TAMPA, Fla. – One in four children are affected by vision impairment and yet one in five children cannot afford eye care – an essential component to learning and development. Helping students at schools across Tampa Bay to address vision challenges and provide free eyeglasses, the Glazer Vision Foundation’s Mobile Vision Clinic has provided more than 200,000 free eye screenings and over 20,000 free pairs of prescription glasses since 2009. Continuing its commitment to provide critical eye care services and resources to children that need it most, the Glazer Vision Foundation has named Lions Eye Institute for Transplant and Research Foundation as the Mobile Vision Clinic’s new operator.
As operator of the Mobile Vision Clinic, Lions Eye Institute Foundation will be responsible for staffing the clinic with doctors and eye care specialists, along with equipping an on-site prescription lens lab and a full selection of eyeglass frames to communities throughout Tampa Bay. Lions Eye Institute Foundation’s team will work to ensure that all children have access to the eye care they need and deserve regardless of their ability to pay.
“In today’s visual world, sight plays such a critical role in how we learn and interact, yet far too many children are burdened with vision struggles,” said Tara Battiato, Vice President of Community Impact and Executive Director of the Glazer Vision Foundation. “We’re proud to carry out the centerpiece of our program with an industry leader like the Lions Eye Institute Foundation and remain committed to providing this much-needed service that supports the health and wellbeing of Tampa Bay’s youth.”
As the world’s largest nonprofit eye bank and ocular research center, Lions Eye Institute and its Foundation are leading the fight against blinding eye disease around the world and now in its own Tampa Bay community. “It is an honor to work with the Glazer Vision Foundation to provide continuity to this essential community program,” said JL Bielon, Executive Director of the Lions Eye Institute Foundation. “Lions Eye Institute has always worked to restore sight to people who are blind or visually impaired, so it is important we work on preventing blindness in our community’s youth before it becomes permanent. ”
The Mobile Vision Clinic program connects Tampa Bay area children to essential vision care services and eyeglasses that they might not otherwise have access to. The mobile lens cutting lab allows the vision team to provide eye exams and prescription glasses within three hours to children in need – all at no cost to the families.
The community can join the cause through the Glazer Vision Foundation #OneShareOnePair initiative. By sharing a photo or selfie wearing glasses, tagging @glazervisionfdn and using the hashtag #OneShareOnePair, the Glazer Vision Foundation will provide a child with a free eye exam and glasses. Additional engagement opportunities include utilizing the foundation’s Instagram filter, posting photos alongside the Glasses For All Children mural at Armature Works, and tagging photos with the foundation’s Super-Sized Frames – a traveling art installation that makes appearances at popular events and locations throughout Tampa Bay.
About the Glazer Vision Foundation
For over a decade, the Glazer Vision Foundation has been committed to full-treatment vision correction for underserved children. The foundation honors the legacy of the late Malcolm Glazer, who attributed his first pair of prescription glasses to an enhanced ability to learn and succeed. The Mobile Vision Clinic is the centerpiece of the Glazer Vision Foundation’s commitment to providing these critical eye care services and resources, bringing doctors, nurses and eye care specialists, along with an on-site prescription lens lab and a full selection of eyeglass frames, to communities and schools throughout Tampa Bay. Follow @glazervisionfdn on social to learn more.
About Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research (LEITR)
Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research is a nonprofit organization that is a global resource for providing the gift of sight through research, vision screenings, tissue distribution, and tissue recovery services. Our mission is to set new standards in eye banking, tissue recovery, and ocular research, that transform and improve the lives of our patients, honor our tissue donors and their families, and provide enhanced services for our surgeon partners. LEITR’s Eye Bank, located in Tampa, Florida, is one of the largest combined eye bank and ocular research centers in the world. Since its inception 48 years ago, LEITR has brought the “Gift of Sight” to more than 150,000 men, women, and children worldwide. For more information visit www.LionsEyeInstitute.org.
