Oregon Lions School Vision Screening program can catch eye conditions early
PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Across the state of Oregon, students are reluctantly beginning to turn their thoughts from bike rides and popsicles to book reports and pencil pouches. With significantly less trepidation, the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation is looking forward to getting back into schools with their 20/20 Vision School Vision Screening program.
For most, August signals trips to the beach, ice cream cones, and back-to-school supply shopping, but August is also Amblyopia Awareness Month. Amblyopia is reduced vision in one eye that occurs due to abnormal visual development during childhood and is the most common visual impairment in children. When caught early, this condition can be treated with noninvasive measures like proper corrective lenses, eye drops, or eye patching. When left untreated, amblyopia can lead to severe vision issues, and can even result in blindness.
After a shortened program year in 2020 due to the transition to virtual learning, OLSHF will be returning to schools across the state for the 2021-2022 school year where they plan to screen a new record of 200,000 students! For every student screened, OLSHF provides their guardians with a detailed report highlighting any abnormalities captured in the screening, as well as information on resources like low cost/no cost eye exams and eyeglasses for families in need of financial assistance.
Vision screening for students is important now more than ever. Experts have noticed a significant impact from school closures and remote learning in the past year on children’s vision. Excessive screen time and “delayed vision screenings during the pandemic has created a heap of issues for children’s eyesight.”
(Reference - https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/covid19-pandemic-myopia-children-eyes)
Using Welch-Allyn SPOT photo vision devices, OLSHF staff and volunteers are able to provide quick, accurate, and socially distanced vision screenings. In a matter of seconds, these devices are able to take 13 eye measurements and check for 8 different vision conditions, including amblyopia. A classroom of 30 students can receive their screenings in under 10 minutes, and OLSHF screenings average 200 students per hour.
To maintain the highest level of safety while serving their communities in these uncertain times, OLSHF staff members and volunteers working in the School Vision Screening program will be following all guidelines set in place by the Oregon Department of Education, the Oregon Health Authority, the Oregon Governor’s Office, and the CDC. Screening staff will be required to wear proper personal protective, maintain social distancing, and provide proof of vaccination.
Approximately 80% of childhood learning is visual, and the impact of reduced vision on students cannot be understated. Children who are unable to see clearly often fall behind their peers educationally, socially, and sometimes even physically. By bringing screenings directly into the schools OLSHF is able to detect vision conditions, like amblyopia, early so that students have the best possible chance of reaching their fullest potential, and living their best lives.
About OLSHF
We are the Oregon Lions Sight &Hearing Foundation (OLSHF), serving communities statewide. We are driven by a promise made to American author and deaf blind activist Helen Keller. In 1925, at an International Lions Convention, she challenged Lions to focus on preventable sight and hearing issues as their primary mission. Since our formation in 1959, we have endeavored to uphold this promise by creating programs in response to the need for sight and hearing assistance. We have built upon the promise made to Helen Keller by creating a continuum of care for people who lack access to vision and hearing services.
In partnership with the Lions Clubs of Oregon and community organizations, we serve people through critical sight saving surgeries and treatments; manufacturing new eyeglasses; helping people who can’t afford eyeglasses and hearing aids, and creating the largest vision screening program in the US. Our statewide programs serve children to the elderly, giving them much needed access to optical and hearing services. In 2015, we launched the LEAP Optical Finishing Lab that allows OLSHF to manufacture high quality, low cost eyeglasses. Annually, over 2,000 Oregonians receive new eyeglasses built by our lab.
To donate to the School Vision Screening Program or learn more please visit www.olshf.org or www.facebook.com/olshf.
