In 1925, Helen Keller challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.”
As part of that challenge, Lions Clubs like the one in Erlanger have made eye screenings a top priority.
To that end, the Erlanger Lions have recently purchased two updated screening machines, replacing machines that were over 20 years old. The new machines, the Welch Allyn VS100 Spot Vision Screeners, are not only more accurate, they are also much easier to use.
“Over a year ago, we started looking into new technology,” said Lions club member Joanie Dunhoft, who demonstrated the Spot machines for the NKYTribune.
“About nine months ago, we heard from a club in Oregon about these machines, and six months ago we started to hit it really hard to raise funds in one way or another.”
The Spot machines, which are retailing for around $7,000 online, can in a matter of seconds detect near-sightedness, far-sightedness, astigmatism and unequal power, in addition to providing a comparative analysis for unequal refractive power and unequal pupil size. The machines operate much the same as a digital camera, requiring only the proper lighting (in this case, slightly darker than a normal room) and about three feet of space. The old machines took around four minutes to work, and required more training to use.
“The only challenge is getting it dark enough to get the pupils to dilate,” said Dunhoft.
The Spot also has a USB port, and can provide a printout of the readings to send home with the students. This will help parents and guardians, who could save a step in dealing with identified problems instead of going to a doctor and starting from scratch.
“We have a growing population in Erlanger and Elsmere of non-English speaking students,” Dunhoft said. “Communicating can be a challenge, but these cameras are not.”
“If we identify a need, we can often meet that need,” she added. Lions Clubs recycle eyeglasses for such a purpose, and sometimes additional needs can be met. The Lions Club International has a premier eye clinic at the University of Louisville if students need additional services.
While student screenings are performed by the Lions Club every fall in the Erlanger and Elsmere grade schools, the Spot machines give the club easy ability to do spot screenings if needed. They are also going to use them to help at the Butler Senior Fair in conjunction with the Butler Lions Club.
“We would like to fill as many needs as possible. Anyone in the club can use this camera,” Dunhoft said. “With these, we can provide so much better for our community and the surrounding environs.”
According to a Columbia University Study on issues facing schools, vision ranked as number one. This was based on prevalence, with one in four school age students suffering from vision problems, the effect on learning, as 80% of what is learned is visual, and the feasibility of implementing screening programs like the one the Lions perform.
If any other organization would like to utilize the Spot machines, contact the Erlanger Lions Club at 859-282-9969.