Focusing Attention on Preventing Blindness and Improving Sight

For more than 12 years, Lions World Sight Day, held annually in October, has focused attention on eliminating preventable blindness and improving sight. On World Sight Day, Lions clubs around the world conduct special sight-related projects including:

• Collecting eyeglasses

• Conducting vision and diabetes screenings

• Planning educational programs to inform their communities about the importance of eye health – and diseases such as diabetes that can impair sight

International World Sight Day Event

Lions Clubs International also sponsors an annual international event on World Sight Day. On October 9, 2011, Lions World Sight Day will take place in Shenzhen, China.

Lions expect to screen and provide eyeglasses to 15,000 under served people and inaugurate a SightFirst Lions’ low vision clinic. We will also hold a press conference to announce the results of Lions’ many years of SightFirst activities in China and launch SightFirst Action China III. We expect President Tam, members of the Board of Trustees, Lions in China and members of the Chinese government and ministries of health to participate. Additional vision activities will take place throughout the country on the same date.

Lions also plan to plant trees throughout the Lions park in Shenzhen as part of the international event to extend their blindness prevention efforts for overall community improvement.