North Bay Lions Club donates $10K to hospital to treat cataracts

Hospital receives donation from Lions Club The North Bay Regional Hospital Foundation receives a cheque from the North Bay Lions Club to treat cataracts.

NORTH BAY — The North Bay Lions Club is donating a nice piece of change to the North Bay Regional Health Centre's ophthalmology clinic.

The club presented a $10,000 cheque to the clinic Friday afternoon and was able to get the money through its weekly TV bingo.

Since the North Bay hospital is one of the only facilities in northern Ontario with the capacity to perform cataracts surgeries, the Lions Club says it was an easy decision.

"It's different at this time with COVID to scratch-up any money for donations because we haven't really gotten together," said club President Wendy Porter-Greason.

"So, that's the bingo that's done that and I feel it's a big deal at this time."

The hospital treats up to 1,500 people per year for cataract surgery.

Hospital ophthalmologist Dr. Niranjan Vijay says the money will specifically go towards important equipment used to treat cataracts.

"It's going toward cataract surgery speculums, which are used to hold the eye open during surgery, cataract surgery choppers used to break the cataract up and additional disposable knives and drapes," said Dr. Vijay.

Cataracts is one of the leading causes of reversible blindness in North America.

The North Bay Lions Club has an additional $10,000 it plans to donate to food banks, the crisis centre and a woman's shelter.