ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan has awarded Eversight a $10,000 grant to expand corneal transplantation training through Eversight Academy for ophthalmology residents at the Kresge Eye Institute and Henry Ford Health.
Corneal transplantation, eye banking, vision treatment and research are evolving rapidly with advances in technology, therapies and best practices. Through Eversight Academy, surgeons across the U.S. and internationally receive hands-on training in state-of-the-art wet labs to ensure the safest outcomes for patients—reducing risks of complications, graft rejection and additional surgeries.
In 2024, Eversight held 69 educational wet labs, training 532 surgeons, residents and fellows—including 17 from Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties—and, thanks to this grant, can offer even more meaningful, impactful training sessions to the next generation of ophthalmologists. “With this support from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, our goal is to train an additional 14 residents and surgeons from the Kresge Eye Institute and Henry Ford Health in 2025,” said Ebony Johnson, Eversight Partner Relations Director.
Wet lab training provides surgeon participants the opportunity to refine their techniques with guided instruction and real-time feedback from experienced instructors. Sessions cover every step of the corneal transplantation process—from tissue preparation to post-operative care—providing individualized insights to strengthen surgical skills.
“This training gives surgeons an affordable opportunity to gain new perspectives on their techniques,” Johnson said. “As they share these skills with colleagues, the knowledge multiplies, improving corneal transplantation processes and helping more patients see clearly.”
"We believe that all people in our region deserve access to quality health care," said Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan President and CEO Nicole Sherard-Freeman. "We're proud to support this innovative training program that, ultimately, will improve health outcomes for more patients and help them thrive in their communities."
To join the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan in supporting Eversight’s mission, visit eversightvision.org/give.
About the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan was established in 1984 to ensure residents in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, Livingston and St. Clair counties can thrive. As a permanent community endowment built by gifts from thousands of individuals and organizations, the Community Foundation supports a variety of activities benefiting economic opportunity, health equity, youth and education, arts and culture, and the environment and public spaces. Since its inception, the Community Foundation has grown to be among the top 35 community foundations in the country and has distributed more than $1.4 billion through roughly 91,000 grants to nonprofit organizations. The Community Foundation’s mission is to make southeast Michigan a desirable place to live, work and play for all residents, today and tomorrow. For more information, please visit www.cfsem.org.
About Eversight
Eversight is a nonprofit organization with a mission to restore sight and prevent blindness through the healing power of donation, transplantation and research. The Eversight network is responsible for recovering, evaluating and providing human eye tissue for transplantation; supporting research into the causes and cures of blinding eye conditions; promoting donation awareness through public and professional education; and providing humanitarian aid to people around the world in need of corneal transplantation. Operating in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and South Korea, Eversight works in collaboration with surgeons, researchers, academic medical centers and eye banks across the United States and abroad. For more information, visit eversightvision.org.
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