The Walterboro Chapter of the Lions Club conducted a preliminary vision screening for students at North Walterboro Christian Academy April 24.
The actual screening takes only a matter of seconds with the Spot™Vision Screener by WelchAllyn®. A series of photos are taken utilizing infrared light. The photos are analyzed to discover if the individual’s vision is “in range” or “out of range”. The screening checks for myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (imperfect curve of eye causing blurred distance and near vision), gaze deviation (abnormal movement of the eyes), anisocoria (one pupil is larger than the other), anisometropia (uneven refraction between eyes), and gaze asymmetry (strabismus or misalignment of the eyes). Based on the assessment, the individual is recommended to be seen by an eye examiner. In this case, a coupon for an eye exam for $50 is given to Bergelt Optometric (inside Walmart).
The Lions Club International is a service based organization established in 1917. The Lions Club motto is “We Serve”. The LIONS is also an acronym which stands for Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nations’ Safety. One of the service projects for the Lions Club is sight conservation; work for the blind and those who are visually impaired. This work started when Helen Keller spoke at the Lions international convention in 1925 and charged the organization to be Knights of the Blind in [the] crusade against darkness. The Lions Club took up the challenge and is now able to give these preliminary screenings with very sophisticated technology.
The Lions Club is an international organization. The only country currently without a Lions Club is Saudi Arabia.
The Walterboro Lions Club appreciates the opportunity to serve the citizens of Colleton County through their service.
