March is National Eye Donor Month

Donate your old Eyeglasses, Hearing Aids, or Sunglasses
at the WCHMC.
There will be a collection box in the Front Lobby of the Hospital during the month of March.  The LIONS of Minnesota will put these items to work helping others.

Eye Donation is the Gift of Sight to Thousands

Thousands of people benefit from human eye donation.  The reason for transplants varies from infections to inherited or degenerative diseases and injuries to the eye.  Diseases affecting the cornea are a major cause of blindness, according to the World Health Organization.  Additionally, nearly two million people experience eye injuries every year due to work-related, recreational or activities of daily living.

Each year the month of March is designated as National Eye Donation Month to increase awareness about the gift of sight through eye donation.  Eye donations help restore sight - returning people to productive and active lives and imporoving the quality of life.

Cornea transplants are the oldest and most successful form of human tissue transplant.  Since 1905, more than one million cornea transplants have been performed worldwide.  More than 40,000 cornea transplants are performed annually in the United States.  In addition to cornea transplants, eye donation supports research and medical education, leading to treatments and surgical techniques that can prevent blindness and restore or enhance vision.

Wheaton Community Hospital and Medical Center works with the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank to offer family members the opportunity of eye donation.  Wheaton Community Hospital and Medical Center has facilitated five referrals in the past year.