GENERAL INFORMATION 

Introduction

Eye Banks are the organisations responsible for facilitating eye donation, and the provision of safe, quality corneal and other eye tissue for transplantion.

The Eye Bank Association Australia New Zealand (EBAANZ) is the peak body for eye donation and transplantation in Australia and New Zealand.

Mission

Through representation, cooperation and education to support the Australian and New Zealand Eye Banks in the delivery of their services with consistently high levels of quality, safety, proficiency and ethics.

Medical & Quality Standards

EBAANZ develops standards to ensure consistently acceptable levels of quality, proficiency and ethics in dealing with eye tissue for transplantation. They define standards of practice in the donation, retrieval, testing, preservation, and distribution of eye tissue as determined by the ophthalmological medical community in Australia and New Zealand. These Standards encompass and reflect current world's best-practice in eye donation and banking.

Values

• Quality: Serving its members through the promotion of tissue safety, setting medical standards and providing professional development
• Collaboration: Promoting communication, cooperation, collaboration and sharing between Eye Banks
  
• Innovation: To support research into eye disorders, and encourage advancements eye banking, eye donation and eye tissue transplantation
• Advocacy: Communicating with government and regulatory agencies and our partners in donation and transplantation to advance the restoration of sight
  
• Service: To provide a framework for the sharing and distribution of transplant tissue across Australia and New Zealand
  

Advocacy & Public Awareness

EBAANZ advocates and provides informed comment on behalf of its members, eye donors and donor families, and transplant recipients. This includes:

• Representation to government and regulatory agencies
• Interaction with and respresentation to other donation and transplantation organisations
• Interaction and sharing of information with other international Eye Bank Associations
  
• Sharing knowledge and improving public awareness of eye donation and corneal transplantation
  

Donation and Outcome Data

EBAANZ complies comprehensive statistics of eye donation and eye tissue transplant activity across Australia and New Zealand.

It also supports both the Australian and the New Zealand corneal transplant outcome registries, which are among the most complete and comprehensive registries on corneal transplant outcome in the world.

Education & Research