Washington, DC– (March 25, 2026) – Corneal transplants performed in the United States last year will result in nearly $8.5 billion in total net benefits over the lifetime of the recipients, according to a recently updated study by the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA).
The study compared the medical cost of transplant procedures to the direct and indirect lifetime costs of the alternative – living with blindness or severe vision impairment. With a corneal transplant, an individual avoids the direct expenditures that come with vision loss, such as higher routine medical costs and long-term care costs, and the indirect costs of potential years of lost productivity to both the patients and their family caregivers.
Eye disorders are the fifth costliest to the U.S. economy after heart disease, cancer, emotional disorders, and pulmonary conditions.
“EBAA represents the 53 eye banks in the United States, which provide corneal tissue to over 80,000 recipients in the U.S. and around the world each year,” said President & CEO Kevin Corcoran. “I’ve spoken personally with many recipients and have felt the emotional impact of restoring someone’s vision. Now we understand, in real numbers, the economic impact of our work. It’s all made possible through the generosity of corneal donors and the care and dedication of EBAA-member eye banks and corneal surgeons.”
EBAA commissioned The Lewin Group in 2013 to determine the economic impact of corneal transplants. The data has been updated annually to reflect increases in inflation and the number of transplants performed in the United States.
The cost-benefit analysis depicted in the table below reveals that the lifetime benefit of the procedure is overwhelmingly greater than the costs of the surgery.
Since EBAA’s founding in 1961, more than 2.4 million men, women, and children have received corneal transplants to restore vision and relieve pain from injury and disease to the eye. With a success rate greater than 95%, the one-hour procedure restores the patient’s sight and quality of life. In fact, it’s one of the most common and least invasive transplant procedures. This study proves the value of the procedure and the economic benefit to the patient, family, and society.
Corneal transplants also translate to direct federal and state government savings. This study assumed full retirement at age 65, so the net indirect cost savings are relatively small for these patients, but the per-capita lifetime net medical benefits of $114,691 for patients age 65 or greater receiving corneal transplants will save Medicare and patients a combined $4.49 billion over the remainder of their lives.
The restoration of sight is particularly valuable to Medicaid beneficiaries. These are our nation’s most economically disadvantaged members; loss of vision simply compounds their challenges, making their journey to financial independence infinitely more difficult. This study clearly demonstrates that providing access to corneal transplants is a cost-effective way to support their economic health.
For more information about cornea donation and transplantation, or about this study, please contact EBAA at info@restoresight.org.
About EBAA:The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA), established in 1961, was the world’s first transplant association and champions the restoration of sight through corneal transplantation. Seventy-eight EBAA-member eye banks operate in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Asia; these eye banks made possible over 80,000 sight-restoring corneal transplants in 2025.
Almost anyone can share the gift of sight; the ability to transplant corneal tissue is not dependent on the donor’s blood type, age, strength of eyesight or the color of the eye. To learn more, and to register as a donor, visit www.restoresight.org
