Surgeons
Without ophthalmic surgeons, corneal transplantation could not occur
Patients rely on ophthalmologists to diagnose ocular ailments, prepare treatment plans, and perform transplants when necessary. All of these are done to prevent individuals from suffering blindness. Surgeons in Virginia’s Tidewater region, across the United States, and throughout the world rely on the Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia to be the bridge between donors and recipients.
The Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia insures that transplantable eye tissue meets or exceeds donor eligibility criteria according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations and Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) medical standards.
Our quality program is intimately tied with the clinical services program to ensure that current issues and events always stay ahead of the curve regarding tissue safety and tissue quality.
Our Medical Director, Bruce Bodner, M.D., was involved in founding the eye bank and has since maintained an active role in providing pragmatic medical oversight to quality initiatives.
The Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia has never earned less than the EBAA’s best accreditation. In 2007, we had a flawless inspection by the EBAA, earning another 3-year accreditation.
Registered with the FDA as an HCT/P “manufacturer,” the Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia passed inspection in 2007 without Inspectional Observations or a Warning Letter.
Schedule early! Unless patients have an urgent or emergency need for tissue, patients are served on a first-come, first-serve basis. Additionally, pre-cut tissue requests require that we book “cut slots” at our partner Vision Share eye banks that are scheduled to occur as close as possible to the date of surgery. These cut slots are also on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Recipient Tracking and Follow-Up is performed by the Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia for all patients who have received tissue. This is an FDA requirement and it is good practice. In order to perform this service, we rely on ophthalmic surgeons and their staff to return the Recipient Information Forms as soon as possible following a tissue transplant. Failure to comply with this FDA requirement may jeopardize an ophthalmic surgeon’s ability to receive human tissue for transplant.
Reporting adverse tissue reactions observed after a transplant as promptly as possible is necessary to protect other patients. If you have a potential adverse reaction to report, please contact:
Brian Philippy
Director of Transplant & Research
757-388-7567 (office)
757-636-5563 (cell)
brianp@lionseyebank.org
Patients rely on ophthalmologists to diagnose ocular ailments, prepare treatment plans, and perform transplants when necessary. All of this is done to prevent individuals from suffering blindness.
The Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia provides the following eye tissue:
- Corneas for PK
- Corneas for endothelial keratoplasty (EK), either pre-cut by our partner Vision Share eye banks or uncut for surgeon use
- Corneas for intralase-enabled keratoplasty (IEK), pre-cut by our partner Vision Share eye banks
- Corneas for KLAL
- Corneas for LK
- Corneas for DALK and ALK
- Corneas for keratoprosthesis
- Whole sclera
- Quarter sclera
- Split-Thickness Sclera™ (STS)
Ophthalmic surgeons or their staff may schedule patients for corneal or scleral surgeries using the Tissue Request Form. A copy of the Tissue Request Form may be found here. Completed Tissue Request Forms may be faxed to the Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia
at 757-388-3744.