Tissue Banks International

At the time of TBI's founding in 1962, blind men, women and children waited months, sometimes years for the corneal transplants that would restore their sight. The Medical Eye Bank of Maryland established as its goal the elimination of the long patient waiting lists for corneal transplant surgery. The TBI Mission, then created, has for more than four decades guided TBI's activities that changed the lives of millions. Today, the TBI Mission guides our work and will continue to do so:

"To relieve human suffering by facilitating the donation, retrieval,

processing and equitable distribution of corneal and other cadaveric

tissue for transplantation, research and other medical needs worldwide."

From this objective evolved the national non-profit network of eye and tissue banks that is now the TBI network.