Glen Ellyn Physician Honored by Illinois Eye Bank

Loyola University Medical Center ophthalmologist Charles Bouchard, MD, is being honored by the Illinois Eye Bank for his commitment to the eye bank’s efforts and mission.

Bouchard, chair of Loyola’s Department of Ophthalmology, will be honored during the eye bank’s Annual Gift of Sight gala, which will be held June 19th in Chicago. Bouchard partners with the Illinois Eye Bank in performing corneal transplants and conducting eye research.

Bouchard, who lives in Glen Ellyn, is one of the nation’s top cornea transplant surgeons. In a cornea transplant, the surgeon replaces a diseased or infected cornea with a healthy donated cornea. It’s the most frequently performed transplant procedure. Bouchard said he encourages patients to write thank-you letters to donor families.

Anyone can donate eyes. If corneal tissue is not suitable for transplantation, the eye can be used for research and education. You can become a donor by signing up with the Illinois Organ/Tissue Donor Registry at http://www.ilsos.gov/organdonorregister/

The Illinois Eye Bank’s mission is to preserve and restore sight, through transplantation, research, education and partnership.

Also being honored at the Gift of Sight gala is Sherrill Bodine, a best-selling author and philanthropist who is a long-time supporter of the Illinois Eye Bank.