Bay Tissue Institute

Meet the people behind Bay Tissue Institute - Part 2

Today we're introducing Jo-Anne Allan, one of the newest members of the Bay Tissue Institute team.

Originally from the Natal Midlands, Jo-Anne relocated to PE in 2017 with her husband and their two daughters, Olivia and Rebecca. She is an Intensive Care Registered Nurse, as well as a dance teacher, and brings her experience in caring for others into her role at BTI.

At Bay Tissue Institute, Jo-Anne assists with procurement and is learning the process of preparing corneas for surgical use. She says being part of BTI has given her the opportunity to step outside her comfort zone and learn something completely new, which has been incredibly rewarding.

Jo-Anne hopes more people become aware of what an incredible gift cornea donation can be. One donor has the potential to help two patients regain their sight, making every donation a truly meaningful gift to someone in need.

Her advice when caring for patients is simple: always imagine that the person in front of you is a member of your own family. She believes our work should always be carried out with empathy, compassion and love.

When she's not at work, Jo-Anne enjoys gardening, camping and visiting family in KZN.

And finally, a fun fact about Jo-Anne: she still has a baby tooth! 🦷

We’re so lucky to have you as part of the BTI team, Jo-Anne!

Meet the people behind Bay Tissue Institute - Part 1

Today we're introducing Ryan Scheepers. The manager of Bay Tissue Institute, who has been part of building and growing the organisation from its early stages.

With a background in business operations, administration and project management, he oversees the daily operations of the tissue bank, coordinates donor referrals, works closely with families, hospitals, doctors and surgeons, and ensures donated tissue reaches the patients who need it. He is also passionate about developing new partnerships and finding ways to increase tissue donation across South Africa.

His vision is simple but powerful: to increase access to donated corneal tissue and help restore sight to people waiting for a transplant. With the shortage of locally donated corneas, many South Africans face long waiting times, often relying on imported tissue that is costly and less accessible. By increasing local corneal donation, Bay Tissue Institute helps make this life-changing treatment more affordable and accessible.

He hopes more people understand that corneal donation is a respectful process that does not affect funeral arrangements or prevent an open casket. Most importantly, one donor has the potential to restore the sight of two people, making every donation an extraordinary gift.

Looking to the future, his goal is for Bay Tissue Institute to become one of South Africa's leading tissue banks, expanding donation programmes nationwide, reducing waiting times for patients, and eventually supporting the need for tissue across Africa.

When he's not at work, you'll find him enjoying the outdoors, birdwatching, and spending time with his wife and two young boys. Fun fact: he can spin just about any ball on his finger—or at least he's always willing to give it a try!

Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK)

What are you looking at?
Image 1: PK graft secured with a running suture.
Image 2: PK graft with 16 interrupted sutures.
Image 3: PK graft with 24 interrupted sutures.
Image 4: PK graft with a combination of running & interrupted sutures.
Image 5: A crystal clear PK graft 30 years after the procedure.

PK is a full-thickness transplant procedure in which a trephine is used to make a full-thickness resection of the patient's cornea, followed by the placement of a full-thickness donor corneal graft. Interrupted and/or running sutures are then placed radially at equal tension to minimize post-operative astigmatism. Later, the sutures are selectively removed to reduce the amount of astigmatism present.

PKs are performed primarily for visually significant stromal scarring, opacities with an uncertain status of the endothelium or significant posterior corneal involvement, corneal ectasia (such as keratoconus and pellucid marginal degeneration), combined stromal and epithelial disease, and infectious or non-infectious corneal ulcerations or perforations.

(Donaghy CL, Vislisel JM, Goins KM, Greiner MA. An Introduction to Corneal Transplantation. May 21, 2015; Available from: https://eyerounds.org/tutorials/cornea-transplant-intro/)

: 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁

A young student who had to drop out of university when his vision was severely affected by keratoconus has regained his sight thanks to a successful corneal transplant at the Universitas Annex Hospital under the leadership of Prof Wayne Marais from the University of the Free State (UFS).

This life-changing procedure was made possible by donor tissue from a young organ donor from Bloemfontein. The donor tissue was retrieved by the dedicated team from the Bay Tissue Institute under the guidance of Dr Theunis Botha, with the assistance of Ryan Scheepers, Dr Joshua Cummings from the Universitas Hospital, and the team at the Bloemfontein Eye and Laser Clinic. Their coordinated work ensures that donor tissue is prepared safely and respectfully for transplantation.

The operation took place on Tuesday 26 May 2026, with Prof Marais, Head of the UFS Department of Ophthalmology, as the lead surgeon. He was assisted by Dr Cummings. Ophthalmology registrars from the university were also part of the operation. Keratoconus, according to Prof Marais, is a progressive condition in which the cornea becomes thin and irregular, leading to distortion, scarring, and significant visual loss. The condition of the 21-year-old student, whose name and details are being withheld to protect his identity, had progressed to the point where he had to pause his studies at the University of Pretoria.

Read more: https://www.ufs.ac.za/templates/news-archive-item/campus-news/2026/june/student-s-ability-to-see-restored-with-corneal-transplant

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Most people who receive a cornea transplant experience at least partial restoration of vision. Recovery and visual outcomes depend on your overall health and the reason for the surgery.

Initially, vision may be worse than before surgery as the eye adjusts to the new cornea. Vision improvement can take up to several months.

During recovery, your ophthalmologist may make adjustments to improve vision. For example, stitches holding the donor cornea in place can sometimes cause astigmatism, leading to blurry vision. This may be corrected by adjusting or removing some stitches.

The risk of complications and corneal rejection can continue for years after the transplant, making regular follow-up appointments with an ophthalmologist essential.