Members of the Sylvan Lake Lions Club are once again visiting elementary schools to administer free eye exams to Kindergarten students.
These eye exams are specifically looking for symptoms of amblyopia, or lazy eye, and is part of Lions Club International’s devotion to vision health.
Two members of the Sylvan Lake chapter visited Ecole Our Lady of the Rosary School this week, and will be visiting each Kindergarten class in Sylvan Lake as well as Poplar Ridge School and Sylvan Meadows Adventist School.
The exam process is simple and quick. Each child is show two cards, one is blank the other has a capital E on it. While wearing a special pair of sunglasses the children have to point out which hand the E is in.
If a child has difficulty determining which hand the letter is in it is a sign of amblyopia and the child will be referred to an eye doctor for further testing.
Lazy eye is a condition where the eye and the brain don’t work together properly, according the kidshealth.org. Children who have this condition will have poor vision in one eye and generally good vision in the other.
There are various ways to correct the condition including; glasses, eye patches, eye drops or surgery.
The Lions Club administers the exams early because the condition is easier to treat as a child, and can be more difficult to treat, or nearly impossible, as one gets older.
Results of the tests are later sent to the parents.
Vision and eye health are one of the Lions Club International’s primary focuses. The club also has initiatives for diabetes, hearing and speech pathology.
The Sylvan Lake Lions Club has been administering this screening to Kindergarten students for at more than 10 years. Along with the vision testing, the club also collects eyeglasses that are no longer being used to donate to people in need, through Recycle for Sight.