Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia

Name

Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia

Legal name

Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia

Website

https://lionseyebank.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Eye Banking and Ocular Tissue Procurement

NAICS

Blood and Organ Banks (621991), Medical Laboratories (621511)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Central Laboratory Services (Core Lab Operations) (HLAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Corneal tissue procurement
• Eye banking services
• Ocular tissue processing
• Transplant tissue distribution
• Donor eye recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Norfolk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tissue Processing Services: Charges industry standard fees for staff members' labor processing tissue. Donated eye tissue itself is supplied with no charge. Revenue comes from processing fees rather than tissue fees.
2. Donations and Contributions: Relies on financial contributions from community members to continue mission. Tax-deductible charitable donations as 501(c)(3) organization. Specific fundraising for DSAEK/DMEK processing program improvements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia is a non-profit tissue procurement organization that recovers, processes, and distributes donated human corneal and scleral tissue for transplantation and research. It serves corneal surgeons, hospitals, and researchers by providing multiple tissue types for procedures including PK, DMEK, DSEK, IEK, KLAL, DALK, keratoprosthesis, and scleral grafting, supported by FDA-registered processing operations within Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

Product overview

The Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia operates as a non-profit eye tissue procurement and processing organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of transplant-ready corneal and scleral tissues for various surgical procedures including penetrating keratoplasty (PK), endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK/DSEK with pre-loaded options), intralase-enabled keratoplasty (IEK), DALK, ALK, KLAL, and keratoprosthesis. The organization also provides irradiated corneas and scleral tissue in multiple configurations. Beyond transplant tissue, services include research tissue distribution, Eye Prep Kits for hospitals, continuing education programs, and donor-recipient correspondence facilitation. The organization maintains a surgeon portal for ordering and provides recipient tracking as an FDA-required service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corneal Tissue for Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK) Full-thickness cornea transplants for patients requiring complete corneal replacement due to advanced disease or injury. Distributed to corneal surgeons for transplantation procedures.
• Corneal Tissue for Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK and DSEK) Partial-thickness cornea transplants including pre-loaded options for endothelial replacement in patients with Fuchs dystrophy or other endothelial dysfunction.
• Corneal Tissue for Intralase-Enabled Keratoplasty (IEK) Laser-assisted cornea transplant tissue prepared for use with intralase-enabled surgical techniques.
• Corneal Tissue for KLAL, DALK, and ALK Procedures Lamellar keratoplasty tissue for anterior lamellar procedures including KLAL, deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK), and automated lamellar keratoplasty (ALK) for selective layer transplantation.
• Corneal Tissue for Keratoprosthesis (K-Pro) Cornea tissue prepared for artificial cornea implantation procedures.
• Sclera (Whole, Half, or Quarter) Scleral tissue for prosthesis, drooping eyelid support, or wound and medical device patching procedures.
• Irradiated Corneas Gamma-irradiated cornea tissue available in whole or bisected half-thickness formats for various surgical applications.
• Research Tissue Distribution Distribution of donated ocular tissue unsuitable for transplant (with consent) to academic and institutional researchers for medical research and education purposes.
• Eye Prep Kits Unique preservation supply kits provided free of charge to area hospitals to help preserve corneal epithelium integrity and encourage better patient outcomes after transplantation.
• Hospital Staff Continuing Education Free CMS Required Continued Education training programs delivered to local hospital staff to support donation process compliance and education.
• Donor Family Correspondence Services Anonymous correspondence facilitation between transplant recipients and donor families, including review, forwarding, and coordination of written communications.
• Recipient Tracking and Follow-Up FDA-required tracking service following all tissue transplants, including collection of recipient information forms from surgeons.

Quantifiable outcome

• Restored sight to over 28,000 transplant recipients through global partnerships
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• Sentara Norfolk General HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-decade partnership dating to 1978 founding. LMEB operates within Sentara Norfolk General Hospital (2nd floor of Kaufman Pavilion). Sentara provides facility space and cooperative partnership. In 1986, jointly built Lions Sight and Hearing Center. Sentara CEO Howard Kern supported $800,000+ project. LMEB is a model for other eye banks worldwide due to this hospital-based model.
• Lions Clubs of District 24-I (formerly 24-D)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded LMEB in 1978. Ongoing monetary and volunteer support. Lions members serve as board members, staff, community representatives, and medical directors. District 24-I Lions Charity Foundation helped fund $800,000+ vision facility project. Contributions help defray costs for donor awareness, tissue procurement, evaluation, testing, processing, and distribution.
• LifeNet HealthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHampton Roads Organ Procurement Organization and tissue bank. LMEB partners for coordinated single-call referral process. LifeNet handles organ and tissue donation referrals; LMEB handles eye donation. LifeNet Health coordinates with medical examiners for medicolegal cases. LMEB acknowledges LifeNet in donor family grief resources.
• Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLMEB provides tissue for research and training to EVMS professors, students, and ophthalmology residents. LMEB conference facilities used for EVMS lectures and education. Dr. Diego Ponzin from Venice eye bank presented to EVMS students at LMEB. Dr. Jung-Yul Choi, Past President of Lions Clubs International, toured facility with EVMS connection.
• Daqing Eye Bank (China)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerDaqing Eye Bank design was inspired by LMEB facilities. In 2013, LMEB's Dave Korroch and Karen Kirkpatrick visited Daqing, China to provide lectures and training for new eye bank staff. Dr. Yu, President of Daqing Eye Hospital and Founder of Daqing Eye Bank, visited LMEB in January 2023.
• Fondazione Banca degli Occhi del Veneto Onlus (Venice, Italy)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Diego Ponzin, Medical Director, visited LMEB in July 2022 to present lecture on cornea transplantation during COVID era. Dr. Ponzin is also Vice Chairman of European Eye Bank Association.
• Tidewater Office of the Chief Medical ExaminercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong working relationship enables LMEB to have consistent rate of younger donors, nearly twice the national average. Medical examiners and investigators support eye donation from unattended or traumatic deaths. LMEB collects vitreous fluid and blood to supplement ME testing. Special recognition given to their tireless efforts.
• EVMS Sentara Lions Sight CenternotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeparate healthcare organization providing ophthalmology services. LMEB legally required to be separate as tissue donation processing office. Eyeglass collection box located at Lions Center for Sight in Norfolk General Hospital. Lions Clubs also provide financial assistance for eye exams and glasses through local Lions Clubs.
• Lions Clubs InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Lions organization that challenged Lions in 1925 (Helen Keller speech) to 'Be the knights of the blind in crusade against darkness.' Founded eye banks around globe. Dr. Jung-Yul Choi, Immediate Past President, toured LMEB in May 2022.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lionsmedicaleyebank
• Instagraminstagram.com/lionsmedicaleyebank

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia