CLARK, N.J., March 28, 2024 – The Connecticut Lions Eye Research Foundation has awarded Eversight a $26,250 grant to continue supporting the nonprofit’s eye and vision research projects and providing tissue for sight-saving cornea transplants in Connecticut.
“Lions Clubs are an integral part of Eversight's work, and many of Eversight’s most significant projects and achievements over the years have been made possible through this valued partnership,” said Onkar Sawant, Vice President Research & Development, Eversight. “We are grateful to the Connecticut Lions Eye Research Foundation and their support of our growing research programs and innovations.”
In Connecticut in 2023, 376 cornea tissues were donated, 312 people received sight-saving transplants and Connecticut donors provided 379 tissues for research and education.
“The mission of the Connecticut Eye Research Foundation is the conservation of sight, prevention, and treatment of blindness, and to support programs and projects dedicated to the discovery of cures and treatments for eye diseases,” said Sia Dowlatshahi, Connecticut Lions Eye Research Foundation President. “We were proud to award Eversight a $26,250 grant in pursuit of our mutual mission. We make a difference in people’s lives, and so does Eversight.”
The foundation has supported Eversight consistently since 2020 and with this generous gift, Eversight can continue honoring Connecticut donor family wishes, provide cornea tissue to Connecticut surgeons and their patients in need, and continue research aimed at making vision a reality for more people worldwide.
The Connecticut Lions Eye Research Foundation was founded in 1953 by the Connecticut Council of Governors to fund solutions that fulfill the Lions’ mission to prevent avoidable blindness and improve quality of life for people who are blind and visually impaired.
Eversight’s research team works round the clock to identify promising new therapies and treatments to prevent blindness, and ensure our teams are using the safest recovery and processing techniques for optimal surgical success and patient outcomes.
About Eversight
Eversight is a nonprofit organization with a mission to restore sight and prevent blindness through the healing power of donation, transplantation and research. The Eversight network is responsible for recovering, evaluating and providing human eye tissue for transplantation; supporting research into the causes and cures of blinding eye conditions; promoting donation awareness through public and professional education; and providing humanitarian aid to people around the world in need of corneal transplantation. Operating in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and South Korea, Eversight works in collaboration with surgeons, researchers, academic medical centers and eye banks across the United States and abroad. For more information, visit eversightvision.org.
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