Dr. Clifford Salinger: A Visionary in the Fight Against Corneal Blindness

Jordan Pysz / iFoundMyDoctor.com
The Lions World Vision Institute’s headquarters in Tampa includes an ocular research center. The nonprofit has given the gift of sight to over 500,000 since their founding in 1973. LWVI offers a network of eyebanks, physicals, researchers, and community-based services to restore the sight of over 20,000 men, women, and children who needlessly suffer from corneal blindness or low-vision.

In the early 1970s, a group of Lions Club members from the Tampa Bay area recognized the need to create an eye bank closer to home. There were facilities in Jacksonville and Miami, but no organization was serving donor families and recipients in Central Florida. The group’s efforts resulted in the dedication of the Central Florida Lions Eye Bank in 1973. Since then, the Tampa-based organization has acquired other eye banks and vision-centered nonprofits while undergoing several name changes. In August 2022, after its acquisition of Seattle-based SightLife, one of the top eye banks in the country, the organization became Lions World Vision Institute — the largest eye bank, tissue recovery and ocular research center in the world. The organization brings more than 100 years of experience, resources and innovation toward helping the world see. “The institute is committed to honoring vision as a basic human right,” declares Megan Carlone, manager of the Lions World Vision Institute Foundation, its charitable and fundraising arm. “Our mission goes beyond geographical boundaries and socioeconomic disparities, aiming to ensure that no one is denied the gift of sight based on circumstances beyond their control.” Through the efforts of its international system of eye banks, surgeons and research leaders, Lions World Vision Institute has helped restore sight to more than 500,000 people annually since 1973. “At the heart of our mission lies a commitment to making a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities worldwide,” Megan details. “We believe that clear vision is not just a matter of convenience, but a pivotal element in one’s ability to learn, work and fully engage in life. “By advancing leading-edge ocular research, supporting sight restoration initiatives, training surgeons, and conducting vital pediatric eye care and vision screenings, we strive to bring clarity and light to those living in the shadow of preventable blindness.” Clifford L. Salinger, MD, a cornea specialist and the founder of The Dry Eye Spa & V.I.P. Laser Eye Center in Palm Beach Gardens, was on SightLife’s board of directors and was a member of its teaching faculty. He is now a board member with the Lions World Vision Institute. “The institute’s aim is to address avoidable, treatable, preventable corneal blindness. It does that through prevention, education, advocacy and training — both surgical training and training on follow-up care after corneal transplants and other corneal surgeries.”

Noble Goal

SightLife’s fundamental mission was to “eliminate corneal blindness by 2040.” That goal attracted Dr. Salinger and prompted his participation. But his interest in providing volunteer eye care internationally dates back to his days in training. “After I completed my residency and before I did my cornea fellowship, I spent an entire year with the nonprofit Orbis on its Flying Eye Hospital,” Dr. Salinger recalls. “Orbis operates a donated DC-10 jet that was gutted and redesigned with a fully functional operating room.” The airplane flies to sites internationally. While on the ground, it becomes a university-level teaching hospital for eye physicians. An advanced audiovisual studio projects surgeries onto a screen in an onboard classroom. Local physicians learn the latest techniques in ophthalmic surgery by watching the surgeons at work. “There’s an adage that says, Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for the rest of his life,” Dr. Salinger asserts. “What we’re doing is helping a village obtain technology at non-North American prices that will allow them to ‘feed’ themselves for eternity.” Over the years, Dr. Salinger has participated in 10 additional volunteer trips with Orbis, five on the airplane and five in local hospital-based programs, which Orbis helps to build. “Orbis treats all types of eye problems: cornea disorders, cataracts, retinal diseases, glaucoma, everything,” the doctor notes. “But as a cornea specialist, I gravitated to SightLife, which specialized in corneal disorders. “SightLife provided prevention programs, ground-level teaching and education about eye surgery, specifically corneal transplants. We trained local physicians on all the advanced transplant techniques. “We also provided training in follow-up care to local providers in remote areas because patients in those areas are not going to make the trip to the big city for every follow-up appointment. “Today, SightLife is part of the Lions World Vision Institute, a larger organization with more backing, more funding, more everything. Now, we are not just international. We are local, regional, national and international in the work that we do. It is a labor of love for the cornea specialists who volunteer their time and skills to those efforts.” The institute advances the right to clear vision by transferring skills and knowledge about cornea surgery and vision loss prevention longitudinally, Dr. Salinger notes. “We strive to help local eye surgeons do what they do better, safer and more effectively by using more advanced techniques,” he states. “In this way, we can increase their capacity to address treatable, preventable corneal blindness worldwide. “It’s like this: If you teach two people who then teach two more people who in turn teach two more people, it’s like dropping a pebble in a pond. The ripple effect goes on ad infinitum.”

Pillars of Service

Megan, the foundation manager, notes that Lions World Vision Institute’s efforts are centered around its three pillars of service: donation and transplant services, research and innovation, and prevention and education. “Donation and transplant services are basically our eye bank,” Megan discloses. “For those who don’t know, an eye bank is an organization involved in the donation, procurement, testing, processing, preservation, storage and distribution of ocular tissue used for transplantation, surgery, research and education. “Research and innovation involve the advancements we are going to see 20, 30, 50 years down the road. We are unique in that we have an ocular research center at our headquarters in Tampa. Lions World Vision Institute staff works with several universities to provide donated tissue for research studies. We also conduct studies at our facility. “The medical innovations and research breakthroughs that are developed help to streamline corneal transplant procedures for surgeons and improve outcomes for patients.” The third pillar, prevention and education, is a big part of the foundation’s work, Megan notes. The foundation believes everyone should have access to the gift of sight, she adds. One of its prevention and education programs focuses on improving children’s eye health. “One in four children is affected by vision impairment and one in five can’t afford the eye care they need to succeed in school and in life,” Megan details. “Through our Vision Health Programs, Lions World Vision Institute provides free vision screenings, follow-up eye exams, referrals to University of South Florida Health and free eyeglasses to children in our community. So far this year, we have screened more than 2,400 kids in underserved communities in the Tampa Bay area. “We operate a mobile vision clinic owned by the Glazer Vision Foundation, which provides free on-site vision care to children. The mobile unit brings doctors and eye care specialists, along with an on-site prescription lens lab and a full selection of eyeglass frames, to schools and communities.” Each year, the Lions World Vision Institute Foundation hosts the Eye Ball, the organization’s largest fundraiser to support its education, treatment and prevention efforts. This year’s disco-themed event was held on September 9 at Armature Works in Tampa Heights and gathered more than 400 donor families, recipients, financial supporters and community partners to celebrate 50 years since the founding of the Central Florida Lions Eye Bank. The event also honored Mrs. Darcie Glazer Kassewitz as the organization’s 2023 Person of Vision. Ms. Glazer Kassewitz is president of the Glazer Vision Foundation and a co-owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team. Dr. Salinger was a Gold sponsor for the Eye Ball.