The Good Hope Lions Club will be offering free vision screenings to pre-school and kindergarten age children at the 2016 Community Health Fair on April 30 at the Grace Community Church.
The screenings will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each child must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Should it be determined that the child should be seen by an eye care professional for follow-up and a more detailed exam, the parent or legal guardian will be given that information.
Early detection of eye sight problems will help the child be more proficient in school, thereby increasing their self-esteem. Ohio Lions provided this free service to over 17,000 children in 2015 alone.
Lions Clubs have undertaken these screenings as part of the challenge given to them by Helen Keller at the 1925 International Convention at Cedar Point Ohio. As part of her keynote address, Helen Keller challenged Lions to be “knights of the blind.”
To that end, Lions around the world undertake many kinds of projects to preserve, protect and restore sight as well as funding research into vision loss. The Ohio Lions Eye Research Foundation (OLERF) located at The Ohio State University has made many strides in the treatment of diseases of the eye, most notably macular degeneration. The Central Ohio Lions Eye Bank (COLEB) provides the service of collecting, testing and transplant of corneas from organ and tissue donors, allowing those with corneal issues to regain sight.
Ohio Lions are the main supporter of Pilot Dogs, which provides guide dogs to the visually impaired at no cost to the student, including travel, lodging and meals during the training period. Pilot Dogs, Inc. has provided dogs at no cost to students from across the USA and many foreign countries.
The Good Hope Lions Club will also be collecting used eye glasses on April 30 during the same time. Each year, hundreds of thousands of used eye glasses are collected in Ohio alone. The eyeglasses are cleaned, checked for prescription and most often sent to countries where the citizens are unable to afford an eye exam or glasses. VOSH (Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity) volunteers travel to under-privileged countries to assist in providing eye exams and fitting the patients with glasses, allowing many to clearly see for the first time in many years.
Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest volunteer service organization with over 1.4 million members in 209 countries and territories.
For more information about Lions Clubs in our area, visit www.district13j.org for Ohio Lions visit www.ohiolions.org or more information about Lions Clubs International, visit www.lionsclubs.org
If you would like to join this service-oriented organization, feel free to contact Ohio Lions Council Chair Don Robinette at [email protected]
