Lions Eye Institute

The Lions Eye Institute (LEI) employs scientists, clinicians and support staff to conduct first class scientific research into blindness and incorporates one of Australia’s largest ophthalmic practices. The Institute also houses the Lions Eye Bank and the Lions Save Sight Foundation (LSSF).

Research groups at the LEI are involved in both national and international collaborative programs. The Institute actively participates in numerous clinical trials which enable scientists, ophthalmologists and pharmaceutical companies to develop new treatments for eye diseases.

In 1975, the WA Lions Clubs' Lions Save Sight Foundation (created to lead the development of world-class ophthalmic care) established the Lions Chair in Ophthalmology at The University of Western Australia in 1975 with Professor Ian Constable. He went on to create The Lions Eye Institute (LEI) in 1983, a not-for-profit organisation established to save sight. Under his guidance until 2009, the LEI rapidly became a global centre for first-class scientific research into blindness.