The North Babylon Lions Club on Long Island, New York, has been doing vision screenings for children in the community for seven years. The Club has screened more than 11,000 children — helping to preserve vision and improve academic performance.
80% of learning is visual,1 making programs like the one the North Babylon Lions Club manages an important resource for the community. Up to 10% of preschoolers and 25% of school-age children have vision problems that impact learning and quality of life.2
We know we are making a difference. We get regular reports from schools where children are doing better in school, they’re happier and no longer have disciplinary problems. There is one school where we do screenings that has formed a group called the School’s Visionaries made up of over 100 children who we have referred to an eye care specialist and helped to get glasses. The nurse at that school is doing a research project to show how these students’ grades are going up and therefore improving the school’s position overall.
We have seven KidSight USA certified eye screeners and 10 volunteers who help with paperwork and organizing the students. The number of students we expect to screen that day determines how many teams (one camera operator and one volunteer) are assigned to an event.
As we screen the children, if a child needs a referral to an eye care specialist, we print out the report, put the child’s name on the sheet and give it to the school organizer. The report documents that the child has been screened and it is recommended they see a professional eye care specialist. The event organizer or school nurse is responsible for getting the report to the parent/guardian.
“Our volunteers and school nurses are impressed by the detailed information in the screening reports, the accuracy of the device and how extremely easy it is to use.”
— Eileen Austin and Nancy Lyon, Vision Committee Co-Chairs, Babylon Lions Club
We use the Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener for our screening events. The device is very user friendly and training on the camera can usually be completed within 30 minutes.
If we are training for KidSight USA certification, there are regional training sessions held a couple of times a year where the biology of the eye is discussed along with a camera demonstration, discussion on what the numbers on the printouts mean and a review of the type of information on the certification test.
We screen a lot of small children, many of whom have a language barrier. Sometimes they are frightened by the whole process. But once they see how fast the screening is, everything goes so smoothly. They almost always believe we are taking their picture and say “cheese,” leaving with a smile.
Event organizers and school nurses are quick to tell us how much of an impact it has on the children we identify to need glasses. They share that once the vision disorder is addressed, discipline problems disappear, grades improve and the relationships the kids have with other children and teachers get stronger.
“It is easy to use and it is rewarding to know that our Club helps ensure children in our community don’t unknowingly suffer from a vision disorder that can negatively impact their performance in school.”
— Eileen Austin and Nancy Lyon, Vision Committee Co-Chairs, Babylon Lions Club
We had a kindergartner who had been held back the year before. She had immigrated to the US from the Dominican Republic and could not speak much English. We were told she had been living in poverty conditions. When we screened her, her numbers were off the charts and we brought it to the nurse’s attention immediately. The nurse did not hesitate to call the parents, and our Lions Club helped arrange a free eye exam and free pair of glasses within a week. It was not long before the nurse called to tell us how much the little girl’s life had changed. Her grades had improved immensely, her peer relationships were improving and she was no longer having issues in the classroom. Her mother was so relieved to see that she was happy and how much her daily life had changed since her vision disorder was addressed.
We just saw her this week and she is thriving! She loves school and is so confident. It was a joy to see her so happy and doing well.
We recommend the Spot Vision Screener for community-based vision screening programs. It is easy to use and it is rewarding to know that our Club helps ensure children in our community don’t unknowingly suffer from a vision disorder that can negatively impact their performance in school.
Tom Lyon, member of the North Babylon Lions Club, is the top screener for the Club’s pediatric visions screening program.
