Lions To Conduct Free Vision Screenings At Millers Landing Day

Last week, Lions Club president John Berger traveled to Chicago, IL to collect the Melvin Jones Award from the Lions national conference. The New Haven Chapter received the award for outstanding dedication to serving the community by performing the vision screenings for 10,281 elementary school students in 2020.

The New Haven Chapter was fortunate to be certified and tested to be able to conduct the screenings. The Pandemic put a pause on other Lion’s chapters to complete the certification and testing and so New Haven and Hermann were able to schedule the screenings in and out of their districts. Out of the 10,281 students that the New Haven Lions tested, 132 needed to seek further checking by an optometrist.

Berger, stresses that “80% of a young child’s learning is dependent on good vision. It is so important to have the kids checked in grade school because early detection is key to preventing more serious developments.”

If it is a financial burden for the family, funds are available through the Lions Club to help with optometrist visits and glasses.

During Millers Landing Day, the New Haven Lions will be offering free vision screening from 2-4 p.m. at the Lions Pavilion. A parent or guardian must be present to give consent for the child’s screening. The screening camera is non-contact and can capture an image for evaluation within 10-15 seconds. If the child needs to be referred to an optometrist, a list of doctors will be provided to the parent or guardian after the screening.

So much gratitude to John Berger and the Lions for their generosity to our community. Last year, they screened kids from 17 different schools and they hope to provide just as much assistance this year.