https://www.legalizegayeyes.org/events daily 0.75 2021-10-25 https://www.legalizegayeyes.org/events/event-two-plbk2 monthly 0.5 2021-11-09 https://www.legalizegayeyes.org/events/event-one-dsljz monthly 0.5 2021-10-25 https://www.legalizegayeyes.org/gay-eyes daily 0.75 2021-10-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/193bdc97-860b-4c1a-83cd-f50712092556/Deferral+periods.PNG Gay Eyes - FDA Policy for Gay Cornea Donors Current FDA guidance bans corneal donation by “[men] who have had sex with another man in the preceding 5 years.” This policy was instituted on May 20, 1994, at a time when there were no reliable tests for infectious diseases such as HIV. Thus, out of concern that diseases like HIV could potentially be transmitted through corneal transplants, the FDA categorically banned men who have sex with men from donating their corneas. This is a completely separate (and much more restrictive) policy than the FDA’s much more well-known ban on gay blood donors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/f1a592d9-73a1-42c9-8589-e7792125a326/International.jpg Gay Eyes While the United States requires men who have sex with men to be abstinent for 5 years, many other countries around the world have no restrictions whatsoever on gay or bisexual corneal donors. Countries such as Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, South Africa, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina all allow men who have sex with men to donate their corneas if their infectious disease testing is negative. Other countries such as France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil have deferral periods far shorter than 5 years. It is long past time for the FDA to update this antiquated policy and allow HIV-negative men who have sex with men to help cure blindness through corneal donation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/9deff3aa-3c33-497a-89ab-52c49c166151/FDA+Policy.PNG Gay Eyes 27 years later, it has become clear that this 5-year deferral policy is no longer scientifically justified. Whereas in 1994 there were no reliable tests for HIV, now in 2021 all corneal donors are required to undergo 3 separate HIV tests which are highly reliable as soon as 4-8 days after a potential donor may have been exposed to HIV — far shorter than 5 years. Corneas are also not a major reservoir of the HIV virus. Even in cases from the 1980’s and 1990’s where corneas were transplanted from donors with HIV, there has never been a reported case of HIV transmission through a corneal transplant anywhere in the world. https://www.legalizegayeyes.org/contact daily 0.75 2021-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/1634527905547-10NFN8NVSP7T5PDJ5IDU/unsplash-image-In4XVKhYaiI.jpg Contact Us - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.legalizegayeyes.org/home daily 1.0 2021-11-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/34c505c5-a3fd-47ec-aeb4-b16dd0741025/Corneal+transplant.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/8b23f592-bc1e-40d7-9b65-b32dea5c317a/Deferral+periods.PNG Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/1634867204376-2RHJ82T6TT8OK3TM1IDP/Steamboat.PNG Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/1634953059382-8UKOLWGNXCGEADUAGGU3/unsplash-image-suj3od1uMv8.jpg Home - Contact us: CONTACT US: https://www.legalizegayeyes.org/our-team daily 0.75 2021-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/1634531277449-Y3ATU2Q0KS42OISH63XY/Puente+MD.jpg Our Team - Michael Puente, MD Dr. Puente is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons. His research focuses on LGBT issues in ophthalmology and pediatric eye disorders. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/3a991562-3cf2-43d0-ace8-1b34f4bfc47b/Rager_James.jpg Our Team - Jimmy Rager, OMS-III Jimmy is a medical student at Rocky Vista University in Parker, Colorado. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Medical Society and a medical student member of the American Medical Association. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/1634531427049-V62348TX95X4IB2CRURW/sheryl-moore.jpg Our Team - Sheryl Moore Sheryl is the President and CEO of Moore Market Intelligence in Des Moines, Iowa. She is a fierce advocate for LGBT youth and anti-bullying efforts. https://www.legalizegayeyes.org/research daily 0.75 2021-10-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/1634742344180-BJ72JLMFK6LJY7NKIQ08/JAMA_ophthalmology_logo.jpg Research - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/6791ddaf-6f2e-44cb-8649-b0f60a8fa95e/JAMA1.jpg Research - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.legalizegayeyes.org/corneas daily 0.75 2021-10-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/99f746b8-09b9-48cc-9809-b0963fa73193/Anatomy+Small.jpg What is a cornea? - What is a cornea? The cornea is the clear front layer of the eye, and it is one of the most important parts of the eye for clear vision. Much like the windshield of a car, the cornea serves as a crystal clear barrier that protects the inside contents of the eye while allowing light to enter the eye. A diseased or damaged cornea can cause blurry vision, or even blindness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/037bc34e-c16f-4d3c-856f-c87bf75b6a73/Scar+Small.jpg What is a cornea? - Corneal disease In order to have good vision, your cornea must be clear and smooth. However, millions of people around the world are blind from corneal disease. A cornea may become cloudy due to scarring, infections, trauma, or congenital dystrophies. In some cases, the cornea’s shape becomes irregular (as in the diseases keratoconus or pellucid marginal degeneration). In many cases, corneal transplant surgery can cure blindness caused by corneal disease. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/34c505c5-a3fd-47ec-aeb4-b16dd0741025/Corneal+transplant.jpg What is a cornea? - Corneal transplant In a patient blind or visually impaired from corneal disease, an eye surgeon may be able to restore clear vision through corneal transplant surgery. In this procedure, a patient’s diseased cornea is surgically removed. It is then replaced with a cornea donated after death by a tissue donor. The donated cornea is help in place with sutures. Corneal transplantation is the most common transplant surgery performed in the US each year and has restored vision to millions of patients around the world. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/629dfa9f-7c5c-4f2c-913b-7815efdd3ad7/donor+small.jpg What is a cornea? - Corneal donation If someone is registered as an organ and tissue donor, they may be able to donate their corneas when they die. All donated corneas undergo rigorous screening and testing to ensure they are healthy and safe to transplant. For example, all corneal donors are tested for infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. However, even if all infectious disease testing is negative, an FDA policy first issued in 1994 bans corneal donation by any man who has had sex with another man in the preceding 5 years. https://www.legalizegayeyes.org/help daily 0.75 2021-11-04 https://www.legalizegayeyes.org/ajs-story daily 0.75 2021-11-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616ce38a18bb166121d58795/91e5b124-26aa-447c-84c5-48d9e7eba75f/AJ.jpg AJ's Story - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.legalizegayeyes.org/press daily 0.75 2022-01-31