On August 10th, the Wimberley Lions Club participated in the annual Barnabas Back to School Fiesta by providing vision screening for children and adults. Club members Hilda Carpenter, Stephanie Gutierrez, Karlene Henshaw, Gloria Ibarra, President Doug McLean, and Harold and Pam Tannahill screened one hundred one kids. They referred fifteen to the doctor for a full eye examination. Twenty-eight adults took advantage of the spot screening which resulted in eight referrals.
The club uses a Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener. This technology identifies anyone age 6 months or older who needs a full visual exam by a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist. The machine does not evaluate eye health, nor is it a complete eye exam. It is a quick entry into determining any vision concerns.
The Spot Vision Screener identifies six key areas of vision: Myopia (near-sightedness), Hyperopia (far-sightedness), Anisometropia (unequal refractive power), Astigmatism (blurred vision, eye structure problem), Strabismus (eye misalignment, gaze), and Anisocoria (unequal pupil size). The process is simple and fast. Standing about a meter away, the attendant points the Welch Allyn’s lens toward the person being screened. That person looks into the lens, and the instrument records all six areas of vision within seconds. Each person receives 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 their constituency. I am very passionate about spot screening due to my own undiagnosed Hyperopia until the age of 15. This means is I couldn’t focus on close things, so reading was incredibly hard for me. I passed all the 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.”
All six vision areas can change in a child even within a year. The Spot Screener also checks your vision with glasses in case your lenses need an update. The Lions Club encourages everyone to take advantage of their free spot screening every Market Day. If you would like to arrange vision screening in your club, school, or church, please email: wimberleylionsksvs@gmail.com.
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