About | Lions Eye Bank

Lions Eye Bank of Texas at Baylor College of Medicine

“Dedicated to sight restoration by collecting and distributing donor eyes for corneal transplantation and research, primarily in Texas, but also throughout the world.”

The Lions Eye Bank of Texas (LEBT)is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, located in the Texas Medical Center at Baylor College of Medicine in the Cullen Eye Institute. It was establish in 1953 by Baylor College of Medicine and the Lions Clubs of the Texas Gulf Coast.  Our service area consists of 4 Lions Districts 2-S1, 2-S2, 2-S4, 2-A3 and includes Houston, Beaumont, Port Arthur, Nacogdoches, Corpus Christi, Victoria, and the Rio Grande Valley. LEBT provides corneal tissue for more than 2,100 people needing “second sight” each year.

LEBT is a partnership of two key resources committed to sight enhancement and improvement.  The Department of Ophthalmology at Baylor provides the clinical resources of corneal specialists and others to assist in the oversight, training and quality management of eye banking and corneal transplants.  Honoring the challenge of Helen Keller to be Knights for the Blind, the Lions Clubs have demonstrated over a century of commitment to fighting for the correction and rehabilitation of sight-threatening conditions. These combined resources create one of the leading eye banks in the United States.

Eye Donation FAQ's

Who Can Be A Cornea Donor?

What Does A Cornea Transplant Do?

How Can I Become A Donor?

Who Can Be A Cornea Donor?

Almost anyone between the age of 2-72 can be a donor.

Corneas must be recovered within 24 hours after death.

You can register to be a potential donor regardless of age or medical history. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what can be donated.

What Does A Cornea Transplant Do?

Cornea transplant operations successfully restore the recipients vision.

How Can I Become A Donor?

To register as a donor, use the Lions Texas 2-step method
1. Visit donatelifetexas.org/lebtexas and be certain to take the necessary steps to register as a donor
2. Talk to you family and friends about donation
For more information contact us at 1-800-4CORNEA

Almost anyone between the age of 2-72 can be a donor
Most people that are eligible to donate blood, can be a suitable eye donor
Anyone can be a potential donor regardless of age or medical history. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what can be donated.
Since 1961, over 1.8M people have had their vision restored worldwide
Of all transplant surgery today, corneal transplants are the most
common and successful.
Over 97% of all cornea transplant operations successfully restore
the recipients vision
The entire eye is not used for transplantation, but is sometimes
recovered for research or educational purposes
If you are sick or injured and admitted to the hospital, the number one priority is to
save your life.
Corneas must be recovered within 24 hours after death.
Donation does not normally delay funeral arrangements.
An open casket funeral is possible for eye, organ and tissue donors.
There is no cost to the donor or their family for eye/cornea donation.