In preparation for the new school year, the Wimberley Lions provided vision screening for children as part of Barnabas’ annual Back to School Fiesta. One hundred and one school-bound kids were screened by Lions members Hilda Carpenter, Stephanie Gutierrez, Karlene Henshaw, Gloria Ibarra, Lions President Doug McLean, and Harold and Pam Tannahill. Fifteen children were referred to eye doctors for a full examination. Twenty-eight adults also took advantage of the spot screening which led to eight additional referrals.
The Lions tested kids using a Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener. The screener can identify if children as young as six months need a full visual exam by either an optometrist or ophthalmologist. The machine isn’t able to evaluate eye health and isn’t a complete eye exam, but it is a quick test to determine vision concerns.
The exam procedure proved to be simple and fast. Standing about a meter away, kids looked into the Welch Allyn lens and the instrument recorded six areas of their vision within seconds. The machine screens for near-and-far sightedness, unequal refractive power, blurred vision, eye structure problems, eye misalignment, and unequal pupil size. For kids who wear glasses, it also checks if lenses need updating. Each participant received a printout of their personalized screening about a minute later.
Lions Spot Screening Chair, Dr. Hilda Carpenter said, “On behalf of the club, I’d like to thank Barnabas for providing us the opportunity to serve. I am very passionate about spot screening due to my own undiagnosed Hyperopia until the age of 15.”
“I couldn’t focus on close things, so reading was incredibly hard,” she continued. “I passed school vision screenings because I could see far, perfectly. Upon entering High School, my worsening vision impaired me to the point that I was losing self-esteem as my friends’ reading raced ahead of me. The teachers simply thought I was slow or dumb. After getting glasses, my grades shot up because I could see the words to read.”
The Lions Club offers free spot vision screening every Market Day. To inquire about screening for clubs, schools and churches, email [email protected].
