Lions Club helping school nurse with vision screening
The Plymouth Lions Club has teamed up with Plymouth School District nurse Mary Peschke to screen hundreds of students for vision problems.
The purpose of the screening is to detect problems that lead to vision loss or difficulty learning, Peschke said. According to Prevent Blindness Wisconsin, 1 in 20 preschool children and 1 in 4 school-age children have an eye problem that, if left untreated, could lead to permanent vision loss.
The organization recommends that children see an eye professional shortly after birth, at 6 months and again between the ages of 3 and 5, but many parents don’t seek an eye exam until a problem arises.
The Sheboygan County Health Department had been screening students until two years ago, but is now allocating its resources elsewhere.
Enter the Lions Club, which has long been involved in vision-related work, including camps for blind children and leader dogs.
Peschke and seven Lions Club volunteers attended a training session conducted by Prevent Blindness Wisconsin to become certified to conduct the screenings.
They use an eye chart to check distance vision, and special stereopsis glasses to measure how well the eyes work together.
Lions Club volunteers do the bulk of the screenings, with Peschke re-checking those who may have problems. Parents help take children to and from class.
“It's really nice that the Lions are stepping up to do this,” Peschke said.
About 14 Lions Club volunteers are involved in the effort, seven of whom are certified to screen the students, said Mike McKenzie, president of the Plymouth Lions Club.
“We’ve had a very good response from our Lions Club,” McKenzie said. “It’s fun to work with the young children. We are providing a very worthwhile service.”
The district used some of its own vision-screening equipment and borrowed some from the county health department. The Lions Club purchased stereopsis equipment and an eye chart for young children that uses pictures instead of letters.
All kindergarteners, first-graders and third-graders at all three elementary schools — about 450 students in all — have been screened.
Plans are to screen fourth- and fifth-graders at Riverview early next year, plus parochial students.
The screenings are meant to help find children in need of an examination and treatment by an eye care professional. When warranted, students are given referrals and information about assistance with eye exams and glasses.
The Lions Club has scheduled a training session on Saturday, Aug. 14 to certify more trainers in advance of next school year. The session will be open to school nurses and others interested in the training.
