Richmond Lions Club offers free eye care exams to Mexicans

April 20, 2010

The Lions Club is known for providing eye care to individuals who cannot afford it by collecting eyeglasses and raising money for various vision-related causes.

The organization's chapter in Richmond, Indiana, is doing what they can to help Mexican residents receive the eye care they need by traveling to the country and providing free vision exams to those who cannot afford to get treated, according to the Pal-Item.

Jack Buckland, who has traveled to Chileancingo in southwest Mexico, has been on hand to help with the free eye exams. Buckland told the news provider that the oldest person the club has fitted for eyeglasses was a 109-year-old man who still does chores on his farm.

On one recent trip to the area, the Lions Club brought more than 87,000 pairs of donated eyeglasses and fitted them to 5,652 patients. Optometrists and ophthalmologists typically accompany the group during these excursions.

The Lions Club has been around since 1917 and currently has more than 1.3 million members in more than 45,000 clubs around the world.