After a long day in line at the DMV, it’s hard to imagine the impact that organ and tissue donation has. The photography exhibit at Mesa County Public Library’s central location through May 6 aims to change that. The photographers themselves are no strangers to blindness. The photographs in the Circle of Light Photo Project were all taken by people with corneal blindness who regained their sight after receiving corneal transplants from Colorado and Wyoming donors.
A project by the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank (RMLEB), it began touring in Denver last November and has since made its way across the state. After a few more stops in Colorado, it will be sent to Wyoming. The photographs depict things the transplant recipients can now see and can see due to their restored eyesight.
“We contacted them and said now that they had their sight restored to pick up their camera and go out in the world and take pictures of things that they can see that they couldn’t see before, or things that they appreciate differently, or things they didn’t notice,” Robert Austin, RMLEB Director of Public Relations said.
“Some were about things that they could see, and living in Colorado that’s not surprising– it’s so beautiful,” Austin said. “But some people took pictures of things they can do now that they couldn’t do before, like the sight of food that they cooked. One lady sent in a picture of her hands doing beadwork.”
The 25 photos featured in the exhibit were chosen by professional photographers, but they represent only a small portion of the entire project, which can be viewed in an online gallery. Although the Circle of Light Photo Project is singular and draws visitors based on its beauty, the underlying message of the power of donation shines through.
“One of our goals for this whole thing is to show people the impact that organ donors can have on people’s lives in a visual way, and also to remind people that anyone can be an organ donor,” Austin said.
“We know through surveys and research that’s been done, that the number one reason people don’t sign up to be a donor on their license is because they think they can’t. They rule themselves out. For example, some people think you have to have perfect vision in order to be an eye donor and that’s not true. Some people think if they’re not young and strapping, they can’t be an organ donor. You’d be surprised who can be,” he said.
The Lions Club and RMLEB suggest deciding whether or not to be a donor at the DMV, because when the time comes medical professionals can decide whether or not donation is viable and what can be donated. The Circle of Light Photo Project is an impressive visual representation of exactly what organ and tissue donation can do. The gallery is exhibited at the Central Library or online at corneas.org.