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CLARKSBURG Lions clubs across Harrison County are providing free vision screenings for students in third and sixth grades.

Thirty-five students at Wilsonburg Elementary School were screened Thursday, and approximately 1,600 county students are to be screened by the end of March.

The local initiative to help detect vision issues among children is part of a worldwide effort started by Lions Club International about two years ago, said Clarksburg Lions Club member Al Cox.

Since the preschool and kindergarten students are required to have this done for school, we decided to target age groups each three years apart, Cox said. Most children dont have vision screenings until they start having problems, and by that time, it might be too late.

Using state-of-the-art devices called Welsh Allyn SPOT and Plusoptix vision screeners, club members are able to check for farsightedness, nearsightedness, blurred vision, unequal refractive power, unequal pupil size and eye misalignment.

Dr. Craig Liebig, an optometrist, has served as eye equipment coordinator, training Lions on how to use the screeners, Cox said.

Eighty percent of learning is visual, and if we can help correct it before a students education is affected, then this is worth it, Cox said. Over the past two years, the Lions Club has been doing childrens eye screenings at different organizations and schools in the area.

Cox explained that Lions Club members provide vision screenings, not vision tests. If a screening finds any vision issues, children and their parents are referred to a professional.

Frank Barberio and Gary Bakers of the Wilsonburg Lions Club and Mickey Knight and David Lantz of the Adamston Lions Club took part in the vision screenings at Wilsonburg Elementary on Thursday.

They said they enjoy being able to provide the free service to students of Harrison County.

Its part of what we do, Bakers said. We serve, and were really involved in wanting to preserve the eyesight of children, catching any problems at an early age.

Knight agreed.

All of the local Lions clubs are involved, he said. This is free for the students, and its something that needs to be monitored as students get older and their vision begins to change.

Harrison County Schools Nursing Coordinator Jody Sperry praised the Lions and their work.

We like to collaborate with the Lions clubs because we need the extra manpower, and they are really tremendous individuals, Sperry said. By collaborating, it allows us to reach a greater number of students and gets students in to see professionals if needed.

Sixth-grade students at each of the countys middle schools have already been screened, and screenings at elementary schools are underway, Sperry said. Students at St. Marys, Heritage Christian and Emmanuel Christian schools also will be screened.

Sperry said the screenings are optional, but if parents would like their children of any age to be screened, they can contact a school nurse and set up a free appointment.

Cox said day cares, church groups and other organizations are also welcome to contact a Lions Club if theyre interested in vision screenings, Cox said.

Our motto is, We serve, and thats just what we will continue to do, Cox said.

Read more from the original source:
Lions club provides free eye screenings for elementary, middle school students - The Exponent Telegram (press release) (registration)

This entry was posted on February 14, 2017 at 5:54 am and is filed under Eye Sight & Vision. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |