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Primary Eye Care In Singapore – Looking Back, Looking Forward
Activities of the Lions Clubs
Singapore in the Prevention
of Blindness
by MRS ISABEL CHEONG
District Governor 2006-2007,
Lions Club Singapore
Primary Eye Care In Singapore – Looking Back, Looking Forward
“Today, Lions have
extended their
commitment to
sight conservation
through many
other local efforts.”
Since the late 70s, the Lions Clubs in
Singapore have been actively involved
in one of the most important and well
known programmes promoted by
Lions Clubs International – that of sight
conservation and work with the blind.
The mission statement, “To provide
programmes to aid blind and visually
impaired people”, has seen countless
projects and activities organised by
the Lions to work with healthcare
professionals to provide the most
appropriate service to the community.
A joint project beginning in the late 70s
between the first Lions Club in Singapore
and the Sri Lanka Eye Bank answered
the demand then for cornea transplants.
A coordinated supply of corneas by
air was arranged by the Sri Lanka Eye
Bank. The Lions Club of Singapore host
made the necessary arrangements with
local eye surgeons for their transplant
patients to receive their new ‘eyes’. This
project was sustained over 15 years by
a few dedicated Lions who personally
transported the air-flown corneas to
waiting eye surgeons and their patients.
During that period, about 5,000 ‘eyes’
were received and vision restored
to hundreds.
Today, Lions have extended their
commitment to sight conservation
through many other local efforts.
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Events targeting the public and
local communities
Eye screening for elderly citizens both
at community centres and homes for
the elderly
These events were co-organised with the
Singapore Polytechnic Optometry Centre.
Observing the Annual Lions World
Sight Day in October
To commemorate this occasion, Lions
Clubs in Singapore in 2005 organised
the “Healthy Body Healthy Eyes” event
which saw the participation of more
than 200 Lions and volunteers from
community clubs and polytechnics.
The event also commemorated World
Lions Service Day, held annually also
in October. Activities included eye
screening, diabetes testing, collection of
used eyeglasses and exhibition booths
with educational materials on sightrelated problems and their prevention.
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Primary Eye Care In Singapore – Looking Back, Looking Forward
World Lions Service Day
Special Projects of Lions Clubs
This year, in observing World Lions
Service Day, Lions Clubs in Singapore
decentralised their service activities at
3 community centres. With the support
of the Singapore Polytechnic, healthcare
professionals and generous donors, the
importance of eradicating preventable
blindness was given pre-eminence.
Several medical personnel volunteered
their efforts to provide diabetic testing
and counselling. Eye testing and fitting
of free new eyeglasses benefited over 500
elderly and young from the community.
Diabetes Awareness
This was adopted as a long-term
commitment of the association in March
1984. The primary objective of the
programme is to reduce the number of
new cases of blindness caused by diabetic
retinopathy through early diabetes
education.
Also launched was one of the specially
designed ‘Gift of Sight’ collection boxes,
sponsored by Dairy Farm International
group, which could be strategically
placed at locations like supermarkets to
facilitate the collection of used eyeglasses
from the public for recycling.
Local Lions have, since the early
days, organised countless projects to
provide free diabetic testing, working in
partnership with the Singapore Diabetic
Society and medical personnel.
Lions Give the Gift of Sight
Established in 1988, Give the Gift of Sight
is a vision care programme sponsored
by LensCrafters, Inc and LensCrafters
Foundation with Lions Clubs
International and local charities. Used
eyeglasses were collected for distribution
to the needy in developing countries.
LensCrafters Foundation identified
one of the Lions Clubs in Singapore
as a partner to work with at the Lions
International Convention in 1997. In
1998, spearheaded by the Lions Club
of Singapore Bedok, and with the
participation of other Lions Clubs,
Lions Gift of Sight undertook many
missions to countries like Laos, Thailand,
Cambodia and Vietnam to provide free
optical care to the underprivileged.
The team comprised ophthalmologists,
optometrists, professionals, students
from secondary schools and colleges,
organisations and volunteers.
Primary Eye Care In Singapore – Looking Back, Looking Forward
Singapore Stud
ents on a Missio
1
2
3
4
5
6
1.
The Singapore team in Thailand mission 2002.
2.
Henderson Secondary School students doing eye dilation at the Mongkhai-Thailand Gift of Sight mission.
3.
Lions Ken Jung working together with Singapore students in handing out recycled glasses to the recipients at the Gift of Sight mission.
4.
Lions Linda Tan handing out clothes to the poor during the Gift of Sight mission.
5.
Temasek Junior College students helping out during the Gift of Sight mission.
6.
Singapore and Thai students working together happily.
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