Lions Save Sight Institute

The Save Sight Institute (SSI) is a flagship research centre of the University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health committed to preventing vision loss from blinding eye diseases. Located within Sydney Eye Hospital on Macquarie Street, SSI has pioneered basic vision science and applied clinical eye research, education, and patient care of complex eye disease in Australia since its inception in 1985.

The Institute’s origins can be traced back to the 1984 NSW Lions convention, where Professor Frank Billson AO highlighted the urgent need for an eye institute linked to the Sydney Eye Hospital. Heeding this call, the NSW Lions Clubs and the Lions NSW-ACT Save Sight Foundation then provided seed funding of $150,000 to establish the Save Sight Institute (then called the Save Sight and Eye Health Institute) in May 1985. With Professor Billson as the founding director, SSI officially opened its doors on 4 June 1986.

Over the years, SSI has led several groundbreaking initiatives, including the Blue Mountains Eye Study, Australia’s first large population-based study on age-related eye disease, and the world’s first randomised clinical trial of intraocular drug treatment for age related macular degeneration in 1998. More recently, in 2020, SSI researchers and their collaborative team delivered the first commercial ocular gene replacement therapy in Australia, marking a major milestone in eye health treatment.

Today, SSI houses over 10 research groups tackling diverse eye health challenges, including corneal, macula and retinal diseases, cataract, uveitis, glaucoma, and more. Through an integrated care model with the Sydney Eye Hospital, SSI runs the largest public sector intraocular injection clinic in Australia, delivering over 8,000 intravitreal injections in 2023 alone.

Part of SSI’s ongoing success is made possible by the continued financial support of the Lions NSW-ACT Save Sight Foundation, which has contributed $840,000 between 2013 and 2023. In 2024, SSI celebrated 40 years since its founding alongside the Lions NSW-ACT Save Sight Foundation (50 years) and the Discipline of Clinical Ophthalmology and Eye Health (60 years). In recognition of a collective 150 years of advancing eye health in Australia, the Lions Clubs NSW-ACT Save Sight and Health Care Ltd pledged up to $500,000 to further SSI’s critical work.

As SSI enters its 40th year, it remains at the forefront of eye health research and treatment, continuing to collaborate locally and globally for a future free from vision loss.

To learn more about SSI’s important work, visit: Save Sight Institute.