The Lions Eye Bank has entered an exciting new chapter with the formal appointment of its new manager, Dr Jelena Kezic in 2025. Her appointment reflects strong leadership, deep technical expertise and a clear commitment to advancing transplantation, education and research.
The Lions Eye Bank of Western Australia continues to deliver outstanding transplant outcomes, having distributed 403 corneal grafts, supporting 335 local surgeries and 68 interstate procedures, along with 191 scleral tissue grafts in 2025.
The 2025 Lions Eye Bank team pictured left to right: Dr Jelena Kezic, Abigail Harvey, Abigail Elezovich, Andrew Pomfret and Katrina Elliott
The team’s impact also extends beyond Western Australia during times of national need. Following a fire that disrupted operations at the Queensland Tissue Bank in early 2025, the Lions Eye Bank processed some of the donor tissue on their behalf and supplied corneal grafts to patients in Queensland, a powerful example of collaboration across Australia’s eye and tissue banking network.
Quality and compliance remain central to the Lions Eye Bank’s operations, with the laboratories successfully completing an inspection by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The team has also grown, welcoming two transplant coordinators, which brings the Lions Eye Bank team to five and strengthens our capacity in donor coordination and tissue preparation.
Education and sector engagement remain key priorities. The team delivers education sessions to nurses at various local hospitals, including Royal Perth Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital, as well as to donor coordinators at DonateLife WA. They are also active members of the Eye Bank Association of Australia and New Zealand, contributing to lectures and seminars throughout the year. During DonateLife Week, the Lions Eye Bank promotes organ and tissue donation through staff engagement activities and participation in the Walk for Life, honouring donors and their families.
Looking ahead, the Lions Eye Bank is recruiting a research fellow/transplant coordinator to continue a research program focused on optimising donor corneal preparation to improve transplant longevity. As surgical techniques evolve, (particularly with endothelial grafts that replace the delicate inner cell layer of the cornea), protecting these vital cells during preparation is critical.
The research will examine factors influencing endothelial cell loss both during graft preparation and after transplantation, with the aim of improving long-term graft survival.
Through strong leadership, collaboration and a clear research focus, the Lions Eye Bank team remains committed to delivering excellence in service of donors, clinicians and patients.
