An Anniversary for School-Based Eye Health Program

NEW ORLEANS — Lions Clubs International Foundation and Johnson & Johnson Vision celebrate 20 years of their co-founded Sight For Kids program and the expansion of its program to the greater New Orleans area.

To launch this expansion, Johnson & Johnson Vision and LCIF are joining with the Louisiana Lions Eye Foundation and InspireNOLA Charter Schools for a special school event at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at Pierre A. Capdau Charter School, 5800 St. Roch Avenue New Orleans, La. 70122.

The day’s activities will include a school assembly discussing the importance of vision care and eye health, interactive school screenings with local Lions, an onsite tour of the Sight For Kids-funded mobile screening unit with screenings provided by Dr. Alejandro Leon, head of Pediatric Ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, and a ribbon cutting ceremony.

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“We are excited about this opportunity with the Louisiana Lions Eye Foundation and Johnson & Johnson Vision for their investment in the healthcare, in this case, the eye care, for our InspireNOLA students,” said InspireNOLA CEO Jamar McKneely. “While academic achievement is a top priority for us at InspireNOLA, we are equally committed to prioritizing our student’s well-being. A child’s impaired eyesight can be one of the smallest hindrances in how one performs academically. An opportunity such as this eliminates one less hurdle for our students in the classroom.” This expansion makes Louisiana the second state in the U.S. to implement the program, with sites in South Florida having launched in 2021. Since its inception, Sight For Kids has screened more than 42 million children and provided additional treatment to more than 600,000 – changing the trajectory of eye health care around the world.

Sight For Kids was founded 20 years ago to address inequality in eye care among children. Of the estimated 312 million children younger than 19 with myopia, half of the cases remain undetected and untreated. The program mobilizes Lions and eye care professionals to provide no cost, comprehensive eye health services in schools in underserved communities in more than 6 countries around the world.

“Sight For Kids is proud to be expanding this amazing program to a second location in the United States,” said LCIF Chairperson Douglas X. Alexander. “We’ve seen so many lives changed around the world because of the work we are doing together to improve access to eye health care for children. This expansion will enable us to help many more families.”

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For more information about the Sight For Kids program, visit lionsclubs.org/sfk.

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