San Antonio Eye Bank

What San Antonio Eye Bank does

San Antonio Eye Bank is a community-based, non-profit 501(c)(3) eye bank founded in 1965 and headquartered at 9150 Huebner Road, Suite 105, San Antonio, Texas, with a secondary Rio Grande Valley Division in Harlingen. The organization recovers, medically evaluates, tests, prepares, and distributes donated corneas to surgeons and hospitals for transplantation, addressing the clinical demand for cornea donations to restore sight to individuals suffering from corneal disease, injury, or infection. It operates as an accredited member of the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) and as a member of the CorneaGen network, operating within the regulated U.S. tissue-recovery framework under FDA and EBAA standards.

Its core service portfolio spans clinical eye banking (cornea recovery, evaluation, testing, and distribution for transplantation), donor family support (grief workshops, memorial programs including Gift of Sight Memorial Quilts, Bridging Lives Dia de los Muertos altars, and The Giving Tree), donor-recipient correspondence facilitation, community education and outreach (Stride for Sight 5K Run/Walk, faith community outreach, National Donor Sabbath, National Minority Donor Awareness Month, Eye Donation Month), Donate Life Texas donor registry enrollment, and eye and tissue donation research support for conditions such as glaucoma, retinal disease, and diabetes-related eye complications. The revenue model is dual-track: service fees charged for cornea recovery, evaluation, preparation, and distribution to surgeons and hospitals, supplemented by charitable contributions (tributes, memorials, in-lieu-of-flowers donations, and corporate matching gift programs). The go-to-market motion is community-led, targeting donor families, transplant recipients, surgeons, hospitals, and the general public across San Antonio and South Texas through events, social media, faith-based outreach, and partnerships with allied healthcare organizations.

Name

San Antonio Eye Bank

Legal name

San Antonio Eye Bank

Website

https://saeyebank.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

San Antonio Eye Bank is a non-profit 501(c)(3) eye bank founded in 1965 that recovers, evaluates, prepares, and distributes donated corneas to surgeons and hospitals across San Antonio and South Texas while providing donor family support and community education on eye donation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Eye Banking Services

NAICS

Blood and Organ Banks (621991)

akta.pro primary industry

Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations (BPAGACAJ)

Keywords

• Cornea transplantation services
• Eye banking services
• Ocular tissue procurement
• Donor family support
• Cornea donation registry

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Service Fees: Fees charged for eye banking services including cornea recovery, evaluation, preparation, and distribution to surgeons and hospitals.
2. Donations and Contributions: Financial contributions from individuals, matching gift programs, tribute and memorial donations, and general support. The organization is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

San Antonio Eye Bank recovers, medically evaluates, tests, prepares, and distributes donated human corneas to ophthalmic surgeons and hospitals for transplantation procedures, in compliance with Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) and FDA standards. The nonprofit also provides donor family grief support, memorial and correspondence programs, community education, and Donate Life Texas donor registry enrollment across San Antonio and South Texas.

Product overview

San Antonio Eye Bank operates as a community-based eye bank providing a comprehensive suite of cornea and eye donation services. The organization's core offerings include eye banking services (cornea recovery, evaluation, testing, preparation, and distribution for transplantation), recipient and donor family support services (grief workshops, correspondence facilitation, memorial programs), community education and outreach, and facilitation of the Donate Life Texas donor registry. Supporting programs include the Gift of Sight Memorial Quilts, Bridging Lives Dia de los Muertos altars, The Giving Tree holiday memorial program, Stride for Sight 5K community events, and eye donation research support. The organization also accepts financial contributions through tribute, memorial, and matching gift programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eye Banking Services
• Donor Family Support Services
• Community Education Programs
• Cornea Transplantation Support

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 50,000 cornea transplants occur in the US each year with success rate of more than 90%

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CorneaGencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of CorneaGen network, collaborating on eye banking services and support to families, patients, surgeons, and hospitals throughout South Texas.
• Eye Bank Association of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited member of EBAA, the governing body for eye banks ensuring safety and quality standards in cornea donation and transplantation.
• Lions Sight Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term co-hosting partner for the annual Stride for Sight 5K Run/Walk since 2017, collaborating on community education about eye donation and vision health.
• Guide Dogs of Texas, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosting partner for Stride for Sight 5K events, focusing on Saving Sight, Changing Lives mission.
• Donate Life TexascoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKey partner for donor registration drives and collaborative awareness campaigns including National Minority Donor Awareness Month and other donation observances.
• South Texas Blood & TissueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partner on donation awareness initiatives including National Donor Day and community events.
• Texas Organ Sharing AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner in organ, eye and tissue donation awareness and collaboration efforts.
• WalgreensminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational Donate Life America partner hosting donor registry tabling events at Walgreens stores during awareness months.
• Guadalupe Cultural Arts CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner since 2011 for Bridging Lives, Dia de los Muertos altar celebrations honoring donor families.
• San Antonio Founder Lions ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTitle sponsor of the annual Stride for Sight 5K event since 2017.
• Vital AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer organizational member (disbanded 2013) key to hosting the 15th Annual Vital Alliance Donate Life Run/Walk. San Antonio Eye Bank continues community ceremony traditions in honor of donors.
• Children's Bereavement CenterminorOthersReferral resource for donor families seeking grief support and counseling services in San Antonio and Rio Grande Valley.
• The Ecumenical CenterminorOthersReferral resource for donor families seeking grief support and counseling services in San Antonio.
• OneLegacy Donate LifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in the annual Rose Parade Float through CEO & Partners Rose Dedication Program honoring eye/cornea donors.
• Museum of South Texas HistoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Bridging Lives altar exhibit in Rio Grande Valley celebrating donors during Dia de los Muertos.
• Harlingen Arts and Heritage MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for RGV Holiday Tree Exhibitions combining holiday celebrations with donation awareness.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CorneaGen: National eye banking network that San Antonio Eye Bank is a member of. CorneaGen operates a much larger multi-state footprint and provides tissue distribution, surgeon services, and operational support — making it both a partner and a broader incumbent in the same category.
• Eversight: Large multi-state nonprofit eye bank providing cornea recovery, processing, and distribution across the Midwest, Northeast, and beyond. Directly comparable mission and service lines, with substantially greater geographic scale than San Antonio Eye Bank.
• SightLife: Nonprofit eye bank with operations across the Pacific Northwest and internationally, focused on cornea donation and transplantation plus global blindness prevention. Same nonprofit eye-banking mission as San Antonio Eye Bank, with a larger operational footprint.

Direct peers

• Miracles in Sight: Nonprofit eye bank based in the Carolinas that recovers, processes, and distributes donor corneas for transplantation and research. Closely comparable in scale and mission to San Antonio Eye Bank, operating in a different U.S. region.
• Lions Eye Institute for Transplant and Research: Nonprofit eye bank affiliated with the Lions Clubs network that recovers and distributes ocular tissue for transplant and research. Direct functional peer with similar donor-family support programming and Lions Club co-branded events.
• Heartland Lions Eye Banks: Multi-state Lions-affiliated nonprofit eye bank serving the central U.S. Comparable in structure and mission to San Antonio Eye Bank, with a similarly strong Lions Club community partnership model.
• Iowa Lions Eye Bank: Regional Lions-affiliated nonprofit eye bank recovering and distributing corneas. Comparable community-based, mission-driven nonprofit model with strong Lions Club partnership backbone.

Regional players

• South Texas Blood & Tissue: Regional nonprofit blood and tissue bank serving San Antonio and South Texas. Adjacent tissue-banking operations and a current San Antonio Eye Bank partner on donor awareness initiatives.
• Texas Organ Sharing Alliance: Texas-based organ procurement organization coordinating organ, eye, and tissue donation across the region. San Antonio Eye Bank is a current partner; comparable in mission and regional scope but focused on broader organ donation rather than eye-only banking.

Others

• Donate Life America: National nonprofit alliance managing the U.S. donor registry brand and awareness campaigns. San Antonio Eye Bank partners with its Texas affiliate, Donate Life Texas, for donor registration drives — comparable in donor-advocacy mission but ecosystem-enabling rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/saeyebank
• Instagraminstagram.com/saeyebank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about San Antonio Eye Bank