The Manila Divisoria Lions Club (MDLC) District 301-A3 organized an eye refraction activity for over 700 indigent students at the Timoteo Paez Integrated School in Balut, Tondo, Manila on Jan. 23, 2025.
The event was part of the Lions Clubs International Foundation’s global “Sight for Kids” initiative, aimed at improving eye health and vision care for children in underserved communities.
The Sight for Kids program, a partnership between the Lions Clubs International Foundation and multinational healthcare company Johnson & Johnson, was launched in 2002 and has since become the largest-known school-based eye health program worldwide.
It mobilizes Lions clubs and eye care professionals to provide comprehensive eye health services to students in low-income schools.
Since its inception, the initiative has screened more than 50 million students and treated 650,000 children for visual impairments. Of these, over 515,000 have received prescription glasses, enabling them to better engage in their studies. The program has also distributed 6.6 million educational materials and involved over 200,000 teachers across the globe.
The MDLC provided eye screenings for junior and senior high school students at Timoteo Paez Integrated School, many of whom come from disadvantaged families.
Four optometrists were on hand to conduct the vision tests, with students identified as having refractive errors being prescribed glasses. The glasses are being prepared for distribution and will be delivered to the school as soon as they are ready, ensuring that students’ learning experiences are not hindered by visual impairments.
To complement the eye care activity, the Manila Divisoria Lions Club also provided warm servings of rice porridge (lugaw) to the students and faculty members.
Department of Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara lauded the Lions Clubs International Foundation for its ongoing efforts in addressing the visual health needs of Filipino students.
Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) is the charitable arm of Lions Clubs International. Founded in 1968, LCIF supports Lions clubs around the world in their humanitarian efforts, particularly in the areas of vision, hunger, childhood cancer, and disaster relief. The Sight for Kids initiative is one of its largest programs, aiming to provide vision care to children in need worldwide.
