Our mission began in 1947 with the establishment of the fourth eye bank in the United States, then known as the Illinois Eye-Bank. Over time, nonprofit eye banks were established in every state to meet the critical demand for corneal tissue to treat preventable blindness.
Michigan
1957
The Michigan Eye Collection Center was founded, serving Michiganders for nearly 30 years.
Connecticut
1960
The Connecticut Eye Bank was established, another eye bank that will later comprise the Eversight network.
EBAA established
1961
The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) standardized eye banking, establishing requirements for facilities, tissue handling, documentation and ethics. In addition, the Association has played a critical role in legislative matters. Today, EBAA fosters eye banking technical skills development, knowledge sharing and collaboration across more than 50 member eye banks.
Northeast Ohio
1964
Before Eversight became the eye bank serving Northeast Ohio, the Cleveland Eye Bank, founded in 1964, served Ohioans for decades until it merged with Eversight in 2012.
MEBTC
1985
The Illinois Eye-Bank joins with the Michigan Eye-Bank to form the Midwest Eye-Banks and Transplantation Center (MEBTC). Together, they provided more comprehensive and efficient care to both communities, their surgeons and patients.
MEBTC expands
1989
The former Upper Peninsula Lions Eye Bank in Marquette, Michigan affiliates with MEBTC.
President/CEO Marilyn R. Lindenauer, MPH
1989-1998
Marilyn R. Lindenauer, MPH, served as President/CEO, setting standards of professionalism that established Eversight as a leading eye bank. Her collaborative leadership helped create the Michigan donor registry and expand eye donation. Dedicated to education and access to corneal transplantation, she inspired the Marilyn R. Lindenauer Public Health Internship. Honored as CEO Emerita in perpetuity, Lindenauer received the Leonard Heise Award in 1999.
MEBTC further expands
1996
The BroMenn-Watson Gailey Eye Bank in Illinois becomes a division of MEBTC, allowing the organization to serve both northern and central Illinois.
CEO Florence M. Johnston, MS
1998-2004
Florence M. Johnston, MS, served as Eversight CEO formalizing clinical operations and quality improvement programs to the highest professional standards. Her expertise in legal and regulatory compliance firmly established a culture of continuous improvement and commitment to quality and safety at Eversight. Johnston is honored as CEO Emerita in perpetuity and received the Leonard Heise Award in 2004.
Midwest Eye-Banks
2004
Midwest Eye-Banks and Transplantation Center changes its name to Midwest Eye-Banks.
Midwest Eye-Banks expands
2005
The Lions Eye Bank of New Jersey joins Midwest Eye–Banks.
Midwest Eye-Banks further expands
2012
Cleveland Eye Bank joins Midwest Eye-Banks.
Eversight
2015
Midwest Eye-Banks rebrands, and the organization’s name is changed to Eversight. That same year, the Connecticut Eye Bank becomes an affiliate of Eversight, and Eversight establishes the first U.S.-owned and operated eye bank outside of the United States in South Korea. This network works together as a unified operation to deliver the highest quality services to surgeons and their patients and to continue to grow our impact around the world.
Eversight Center for Vision & Eye Banking Research
2019
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the Eversight Center for Vision and Eye Banking Research is pioneering research that promises new therapies and discoveries to prevent blindness, including a new focus on retinal procurement, preparation and research to one day treat and prevent non-corneal vision loss.
Arizona
2023
Eversight expands eye banking services in Arizona in collaboration with Donor Network of Arizona, the state’s federally designated organ procurement organization.
Today, our services reach beyond traditional eye banking by advancing treatments of all blinding eye diseases.
We recover, evaluate and provide human eye tissue for transplantation; support research into the causes and cures of blinding eye conditions; promote donation awareness through public and professional education; and provide humanitarian aid to people around the world in need of sight-restoring therapies.
Our vision for the future is to expand our reach, connect more effectively with our communities and provide a life full of sight to anyone in need.
Eversight maintains its commitment to excellence as an accredited member of the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) and by meeting the highest quality standards set by the Food and Drug Administration.
Dive deeper into our unique history here.
