SightFirst
SightFirst was launched by Lions in 1989 to battle preventable blindness. Sadly, 80 percent of the world’s blind were needlessly without sight. Through SightFirst, Lions have prevented blindness by supporting cataract surgeries, helping to build or expand eye hospitals and clinics, distributing sight-saving medication and training eye care professionals.
SightFirst is Lions’ most ambitious and most successful initiative ever. Thanks to SightFirst, Lions have restored sight to 7.3 million people through cataract surgeries, prevented serious vision loss for 20 million people and improved eye care services for hundreds of millions. SightFirst is especially helping children. In partnership with the World Health Organization, SightFirst has launched the world’s first-ever global initiative to combat childhood blindness. The project is creating 30 centres for paediatric eye care around the world.
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. SightFirst fights the major causes of blindness: cataract, river blindness, trachoma, diabetic eye disease and glaucoma. Through interest on investments, LCIF was able to award US$200 million from the contributions that totaled US$144 million.
