SightFirst grants fight preventable and reversible blindness by building hospitals and clinics, training doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers, distributing medicine and raising awareness of eye disease. Lions'districts work with their regional SightFirst technical advisor in developing SightFirst grant applications and project proposals.

SightFirst fights the major causes of blindness: cataract, river blindness, trachoma, and, especially in developed nations like the United States, diabetic eye disease and glaucoma. Lions initially generously funded SightFirst with US$144 million. Through interest on investments, LCIF was able to award US$200 million from the contributions that totaled US$144 million.