The Gift of Sight Program is a partnership between Vision Is Priceless and Dr. Jeffrey Levenson of Levenson Eye Associates, created to help uninsured individuals regain their vision through free cataract surgery.
Founded by ophthalmologist and Vision Is Priceless board member Dr. Jeffrey Levenson, the program has transformed lives across Northeast Florida—providing more than 1,000 sight-restoring surgeries to date.
Each year, the Gift of Sight Program selects qualified patients who meet specific eligibility criteria, including:
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Being uninsured
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Being legally blind in both eyes due to cataracts
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Meeting limited income guidelines
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Being a resident of Northeast Florida
Applicants must meet all of the above requirements to qualify.
Give the Gift of Sight
In need of Cataract Surgery?
The Gift of Sight Program is generously supported by:
Working to End Preventable Blindness: Meet Dr. Jeff Levenson
Dr. Jeff Levenson has helped restore sight to thousands of people through his mission to ensure that no one remains blind from a treatable eye disease simply because they can’t afford care.
As the founding director of Levenson Eye Associates, with five locations across Northeast Florida, Dr. Levenson provides compassionate, high-quality eye care to our community.
Beyond his local work, Dr. Levenson volunteers around the world with Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) International, where he serves as Chief Medical Officer. Since 2009, he has traveled throughout Central and South America to perform free eye exams and cataract surgeries for people who would otherwise go without care. He also trains local ophthalmologists to perform safe, effective surgeries in low-resource settings.
Here in Northeast Florida, Dr. Levenson partners with Vision Is Priceless through the Gift of Sight program to provide free cataract surgery for uninsured residents in need.
Partnering with Mr. Beast to Give the Gift of Sight
In 2023, YouTube megastar MrBeast helped restore vision for 1,000 people around the world by sponsoring free cataract surgeries. His generosity was inspired by Dr. Jeff Levenson’s TED Talk on ending preventable blindness.
MrBeast partnered with Dr. Levenson and Vision Is Priceless to bring sight back to 40 individuals right here in Northeast Florida through the Gift of Sight program. He also supported cataract surgery missions in Honduras, Kenya, Ghana, and the Philippines—covering every cost himself.
Receiving the Gift of Sight
Robert started to noticed a drastic change in his vision but his Medicaid didn’t cover eye care so he avoided seeing a doctor because of the expense. Eventually, Robert could no longer see the difference between the ceiling and the wall and could barely see out of his right eye. Robert became extremely nervous, “What if I become blind if I keep waiting?” Robert regularly attended the YMCA and they told him about Vision Is Priceless and the free services that we provide. Robert failed our free vision screening and received a comprehensive eye exam by one of our volunteer partner doctors at Levenson Eye Associates. The doctor told Robert that he had cataracts in both eyes and that they could remove the cataract in his right eye since it was worse.
Thanks to Vision Is Priceless, the Gift of Sight Program, and the volunteer doctors and technicians Robert was able to receive cataract surgery free of charge. “This is life changing!” exclaimed Robert when he came out of surgery, “This will change everything!” He was all smiles and in complete disbelief on how well he was able to see. Robert pointed out the colors he hadn’t seen in years, the numbers on the clock, peoples’ faces, and anything else showing how he could finally see! “I didn’t realize how bad my vision was” exclaimed Robert, “this saved my life!”