About Us

Funding

The Lions Save-Sight Foundation is committed to supporting the Lions Eye Institute (LEI) by awarding Scholarships to enable world class medical scientists and researchers to work at the Institute.  This support consists of the Dr Jack Hoffman Scholarship for an appointee to conduct a sight project for three years at the LEI, and the LSSF and LEI jointly funded Brian King Post Doctoral Fellowship.

The LSSF and Curtin University jointly fund the Lions-Curtin Chair of Ophthalmic Big Data Research, this is a new Chair established in 2022.

The LSSF also provides ongoing funding for research and equipment for the world class scientists conducting ground breaking research at the Institute.

The Brian King Post Doctoral Fellowship

Functional Molecular Vision Group: Michelle Carey, Sang Yoon Moon, Ben Ezzy (WAZERC), Jessica Mountford and Molly Langdale.

The prestigious Brian King Post-Doctoral Fellowship awarded to Dr Jessica Mountford, the 6th Brian King Post-Doctoral Fellow, began her work at the Institute in early March 2021. Her research funded by the Lions Save-Sight Foundation and Lions Eye Institute is “The Myopia Generation – Exploring the rise of early-onset myopia following the digital age and a world post COVID-19 lockdown.”

The incidence of myopia is rapidly becoming one of the world’s leading causes of distant visual impairment. In fact, modelling has predicted approximately 50% of the world’s population will become myopic by the year 2050. Current research indicates that the sharpest rise is occurring in school age children as young as 6 years old.

Dr Mountford’s research project has been producing some great results and LSSF are pleased to say that the Fellowship has been extended to the end of 2025.  Dr Mountford’s goals for 2025 include expanding Consumer and Community Involvement (CCI), to connect with parents, teachers optometrists and students affected by early-onset high myopia, to continue to grow childhood myopia genome wide association studies and DNA biobanking capacity at both the LEI and in collaboration with Umea University (Sweden) and to continue building upon the zebrafish platform to include pharmaceutical/small molecule compound testing.

Professor Andrew Turpin

Inaugural Lions-Curtin Chair of Ophthalmic Big Data Research

Since the Chair in Ophthalmic Big Data Research was established in November 2022, jointly funded by Curtin University and the Lions Save-Sight Foundation, Professor Andrew Turpin has been working hard on a number of projects based at the Lions Eye Institute.

2024 saw the IPPOS study, a data collection project, in full swing.  This project will span 3 to 4 years and collect visual data and retinal imaging of 140 people with glaucoma.  This will provide a large amount of data which will be used to show how this unique approach to collecting data will detect change, due to glaucoma, earlier than current techniques.  This will assist in determining quickly how affective treatment is working to slow vision loss.  This technique will be able to be used for other clinical trials of new treatments.

Another benefit of the IPPOS study has been grouping people into two groups, a variable group and a consistent group.  This allows different approaches to detect if vison is decreasing.  In the consistent group, criteria can tighten to look for change, while in the variable group, current methods can continue to be used.

A new visual test has also been developed for kids, with the support of a Telethon grant.  This test found that even children as young as 5 could do this visual field test.  The test has been designed to keep the kids engaged so the test can be completed accurately.  Professor Andrew has also been working on new ways to collect and analyse visual fields for glaucoma collaboratively with Melbourne’s Centre for Eye Research on Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).  A computational model is being built of how people with AMD “see” and this model will be used to simulate different ways of measuring vision to find the best at detecting change.

Dr Danial Roshandel

LSSF-Funded Postdoctoral Research Project

Dr Daniel Roshandel is a researcher at the Lions Eye Institute, and he is funded by your Foundation.  Dr Roshandel is an overseas trained ophthalmologist who has specialised in ocular surface diseases and stem cell transplantation. He obtained his PhD in inherited retinal diseases from The University of Western Australia (UWA) and joined the Lions Eye Institute as a postdoctoral research fellow to continue his research on advanced cell therapies for end-stage ocular surface diseases and pursue his career as a clinician-scientist.

Dr Danial Roshandel has played a key role in shaping the cornea and ocular surface research program at LEI.  He has been a co-investigator in groundbreaking research on corneal nerves and immune cells using vivo confocal microscopy.   In addition, he has a close collaboration with stem cell scientists and clinicians from Spain which has led to a co-authored manuscript on stem cell therapy for eye surface injuries (under review).

His ongoing projects include the congenital aniridia biobank with genetic testing on patients which will help design personalised gene therapy in the future.  This research includes testing stem cells to produce corneal stem cells to be used for corneal repair.

Recycled Spectacles

Reading glasses (in good condition) are donated from far and wide in Western Australia and collected by the Lions Clubs throughout the State from a range of collection points including optometrists and funeral parlours.  Until recently all these glasses were sorted and packed by dedicated volunteers of the Foundation and then sent on to many Third World countries, including Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Ghana and Uganda.

As sorting and dispatching facilities at the Lions Save-Sight Foundation has become more limited, Lions Clubs are now encouraged to sort and send their collected spectacles directly to Lions Recycle for Sight in Queensland. Glasses sent to Queensland are graded and sent to countries in need. The Queensland hub has developed into a major centre, and in a joint venture with the Queensland Department of Correction, much of the maintenance and grading of glasses is undertaken by prisoners under day release. This is to great advantage for both parties.

For more information go to: www.lionsclubs.org.au/our-impact/recycle-for-sight-australia/

Perth Half Marathon – Run for Sight

This event takes place in August each year and is organised by the West Australian Marathon Club with the proceeds donated to the Lions Save-Sight Foundation to support research into eye diseases and blindness at the Lions Eye Institute.  Local Lions Clubs man the water stations along the course and assist as marshals as required.  Participants have the option of a 21.1 km or 5 km walk or run.  The 5 km option has been designed for those who want to be part of this great community event but feel 21.1 kms is too far.  It is ideally suited for walkers or the young with their parents.  Make a note to be part of this great fun run!

For more information go to: www.wamc.org.au