Denver’s decedents give organs, hope after death
DENVER (KDVR) — Did you know that Denver County decedents are helping Coloradans see?
Through a partnership between the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner and the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank, hundreds of deceased organ donors have been able to share their tissues with recipients who need transplants.
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That means that, when possible, the Denver OME supports the eye bank’s mission to fulfill eye donors’ and their families’ wishes to help others overcome blindness.
“At the end of the day, it’s really just about restoring hope where hope may have been lost, for both donor families and recipients,” said John Lohmeier, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank, in a release.
In 2023, the eye bank, working under the jurisdiction of the Denver OME, recovered 444 eye tissues, such as corneas and sclera, from individuals who wanted to donate their organs after death.
Denver donors provided tissue for 198 total transplants, with 67 going to Colorado residents, 40 to other areas in the U.S., and 91 to other areas of the world, such as Europe and Asia.
The OME shared that one of those Denver donors was a young boy who died last year. His family donated the boy’s corneas, one of which restored an 11-year-old boy’s eyesight in Ireland.
Eye-based transplants provide hope for those losing sight
There are two types of eye donor tissues used in surgery: the cornea and the sclera.
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Corneal transplantation is when a surgeon removes a damaged cornea at the center of the eye and replaces it with a clear cornea from a deceased donor. Portions of the sclera can be used for glaucoma surgery to stabilize a prosthetic eye and reconstructive eye surgery. The Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank said most transplants involve the cornea.
Together, the OME and Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank partner annually to bring the gift of sight to dozens across the world. Anyone can sign up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor online, and can also sign up when applying for or renewing a driver’s license or ID.
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