Sight First - Assisting Others With Sight
SIGHTFIRST AND SIGHTFIRST II
SightFirst is Lions' most ambitious and most successful initiative ever. Lions have been involved in sight from their early days when Helen Keller challenged us to become Knights of the Blind. Lions have restored sight to 7.5 million people through cataract surgeries, prevented serious vision loss for 30 million people and improved eye care services for hundreds of millions.
SightFirst was launched in 1989 to battle preventable blindness by supporting cataract surgeries, helping to build or expand eye hospitals and clinics, distributing sight-saving medication and training eye care professionals. Campaign SightFirst raised $143 Million US from Lions Clubs around the world. On average every $6.00 US donation has resulted in a person being saved from blindness or having their vision restored.
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 centers for pediatric eye care around the world.
Campaign SightFirstII was launched in 2005 with a goal of $150 Million US because of predictions that the world's blind population would double from 37 million to 74 million if nothing was done. There were also a number of emerging eye diseases that were creating new threats to vision. The results of the campaign were announced at the Lions International Convention at Bangkok, Thailand and Lions from around the world raised over $200 million US.
- $102 million will contain and possibly eliminate the leading cause of avoidable blindness.
- $48 million will combat emerging threats to sight.
- $50 million will provide "Vision for All" through research, rehabilitation and outreach to vulnerable populations.
All of our Chilliwack Clubs contributed to both SightFirst and SightFirstII and Chilliwack Hospital has received benefits from this campaign with a donation from Lions Clubs International Foundation which is the parent for these programs. This grant paid for half of the cost of the Phaco Eye Machine which is used to provide cataract surgery for local people. The other half of the cost was raised from area Lions Clubs and local community groups. See Phaco Eye Machine on this website for further details and a plaque lisiting the donors.
SightFirstII total announced at Lions International Convention, July, 2008, Bangkok, Thailand. Photos by Lion Bob Jones.
The following information is from the L.C.I.F. Website
SightFirst's accomplishments since 1990 are astounding:
- Awarded US$237 million for 956 projects in 102 countries
- Provided 7.6 million cataract surgeries
- Prevented serious vision loss for 30 million
- Improved eye care services for hundreds of millions
- Provided 131 million treatments for river blindness
- Built or expanded 300 eye hospitals/clinics/wards
- Upgraded 372 eye centers with equipment
- Provided management training for 115 facilities
- Trained 345,000 ophthalmologists, ophthalmic nurses, other professional eye care workers and village health workers
- Launched world's first-ever initiative to combat childhood blindness in partnership with the World Health Organization. The 35 pediatric eye care centers established or strengthened have impacted the lives of 102 million children
Lions Clubs International Foundation funds a number of sight-related initiatives. These programs target a number of eye diseases and at-risk populations.
SightFirst Initiatives
Project for Elimination of Avoidable Childhood Blindness
More than US$4.5 million in SightFirst grant funding provided to establish 35 need-based Lions eye care centers in countries all over the globe, aimed especially at delivering preventative, therapeutic, and rehabilitative eye care services for 102 million children. The program is being done in concert with the World Health Organization. The program represents a broad counterattack against preventable childhood blindness.
Lions Eye Health Program Lions Eye Health Program (LEHP)
LEHP is the main SightFirst-funded initiative for industrialized nations. LEHP is a community-based public awareness initiative that encourages the early detection and timely treatment of glaucoma and diabetic eye disease and the appropriate treatment for low vision. LEHP has been active in the United States, Japan, the British Isles and Ireland, Canada, Australia and Turkey. In 2005, additional LEHP materials were created for the United States, including a CD-ROM and a new logo and design. Perhaps most importantly, everyone interested in eye health can now participate in LEHP, not just Lions clubs. This will help increase eye health awareness.
River Blindness/Trachoma Control
SightFirst has supported more than 131 million treatments of river blindness in Africa and Latin America since it forged a partnership with The Carter Center in 1999. The treatments for river blindness have transformed individual lives and communities in 15 countries in Africa and Latin America. In fact, in Latin America, experts foresee eradicating river blindness once and for all by 2012. The grant to the Carter Center also targets trachoma, the world's leading cause of preventable blindness. SightFirst is controlling trachoma among 4.6 million people with zithromax treatments.
SightFirst China Action Project
Completed in 2002, Phase I of LCIF's SightFirst China Action (SFCA) supported 2.1 million cataract surgeries in China and established surgical eye units in 104 rural counties that previously had none. Phase II will once again address blindness on a large scale. A SightFirst grant of US$15.5 million was matched with about US$200 million from the Chinese government. During Phase II, an additional nearly 3 million cataract surgeries were performed, and eye care infrastructure was improved by creating secondary eye care units at hospitals in 200 underdeveloped counties, provinces and Tibet. To assure sustainable eye care services for the vast populations of rural poor, training courses for paramedics have been created in the western and northern provinces. A combined total of more than 5 million cataract surgeries have been performed since the program began.
Other Sight Initiatives (not SightFirst funded)
Sight for Kids
LCIF and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care have collaborated to develop Sight for Kids, a program that provides vision screenings and eye health education for children. Sight for Kids screens children for refractive error and other vision problems. More than 10 million children in Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines have been screened through the program. Of those screened, 275,000 have been referred to physicians for further evaluation, 75,000 have received glasses and 55,000 have been treated for various eye conditions.
Pediatric Cataract Initiative
The Bausch + Lomb Early Vision Institute and Lions Clubs International Foundation are partnering on the Pediatric Cataract Initiative to identify, fund and promote innovative methods of overcoming this issue for the long-term benefit of children, their families and their communities.
Lions-Measles Initiative
LCIF is supporting a worldwide effort spearheaded by the Measles Initiative to protect children from measles and strengthen routine immunization services. Four African countries have been chosen for a special Lions-Measles Initiative pilot program.
Lions-Special Olympics Opening Eyes
This program is a partnership between Lions Clubs International and Special Olympics to screen Special Olympics athletes at select games and provide glasses and sport goggles as needed. LCIF has given more than US$11 million to fund this program since it began in 2001. Lions and Special Olympics volunteers conduct the screenings, and more than 198,000 athletes have been screened to date.
Preschool Vision Screening
To address ambloypia, the preschool vision screening program was launched in 1999. Through the program, Lions screen children in their preschool years to catch the problem early. More than 1 million children have been screened, many referred for follow up care or eyeglasses. All results are tracked through state-wide databases, making follow up of referrals possible. This program is currently only in the U.S. and Taiwan
1. Walk and Knock 2. Sight First 3. Hearing 4. Lend Lease 5. Phaco Eye Machine 6. Camp Horizon 7. Sunshine Drive Breakfast 8. Terry Fox Breakfast 9. Safety Village