Florida Lions Eye Clinic continues to aim high




Dr. Larry Miller, a private practitioner, donates eye surgeries weekly.

Dr. Larry Miller, a private practitioner, donates eye surgeries weekly.

There is more to eyesight than seeing. It is a linchpin to quality of life. Vision loss can lead to depression, anxiety, isolation, falls, poor school grades and job loss – poverty vs. progress.

So says the Florida Lions Eye Clinic, dedicated to quality care for the poor and uninsured, based at the Bonita Springs Lions Club campus famous for fundraising pancake breakfasts and a thrift shop off Pennsylvania Avenue.

Since 2008, founded by Lions and local retired eye doctors, the clinic has been the only facility with its range of no-cost services in the whole state, complete with well-equipped exam and operating rooms for the 2,000 patients the clinic can accommodate.

Continuing to serve patients with COVID challenges and guidelines in place, a fresh leadership team’s goals include increased patient transportation and public awareness, greater collaboration with local health providers and foundations, recruitment of doctors working for no or reduced fees, an optical center and mobile clinic.

The Florida Lions Eye Clinic team, including Executive Director Robin Goldstone Garcia, to the left of one of the founding doctors, Richard Shapiro.

The Florida Lions Eye Clinic team, including Executive Director Robin Goldstone Garcia, to the left of one of the founding doctors, Richard Shapiro.

Then again, the clinic is used to aiming high. With an annual $450,000 budget, it delivers $800,000 worth of services as simple as eyeglasses and as complex as surgeries for all ages. Christmas toys even were offered to woo children for pre-emptive eye exams.

Robin Goldstone Garcia, executive director since April, brings a long career of business skills to the job. She also has experience and connections with the non-profit community as a veteran of Lighthouse of Collier County, an advocate for the blind. She was led to Lighthouse by the vision challenges of her own son, now 33.

Garcia is proud of grants from the region’s key community foundations as well as the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, a signal of viability to additional donors. She and her “incredible” board of directors, many with academic and professional credentials, are united by a passion for sight protection.

Local communities step up to help. For example, Mediterra sponsors a clinic room and Pelican Landing’s Bridge Fund pays for half the cost of off-campus surgeries requiring anesthesia.

Dr. Jason Friedrichs, a colleague of Dr. Collins, calls the Florida Lions Eye Clinic a much-needed and meaningful service to the community.

Dr. Jason Friedrichs, a colleague of Dr. Collins, calls the Florida Lions Eye Clinic a much-needed and meaningful service to the community.

Fundraising comes with price tags, such as $1,000 for lasering a torn retina or $2,000 for treating a case of glaucoma.

Garcia champions collaboration over duplication, as with the non-profit Neighborhood Health Clinic in Naples. Its Chief Operating Officer Gail Dolan told Spotlight, “We have ear, nose and throat services available but we don’t have the services that Lions provides … We also are in constant communication with each other for results and further treatment that may be needed.”

Sue Bookbinder, who founded Lighthouse with her blind husband, the late Art Bookbinder, said, “The work that they do – serving those who don’t have medical insurance – is desperately needed and isn’t offered anyplace else. The directors and staff are all extraordinary.”

Another testimonial comes from the medical director of the University of Miami/Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of Naples, a clinic partner. Dr. Stephen Schwartz called the Lions clinic “very valuable to our community.”

Garcia cites the Collins Vision firm as a leading pro bono partner.

“We tell our patients that we can’t wait for them to ‘See the Difference,’ and with this partnership, we are able to ‘Be the Difference’ our community needs,” Dr. Michael J. Collins told Spotlight. “We firmly believe restored vision should be accessible to everyone.”

A colleague, Dr. Jason Friedrichs, added: “It’s an honor to be such an integral part of this much-needed and meaningful service to the community.”

Dr. Larry Miller, a private practitioner who donates clinic surgeries weekly, treats many otherwise healthy patients who work in eye-damaging sun and wind – “the bad part of the Sunshine State.”

“You go to medical school to help others,” he explained. “It’s a reward just to be involved.”

Florida Lions Eye Clinic is a proud recipient of the Guidestar 2021 Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar. By taking the time to provide this information, the Florida Lions Eye Clinic has demonstrated its commitment to transparency and to giving donors and funders meaningful data to evaluate the clinic and its mission.

One of the clinic’s favorite success stories is the restoration of vision for Luis Torres Padilla, 95, of Tampa. He was nearly blind in April. After cataract surgeries in September-October, he wrote a lengthy and appreciative letter in Spanish in stunning penmanship encouraging the Lions clinic, “to continue with their policies to help those in need.”

For more information on the Florida Lions Eye Clinic, go online at fllec.org or call 498-3937.