Kansas Eye Bank & Cornea Research Center, Inc.

What Kansas Eye Bank & Cornea Research Center, Inc. does

Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation, operating as Saving Sight and formerly known as Kansas Eye Bank & Cornea Research Center, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit eye bank headquartered in Missouri. The organization's core function is facilitating the gift of eye donation: it recovers, processes, stores, and distributes corneal and ocular tissue for sight-restoring transplants, and provides resources and support to corneal transplant surgeons, ophthalmologists, optometrists, hospitals, funeral homes, and medical examiners across a regional Missouri footprint and, via Canadian registration, internationally. Beyond core tissue banking, the service portfolio includes the Vital Tears dry-eye management product line for optometry, an online Tissue Request portal for clinicians, the Virtual Legacy Garden donor memorial platform, the First Gift donor registry program, and an annual Charitable Grants Program that funds partner organizations improving vision care access in Missouri. The business model is mission-driven rather than profit-maximizing: revenue is generated through quote-based tissue procurement fees paid by healthcare institutions, supplemented by charitable contributions, grants, and investment income, with surplus reinvested in the sight-restoration mission. Strategic positioning emphasizes a "global partner model" for eye banking and charitable vision services, supported by Flagship partnerships with Lions of Missouri and the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation (the legal parent entity), Core partnerships with Donate Life and Lions Multiple District 26, and EBAA accreditation alongside FDA Establishment Registration, multi-state tissue banking licenses, and Canadian CTO registration. Operating governance is exercised through a Board of Directors that includes Lions Club representation (e.g., VCC Kelly Rackovan, Multiple District 26), with public Board of Directors meetings scheduled through March 2027.

Name

Kansas Eye Bank & Cornea Research Center, Inc.

Legal name

Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation, d/b/a Saving Sight

Website

https://kseyebank.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation, operating as Saving Sight, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit eye bank that recovers, processes, and distributes corneal tissue for transplant and supports vision care access through charitable grants and Lions Club community partnerships across Missouri.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Eye Banking Services

NAICS

Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Devices (Frames, Lenses, Lens Edging/Finishing Equipment) (HLAHAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ocular Drug Delivery Devices (Eye Droppers/Inserts) (HLAHAIAL)

Keywords

• Eye banking services
• Corneal tissue recovery
• Corneal transplant supply
• Ocular tissue processing
• Donor eye tissue distribution

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Saving Sight operates as a nonprofit eye bank providing corneal tissue recovery, processing, storage, and distribution for transplant surgeries. The organization serves corneal transplant surgeons, eye care professionals, hospitals, and partner organizations, supplemented by the Vital Tears dry eye product line, a Charitable Grants Program, and the First Gift donor registry.

Product overview

Saving Sight operates as a nonprofit eye bank and cornea research center offering a unified service portfolio centered on facilitating eye donation and restoring sight. The core offering is its eye banking services, including tissue recovery, processing, storage, and distribution for corneal transplants. This core is supported by the Tissue Request service (for surgeons and eye care professionals to order tissue), Vital Tears (dry eye management products for optometry), and the Virtual Legacy Garden (donor memorial platform). The organization further extends its mission through the Charitable Grants Program supporting vision care access, and the First Gift donor registry program. The portfolio functions as a service-based ecosystem rather than a software platform, combining direct clinical tissue services with community engagement and memorial offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vital Tears: Program for optometry services related to eye care.
• Virtual Legacy Garden

Products and services

• Eye Banking Services Core eye banking services facilitating the gift of eye donation, including tissue recovery, processing, storage, and distribution for corneal transplants and research. Serves corneal transplant surgeons and eye care professionals.
• Tissue Request Service Service enabling surgeons and eye care professionals to formally request corneal and eye tissue for transplant procedures through a dedicated online portal.
• Vital Tears Dry eye management product line supporting optometry patients, part of Saving Sight's service offerings for eye care professionals.
• Virtual Legacy Garden Online memorial platform honoring eye donors and their families through a virtual tribute garden, supporting donor family engagement and community outreach.
• Charitable Grants Program Grant program supporting partner organizations that improve access to vision care in the community, extending Saving Sight's mission through funded initiatives.
• First Gift Organ and tissue donor registry and community outreach program enabling individuals to register as eye donors and supporting broader donor recruitment efforts.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Donate LifecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational organ, eye, and tissue donation awareness organization. Saving Sight displays Donate Life branding and participates in the broader Donate Life awareness initiative, leveraging national visibility for donor registration campaigns.
• Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary industry accreditation body for eye banks in the United States. Saving Sight holds EBAA accreditation, indicating compliance with industry standards for tissue processing, quality assurance, and safety protocols.
• Lions of MissouriflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level Lions Club organization. Deep partnership includes Lion Ambassador programs, charitable grants coordination, volunteer recruitment, and community eye care initiatives throughout Missouri.
• Missouri Lions Eye Research FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent nonprofit organization that is the legal entity d/b/a Saving Sight. The Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation provides organizational structure and alignment with Lions Club mission for eye research and care.
• Multiple District 26 (Lions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLions Club Multiple District representing Lions clubs in Missouri. VCC Kelly Rackovan serves on the Saving Sight Board of Directors representing this district, demonstrating governance-level partnership integration.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA): EBAA is the accrediting body for U.S. eye banks and acts as an industry consortium. Saving Sight holds EBAA accreditation through 2028, making EBAA a regulator/enabler rather than a competitor.
• Donate Life America: Donate Life America is the national organ, eye, and tissue donation awareness organization. Saving Sight is a Donate Life partner, so it is ecosystem-adjacent — providing donor registry infrastructure and awareness rather than competing tissue services.

Direct peers

• Iowa Lions Eye Bank: Iowa Lions Eye Bank is a regional nonprofit eye bank with strong Lions Club affiliation, providing corneal tissue to surgeons in the Midwest. The structure closely mirrors Saving Sight's Lions-anchored model and tissue recovery/processing service profile.
• VisionGift: VisionGift (formerly Lions VisionGift) is a Lions-affiliated nonprofit eye bank based in Oregon serving multiple states. It shares Saving Sight's nonprofit, Lions Club-rooted governance and EBAA-accredited tissue processing and distribution focus.
• CorneaGen: CorneaGen (formerly SightLife) is a leading U.S. eye bank focused on corneal tissue supply, innovation in processing, and surgeon support. It competes directly with Saving Sight for hospital and surgeon partnerships and operates with a similar tissue request distribution model.
• Lions Eye Bank of Delaware Valley: Lions Eye Bank of Delaware Valley operates a Lions-affiliated nonprofit eye bank recovering and distributing corneal tissue. It mirrors Saving Sight's Lions Club governance model, EBAA-accredited operations, and regional tissue request fulfillment.
• San Diego Eye Bank: San Diego Eye Bank is an EBAA-accredited nonprofit eye bank recovering and distributing corneal tissue in California. It is comparable to Saving Sight as a similarly structured regional nonprofit tissue provider serving surgeons and hospitals.
• Eversight: Eversight is a large nonprofit eye bank providing corneal tissue recovery, processing, and distribution across multiple U.S. states. It is the closest functional peer to Saving Sight given its shared nonprofit model, EBAA accreditation, and surgeon- and hospital-direct distribution motion.

Regional players

• Mid-America Transplant: Mid-America Transplant is a regional organ and tissue procurement organization operating in the same Midwest geography as Saving Sight. It is comparable in donor recovery and tissue handling functions but focuses on broader tissue procurement rather than corneal specialization.

Emerging players

• Geisinger Eye Bank: Geisinger operates eye banking as part of a larger integrated health system. While broader in scope than Saving Sight, it represents a hospital-embedded alternative model for corneal tissue recovery and distribution, partially overlapping in service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/wearesavingsight
• Facebookfacebook.com/wesavesight
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kansas-eye-bank
• Instagraminstagram.com/wesavesight

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Kansas Eye Bank & Cornea Research Center, Inc.