Sight

The Thalia Lions Club provides eye glasses, exams for people in need of assistance, for screening preschool children for vision problems, and drawing attention to problems faced by sight impaired and blind people.

The Lions Club is using Spot, a breakthrough device that quickly and easily detects vision issues in young children to help ensure they have an opportunity to reach their full potential. http://www.spotvisionscreening.com/2011
Lazy Eye   (Amblyopia) is a disorder of the visual system that is characterized by a vision deficiency in an eye that is otherwise physically normal, or out of proportion to associated structural abnormalities of the eye. It has been estimated to affect 1–5% of the population - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyopia

The Human Services Forum features Lions Nancy and John Watters in their talk about PediaVision -  http://www.whro.org/home/html/podcasts/cityofnorfolk/player/?p=HumanServicesForum&f=HSF1122111

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Screening Mar 19th 2016 at Pembroke Mall, 
Birth and Beyond event.

Mar 8th 2014, (Sat) Kids in the Kitchen (children’s eye screening) Pembroke Mall, 10-2 pm

            Want to see happy children??? Screen their eyes and let them pick out a book!!  One hundred seventy one children went away with smiling faces as they were offered the opportunity to select their own book after the Lions Clubs of Virginia Beach screened their eyes. 
On March 8th, 2014, for the third year in a row, the Lions worked with the Junior League of Norfolk-Virginia Beach who sponsored the Kids in the Kitchen event at Pembroke Mall.  Twenty two Lions from eight clubs worked from 10am until 2pm to screen 171 children in an effort to identify those with conditions that lead to amblyopia (lazy eye).  Screening was done with the SPOT, a handheld auto refractor developed by PediaVision that does an instant reading and identifies any condition that leads to lazy eye. 
The Lions of District 24 D now own 12 of these amazing devices and have screened 38,000 children since October 2010.  Of that number, almost 6,000 children have been identified with a potential problem.  What better way to make a difference in the life and educational success of a child than to help prevent blindness, improve vision, and inspire reading.
  At this screening, twenty two children were given reports for parents to take to the eye doctor for a complete examination. 
Children were delighted that they were allowed to select their own book to take home and working Lions again followed their motto, “We Serve!!”
What a rewarding day for Lions, parents, and children!

Lion Nancy Watters
Children’s Services District 24 D
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Sat. Aug. 11, 2012 - Lions at Lynnhaven Mall
screening for Lazy Eye

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Nov 19, 2011 - PediaVision (SPOT) eye screening at Pembroke Mall center court sponsored by the Region Lions Clubs and other club participation (including Thalia). Santa was also there to help.

“Santa Spotted at the Mall”

T’was Nov. 19th and throughout Pembroke Mall
There were children and shoppers out having a ball
When what to their wondrous eyes should appear
But Santa and 26 Lions volunteers.

From 9 different clubs they rose early to arrive
To check each little one for a problem in eyes.
21 children were “SPOTTED” that day
And parents were told “See an eye doctor right away.”

83 others were let off the hook
They proved they could see to read a good book.
Thanks to the Lions on duty that day
For sharing their time in a meaningful way.

There was Central and Center, Kempsville, P.A.
Aragona, and Golden all of VA
But Thalia and Bayside had the most
And oh, I forgot, there was Virginia Beach Host.

We work hard and play hard with all of our might
To insure that kids have the gift of sight
What better holiday gift to preserve
Merry, Merry to all and remember “We Serve!”

by Nancy Watters
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 Sight Committee Activities Plan 2012-13
Goals: 1. To provide assistance in the procurement of eyeglasses and eye exams for indigent and needy individuals.
2. To offer preschool eye screening service to both public and private schools in the Thalia Club area.
3. To offer a donation to the three Elementary School clinics to use toward the clinic needs or the children needs not provided by the school system.

Activities:

Eyeglasses and Exam Assistance
*Objective: to provide assistance in obtaining eye glasses and exams for those in need.
*Description of Services: When an application is reviewed and approved, a voucher for an exam and for purchase of eyeglasses is given to the applicant at no charge. Applications are evaluated by the Sight Chairperson and assistance to obtain eyeglasses and exams are provided by dispensing vouchers at Lens Crafters, Dr. Robert Seim’s and Dr. Mark Crafford’s office.
* Contact Person: Applications for assistance in procuring eyeglasses and exams may be obtained from Linda Eggleston, 2249 Rose Hall Drive, Virginia Beach, Va. 23454 (H) 757-481-1791.

Preschool Eye Screening * Objective: to eye screen every child 5 years old and under in an effort to provide the child good vision for better school performance. Eye screening in the preschools is important because approximately 5% of children develop serious eye problems between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. Some of those problems may not be correctable unless treated before the age of five. Common problems causing amblyopia (lazy eye) are myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (defect of the curvature of the cornea or lens of the eye), anisometropia (different focus in each eye), strabismus (crossed or deviated eyes), and opacities such as cataracts.
*Description of Services.
Thalia Lions Club volunteers perform eye screenings free of charge. The school clinic or nurse is contacted for scheduling and for obtaining proper consent forms from parents. In most cases children are screened with a PediaVision or a PediaVision SPOT. Please see the following links for information. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nTWyhk4nOE http://www.youtube.com/user/PediaVision
http://spotvisionscreening.com/2011
*Contact Person: Lion Nancy Watters, District 24 D Children’s Services/ PediaVision Co-Chairperson - 757 496 3684 Home or 757 288 3684 Cell

Schools and Daycare Facilities in Thalia Lions Club Area *Malibu Elementary – 3632 Edinburgh Dr. 467-8900
*Emmanuel Lutheran Church – 3900 Va. Beach Blvd. 340-3866
*King’s Grant Presbyterian Church – 745 Little Neck Road, Va. B. 340-2840
*King’s Grant Day School – 873 Little Neck Rd. 431-9744
Our Future Child Care Learning Center – 3794 Virginia Beach Blvd., 631-2442
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 424 Kings Grant Road, Va. B. 340-3033
*Rainbow II Preschool & Child Care Center – 3820 Va. Beach Blvd. 498-8900
*St. Aidan’s Head Start Center 3201 Edinburgh Dr. 631-0585
*Sunnybrook Day School 3380 Edinburgh Dr. 340-2266
*Thalia Day School 4321 Va. Beach Blvd. 648-1150
Thalia Trinity Presbyterian Church 420 Thalia Rd., 340-6156
*Stratford Preschool 4300 Shore Drive – 460-0659
*VBCC – Great Neck Preschool – 2225 Rose Hall Dr. 461-5278
Kindercare #964 – 3704 Lampl Ave., Va. Beach, 23452 (757) 498-8522
In addition to the above listed locations, free eye screening with the PediaVision or the SPOT may be offered at public libraries, Malls, or other public locations or events. Other locations may be added at any time.

Submitted by Committee Chair: Lion Linda Eggleston
Committee members: Lion Dr. Rob Seim , Lion Susan Sumnick, Lion John Watters and Lion Nancy Watters.

Nov 2011 - The Thalia Lions Club of Virginia Beach salutes Thalia Lions Nancy and John Watters for making a difference by detecting possible vision problems in young children for referral to ophthalmologists and optometrists. District 24-D had been using an eye screening instrument (the MTI Photoscreener) since 1999, a system that was poor in detection, took considerable time in producing results, and used Polaroid instant film that was increasingly more expensive to buy. When in the fall of 2009, Lion John Watters, District 24-D Sight Conservation Chair, began researching new techniques for screening pre-school children, he learned about the PediaVision Screening Assessment System that shows instant results. With the purchase of the first PediaVision device in September 2010, Lion Nancy, now District 24-D Children’s Services/PediaVision Co-Chairperson, worked tirelessly to screen children. Through their work Lions Nancy and John realized the considerable benefits of PediaVision and turned their efforts to persuading the rest of the 24-D clubs to use it. As a consequence, preschool eye screening has grown exponentially with most clubs in 24-D now having access to the expensive ($9,600) PediaVision system (one in each zone; i.e. five machines with two upgrade instruments called SPOT). As a result of their hard work the number of children screened by 24-D clubs is expected to surpass 8,000 by the end of the year. Nationwide, up to 15 percent of preschool children between the ages of three and five have a vision condition that, if not corrected, can result in reduced vision followed by poor performance in school. Unfortunately, many parents are unaware of their children’s eye problems because vision problems are not painful and children do not know how well they see. Lions Nancy and John bring credit to District 24-D through their laudable efforts in providing for the next generation’s vision.

See the Wed Oct 19, 2011 Article in the Suffolk News-Herald, “Can You See Me Now?” Lions John and Nancy Watters tests 3-year-old Amayah Lee’s eyes at the CDI Head Start Center. http://www.suffolknewsherald.com/2011/10/19/can-you-see-me-now

History of Preschool Screening in District 24-D - Updated November 2011 by Lion John Watters.

Preschool vision screening began in the district about 25 years ago when the Western Branch Lions Club began screening with the help of Prevent Blindness in Richmond. After the 24-D Charity Foundation bought an MTI Photoscreener™ for nurses in Gloucester in 1996 at the suggestion of Lion Hauser Weiler, its success in screening prompted the purchase of a device for the District in 1999. Eventually many clubs began using the several photoscreeners in the district. Direct measure of vision (a subjective method) using the HOTV and stereopsis methods began in 2005. The use of the PediaVision Screening Assessment System™ was introduced to the district in September 2010. The ease and speed of screening with this latest device reactivated the entire district’s interest in this important community service.In the fall of 2009, Lion John Watters, District 24-D Sight Conservation Chair, began researching new techniques for screening pre-school children. The MTI Photoscreener had lost all manufacturer support, was statistically poor in detection and delayed in producing results. It also used Polaroid™ instant film that was increasingly more expensive to buy. Lion John learned that were two new devices being sold, the Welch-Allen Sure-Sight and the PediaVision Screening Assessment System. The Sure-Sight was a monocular (one eye at a time) device and the PediaVision was binocular and would indicate mis-aligned eyes (strabismus). The name PediaVision was the USA name for the PlusOptic screener developed in Germany, now marketed by a company in Florida. It was being used by Lions in Alaska, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Wyoming. Enthused by the description and on-line videos of the PediaVision, Lion John asked local pediatric ophthalmologists for their recommendation. After their positive remarks, he contacted both the Western Branch Lions Club and the 24-D Charity Foundation in October 2009, proposing the purchase of one device as a trial. District Charity funds were tight and there was no interest in using this expensive equipment. In the spring of 2010, both the DG (Lion Gary Rapier) and VDG (Lion Donna Weiler) became interested in PediaVision and were quite supportive in attempting to obtain one. Use of the PediaVision for screening became the District Governor’s Signature Project under DG Donna for the 2010 – 2011 Lions’ year. The company was contacted and many questions asked. Lions John and Nancy Watters spoke to a number of Lions Clubs about PediaVision, and Lion Hauser Weiler wrote grant requests to LCIF, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation and the O’Shaughnessy-Hurst Foundation. At the District 24-C District Conference on September 18, 2010, a demonstration by the sales representative from PediaVision, Jeff Mortensen, was presented, with several Lions from 24-D attending. After the demonstration, Lions Hauser and Donna (then the DG for 24-D) Weiler ordered two units for the district. These orders anticipated the approval of a grant in progress, and an anonymous donor provided funds for the second unit. On September 26, 2010, the first unit was delivered and the first screening of a preschool was carried out at the preschool associated with Norfolk State University. The sponsoring club was the Norfolk Mid-Town Lions Club, assisted by Thalia Lions John and Nancy Watters. Lion Nancy was subsequently appointed the PediaVision Chair for the district, to organize training and use of the devices. Additional units of PediaVision devices were added to the district’s armamentarium as the grants from the O’Shaughnessy-Hurst (one unit), the Hampton Roads Community Foundation (one unit) and Lions Clubs International Foundation (matching for two units) were approved. Lion John Watters submitted grant requests to the Obici Health Care Foundation in Suffolk and the Ronald McDonald House Foundation in Norfolk, both subsequently approved (one unit each). Approved in September 2011 is a grant request to the City of Virginia Beach Community Organization board from the Central Lions Club of Virginia Beach to purchase one devices. Since the first PediaVision screening in September 2010, the district has screened more than 6,440 children under the age of 10. In order to keep accurate records, statistics are being compiled as screenings are completed. Many clubs are now “certified” as being capable of organizing and performing preschool screenings. The certification process consists of learning about the PediaVision method, learning how to set up a screening with the necessary documents and then being observed and supervised during a screening. This method of “training the trainer” is working well to spread the ability to run an effective screening. In addition to preschool screening, the PediaVisions are being used to screen non-verbal children and as an adult automated refractor in the district’s health care activities (Lions Medical Assistance Projects or LAMP’s). This permits the eye doctors at a LAMP to have refraction information before the exam to speed the refinement of the prescription for eyeglasses. The latest development in this preschool eye screening project is the interest being shown by other districts in Virginia. Several other districts have submitted grant requests and are actively interested in following 24-D in the use of the PediaVision.





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