We need your help!

2 of our seniors sitting in the Lighthouse kitchen

Persons of all ages depend on Lighthouse services when they experience vision loss.

The Lighthouse is funded in part by the Department of Education, Division of Blind Services, Pasco County Commissioners and the United Way of Pasco and Hernando Counties. We also depend on fundraising and donations from clubs, businesses and private citizens in order to meet the need for services.

Please click here for a list of ways you can help or continue reading this page to learn about vision impairment.

Did you know?

  • At least 10 million people are blind in the US today, according to American Foundation for the Blind.
  • Every seven minutes, someone in the United States loses their vision
  • In Florida, the incidence is 10 per 1000 according to the National Eye Institute, or twice the national rate.
  • There are an estimated 4,760 persons (all ages) who are visually impaired and blind living in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus.
  • The unemployment rate among working aged blind people in the U.S. is 70%.

The Lighthouse provides services and training to help clients cope with vision loss.

  • Vision Rehabilitation is a specialized array of services which enable people who are blind and visually impaired to participate fully in home life, education, community activities and employment. Independent travel training (Orientation and Mobility), alternative communication skills (Braille and computer technology, for example), Low Vision Services, and skills needed to cook, shop and manage a household are provided by nationally certified blindness professionals.
  • The Lighthouse is accredited by the National Accreditation council on Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Impaired (NAC).
  • Vision Rehabilitation Services provided by the Lighthouse reduce the economic and human cost of blindness. Outcomes of these essential services include reduced unemployment, reduced admissions to Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Homes, reduced emergency room admissions, and increased economic productivity among family members who might otherwise provide home care for loved ones who have lost vision.

For more information on blindness and the need for vision rehabilitation, please contact the Lighthouse.