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Lions Complete Vision Screening of North Haven Elementary Schools

For the fourth consecutive year, the North Haven Lions Club has conducted pediatric vision screenings in the four elementary schools in North Haven, as well as the two preschool classrooms at Green Acres School and the laboratory preschool at North Haven High School. Under A Memorandum Of Understanding with the North Haven Department of Education signed by North Haven Superintendent of Schools Patrick Stirk and Alan Sturtz, KidSight coordinator for the North Haven Lions Club, all grades pre-kindergarten to 5th grade can be screened. In 2018, in addition to the elementary schools, 6th-graders at North Haven Middle School were also screened, for a total of 1,586 children.

Last year, 11 percent of those screened were referred for a complete eye examination, and some of those were already wearing glasses; the state average for referrals was 15 percent. This year, 1,385 children were screened, 96 percent of the total elementary school enrollment; 10 percent of the children screened were referred for a follow-up exam by an eye-care professional.

In December, home-schooled children will have the opportunity to be screened at the North Haven Memorial Library Children’s Library.

The North Haven Lions Club, under the auspices of the Lions Eye Health Program (LEHP), uses the Welch-Allyn SPOT vision screening device and provides printed documentation of the results of each individual screening to the nurses in each school. The screening may determine the presence of eye disorders including astigmatism, myopia, hyperopia, anisometropia, strabismus, amblyopia, and anisocoria. Parents and school officials are reminded that this is only a screening and not a complete eye examination. The Lions Eye Health Program recommends that all children have a complete eye examination performed by an ophthalmologist or optometrist at least once between the ages of three and five.

In recent years, LEHP has expanded its program of free vision screenings to include special needs students, children enrolled in Head Start programs, and public and private pre-K learning centers. The goal is to eventually screen every child, because a young child may not know that she or he has a vision problem. Learning center directors may contact Lion Alan Sturtz for additional information about the KidSight program at lionalannhct@gmail.com. There is no charge to the center for this service.

For additional information about other North Haven Lions Service Projects, contact North Haven Lions Club President Al Papsun at ajpap@aol.com.