Greenfield Lions Club holds eye screenings

Every year, October is the month of vision screenings by the Greenfield Lions. The club provides vision screenings for all kindergarten and preschool students in the Greenfield Exempted Village Schools.
 
During October, the Greenfield Lions sponsor visits by third-year optometry students from the Ohio State School of Optometry. The OSU students screen the kindergartners with six different tests, including visual acuity, color vision, stereo acuity, cover test, retinoscopy and ophthalmoscopy. Letters are sent to the parents of the students who are found to have problems.
 
Each year, approximately 20 to 30 percent of kindergartners are referred to their family optometrists for further testing. This year, 115 students were screened, with 49 of them being referred for further testing by an optometrist.
 
Lion volunteers also screen all preschool students in the Greenfield school district. These include students in the Greenfield school preschool classes as well as Head Start and the Presbyterian Church preschool.
 
The screenings consist of two parts. The main screening is accomplished by using the club’s Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener. The child watches the lights while the screener measures the eyes for astigmatism and near and far sightedness among other conditions.
 
The volunteers also screen with the Preschool Assessment of Stereopsis With a Smile 2 test. The tester shows the child two cards one of which has a smiley face that can only be seen with the “magic” glasses. This is a test of stereopsis which is how well the eyes are working together to see depth and distance.
 
If a student does not pass the screening, a printout of the information is given to the parent. This printout should be taken to an optometrist for a more thorough examination. This year, 198 students were screened, with 22 percent of these referred for further testing by an optometrist.
 
If a family has difficulty affording such an examination, the Greenfield Lions Club is there to help financially. Parents can contact the school nurse for information on how to receive such help.
 
The Welch Allyn Vision Screener used for these screenings was purchased by the Greenfield club in 2016. It has proven to be quicker in finding results, easier to use, more accurate and provides more information than the original screener used by the club.
 
This purchase of the Welch Allyn Screener was made possible because of the generous donations that Greenfield community members have made to the Lions. Club projects such as the Octoberfest food booth, broom and candy sales, and our annual Sight Seals campaign are the club’s sources of income.
 
Sight Seals have recently been mailed out asking for donations to help the club with its philanthropic activities. If you receive a Sight Seal letter, a donation would greatly help. If you don’t receive a Sight Seal letter and want to help continue these screenings, send your donation to Greenfield Lions Club, Box 34, Greenfield, Ohio 45123.

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