More Than Meets the Eye
This ExhibitLab explores social and material technologies that have shaped corneal transplantation.
Opens November 6, 2026
Horiba Exhibit Hall
Corneas became the first human tissue to be successfully transplanted in 1905. Learn about the science of eye banking that has kept this surgical practice going since the early 1900s.
Created in partnership with AltruVision, a Lions Eye Bank and our neighbor here in Philadelphia, More Than Meets the Eye presents the history of corneal donations and transplantation. It shows how donor networks, preservation techniques, and transportation devices have evolved with surgical practices over the years. From Helen Keller’s 1925 address to the Lions Clubs International Convention—a powerful act of self-advocacy in which she called upon the Lions to become “Knights of the Blind”—to bespoke tools like the microkeratome and the humble FedEx box, this ExhibitLab encourages visitors to think about surprising coalitions and unique forms of expertise that have made it possible to perform this life-altering surgery.
More Than Meets the Eye was curated by Institute public historian Judith Kaplan, with assistance from the collections team.
Opening Celebration
Join us as we welcome members of the extended AltruVision family to a First Friday opening celebration on November 6, 2026. This free event, which takes place during Eye Donation Month, will feature tactile learning tools that can make the home, the lab, and even outer space accessible to people who are blind or have low vision, as well as a look at Essai sur l’éducation des aveugles (An Essay on the Education of the Blind) [1786], the first embossed book published for use by readers who are blind. AltruVision will have a table about the science of sight, the impact of donation, and ways to get involved.
About ExhibitLab
ExhibitLab is the Science History Institute’s space in the Horiba Exhibit Hall for small, focused displays that showcase specific collections, prototype new ideas, or respond to current events. Our staff members, fellows, and school and community partners curate these displays.
For more information about ExhibitLab, please contact Scott Bowe at sbowe@sciencehistory.org.
Featured image: Detail of Plate IV: Artist Study of Facial Features, from Polygraphice, or, the Arts of Drawing, Engraving, Etching, Limning, Painting, Washing, Varnishing, Gilding, Colouring, Dying, Beautifying and Perfuming, 1685.
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Horiba Exhibit Hall is named for Japanese businessman and 2006 Pittcon Heritage Award winner Masao Horiba (1924–2015), founder of Horiba Radio Laboratory, now Horiba Ltd., a manufacturer of advanced analytical and measurement technology.