A global nonprofit that serves as the bridge between eye tissue donors and recipients has officially closed on the Ybor City property that will become home to a new pediatric vision care center.
Tampa’s Lions World Vision Institute announced Thursday it can begin construction on its new $16 million Vision Health Center, a 30,000-square-foot facility across the street from its iconic brick Ybor City location.
The organization, founded in 1969, is one of the largest combined eye bank, tissue recovery and ocular research centers in the world, according to its website. Its new Vision Health Center, scheduled to open in March 2027, is expected to serve more than 20,000 children and adolescents each year by providing free vision screenings and access to prescription glasses for those in need…