On Oct. 8, a nicely dressed crowd gathered to celebrate at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta — but the reason they were there had nothing to do with touchdowns or interceptions.

Instead, the roughly 500 in attendance were there to recognize community partnerships — like the longstanding relationship between the Georgia Lions Lighthouse and Emory Eye Center — a bond that has made it possible for hundreds of thousands of uninsured and under-insured Georgians to access top-notch eye screenings and follow-up care.

Emory Eye Center director Allen Beck, MD, accepted the award, beaming as he greeted presenter Kembra Smith, the Lions Clubs International director. In brief but powerful remarks to the crowd, Beck emphasized the importance of joining forces with the Lions to get out into the community.

“It’s important after you get screened (by the Lions) to have a doctor on the other side who’s willing to take that patient on and figure out what’s wrong and help them. Sometimes that’s glasses, sometimes that’s patching, sometimes it’s surgery or medication,” Beck said. With a nod to the award in his hand, he added, “I’m so thankful and honored on behalf of the whole team.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 93 million adults in the United States are at high risk for serious vision loss, “but only half visited an eye doctor in the past 12 months.” This often leads to vision loss that would have been preventable if caught early and treated swiftly. As much as 90% of blindness in adults from severe diabetes would have been preventable with the proper treatment, per CDC.

Preventing or delaying vision loss is especially urgent in Georgia, where Emory research has found that residents in a third of all Georgia counties do not have ready access to an eye care provider. According to the Lighthouse, 1.4 million Georgians do not have health insurance, which puts the state’s uninsured rate as third highest in the country. In rural Georgia, those statistics are even bleaker.

Serving patients for the last 152 years, Emory ophthalmology has been around since the birth of eye care as we know it. It’s one of the oldest, and largest, academic eye centers in the country — and one of the longest standing health care services at Emory.

The ophthalmology program was established in 1854, preceding the formal establishment of Emory University School of Medicine by over half a century. The Emory Eye Center has also presided over several significant milestones and breakthroughs, like the first eye corneal transplant in the Southeast.

Much of that distinguished history of innovation and compassionate care is intertwined with the Georgia Lions Lighthouse, which was founded 75 years ago to support access to eye care for all Georgians. The foundation has since donated over $1.7 million to support Emory Eye Center’s pediatric ophthalmology patient care and the efforts of collecting and managing cornea tissues to support corneal transplants.

Through their network of providers at institutions like Emory, which has with 60 ophthalmologists and a presence at both Grady Memorial Hospital and the VA Atlanta Healthcare Center, the Lighthouse offers free or low-cost eye screenings based on individual income level to tens of thousands of patients every year.

Additionally, in six counties, the Lions have begun to bring screening efforts to area schools, where children receive two full days of follow-up vision exams as needed (if their initial screening flagged any eye issues).

“The Grace Clower Community Service Award demonstrates the commitment of the Emory Eye Center to the underserved patients in Georgia,” Beck said. “We are honored by the award and look forward to our continued partnership with the Georgia Lions Lighthouse.”