IN THIS ISSUE
Eye Bank Development in Morocco
What’s Happening Behind the Scenes?
The Insider | Volume 1 Edition 2
Vision Share and Eversight Partner in Eye Bank Development: Morocco
Morocco, Northern Africa
by Phil Fasone
Vision Share, in collaboration with Eversight and the Cheikh Zayed Foundation, is advancing eye health across Morocco by supporting the development of a sustainable, local eye bank in Rabat. Our collaboration with the Foundation began nearly a decade ago through supporting the cornea transplant program at Cheikh Zayed University Hospital. Over the years, we have helped the hospital reduce its surgical waiting list and facilitated the delivery of more than 1,100 donor corneas to patients in need. Today, this support continues, enabling the hospital to maintain a consistent weekly schedule of sight-restoring corneal transplants.
As the Foundation looks toward building a local source for corneal tissue, we are deepening our support, together with Eversight, by providing education and technical guidance to help develop the Cheikh Zayed Foundation Eye Bank (CZFEB). Since 2024, a customized technician training program has empowered new staff in Rabat through virtual and hands-on instruction. In May 2025, Phil Fasone, our Executive Director, and Collin Ross, VP Global Development at Eversight, traveled to Morocco to meet with the eye bank team and Foundation leadership. This trip reinforced our commitment to our shared goals in corneal care and regional training.
Read the complete article here – https://visionshare.org/corneal-care-in-morocco/
Vision Share now offers KeraNatural & halo
by Phil Fasone
We are excited to announce that Vision Share is now an exclusive international distributor of KeraNatural® and halo® in Algeria, Costa Rica, Israel, Morocco, Peru, South Africa, and Tunisia – with additional support for access in Argentina, Canada, and Switzerland.
This partnership expands the availability of innovative, donor-derived solutions internationally, giving surgeons more flexibility in corneal care. We’re looking forward to offering these easy-to-use ocular treatment options, especially in regions where access to corneal tissue may be limited.
Learn more here – https://visionshare.org/sterile-tissue/
ARVO Recap
Salt Lake City, Utah
by Brian Keenan
Vision Share was excited to once again exhibit at ARVO in Salt Lake City this past May. We revised our booth background to emphasize the capabilities of our member eye banks to collaborate and provide many types of ocular tissue for research projects.
This generated many inquiries and leads from domestic and international researchers. We are actively following up with these opportunities and look forward to working with our member partners to demonstrate how Vision Share can be a strong asset to the important work of ocular research.
EBAA Meeting
Coronado Island, California
Kevin Corcoran, CEO of the EBAA, and his team hosted the annual EBAA Meeting last week on Coronado Island in San Diego. The meeting was well attended, and the sessions were both informative and engaging. The Eye Bank for Sight Restoration’s Noel Mick received the 2025 Leonard Heise Award, and Maria Chelko received the 2025 Communication Optics Award. The EBAA also announced an update to the CEBT Certification: The new title is now called, Certified Eye Banker – Technical (CEBT) along with a new certification for non-technical, Certified Eye Banker (CEB).
We were delighted to see our Vision Share members present including Saving Sight’s, Tony Bavuso, and Eversight’s Micheal Titus, Dana Ownes, and Nicholas Hicks. The Eye Bank of Kentucky’s Chuck Pivoney, and The Cincinnati Eye Bank’s Tina Mays, gave a heartwarming presentation in honor of the passing of their beloved team member, Mikhaela “Mikka” Kostas. Through the compassionate partnership with the Cincinnati Eye Bank, Mikka’s wish to be a cornea donor came true and her corneas were successfully transplanted into two Kentucky residents. It was a true testament to the special bond that exists in the eye banking community, and a reminder to us of how tragedy can bring about hope.
Finally, congratulations to Vision Share Board Members, Sam Ramos and Chris Hanna, on being elected to the EBAA’s Board of Directors. This is a great honor and a testament to their commitment to advancing the profession of eye banking.
What’s Happening Behind the Scenes?
by Tony Dang
At Vision Share, we strive to provide a seamless and streamlined process for all users. Currently, Operations is working on the implementation of key components, so that all Vision Share clients and eye banks that want access to these tissues have a user-friendly experience.
The need for corneas in less developed countries continues to grow, and Vision Share continues to look for ways to assist them. Vision Share is now a distributor of halo® and KeraNatural® tissues which allows these countries more options, especially in urgent situations where a cornea may not be available. These new products, combined with your continued support, allows us to provide the resources available to countries in need. Every tissue placed makes a difference in someone’s life. Thank you.
A benefit of working with Vision Share is that our team is here to listen to client and partner feedback. We use this information to improve our processes and service. We welcome your feedback – so please keep it coming!
ASCRS Update
Los Angeles, California
by VS Team
ASCRS provided a valuable opportunity to highlight the Vision Share network and showcase the individual and collective strengths our eye bank members bring to surgeons and research facilities across the U.S. and around the world.
At this year’s conference in Los Angeles, we had several productive sessions in collaboration with our member eye banks that led to meaningful improvements in our internal processes—enhancing how we support our network so we can continue to exceed your expectations on every request. In addition to visiting with our existing clients, we gained a new international client and met a new research partner.
As always, it was a pleasure connecting with everyone, and we hope to see you again this fall at AAO in Orlando.
Research Insights
by Brian Keenan
A low death to preservation time continues to be one of the most important criteria for ocular researchers despite the logistical, medical and regulatory obstacles to achieve this goal for non-transplantable tissue. While most requests for a Post Mortem Interval (PMI) are <12 hours, a study analyzing eye banks showed that only 32% of research tissue met that goal. There is growing evidence that increasing the PMI can still yield viable optical tissue for research purposes.
Increasing the PMI to <16 hours would increase donor eye availability by 223%. This would significantly benefit research on diseases such as AMD, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. View the study here
Building Brand Momentum
by Melanie Howell
This past quarter, we strengthened our infrastructure to better serve our members and clients, upgrading our Client Relationship Management system (CRM), launching a new project management system, making changes to our payment systems, and integrating our website with our CRM. We also laid the groundwork for the launch of KeraNatural® and halo®, two new sterile tissue products. In preparation for future fundraising efforts, we began planning content to share our mission. We also connected with current clients and new contacts at ASCRS and ARVO helping expand our network and amplify our shared impact. We also launched a YouTube channel. Please subscribe to our channel on YouTube here – https://www.youtube.com/@vision-share. We’re excited about what’s ahead in Q3.
New Board Member
by Phil Fasone
Please help me welcome Chris Hanna, Executive Director of the Utah Lions Eye Bank, to the Vision Share Board of Directors. The Utah Lions Eye Bank has been a member of Vision Share for over a decade, and Chris is no stranger to the Vision Share Board. He has previously served as a board member and assumed the role of interim CEO for Vision Share back in 2012. Chris has always been a staunch supporter of our work and has always made himself available for his counsel.
“I am honored to be part of the Vision Share Board once again. Opportunities abound helping those in need of our services stateside as well as abroad and am excited to serve alongside talented eye banking professionals as we carve Vision Share’s path forward,” says Chris Hanna.
We are proud to have him and the team at Utah as part of the Vision Share network, and I am thrilled to have him back as a board member. Welcome back, Chris!
Looking Ahead
by Phil Fasone
The Vision Share team will be at AAO Congress Orlando Convention Center at Booth #1712, from October 18-20, 2025. If you will be attending the conference, please stop by and visit us. We’d love to connect with you in person.
Medical Eye Bank of West Virginia
Starting July 1, 2025, the Medical Eye Bank of West Virginia will no longer be part of the Vision Share network. “As a founding member, we do not take this decision lightly” said Ken Sheriff, Executive Director. He went on to say, “It’s been our honor to be a part of Vision Share’s mission from the beginning.” It has been our honor to have Ken, and his team support our mission over the years. We wish Ken and his team the best of success and remind them they will always be friends of Vision Share, and they will always have our support.
An Update From Our Member Eye Banks
Saving Sight
Saving Sight is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing lives by saving sight. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the organization has provided services that support the restoration and preservation of vision in communities across Missouri, Kansas and Illinois—and beyond—for 65 years.
Saving Sight facilitates the gift of eye donation with compassion and care for donors and their families, while providing sight-restoring corneal tissue for transplant recipients. In addition, the organization coordinates the donation of placental and umbilical cord tissue for ocular procedures, operates as a business partner and co-founder of Vital Tears, processing customized autologous serum eye drops for patients with chronic eye conditions, and supports community vision programs through targeted grant funding.
The organization has a long-standing partnership with Vision Share. Saving Sight CEO Tony Bavuso was active in the formation of Vision Share and is a past chair of its board. Currently, Lynn Forest-Smith, vice president of business strategy, serves as a Vision Share board member.
Today, Saving Sight continues to impact lives—including that of corneal transplant recipient Matt, who regained his sight after a rare fungal infection. Matt can see again thanks to a dedicated team of professionals and physicians, and to his donor and their family, who made the life-changing decision to say yes to donation.
Read more about Matt’s story: http://saving-sight.org/a-new-view-on-life-matts-cornea-transplant-journey/
Utah Lions Eye Bank
Utah Lions Eye Bank (ULEB) has been busy renovating their “annex” space this year—and they are now officially moved in! The annex is the office space directly adjacent to their laboratory. ULEB purchased the space last year after another organization moved out, anticipating the need for more room for their growing lab and recovery staff.
The space initially did not meet their needs, so the team got to work designing a better layout, sourcing contractors, and budgeting for the project. They officially moved into the renovated space in May 2025.
The new annex now includes workstations for all of ULEB’s lab and recovery staff, a new door providing direct access from the laboratory, offices for the recovery and lab supervisors, and additional storage space for supplies.
This expansion marks an exciting step forward for ULEB as they continue to grow their capabilities and become better equipped to fulfill their mission of restoring sight and honoring the gift of donation.
