Beyond Blindness Receives Grant from STAAR Surgical to Help Transform the Lives of Children with Visual Impairments and other Disabilities


Beyond Blindness, formerly known as Blind Children’s Learning Center, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to prepare children with visual impairments and other disabilities to live full and rewarding lives, has received a grant from STAAR Surgical, a leading ophthalmology company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets implantable lenses for the eye with companion delivery systems. STAAR Surgical’s grant was given in support of the core services of Beyond Blindness including Early Intervention, Education and Enrichment, and Family Support.

“The Beyond Blindness team is very grateful for the generosity and support of STAAR Surgical,” says Angie Rowe, Beyond Blindness President and Executive Director. “As we continue to push through the pandemic, the services we provide have become more crucial than ever before. Because of this grant, we will be able to reach even more children and families in need of these essential programs.”

The funding provided by STAAR Surgical will support Beyond Blindness’ Early Intervention, Education and Enrichment, and Family Support services, providing the necessary education, therapies, and support throughout each family’s entire journey of care. Beyond Blindness serves clients ages 0-22 in addition to their families who are given access to various resources through the three core areas of service.

STAAR Surgical has embraced the mission of Beyond Blindness. Caren Mason, President and CEO of STAAR Surgical, currently serves on Beyond Blindness’ Ophthalmic Advisory board, which is comprised of top medical and ophthalmic professionals.

“While serving on the Ophthalmic Board for Beyond Blindness, I’ve seen first-hand how instrumental Beyond Blindness’ services are to the families it serves,” stated Caren Mason, President and CEO of STAAR Surgical. “The wonderful work of Beyond Blindness is why we at STAAR Surgical felt compelled to provide a grant. We know Beyond Blindness is positively impacting its clients’ lives, and we feel fortunate to contribute.”

Beyond Blindness remains a key resource in serving families and children with visual impairments and other disabilities through its Early Intervention, Education and Enrichment, and Family Support services. STAAR Surgical’s donation will facilitate the work of Beyond Blindness in providing care to over 300 families as Beyond Blindness expands its reach in Orange County.

More About Beyond Blindness

Beyond Blindness, formerly Blind Children’s Learning Center, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission to empower children with visual impairments and other disabilities to achieve their fullest potential. Areas of service include Early Intervention, Education + Enrichment, and Family Support, which all aim to help children, no matter their abilities, live full and rewarding lives. The Beyond Blindness team embraces a people-first approach and values family, connection, impact, inclusion, stewardship, and optimism. For more information, please visit https://www.beyondblindness.org/

More About STAAR Surgical

STAAR, which has been dedicated solely to ophthalmic surgery for over 30 years, designs, develops, manufactures and markets implantable lenses for the eye with companion delivery systems. These lenses are intended to provide visual freedom for patients, lessening or eliminating the reliance on glasses or contact lenses. All of these lenses are foldable, which permits the surgeon to insert them through a small incision. STAAR’s lens used in refractive surgery is called an Implantable Collamer® Lens or “ICL”, which includes the EVO Visian ICL™ product line. More than 1,000,000 Visian® ICLs have been implanted to date and STAAR markets these lenses in over 75 countries. To learn more about the ICL go to: http://www.discovericl.com. Headquartered in Lake Forest, CA, the company operates manufacturing and packaging facilities in Aliso Viejo, CA, Monrovia, CA and Nidau, Switzerland. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at http://www.staar.com.

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