Eye Banks

Certainly you’ve seen the familiar blue box in the lobbies and foyers of Banks, churches, libraries, retail stores, etc., just about any place lots of people pass, asking you to put your used and no longer needed eyeglasses (or hearing aids) into them.

Those glasses are collected and then sorted by Lions volunteers for re-use by those less fortunate who need glasses or hearing aids. They are then distributed both locally and worldwide as part of the Lions efforts to have a positive effect on blindness and eye diseases, at the urging of Helen Keller.

We also conduct eye testing for preschoolers to assure that, if they need glasses, they receive them. A child who can’t see well in school won’t do well in school.

"Millions of people can see today and can work to support their families because of the blindness prevention activities of Lions and Lions Clubs International Foundation." —Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter

An estimated 45 million people are blind today. At least 80 percent of blindness is reversible or could have been prevented. That is why Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), and 1.4 million Lions club members, are engaged in a global campaign to eliminate avoidable blindness.