The Lion's share of support
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Lions Clubs International accepted a challenge in 1925 from Helen Keller to become the “Knights of the Blind.” During the past 75 years, the Lions, which is the largest international service organization, has upheld this promise. The organization has held fund-raising events, organized and conducted thousands of free vision screenings for a variety of groups, and has raised millions of dollars for valuable research equipment in the quest to prevent blindness and cure eye diseases. Locally, the Lions Clubs of Texas and the Lions Sight Research Foundation continue in the long-held tradition of supporting eye studies by providing thousands of dollars in funding to the Health Science Center’s Department of Ophthalmology for various research projects and laboratory equipment. In addition, the Mobile Eye Screening Unit (MESU) was created and funded by the Lions in cooperation with the H-E-B Grocery Company. The MESU, a modified 40-foot bus platform, is equipped to conduct vision screening for individuals in 21 South Central Texas counties who may not have the opportunity to receive regular eye examinations. The mobile unit provides basic screenings at no charge for visual acuity and diseases including glaucoma. For many individuals, this is the first indication of eyesight problems. The Lions Sight Research Foundation provides a full-time manager/coordinator for the MESU and trained Lions Club volunteers to conduct the screenings. The unit includes a research area where Health Science Center investigators can administer special test and gather data related to a variety of studies, including glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. The research area includes a state-of-the-art Ophthalmic Imaging System, which enables technicians to look at the retina, capture digital pictures on film and, ultimately, send the images electronically anywhere in the world for consultation with a retina specialist. “Instead of the conventional two weeks or longer report time, both patient and technician can view images of changes in the eye in a matter of minutes. And since the patient is in the mobile unit when the results come back from the retina specialist, no time is lost trying to contact the patient later,” said Robert Hobson, South Texas diabetes program coordinator for the ophthalmology department. “The patient has then seen what the problem is and heard a specialist’s opinion on what to expect in the future. This increases the likelihood that the individual will take steps to go to an eye doctor.” The Lions Club organization holds an annual walkathon dubbed “Stride for Sight” to raise money for equipment such as remote imaging systems and various research projects. Several years ago the Lions Sight Research Foundation provided funding for the development of the Lions Sight Research Center, a teaching laboratory in the Department of Ophthalmology. The center provides pathology services to the city and is used by researchers for tissue analysis and instruction. During the past 10 years, the Lions Sight Research Foundation has funded a number of pieces of research equipment for the Department of Ophthalmology, including a coherent laser beam profiler for Randolph Glickman, Ph.D., director of the retinal physiology laboratory in the ophthalmology department, for a study on laser-induced hyperthermia as a treatment for intraocular melanoma, a malignant tumor with a high mortality rate. “I cannot say enough about the Lions,” said Dr. Glickman. “They have come through for me several times with emergency funding when some piece of equipment has broken during a study and funds were not available in my grant to cover the expense of replacing or fixing the items.” Jeffrey Keil, Ph.D., assistant professor of ophthalmology and director of the vascular physiology laboratory, received funding from the Lions to purchase a laser Doppler blood flow-meter system for his research on ocular blood flow and the circulation between the cornea and the retina. The Doppler flowmeter bounces a laser beam off the retina and the moving red blood cells in the tissue, resulting in an index of blood flow. Dr. Keil will use the information gleaned from the Doppler flowmeter in research on glaucoma and diabetic eye disease. Another aspect of the partnership between the Health Science Center and the Lions foundation is the summer scholars program, which places several medical students with an interest in ophthalmology in the department to let them experience basic and clinical research. The program is financed through the Lions of District 2-A2 and is designed to attract medical students to the ophthalmology field. “The ophthalmology department is deeply indebted to the Lions Clubs and District 2-A2 for their generous, continued support of our research initiatives,” said Wichard A.J. van Heuven, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology. “We hope to continue and expand this valuable partnership in the future.” |
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