Georgia Eye Bank proudly serves the community by providing a state-of-the-art eye bank facility staffed by talented and professional staff. Since 1961, Georgia Eye Bank has been honoring the wishes of donors and their families to give others the Gift of Sight. We take our responsibility in the donation process very seriously. Everything we do is designed to honor the donation decision and to help others through transplant and research.
The eye donation process begins with an authorization, sometimes referred to as a consent. This authorization can come from the donor or their family. More and more people each year are saying yes to donation and the best way to do this is to sign up on the Donate Life Georgia Registry. The majority of individuals register when they apply for their Driver’s License but you can also sign up online. If you want your organs, eyes, and tissues to be available to someone else through transplantation and/or research, sign up and inform your family of your decision.
Some people prefer that their loved ones make the donation decision. In these cases, a compassionate and knowledgeable staff member will contact the closest legally authorized individual (sometimes referred to as next-of-kin). Information about eye tissue donation, and who benefits from will be shared. Our goal is to make sure donor families have the information necessary to make the decision that is right for them and their family. Authorization takes about 5 minutes and is done over the telephone.
The authorization gives Georgia Eye Bank legal permission to:
- Access and review medical records
- Perform the surgical recovery of eye/cornea tissue
- Obtain a blood sample and test it for infectious diseases (such as HIV and Hepatitis)
- Collaborate with other recovery organizations (e.g. bank)
- Process donor eye tissue and distribute the gifts for transplantation and/or research
In addition to the authorization, Georgia Eye Bank is required to obtain a Medical and Social History from a knowledgeable person. This history is also obtained over the telephone and consists of questions designed to protect recipients from potential disease transmission. The Medical and Social History interview takes approximately 20 minutes.