The Minnesota Lions first formed a partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Department of Ophthalmology in 1960 when they established the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank. This partnership, known as the Lions Sight Program, has grown and to–date has garnered the University more than $18 million in Lions’ contributions.
The Lions Sight Program at the University of Minnesota includes:
Minnesota Lions Eye Bank, dedicated to recovering, processing, and distributing donated eye tissue for use in sight–saving corneal transplants, vision–enhancing surgery, research, and education. The Minnesota Lions Eye Bank is one of the most successful of its kind in the country, and more than 18,000 people have received the gift of sight with donated eye tissue provided through the bank.
Lions Children’s Eye Clinic, established in 1969, where more than 5,000 children are seen every year. The clinic is the second largest and best–staffed clinic of its kind in the country.
Ophthalmology Research at the Lions Research Building. The University of Minnesota Lions Research Building, which opened its doors in 1993, includes state–of–the–art laboratories where investigators from the departments of ophthalmology, otolaryngology, and neurology collaborate with other University departments on research projects.
Minnesota Lions Macular Degeneration Research and Rehabilitation Center (The MAC), established in 1998. The MAC researches and treats macular degeneration, a disease that affects the central vision. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the United States.
The MAC brings together the expertise of physicians, the research of various departments around the University, and the knowledge of those in the medical technology industry. It is a powerful collaboration of resources dedicated to fighting macular degeneration.