ANN ARBOR, Mich. Jan. 25, 2021 —The Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation has provided a $6,000 grant for medical supplies that ensure Eversight’s uninterrupted eye donation and recovery services for sight restoration in Midland County.
For 30 years, the Gerstacker Foundation has supported Eversight in its mission to restore sight and prevent blindness through the healing power of donation, transplantation and research. With the Foundation’s investment, Eversight—serving as Michigan’s only eye bank—has advanced research into blinding eye diseases and restored sight for more than 8,000 patients each year.
The Foundation’s latest grant ensures necessary clinical supplies as Eversight addresses increased need for eye donation and sight-restoring transplantation, while managing severe revenue losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding allows for the purchase 30 clinical recovery kits, with the supplies necessary to carry out the wishes of Midland County donors who give the gift of sight.
As a result, at least 60 people or more will regain their sight through cornea transplantation, and help advance research into treatment and cures for blinding eye conditions.
Eversight’s recovery teams work 24/7 recovering donated tissue for surgical transplantation. One recovery can provide two corneal eye tissues, restoring vision for two transplant recipients. In some cases, scleral eye tissue may be donated and recovered to benefit additional patients in need of prosthetic eye surgery or glaucoma shunt repairs.
“The Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation has been a vital partner in our work to carry out Michiganders’ wishes to give the gift of sight as eye tissue donors, and ensure those gifts restore sight and promise new treatments and cures for others suffering from blindness,” said Alex Teska, Eversight Philanthropy Director. “We thank the Gerstacker Foundation for its ongoing commitment, and look forward to our continued partnership serving Michigan and advancing our vision for a world without blindness.”
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 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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