VISION SAVERS

ANKENY LIONS CLUB
COMING TO YOUR SENSES PROJECT


In the picture is Brooke Horton who attends the Ankeny Empowerment Preschool in Ankeny. The person behind the photo scanner is Lion Denny Rector. On April 18, 2007 – Brooke was the 1000th child whose eyes were screened by the Ankeny Lions Club for this year.

Coming To Your Senses is a vision-screening project where Lions Club volunteers throughout Iowa organize and conduct vision-screening sessions in local communities. Trained staff in the UIHC Dept of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences interprets the results, and the results are returned to the parents. This program is open to children from the age of six months to 48 months.

The reason for doing the screening this young is because this is the critical years of development of a child. A child may have a vision problem such as, misaligned eyes, cataracts, and problems that need the correction of with eyeglasses. Since we can’t always see this problem, a child will assume this is normal vision. The Lions Club will go to Day Cares and Preschools to do these screening.

The screening is as simple as having your picture taken. A special camera is used called a MTI Photo screener, which takes special Polaroid pictures of the child’s eyes to detect eye problems. This is done because a child may be to young to communicate a vision problem or even know of a vision problem.

If you are interested in learning more about this program or having your child’s eyes screened and they attend a Day Care or Preschool have them call 319 353 7616. The program will contact your local Lions Club. Or you can send an email to CTYS@uiowa.edu.