The Vision Project
The Vision Project is the Minnesota Eye Foundation’s longstanding charitable program and is a celebration of volunteerism. During the program’s annual two-day event, ophthalmologists perform no-cost cataract and glaucoma surgeries benefiting Minnesotans unable to afford care. The program is a volunteer effort supported by a group of optometrists, nurses, and anesthetists willing to donate their time and expertise to assist those less fortunate. The Foundation works to match eligible patients with volunteer surgeons and provides a financial stipend to subsidize the cost of supplies and equipment required for each procedure.
By leveraging the combined strength of an established charitable organization along with volunteer surgeons, The Vision Project assists low-income, uninsured individuals who wouldn’t otherwise be able to obtain eye care on their own.
The program not only eliminates the costs associated with the surgical procedure, but by working with its partners, the Minnesota Eye Foundation is able to also subsidize the costs associated with the initial evaluation and testing, post-operative care, and medications for patients.
PLEASE NOTE: The 2023 Corneal Crosslinking program through The Vision Project will begin taking applications in late August/early September. Review of new applications for Corneal Crosslinking cases will take place and if approved, procedures will be scheduled September 2023 through May 2024.
MEF has partnered with Certified Anesthesia Care to assist and support our Vision Project efforts. Thanks to their generosity, MEF provides outstanding care to the patients served on these designated surgery weekends. We appreciate this long-standing partnership.
2023 Vision Project
“When you give this kind of treatment to someone who cannot afford it, it must be on the basis of love for humanity .”
2022 Vision Project Patients, Denzil & Joanie Desilva
“We don’t know what would be our future if we didn’t have this gift from Vision Project. It’s kind of given us some light to our life; because it’s so clear now…More than me, it’s my wife… I’m so happy that Vision Project gave vision to my wife and me as well.”