Sight Programs

The Joy of Sight

When areas of Sri Lanka were devastated by the tsunami of 2004, more than 2.5 million people were displaced by the tragedy – and thousands lost their eyeglasses and their ability to see clearly.

• Working together, Lions in Sri Lanka and Massachusetts collected more than 30,000 usable eyeglasses.

• With support from Lions Clubs International Foundation and Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers worldwide, the Lions In Sight Foundation of California and Nevada sent an emergency mission team to provide eye examinations, eyeglasses and training to help local Lions run a permanent clinic and eyeglass recycling program.

In all, 100,000 pairs of eyeglasses were provided, giving thousands the sight they needed to read, study, manage daily tasks and earn a living.

Lions Work to Improve Sight

Through efforts like these, Lions have gained worldwide recognition for our work to improve sight:

• We recycle glasses at 17 centers worldwide.
• We support Lions Eye Banks, which annually provide quality eye tissue for 30,000 sight-saving surgeries, medical education and eye research.
• We screen the vision of hundreds of thousands of people every year.
• We provide cataract surgeries and other eye care services to those at risk of losing their sight.
• We raise donations through programs like SightFirst and Campaign SightFirst II.

In 1925, Helen Keller challenged Lions to become "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness." And we accepted. Today, sight programs remain one of our defining causes.