WASHINGTON, DC – The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) announces the release of its Statistical Report on Eye Banking Activity for 2006 The report is a compilation of information provided by 76 U.S. and 10 international eye banks to the EBAA and reflects an essentially complete picture of eye banking activity in the United States.
In 2006, the number of donations reported by EBAA U.S. members increased slightly to 76,626, up from 76,612 in 2005. Total corneal grafts provided for transplant by EBAA U.S. member eye banks also increased a small amount to 44,747 from 44,329 in 2005. The number of transplants performed in the U.S rose by nearly 5.5% to 33,674, up from 31,952 in 2005. The most significant number was the 335% increase in the numbers of tissue provided for endothelial keratoplasty (EK) procedures. In 2005, 1,429 tissues were provided for EK procedures, compared with 6,122 in 2006.
1. Lions Eye Institute for Transplant &
Research -Tampa, FL
Tissues for Transplant- 2,739
2. SightLife -Seattle, WA
Tissues for Transplant- 2,630
3. The North Carolina Eye Bank Winston-Salem, NC
Tissues for Transplant- 1,740
4. Heartland Lions Eye Bank, Kansas City- Kansas City, MO
Tissues for Transplant- 1,631
5. Alabama Eye Bank - Birmingham, AL
Tissues for Transplant- 1,559
6. Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank-
Aurora, CO
Tissues for Transplant- 1,532
7. Michigan Eye-Bank Ann Arbor, MI Tissues for Transplant- 1,385
8. Northeast Pennsylvania Lions Eye Bank-Allentown, PA
Tissues for Transplant- 1,268
9. New England Eye & Tissue Transplant Bank
Boston, MA
Tissues for Transplant- 1,243
10. Georgia Eye Bank- Atlanta, GA
Tissues for Transplant- 1,215
For statistical reporting purposes, eye banks count all of their facilities that distribute from a centralized area, under one legal entity. When the EBAA reports a higher membership total in its materials, it bases its count on an accreditation list that separates each facility that is inspected, even if it belongs to an umbrella agency.
Once again, the percentage of corneas exported domestically and internationally by eye banks exceeded the total number of corneas used locally by eye banks. Corneas exported internationally in 2006 decreased for the second year in a row to 11,073, down 10.5% from 2005.
The amount of tissue offered for research decreased to an all-time low of 11,845, from 13,542 in 2005; however, eyes provided for training and education increased slightly to 4,858. Caucasians continue to comprise the majority of the donor pool, accounting for 88.4% of donors, while males account for 62.6% of the total number of donors; these numbers are essentially unchanged from 2005. Among donors, heart disease is the leading cause of death (34.1%).
The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA), established in 1961, is the oldest transplant association in the nation. The EBAA is dedicated to the restoration of sight through the promotion and advancement of eye banking. It has led the transplantation field with the establishment of medical standards for the distribution of eyes and comprehensive training and certification programs for eye banking personnel. These standards have been used as models for other transplantation organizations. Member eye banks operate in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. These eye banks make it possible for more than 44,000 sight-restoring corneal transplants annually.
