Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation

Media Kit
About Us | Our Programs | Leadership

Our Mission
Dedicated to the preservation and restoration of sight; to diligently serving the people in our area first, then aiding those in other states and countries; to finding the causes and cures of blinding eye diseases through scientific research; to preserving sight through eye care programs, and making sight restoration possible through eye banking.

History
The Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation was founded in Columbia, Mo., as the Lions Eye Tissue Bank in 1960 and was an agreement between the Lions Clubs of Missouri and the University of Missouri Medical Center. Missouri Lions provided financial support for the new organization while the University provided staffing, equipment and lab space for the new eye bank. Over the past several decades, the Foundation has grown through the expansion of its Heartland Lions Eye Banks and other sight saving programs. Today, the Foundation’s eye banking system is the fifth largest in the world, and our vision programs have improved the sight of thousands of Missourians.

Programs
Amblyopia Prevention: The Foundation provides free vision screening in daycares and via public screening events to children between the 6 months and 5 years of age to help detect visual problems that could cause permanent impairment later in life.
Eyecare Assistance: In an effort to provide vision care to those in need, the Foundation provides assistance to some working indigent Missourians who do not qualify for government assistance.
Eyeglass Recycling: Old, unwanted eyeglasses are collected and brought to the Foundation’s headquarters, where the are sorted and then given to medical mission workers going to third world countries for distribution.
Glaucoma Detection: Public vision screenings are held throughout the state of Missouri to help detect individuals who are at risk for glaucoma.
Heartland Lions Eye Banks: Each day, the Eye Bank restores vision to 5 people by retrieving, processing and distributing the highest quality donor eye tissue to corneal surgeons for transplant.
Support of Ocular Research: The Foundation is dedicated to providing tissue to vision research projects throughout the country in hope for finding cures for blinding eye diseases.