Florida Lions Eye Bank changed its name to Beauty of Sight on September 1, 2023

Beauty of Sight Foundation Supports Vision-Related Research & Programs Aimed at Improving Patient Access and Experience

Serum Tears Financial Assistance

Serum Tears (or autologous serum eye drops) are an ophthalmic biological therapy made to order for each patient. Serum Tears are created by combining the patient’s blood serum with sterile, preservative-free saline. Human serum contains growth factors and proteins that, when filtered and diluted, may help heal epithelial defects and relieve symptoms of severe dry eye. A physician prescribes serum Tears for patients experiencing symptoms that have not responded to other treatments.

In 2017, Beauty of Sight began producing serum tears for patients throughout Florida. To date, we have processed drops for nearly five thousand patients, with more added every day.

Unfortunately, most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, rarely cover Serum Tears. As such, patients are responsible for the cost of this therapy. Because of this, Beauty of Sight charges a minimal fee for the drops, below the cost to produce them. Yet some patients in our community still need these drops but cannot afford them.

Recognizing this need, in 2018, Beauty of Sight launched the Serum Tears Assistance Program with the support of the Florida Lions Eye Bank. This program provides free eye drops for patients in need. To receive free eye drops, patients must complete an application and provide proof of their stated income. In addition, patients are qualified based on the United States Federal Poverty Guidelines and, if approved, receive a 3-month supply of drops utterly free.
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Cornea Gratis Program

For most patients, corneal transplantation is covered by their insurance. This cost includes the corneal processing fee to cover the cost of the recovery and processing of the corneal tissue by Beauty of Sight's laboratory. However, patients without insurance and the means to pay may be unable to undergo corneal transplantation due to the financial burden of this surgery.

Beauty of Sight supports the effort to ensure that no patient will suffer from avoidable blindness due to a lack of funding. As such, the Cornea Gratis Program has been created to help subsidize the tissue processing fee and allow Beauty of Sight to provide completely FREE OF CHARGE to patients without insurance and the means to pay.

All donations to this program help support needy patients in our community who require a corneal transplant. Beauty of Sight receives a call from a hospital, medical examiner’s office, or funeral home notifying us of the death of an individual. Our trained screeners speak to the caller to ascertain whether this individual meets the preliminary criteria for eye donation.

Beauty of Sight for Children

Beauty of Sight brings smiles with its continued funding of Beauty of Sight for Children. Join this effort and bring a smile and comfort to a child by donating $10 for each stuffed animal.

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