GoFundMe Campaign Launched to Raise $150K to Replace Aging Machines that Make Eyeglasses

    ATLANTA, GA, July 08, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation (The Lighthouse) announces the launch of a GoFundMe capital campaign to fund two Santinelli Lens Edger machines which The Lighthouse uses to produce eyeglasses for Georgians who can't afford to purchase them. The campaign is being conducted throughout the month of July 2017.

Typically an optical lab will produce between 25-100 frames in a month, but The Lighthouse produces 6x that amount. The two machines produced over 7,000 pairs of eyeglasses last year for underinsured and uninsured Georgians and are nearing the end of their lifecycle.

Most of The Lighthouse customers are underserved children and seniors like TJ and Linda. TJ was born with glaucoma, which was corrected with surgery but left him in need of corrective eyewear. He received glasses from The Lighthouse. Without glasses TJ, and other children with vision problems, are in jeopardy of stifling academic performance because vision problems make it difficult to focus on learning. As Linda aged, she had problems reading and driving at night. Obtaining her antiglare bifocal glasses allowed her to read with ease and renewed her independence enabling her to drive when it was dark.

"Since these machines are at the end of their life cycle, it's only a matter of time before they permanently stop working, which will result in months of non-production and impact thousands of Georgians," said David Martin, The Lighthouse's Optician.

The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation has clinic locations throughout the state and provides vision and hearing services through education, detection, prevention and treatment. Collaborative partnerships enable greater independence and increased quality of life for Georgians in financial need. The Lighthouse customers in need of eyewear are eligible for an eye exam and glasses every two years at affordable prices. It currently takes 4-6 weeks to turnaround an order. Last year The Lighthouse produced more than 7,091 pair of eyeglasses. For more information, visit http://www.lionslighthouse.org

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