Students Get Vision Screenings by Lions Club

Lisa Wilkinson, MSN, RN, NCSN, Central Middle School School Nurse

Vision screenings were performed by Charlotte County Lions Club volunteers on Sept 15th, 16th and 21st.  These volunteers so generously give of their time to screen our students every year.  This year 396 middle school students were screened using their Spot Vision Screener.  This machine is a handheld, portable device designed to help users quickly and easily detect vision issues on both eyes at the same time in a nonthreatening way.  Several years ago, the Lion’s Club borrowed a Spot Vision Screener from Prince Edward County to conduct the vision screenings for Charlotte County.  They were quite impressed with this machine. Even though it is a very expensive piece of equipment, they purchased one of their own so they could help our students get the vision screenings they needed. This year, out of the 396 screened, 340 successfully passed. Letters have been sent home to the parents of the 56 students who did not pass to inform them of the need for further testing.

The Lions Club not only performs vision screenings for our students; they also assist students with obtaining glasses when parents have exhausted other options. These volunteers take a sincere interest in our students and in providing this service.  One of our students recently had his glasses broken and was not able to get a replacement pair.  Mr. Fallen of the Lions Club spent an entire day getting this student’s glasses fixed.  He then had Mr. Haskins, Principal of CMS, call the student into his office to present him with his new glasses.  The look on the student’s face was heartwarming.  As soon as he put on the glasses, he could read words on Mr. Haskins’ bulletin board that he wasn’t able to see previously.  Our sincere thanks and appreciation go out to all of the Charlotte County Lions Club volunteers for their service to our students who may not otherwise be able to have their vision screened each year.