Vision Share Member Meeting 2026: Honoring the IMPACT
Vision Share’s member eye banks met in New Orleans on October 7, 2026 for Vision Share’s 2026 Member Meeting to exchange ideas, strengthen relationships, and celebrate our network’s collective impact on restoring sight worldwide.
Through presentations from Professor Mohammed Belmekki, MD, and Dr. Heather Nuskind of Eversight, members explored both the global challenges of corneal blindness and the progress made possible through international collaboration. The meeting also provided an opportunity to recognize outstanding member contributions, hear from surgeons whose work has benefited from their partnership with Vision Share, and receive updates from the Vision Share team.
Sight Without Borders: Progress in Morocco
Keynote speaker Professor Mohammed Belmekki shared the history of corneal transplantation in Morocco and the role of international partnerships in helping patients receive care closer to home.
His presentation traced the country’s journey through early eye banking efforts, periods of interrupted access, and the rebuilding of transplantation services. Against that backdrop, Cheikh Zaid Hospital has performed more than 5,000 corneal grafts over two decades, according to his presentation. Despite this progress, irregular tissue supply created significant challenges. Waiting lists grew, and patients faced waits exceeding two years for surgery.
Professor Belmekki described how the agreement with Vision Share helped address these challenges through a regular weekly supply of corneal tissue and close coordination between teams. He reported that time to surgery decreased to six months, a meaningful improvement for patients awaiting sight-restoring care.
The collaboration also supports broader goals: encouraging education, introducing surgical techniques, and developing local expertise. His presentation outlined continued priorities, including support for other centers, development of the Cheikh Zaid Eye Bank, and the “Corneas for All” project. For Vision Share’s members, these examples connected the work of their teams with tangible progress in patient access.
“Our member eye banks make this work possible. Seeing and hearing how our network has helped shorten patients’ wait for surgery in different parts of the world brings that impact into focus. We’re grateful for our members’ commitment and the generosity of donors and donor families, and we look forward to helping more patients access sight-restoring care.”
Phil Fasone, Executive Director, Vision Share
Global Corneal Blindness and the Role of Eye Banking
Dr. Heather Nuskind, Eversight’s Global Development & Surgical Innovations Director, placed those achievements within the broader challenge of global corneal blindness.
In her presentation, “Global Corneal Blindness & Eye Banking,” she highlighted estimates of more than 12.7 million people waiting for a corneal transplant and a global shortage in which only one cornea is available for every 70 needed.
Her presentation also explored the barriers that tissue availability alone cannot resolve. Geographic access, financial constraints, limited infrastructure, donation awareness, and shortages of trained corneal specialists can all affect whether patients receive care.
Addressing these challenges requires investment in local eye banking systems, surgical training, and partnerships that support care over time. Dr. Nuskind highlighted training needs spanning patient selection, surgical quality, and the management of postoperative complications.
Examples from Eversight’s international work illustrated different approaches to building that capacity, including eye banking partnerships in Pakistan and South Korea. In Morocco, she highlighted collaboration with Vision Share and the Cheikh Zaid Foundation to develop an eye bank, with staff receiving training in tissue recovery, procurement, and evaluation.
Together, the two presentations showed how reliable tissue access and local capacity development can support one another to help more patients receive care.
Recognizing Our Top Contributors
The meeting also celebrated two member eye banks for their contributions through the Vision Share network. These recognitions honor the dedication of their teams and their commitment to helping patients access sight-restoring care worldwide. They also reflect the generosity of donors and donor families, whose gifts make this work possible.
Sierra Donor Services – 2024
Learn More About Sierra Donor Services Eye Bank
Eversight – 2025
Learn More About Eversight
Continuing Our Work Together
Our member meeting offered time to reconnect, share perspectives, and reflect on what our network can accomplish together. The presentations reinforced the importance of both meeting immediate tissue needs and supporting the expertise and systems that can help us continue to grow. Thank you to our speakers, member eye banks, and international partners for your knowledge, dedication, and collaboration.
Above all, we remain grateful to the donors and donor families at the heart of our mission. We look forward to building on these conversations and continuing our work together to support global sight restoration.
Thank You to Our Meeting Sponsors
We also thank our meeting sponsors, Airspace Technologies and Midwire 2020, for their presentations and for supporting this gathering.
About Vision Share
Vision Share is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and proudly represents the world’s largest network of eye banks. Each member eye bank is Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) certified and registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Guided by a shared vision, Vision Share pools resources to provide surgeons and researchers with ocular tissue tailored to their specific needs.
