Eversight Illinois Vision Spring 2017 SpringVision_IL_19Apr17_FNL | Page 4

Years Eversight Illinois Eversight Illinois is celebrating our 70th anniversary with a look back at the many people whose deep commitment to our mission transformed donation and transplantation as we know it today. 1947 1950s 1969 Originally named the Illinois Eye-Bank, the organization was the fourth eye bank in the United States when it was established at Cook County Hospital as a joint project between the Chicago Ophthalmological Society and the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness. During the first year 25 eyes were donated, and only four were used for transplants in Chicago. But as the life-changing power of restored sight became more widely known, communities began embracing the idea of eye donation and transplantation. Dr. Maurice Rabb, a Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, became the first Illinois Eye-Bank Medical Director. Dr. Rabb was known internationally for his pioneering work in corneal and retinal vascular diseases. Resto sig 1940s 1950s 1956 1970s Early leadership was a collaborative effort between prominent ophthalmologists, including Dr. William F. Hughes, one of the founding fathers of eye banking, and Dr. Robert Fitzgerald. The Illinois Eye-Bank received more than 100 eye donations, and the organization quickly became a 24/7 operation, hiring its first full-time employee and placing volunteers on call to deliver tissue. This decade brought numerous advances in transplant technology. Breakthroughs in cornea storage media had a major impact on the availability of corneas for transplantation, because eye tissue could be preserved for several days rather than just a few hours. Spring 2017 | V I S I O N | Page 4