Department of
Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Legacy Research Program

West Virginia Lions and WVU Eye Institute (WVUEI) have a common bond — both are working diligently to find better ways of preventing blindness and treating eye disease. This site is dedicated to West Virginia Lions Clubs for the work they do to help promote healthy vision and provide resources vision care and research.

Meeting our Missions through the West Virginia Lions Legacy Vision Research Program

Thanks to the generosity of two Lions Club members, a research program fund was created at the WVUEI Research Center to help propel new discoveries to prevent blindness and restore vision.

Named the West Virginia Lions Legacy Vision Research Program, this program will help strengthen current research that is finding ways to improve the diagnosis, care, treatment, and possible prevention of blinding eye disease. Funding from Lions was crucial in establishing gene therapy at the WVUEI for treatment of blindness. Future funding will be used to strengthen our gene therapy program and our efforts to continue to find cures for blinding conditions such as age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

Why support research?

The WVUEI is the only organization in the state that conducts clinical trials and houses the Vision Research Center. Thanks to the support of WVLSCF, LCIF and numerous other organizations and individuals, the Vision Research Center is making scientific breakthroughs and discoveries that improve the quality of vision care and treatment for the people in our state and nation.

The Vision Research Center is recognized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for our cutting edge research and major discoveries. NIH continues to provide grants to the Vision Research Center. In spite of drastic sequestration cuts that have flat lined funding for medical research, the WVUEI has proven to be competitive in grant submissions.

Working Together

West Virginia Lions can make a major impact in the research conducted at the Vision Research Center. There are many creative ways you, as an individual or club, can provide support to the WVUEI:

  • You can make an immediate gift or pledge gifts over a period of time.
  • You can make a gift that costs nothing during your lifetime.
  • You can give stock and realize larger tax savings.
  • You can get quarterly income for life in return for your gift.
  • You can donate your house, continue to live there, and get a tax break all at the same time.
  • You can make a matching gift if your employer participates in a matching gift program (check with your human resources department).

To acknowledge your support, individual Lions and Lions Clubs will be recognized on the new WVUEI Donor Wall to be housed in our main lobby. The Lions emblem will be included beside your or your Lions Club's name signifying your membership and our partnership.

To learn more about how you can participate in the West Virginia Lions Legacy Research Program ,contact the WVU Eye Institute.