The SightFirst Program

In the past 15 years, Lions have done more to prevent blindness and restore sight than in their previous 65 years as "knights of the blind." In a decade-and-a-half, Lions have prevented severe vision loss or restored sight to 24 million people - more than the combined populations of New York and Tokyo.

How is this possible?                                    SightFirst makes it possible.

SightFirst's strategy of containing and eliminating the leading causes of blindness, creating sustainable eye-health systems, and training eye-care workers who will serve their communities for years to come, makes it extraordinarily effective and remarkably efficient. On average, just £3 can save one person from a life of darkness.

SightFirst has touched the lives of tens of millions around the globe. Through SightFirst, Lions are changing the world - and the world now looks to Lions as leaders in the international effort to combat preventable blindness.

SightFirst has…

• Prevented serious vision loss for 24 million.
• Provided 65 million treatments for river blindness.
  
• Awarded £90 million for 739 projects in 88 countries.
• Restored sight to 4.6 million with cataract.
• Improved eye care services for hundreds of millions.
• Built or expanded 207 eye hospitals and clinics.
• Upgraded 314 eye centers with equipment.
• Trained 83,500 ophthalmologists, ophthalmic nurses, other professional eye care workers.
• Launched world's first-ever initiative to combat childhood blindness in partnership with the World Health Organization. Thirty pediatric eye care centers will be established.

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 £72 million.