Every cornea transplant tells a story—not only of a generous donor and a patient whose sight is restored, but also of the partnerships that make that journey possible.
This summer, Eversight Global Development and Surgical Innovations Director Heather Nuskind traveled to Kenya to strengthen partnerships with surgeons, better understand the country's growing need for donor corneal tissue and represent Eversight at the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE conference. The visit was made possible through Ascent Global Logistics’ sponsorship.
For Eversight, the conference also provided an opportunity to strengthen relationships within the global eye banking community while meeting with existing partners and establishing new relationships that will help improve access to corneal tissue for years to come.
Following the conference, Heather traveled throughout Kenya to visit surgeons and eye care centers that rely on Eversight donor tissue to restore sight.
Across Kenya, demand for corneal transplantation far exceeds the available supply of donor tissue. Patients often travel hundreds of miles for specialized care, while surgeons face long waiting lists and limited access to tissue.
At both Innovation Eye Care Centres in Kisumu and Kisii, Kenya, Heather met with Dr. Daniel Kiage, one of the region's few corneal surgeons, and the founder of both centres. Patients travel from throughout Kenya and neighboring countries seeking treatment, yet only a small number of cornea transplants can be performed each month because of tissue availability.
In Eldoret, Kenya, Heather visited Dr. James Bett, who performs cornea transplants at a government hospital while also treating cataracts and other complex eye conditions. Like many surgeons throughout the country, Dr. Bett hopes to perform more cornea transplants, but limited donor tissue remains the greatest barrier.
"I was fortunate, not only to watch Dr. Bett perform a transplant surgery using an Eversight tissue, but to meet several transplant patients he recently performed surgery on earlier in the week," Heather said. "Rural communities don’t have options for eye care, especially complex surgical treatment, so patients must travel from very far away for surgery."
There, she witnessed firsthand the life-changing impact of corneal donation.
As she entered the clinic, she was greeted by a patient who had received a cornea transplant just days earlier.
The woman, overwhelmed with emotion after regaining vision in her only functional eye, embraced Heather in gratitude—a powerful reminder that every donated cornea represents hope for someone waiting to see again.
Among the patients Heather met was 45-year-old Maximilla Aiaki.
When Maximilla was just 8 years old, an eye infection caused by an unknown object led to severe vision loss that remained untreated for decades. Living in a remote area of northern Kenya where specialized eye care is scarce, she spent decades with limited vision before finally being referred to Dr. Bett—more than 400 kilometers from her home.
"After her eye was successfully operated on, she is overjoyed that she has vision," Heather said. "There are many people who are blind or visually impaired where Maximilla lives, and she is excited to go back to her community to help others get over their fear of surgery and help more people regain vision."
Her story reflects the ripple effect of restored sight—not only transforming one life, but inspiring others to overcome fear and pursue care.
While every visit revealed unique challenges, they also shared a common theme: lasting progress depends on strong partnerships, reliable access to donor tissue and continued investment in education and local capacity. Together, these efforts are helping expand access to sight-restoring care across Kenya and building a stronger foundation for the future.
In Mombasa, Kenya, Heather visited Lighthouse for Christ Eye Centre, where Eversight has partnered with corneal surgeon Dr. Fredrick Korir for the past five years.
Through this collaboration, Eversight has provided subsidized corneal tissue, helping significantly expand access to corneal transplantation for patients throughout Kenya.
"Our cornea transplant volumes have more than doubled during this period, reaching their highest levels in 2025," said Dr. Korir. "As a result, countless patients from across the country have regained vision and experienced a renewed quality of life."
Beyond meeting today's needs, Eversight is also supporting Lighthouse for Christ Eye Centre's, vision of establishing its own eye bank—helping lay the foundation for a more sustainable future for corneal transplantation in the region.
"We are deeply grateful for Eversight's partnership, generosity and shared commitment to eliminating corneal blindness," Dr. Korir said. "Thank you, Eversight, for helping us restore sight and transform lives."
Heather also visited Nairobi's Lions SightFirst Eye Hospital, home to one of the country’s few functioning eye banks. Although the hospital treats more than 1,700 corneal patients each month, local eye donation remains limited, leaving more than 1,000 people on the transplant waiting list.
Across every stop on Heather’s journey, one message remained consistent: increasing awareness of eye donation and expanding access to donor tissue are critical to restoring sight for thousands of people living with preventable blindness.
Heather's visit to Kenya reinforced the importance of collaboration in addressing avoidable blindness around the world.
"Cultural challenges to donation are one of the biggest barriers to eye care and banking throughout the country," Heather said. "However, more people throughout the country are receiving education, and with this, fear surrounding eye donation and surgery, and long-standing views can be dispelled."
Eversight thanks Ascent Global Logistics for sponsoring this important journey. Through its support, Ascent helped strengthen international partnerships, advance global eye health and expand access to sight-restoring care.
Together, we are helping restore sight, transform lives and build a future where more people—no matter where they live—have access to the vision care they deserve.
Learn more about Eversight’s global efforts to eliminate corneal blindness.
About Ascent
Ascent Global Logistics, headquartered in Belleville, Michigan, is a leading global provider of expedited, time-critical logistics solutions and other direct transportation services. The Company connects customers to its extensive carrier network and its own airline via its proprietary, digital PEAK™ technology, which provides robust carrier capacity and transparent pricing, backed by 24/7/365 logistics experts. The experienced Ascent team solves customers’ most challenging logistics needs by providing industry-leading service and top-tier satisfaction. For more information, visit ascentlogistics.com.
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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