When LCIF helps a child see the world for the first time, protects a village from a debilitating eye disease or intervenes before someone goes blind due to diabetic eye disease, SightFirst grants make these efforts possible. SightFirst grants turn the SightFirst mission—building comprehensive eye care systems to fight the major causes of blindness and care for people who are blind or visually impaired—into action. These grants upgrade hospitals and clinics; train doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers; and distribute medicine and raise awareness about eye diseases and conditions.

The SightFirst program funds high-quality, sustainable projects that deliver eye care services, develop infrastructure, train personnel and/or provide rehabilitation and education in underserved communities. Of utmost concern are the major causes of blindness and vision impairment: cataract, river blindness, trachoma, uncorrected refractive error and, especially in developed nations, diabetic eye disease and glaucoma.

Lions have raised more than US$415 million to fund the SightFirst program and save sight around the world. Lions' districts work with their regional SightFirst technical advisor in developing SightFirst grant applications and project proposals.

Examples of recent SightFirst grants include:

• In Kansas, USA, Lions in MD 17 were awarded US$71,137 to serve over 400 infants and children with low vision through the expanded Kansas Lions Statewide Children’s Low Vision Project. This will create a permanent statewide low vision network through the establishment of ten secondary low vision clinics. The centers will receive equipment, assessment tests and a database tracking system. Comprehensive training and awareness programs will be developed. In addition, a low vision mobile traveling program and a low vision loaner library will be part of the program.

• A US$57,831 grant was approved for Lions in District 322-C3 in India to upgrade the Lions Seva Eye Hospital. This grant will allow the hospital to increase its cataract surgical output to 5,050 within three years and to provide YAG laser treatment to patients that experience post-operative clouding of the lens after surgery. The hospital’s coverage area has an estimated cataract surgical backlog of around 20,000.