They Were Blind, and Now They Can See
Photographers Share Their Vision After Receiving a Cornea Transplant Through Traveling Photo Exhibit
By Jenn Venerable - May 17, 2024
The Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank (RMLEB) is proud to announce the 2024 Circle of Light Photo Project. The traveling photography exhibit starts in May and goes into early 2025. Locations across Colorado and Wyoming include local libraries, hospitals, and the Denver International Airport (DEN exhibit starts in September). A complete list of locations and dates can be found at corneas.org/COLPP-Exhibits.
The exhibit features 19 pieces from 13 people who received corneal transplants. The youngest is 19-year-old Jacob Degoey from Aurora, who received his cornea transplant in 2022.
When asked what it meant to him to have a cornea transplant, Degoey said, “I was a relatively sick kid through childhood, but to have some problems be solvable is very comforting. It helps me see the world in a new light, literally and figuratively.”
Eye tissue donation provides the gift of sight to those in need of a transplant. In 2023, 2,544 eye donors across Colorado and Wyoming provided sight-restoring transplants for 2,336 people. Eye tissue is first placed locally, then domestically with other eye banks in need, and finally internationally.
“We exist to restore hope where hope may have been lost,” said RMLEB’s Executive Director, John Lohmeier. “The Circle of Light Photo Project shares the hope restored in people who can now see, thanks to the generosity of an eye donor.”
RMLEB is the nonprofit organization responsible for the recovery of donated eye tissues from donors in Colorado and most of Wyoming. Its mission is to fulfill the wishes of eye donors and their families to help others overcome blindness through transplantation and research.
Contact: Jenn Venerable
jvenerable@corneas.org
303-945-6493
Go Back The exhibit features 19 pieces from 13 people who received corneal transplants. The youngest is 19-year-old Jacob Degoey from Aurora, who received his cornea transplant in 2022.
When asked what it meant to him to have a cornea transplant, Degoey said, “I was a relatively sick kid through childhood, but to have some problems be solvable is very comforting. It helps me see the world in a new light, literally and figuratively.”
Eye tissue donation provides the gift of sight to those in need of a transplant. In 2023, 2,544 eye donors across Colorado and Wyoming provided sight-restoring transplants for 2,336 people. Eye tissue is first placed locally, then domestically with other eye banks in need, and finally internationally.
“We exist to restore hope where hope may have been lost,” said RMLEB’s Executive Director, John Lohmeier. “The Circle of Light Photo Project shares the hope restored in people who can now see, thanks to the generosity of an eye donor.”
RMLEB is the nonprofit organization responsible for the recovery of donated eye tissues from donors in Colorado and most of Wyoming. Its mission is to fulfill the wishes of eye donors and their families to help others overcome blindness through transplantation and research.
Contact: Jenn Venerable
jvenerable@corneas.org
303-945-6493