The Peru Gazette

Lions Club volunteer Lois Roberts screens 5 year old Jillian Garrant

By John T. Ryan

June 6 – Only a few days ago the Peru Lions Club helped the “Safe Kids Adirondack Program” distribute bike helmets to Peru Central 2^nd graders.  This week Lions Club members were conducting a “Screening Eyes Early” program at the Peru Primary School. The vision screening program was offered free of charge to children being registered for this fall’s kindergarten class. The program’s goal is to decrease childhood blindness through the early detection and treatment of the most common vision disorders that cause amblyopia – the leading cause of monocular blindness (blindness in one eye). The local program is conducted in collaboration with the Lions SEE Program at the Ross Eye Institute in Buffalo.

RN Rena Hart explained the screening to Jill Garrow and her daughter Maggie

Specially trained Lions Club volunteers take digital readings of children whose parents have agreed to participate. The readings are read and evaluated by professionals at the Ross Eye Institute and parents will be informed if problems have been detected. The volunteers do not see the children’s screening results. Confidentially laws and regulations are strictly adhered to.

Peru Lions Club member Ed Eisele explained, “Our club has been screening children at pre-school and daycare centers for the past three years. This is the first year we’ve screened children in public schools.”

Jim McCarty had the happy task of giving stickers to the children

Eisele was the first local volunteer to be trained in the eye screening procedure and he has trained several other volunteers. He emphasized, “Children’s eyes begin to change at age 6. If the child is too old, some eyes issues may not be able to be corrected. As many as one in ten children may have an issue.”  Eisele recalled screening children at a local daycare where two of the four children who were screened had an issue which required follow-up by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Longtime Lions Club leader Jim McCarty, who was assisting at the Peru Primary program, commented, “I’m happy it’s being accepted by parents. It’s helping out a lot of kids.”

Three weeks ago the Lions screened 42 children at the Keeseville Elementary School.  Sixty-two pre-kindergarteners were screened this week in Peru with more Peru Primary sessions scheduled for July 16^th and August 20^th.

L-R Jim McCarty, Ed Eisele, Rena Hart and Lois Roberts are Lions Club screeners. Roy Perry is another trained volunteer.

Parents in other local communities are taking advantage of screening offered by the Plattsburgh and Chazy Lions Clubs.