Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund
Success Stories "Answering The Challenge" Since 1952
In 1925 Lions, at their International Convention, accepted the challenge of Helen Keller to be “Knights Of The Blind” in the mission to “eradicate preventable blindness”.
In 1952 the Lions of Massachusetts again “Answered The Challenge” when they approved the formation of the Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund and adopted it as the ONLY Massachusetts Lions statewide project. The challenge was in response to a mysterious eye disease afflicting new born babies. It had personally impacted several Massachusetts Lions’ families.
The first grant of the Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund was for $5000 and was given to Harvard Medical School. That first $5000 helped lead to the discovery of “Retrolental Fibroplasia” or Retinopathy Of Prematurity or simply Baby Blindness. 2500 babies were losing their vision from baby blindness!
That first grant was the beginning of many “Success Stories” which have resulted from the more than $31,000,000 that the Lions of Massachusetts have provided for “pure research”.
In the past 62 years and with the support of the Massachusetts Lions millions of people around the world have benefitted from the research YOU have funded.
This narrative will provide you with some of the “Success Stories” from the major research laboratories which have received grants from the Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund. These are not all of the success stories and will not be the final list as the Lions of Massachusetts continue “Answering The Challenge”.
