Iowa Lions Eye Bank

What Iowa Lions Eye Bank does

Iowa Lions Eye Bank (ILEB) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1955 and headquartered at the University of Iowa BioVentures Center in Coralville, Iowa. It is the sole eye bank serving the state of Iowa, recovering, evaluating, processing, and distributing donated corneal tissue for sight-restoring transplantation on a 24/7/365 basis. In 2025, ILEB recovered tissue from 981 Iowa donors and supplied 806 corneas to transplant surgeons across 23 U.S. states and 14 countries, with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and Wolfe Eye Clinic serving as primary clinical partners and Iowa Donor Network handling statewide donor referrals. The organization also conducts applied research into diabetes-related corneal disease, gene therapy for Leber's Congenital Amaurosis, and proteomic analysis of retinal disease using Chemidoc MP, Leica Fluorescence, and qPCR instrumentation funded by the Lions Legacy Project.

ILEB's core products are tissue recovery services, tissue processing and preservation (including DMEK preparation and Optisol media), and corneal tissue distribution to surgeons; supporting services include donor family support, surgeon education, and a donor registry operated in partnership with the Iowa Donor Network. Revenue is generated through a mix of tissue processing fees paid by surgeons and hospitals, donor contributions (including a nearly $250,000 'Give Sight, Give Love' campaign in 2025), and ongoing Lions Club and LCIF grant support that has funded both capital equipment and operations since 1955. Distribution relies on a unique volunteer Lions Club transporter network that has logged over 1 million miles and historically delivered 73% of transplanted tissue; international reach is extended through pro-bono mission trips via The Luke Commission in Swaziland and Egypt.

Name

Iowa Lions Eye Bank

Legal name

Iowa Lions Eye Bank

Website

https://iowalionseyebank.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Iowa Lions Eye Bank is a nonprofit, founded 1955, that serves as Iowa's sole eye bank, recovering and distributing donated corneal tissue to transplant surgeons across 23 U.S. states and 14 countries, supported by Lions Club volunteer logistics and University of Iowa clinical partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Eye Banking and Ocular Tissue Services

NAICS

Blood and Organ Banks (621991), Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers (423460), Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers (42346)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Ophthalmic Regeneration (cornea/retina) (HLAAAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cornea, External Disease & Refractive Surgery (LASIK/PRK) (HLAKAKAF)

Keywords

• Ocular tissue recovery
• Corneal transplantation
• Eye bank services
• Tissue processing
• Ophthalmic research tissue

Headquarters

HQ city

Coralville

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions and Fundraising: Financial contributions from donors supporting the organization's mission to restore and preserve sight. The 'Give Sight, Give Love' campaign raised nearly $250,000 including matching grants. Funding supports equipment upgrades, research initiatives, and operational costs.
2. Lions Club Support: Ongoing support from Lions Clubs of Iowa including initial $10,000 funding when established in 1955, Lions Foundation grants ($30,000 Legacy Project, $105,000 LCIF matching vision grant), and volunteer transportation services covering over one million miles.
3. Tissue Processing Services: Services recovering, evaluating, processing and distributing donated corneal tissue for patients in need of sight-restoring transplants. Operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Iowa Lions Eye Bank recovers, evaluates, processes, and distributes human donor ocular tissue for corneal transplantation and ophthalmic research. It is the only eye bank serving Iowa and supplies transplant surgeons and researchers across 23 U.S. states and 14 countries, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Product overview

Iowa Lions Eye Bank is the only eye bank serving the state of Iowa, operating as a unified service organization rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offerings center on corneal tissue recovery, processing, and distribution services for surgeons performing sight-restoring transplants. Supporting services include research into eye disease and diabetes-related corneal complications, family and recipient support services including grief support and correspondence programs, and education for health care professionals. The organization also operates an eye donation registry in partnership with the Iowa Donor Registry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transplant-grade Corneal Tissue Supply
• Research-grade Ocular Tissue Supply
• 24/7/365 Donor Coordination and Tissue Dispatch
• Lions Volunteer Donor Transporter Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 981 cornea donors and 806 transplant recipients served in 2025 alone
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• The Luke Commission (TLC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014The Luke Commission delivers compassionate healthcare to rural communities in Southern Africa. ILEB provides corneal tissue pro-bono for annual mission trips where surgeons including Dr. Alex Cohen and Dr. Matthew Ward perform transplants. First PKP surgery in Swaziland performed with ILEB tissue in 2014.
• Lions Clubs of IowacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1955Iowa Lions have supported ILEB for over 70 years, providing initial $10,000 funding when established in 1955. Lions clubs run a volunteer transporter program covering over 1 million miles to transport tissue. The Lions Legacy Project provided $30,000+ for research equipment including Chemidoc MP Imaging System, Leica Fluorescence microscope, and qPCR machine.
• University of Iowa BioVentures CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILEB headquarters is located in the University of Iowa BioVentures Center in Coralville, providing proximity to UIHC research facilities and collaboration opportunities with the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.
• University of Iowa Hospitals and ClinicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILEB works closely with UIHC for cornea transplants, research, and education. The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences provides medical leadership including Dr. Keith Carter (Chair), Dr. Mark Greiner (Medical Director), and supports ILEB's research initiatives.
• Iowa Donor NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide organ and tissue donation network that coordinates donor referrals to ILEB. ILEB maintains a satellite office in the Iowa Donor Network regional office in Altoona. Partnership includes recovery operations coordination and shared donor family services.
• Wolfe Eye ClinicmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Matthew Rauen, ILEB Assistant Medical Director, practices at Wolfe Eye Clinic in Des Moines. Performs corneal transplants and represents ILEB in regional healthcare community.
• Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA)coreOthersILEB holds full EBAA accreditation. Staff members including Adam Stockman (Co-Vice Chair of Accreditation Board) and Dr. Mark Greiner (Board of Directors) serve in leadership roles. Monica Freiburger serves on multiple EBAA committees including Technical Education Committee and Policy and Position Research Subcommittee.
• UI Center for AdvancementmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUniversity of Iowa Center for Advancement handles fundraising, donations, and planned giving for ILEB. Contact: Angelina Ahrens, Executive Director of Development, Vision, Health Sciences. Contributions can be made online or by mail to UI Center for Advancement.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Miracles In Sight: Nonprofit eye bank recovering, processing, and distributing ocular tissue across multiple U.S. states. Direct peer with comparable product/service mix and target surgeon customers.
• Utah Lions Eye Bank: Lions-affiliated eye bank within the University of Utah's John A. Moran Eye Center, performing corneal recovery and transplantation support. Comparable Lions + academic medical center hybrid model to ILEB + University of Iowa.
• Lions Eye Institute for Transplant and Research: Lions-affiliated nonprofit eye bank and ocular research center recovering, processing, and distributing ocular tissue. Direct peer combining Lions funding infrastructure with research capabilities similar to ILEB.
• Lions Eye Bank of Oregon (Lions Eye Bank of Oregon at Legacy Health): Lions-affiliated nonprofit eye bank in Oregon performing corneal recovery and distribution. Directly comparable single-state Lions-charter eye bank model similar to ILEB.
• Lions Medical Eye Bank: Lions-affiliated eye bank providing corneal tissue recovery and distribution services. Direct peer operating with the same Lions Club funding and volunteer infrastructure model.
• Lions Gift of Sight: Lions-affiliated nonprofit eye bank in Minnesota performing corneal recovery, processing, and distribution. Directly comparable to ILEB as a Lions-charter eye bank of similar scale and mission.
• Eversight: One of the largest U.S. eye bank networks, formed from consolidations of multiple regional eye banks. Operates the same core functions (corneal recovery, processing, distribution, research) at materially greater scale, making it the most relevant scaled competitor to ILEB.
• San Diego Eye Bank: Nonprofit EBAA-accredited eye bank providing corneal tissue recovery and distribution with research programs. Comparable in offering mix and accreditation posture.
• Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank: Nonprofit Lions-affiliated eye bank serving a multi-state region with corneal recovery, processing, and research programs. Directly comparable in mission, funding model (Lions Club support), and operating scope.

Others

• Donor Network West (and similar OPOs partnering eye banks): Organ procurement organization (OPO) coordinating tissue and organ donation including ocular tissue referrals to partner eye banks. Adjacent ecosystem participant comparable to ILEB's Iowa Donor Network partnership relationship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@IowaLionsEyeBank1/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/IowaLionsEyeBank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iowa-lions-eye-bank
• Instagraminstagram.com/iowalionseyebank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Iowa Lions Eye Bank