Eye Donation Month: Celebrating Everyday Heroes
Each November, Eye Donation Month shines a light on the extraordinary power of giving—the gift of sight. This year’s theme, “Everyday Heroes,” celebrates the remarkable individuals who make vision restoration possible. From donors and their families to eye bankers, surgeons, and advocates, these heroes prove that anyone can make a life-changing difference.
The Gift of Sight
The cornea, the clear front part of the eye, plays a vital role in focusing vision. When it becomes damaged or diseased, a corneal transplant can restore sight and transform lives. Nearly anyone can be a cornea donor, regardless of age, eye color, or vision quality. One donor can restore sight to two people, making this act of generosity one of the most profound gifts imaginable.
Facts about Cornea Disease and Eye Donation:
- Around 12 million people worldwide suffer from corneal blindness that could be restored through a cornea transplant.
- A cornea transplant helps individuals avoid the direct and indirect costs of vision loss, including ongoing medical expenses, long-term care, and the loss of productivity for both patients and caregivers.
- Eye diseases rank as the fifth most costly health issue in the U.S., following heart disease, cancer, mental health disorders, and pulmonary conditions.
- Corneal transplants have a success rate of over 95%.
Everyday Heroes Among Us
Behind every restored vision is a donor who chose to give beyond their lifetime. Their families, in moments of grief, find comfort in knowing their loved one’s legacy lives on through others’ renewed sight. These families embody compassion and courage, turning loss into hope.
Eye Donation Month is a national campaign established in 1983 by the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA). This year’s theme, “Everyday Heroes,” celebrates the idea that anyone can register to become a cornea donor hero. The EBAA spotlighted Christine Lichti, a double cornea transplant recipient and Pediatric Critical Care Nurse at UC Davis, along with Jennifer Li, MD, Director of the Cornea and External Disease Service at the UC Davis Department of Ophthalmology, who performed both of Christine’s transplants, restoring her sight and transforming her life. These “everyday heroes” include donors and their families, eye bank professionals, corneal surgeons, and passionate advocates for eye donation.
Christine Lichti
Christine Lichti is a bilateral cornea transplant recipient and an “everyday hero.”
For 25 years, Christine has been a dedicated critical care nurse. Her career has centered around caring for both organ donors and recipients, witnessing firsthand the profound impact of transplantation.
Christine is a third-generation woman with Fuch’s Dystrophy, a progressive corneal disease. Diagnosed in her 20s, she faced increasing light sensitivity and vision problems, knowing that a transplant would eventually be necessary. Christine feared a long wait for a cornea transplant, potentially mirroring her grandmother’s experience who waited until 86. However, thanks to her dedicated ophthalmologist, she received her sight-restoring transplant at 47.
Christine expresses deep gratitude, stating that, ‘Receiving the gift of eyesight through cornea transplantation was an emotional full-circle moment for me as a Pediatric Critical Care nurse caring for donors and recipients.’
To watch the full video and learn more about Christine, click here.
Wyatt Pensis
Wyatt Pensis was a donor hero and an “everyday superhero.”
Wyatt was the kindest seven-year-old we knew. A gentle, thoughtful soul who always looked out for others. Wise beyond his years, Wyatt found joy in the simple things: fishing trips with his dad, building imaginative LEGO creations, and racing Hot Wheels cars across the living room floor.
We honor Wyatt in everything we do, but this month holds special meaning as we celebrate the incredible gift he left behind. Through the donation of his corneas, Wyatt gave two women the priceless ability to see again. His compassion and generosity continue to shine through others, a lasting reminder of the love and light he brought into the world.
Becoming an Everyday Hero
Eye Donation Month is a time to honor those who have given the gift of sight and to celebrate the professionals and advocates who make these miracles possible. Each act of donation creates ripples of hope, illuminating lives and communities.
This November, celebrate the Everyday Heroes who make sight possible—and consider becoming one by registering to be an organ, eye and tissue donor.
