about the importance of registering to be an eye, organ, and tissue donor and how that one decision can save, heal, and restore the lives of others. Perhaps you’re a donor family member, transplant recipient, volunteer, friend, or supporting partner organization, and that path led you to Lions Gift of Sight. Whatever trajectory brought you to our eye bank, we’re glad you’re here! Thank you for supporting our mission.
In our day-to-day work at the eye bank, conversations often create pathways to new connections and new relationships that align with our efforts to educate about eye, organ, and tissue donation. 2023 was the year Lions Gift of Sight staff made intentional and concerted efforts to connect with the University of Minnesota community of students, staff, and faculty.
You may or may not know that Lions Gift of Sight is a part of the University of Minnesota Medical School's Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences. And because the University of Minnesota Medical Center is an academic leader in organ transplantation, it makes perfect sense to reach out to this community located literally and figuratively in our own backyard.
With nearly 55,000 students and another 30,000 staff and faculty on the Twin Cities campus, we have our work cut out to reach this vibrant community and provide donation education. In addition to being experts in the global cornea transplant and research landscape, Lions Gift of Sight staff are also educators, and we reach audiences internationally, nationally, and right here on the U's Twin Cities campus. Our educator role dovetails nicely with the University’s academic learning environment.
In 2023, LGS staff engaged with the University community at the activities and events shown in the graphic to the right. In 2024, we will continue building connections and community with the University of Minnesota, and we invite you to help.
If you have a University connection or belong to a student, staff, or faculty organization, especially at other University campuses, please reach out to us.
Contact Lynn Balfour, Partner Relations Liaison, at 612-625-2510 or [email protected].
It would be a pleasure to dialogue with you and explore the possibilities.
2023 LGS Engagement with the University Community
Student Activities Fairs
Student Health Careers Fair
Delta Gamma Volunteer Outreach
U of M Anatomy Bequest Program Collaboration
Med School Dean’s Lecture: Disparities in Eye Donation
Health Coaching Webinar: Donation Education
Mortuary Science Student Networking Event
LGS Donate Month Life Flag Raising
National Donor Day Student Event
Gopher Athletics Outreach
Article Picture
An included picture shows University of Minnesota Gopher athlete Frank Bierman volunteering with Partner Relations Liaisons Lynn Balfour and Mandy Duong. The group was staffing a table at Coffman Memorial Union, helping educate students about eye, organ, and tissue donation.
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Donate Life Day at the Capitol
February 28 was Donate Life Day at the Minnesota State Capitol. Lions Gift of Sight, LifeSource, and American Donor Services staff and advocates gathered to raise awareness about eye, organ, and tissue donation with State Representatives and Senators. LifeSource coordinated a rally in the Capitol rotunda, trumpeting the message that donors save lives!
Article Pictures
An included picture shows speakers at the rally: Kelly White, CEO, LifeSource; Sean Poppoff, Executive Director, LGS; Jay Beyer-Kropuenske, liver and kidney recipient; and Pong Xiong, Director, Driver and Vehicle Services at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. The group is pictured in the Capitol rotunda.
An included picture shows roughly 50 enthusiastic donation advocates dressed in blue posing in the Capitol rotunda holding placards that spell out Organ Donors Save Lives.
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A New View! Building Hope. Restoring Sight. Changing Lives.
Jodi Altenhofen, Community Services Liaison and eye donor family member, won the 2023 Eye Donation Month “Share Your View” Photo Contest in the Nature category! Jodi captured what makes her cherish the gift of sight when she photographed the Rocky Mountains in Banff, Alberta, Canada, at sunrise on May 18, 2022, at 5:38 a.m., using an iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The annual contest, sponsored by the Eye Bank Association of America, celebrates the new perspective on life that corneal transplant recipients experience from having their eyesight restored. It also reflects the change in viewpoint donor families express when the loss of a loved one gives someone else the opportunity to see the world anew.
Article Picture
The included picture shows black and blue colored mountains topped with snow in foreground and a yellow, orange, and red sunrise laced with clouds in the distance.
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New Biological Safety Cabinet Does it All Thank you, Minnesota Lions!
Last summer, Lions Gift of Sight received a very generous donation from Minnesota Lions for the purchase of a new Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC), an apparatus used by LGS Scientists to process cornea tissue for transplant. A BSC is an enclosed, ventilated unit that allows an operator to safely work with materials while preventing them from being contaminated.
Minnesota Lions went above and beyond the call of duty when they provided this piece of equipment to the eye bank. The new BSC is a Class II Type A2 model and weighs in at a whopping 970 pounds. It stands over 8 feet tall and is 7 feet wide. This top-of-the-line unit will enable LGS scientists to process DSAEK, DMEK, and various other open-container procedures, all in the same unit, making it much more versatile than the eye bank's older BSC's.
“Thanks to so many generous eye donors, our tissue processing volume continues to increase, so this new BSC is a welcome addition to the lab,” said Rick Beckel, Supply & Inventory Specialist.
Patrick Becker, Director of Technical Operations Director concurs. “Facility improvements like this new BSC are necessary to keep our lab functional, efficient, and competitive in the changing landscape of our profession. Lives
of countless recipients will be impacted by donated tissue that passes through this specialized unit.”
Article Picture
An included picture shows Director of Technical Operations Director Patrick Becker standing beside the new biological safety cabinet where Eye Bank Scientist Chris LaGassie is processing tissue.
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Eye Banking by the Numbers
The Eye Bank Association of America has released the 2023 Eye Banking Statistical Report. This annual publication is the world's most comprehensive examination of eye banking processes and trends.
The graphic to the left represents some of the highlights in the 2023 data - most notably that the number of donors and total corneas donated has returned to pre-COVID levels! While the numbers are impressive, it's impossible to calculate the true intangible value of lives transformed by the restoration of sight.
Article Graphics
EBAA Statistics
An accompanying graphic shows 2023 statistics from the Eye Bank Association of America as follows:
69,86,986 cornea transplants.
137,697 whole eyes and corneas donated.
22,222 corneas or eyes used for research and training.
2,369,847 transplants performed by member eye banks since 1961.
63.4% whole eyes and corneas recovered from registered donors.
Nearly $8 billion estimated lifetime value of cornea transplants.
Lions Gift of Sight Statistics
An accompanying graphic shows 2023 statistics from Lions Gift of Sight and reads:
In 2023, Lions Gift of Sight served 1,838 eye donors, with 2,429 corneas recovered for transplant and 1,235 eye tissues recovered for research and education.
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Connecting with Our Lions
Lions Gift of Sight staff have been busy conversing and communing with Lions across the state, be it at a pancake breakfast, a club meeting, a district convention, or an eye bank meeting in Australia. Enlisting Lions’ help to promote the work of eye banks and encourage people to register to be donors isn’t hard, since the Lions motto is “We Serve.” Indeed, they serve up waffles with one hand and serve up kindness with the other.
The really fun part is sending out staff from many different eye bank walks to connect with our Lions. Hearing from a recovery technician or an eye donor coordinator or a research scientist adds an element of authenticity and immediacy to the presentations that really resonates with audiences. And we're proud of our staff from top to bottom and love to show them off.
Lions and eye bankers: two great things that go great together!
Serve Together, Learn Together, Grow Together.
It is what Lions do.
Article Pictures
Accompanying pictures are as follows:
Lynn Balfour (partner relations) at the Lions Save Lives table with firefighter R. Gregor at the Hamel Pancake Breakfast.
Eye bankers Sung Lee (research), Lynn Balfour (partner relations), Jodi Altenhofen (family services), Panhia Yang (tissue allocation), and Khadijah Diop (donor coordination) after presenting to the Minneapolis Downtown Next Generation Lions club.
Of Note
Funeral Director CEUs
On January 1, 2024, Lions Gift of Sight began offering 1 body prep CEU for observation of cornea or whole eye recovery in a funeral home facility. Morticians licensed in Minnesota may now observe a Lions Gift of Sight recovery technician in action and learn best practices, including:
Occupational safety
Sterile / non-sterile procedures
Body exam and documentation
Serology specimens
FDA body identification requirements
More information can be found on the LGS website.
FDA Inspection
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) performed an unannounced but routine inspection of LGS in December. After spending three days at LGS, meeting with staff and examining our facility, operations, and Quality Management System, we are pleased to report that the inspectors had no observations.
Lions Save Lives Mascot Named
The Lions Save Lives donor registration campaign mascot now has a name: Seymour. Obviously, our Lion will help others See More!
Article Graphic
Accompanying the news snippet is a picture of the Lions Save Lives mascot, wearing a white Donate Life T-shirt and a Lions baseball cap. Lion's right hand is making a thumbs up gesture.
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Donate Life: What's It All About?
As a global leader in eye banking, Lions Gift of Sight is proud to represent the Donate Life brand in collaboration with local, regional, and national donation partners to increase the number of registered donors. Registered donors are people who have made a decision to become a donor, if they qualify, and have made their decision known, most commonly through a driver's license or healthcare directive. Other options, such as hunting & fishing license, tribal ID, and online registries, offer additional convenient methods to help assure our wishes are documented. Why is this important? Making it legal significantly increases the likelihood our wishes will be honored.
Donate Life America is committed to increasing the number of lives saved and healed through eye, organ, and tissue donation. Currently, more than 100,000 people are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. More than 6,000 people die each year while waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. Those waiting must rely on the generosity of organ, eye, and tissue donors, but there are not enough deceased and living donors to meet the need.
LGS, like our partners, increase outreach efforts during the month of April, designated as National Donate Life Month. We share stories of hope and healing through donation on our social media. Clinical and community efforts become more visible and include education, fun runs and walks, Donate Life flag raising ceremonies, movie viewing, spirit week, rock painting, and blue & green day that encourages all to don the colors and celebrate our life and sight saving work. We’ve even been known to engage in good fun and camaraderie over a themed potluck. You inspire us – Lions Clubs, social workers, nurses, funeral directors, medical examiners, transplant workers, medical assistants, hospice providers, senior living campuses, Gopher athletes, and more. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for bringing us to you in April to forge connections that help our communities be informed and well.
The crescendo of April activity is punctuated with our annual recognition program. On April 14th, we welcomed nearly 700 donor families, recipients, partners, Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation board members, speakers, and special guests on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We gathered to honor those whose gifts unite us in hope and healing and to convey our deepest gratitude as stewards of these incredible gifts.
While our efforts become more public during the month of April, we lift up the shared Donate Life mission each and every day. LGS, American Donor Services, and LifeSource staff team up to strategize and develop public messaging designed to reach diverse audiences. LGS, like other Eye Bank Association of America member eye banks, has demonstrated that we are willing to help do the work once left to organ procurement organizations. LGS staff serve on state and national committees and attend the DLA annual conference, a place to convene and take a deeper dive into the changing landscape of donation.
Lions across the state are becoming Donate Life champions as well, encouraging their clubs and communities to learn about donation and rising to Helen Keller’s challenge to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” This support helps assure LGS remains at the forefront of research and innovation to elevate our work and address currently incurable eye diseases.
When you see the Donate Life flag flying outside a hospital on an ordinary day, it signifies that something extraordinary is occurring. A generous patient who has died and their loved ones have said “yes” to giving the gifts of life and sight. Altruism in its highest form, we are steadfastly committed to this mission. Won’t you join us?
Registerme.org/lions or donatelifemn.org/lions.
Article Pictures
Accompanying picture of the three featured speakers at the at the Lions Gift of Sight Donor Recognition Program: Laura Kelly Lovdahl (Philanthropy & Development Coordinator at LifeSource and donor family member), Dr. Joshua Hou (LGS Medical Director), and Jessica Moore (corneal transplant recipient).
Accompanying picture of the Donate Life flag, flying outside University Enterprise Laboratories.
Recipient Spotlight: Kailee
We take special pleasure in introducing you to a great friend of the eye bank, Kailee Vigen! Here is her story.
Kailee was not yet two years old when a Christmas tree needle pierced her right eye. The pine needle had to be surgically removed, and Kailee’s eye became infected. Constant monitoring and numerous eye drops notwithstanding, her cornea would not heal, and for several years Kailee struggled with recurring infections, swelling, and cloudy vision. By the time she was six, her cornea had become scarred and remained opaque. Kailee’s best option for restored vision was a cornea transplant.
Kailee received her successful transplant thanks to a 15-year-old boy’s donation, and her vision dramatically improved. She was able to participate in school volleyball, basketball, track, softball, and student council. Once very shy, a steady stream of medical appointments over the years made Kailee comfortable with new people and unfamiliar situations. She had the gift and the confidence to sing in school choirs, community functions, talent shows, and even State Fair competitions. Her clear voice is a joy to listen to.
Now an active 20-something, Kailee has a B.A. in chemistry, and her experiences have convinced her to pursue a career in optometry. She hopes to attend school in the fall of 2025 and one day be on the front lines, helping to restore sight in patients similar to her.
Watch a 2022 interview with Kailee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAXaEuCxfbA&t=3s.
Article Pictures
Accompanying pictures are as follows:
Kailee pictured with her ophthalmologist, Dr. Elizabeth Davis, shortly after receiving her corneal transplant.
Kailee with eye bankers Sean Poppoff and Patty Stockdale, flanked by Detroit Lakes Lions Pete and Brenda. Kailee spoke at a Detroit Lakes Lions event to promote Lions Gift of Sight and eye, tissue, and organ donation in April 2023.
Kailee, age 8, in a sparkly pink top playing a pink guitar. Kailee sang at a lot of events and purchased her first guitar with money won in talent shows.
Kailee competing in the 2011 Minnesota State Fair talent show in the pre-teen division. She advanced to the finals as one of the top six in the state!
Kailee giving an absolutely lovely rendition of Sting's “Fields of Gold,” following her talk at the 2023 Lions Gift of Sight Donor Recognition Program.