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photo by Katie Cole
Testing her vision: Tamyya Samuels has her vision tested by Lions Club member Tim Kennedy at Stephens Elementary School Tuesday morning.
Local students receive free vision screenings
Published Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The Alexander City Lions Club is helping local students see a little better by providing free vision screenings this week.
“We usually check one grade per school,” member David Booth said. “Within a two year period we hit every student.”
Lions Club members and representatives from Alabama Line of Sight in Birmingham are visiting every city and county school this week to test students with the help of the Men and Women of Benjamin Russell High School. Students in each grade must read through a series of different sized letters through equipment supplied by the vision center.
“We turn all the paperwork in to the school nurse and the school contacts the parents,” Booth said.
Saturday morning, 71 of the 194 students failed the vision exam, an above average number. Identifying vision problems early is important to a child’s performance in the classroom, according to J.C. Elsberry of Alabama Line of Sight.
“Kids that can’t see can’t pass,” Elsberry said. “It’s very important for their education.”
The school identifies parents of children who fail the eyesight exam so the students can be further tested by a professional.
“This just screens the whole grade so you can catch eye problems ahead of time,” Stephens Elementary School nurse Joanna Lewis said. “It’s such a wonderful, free service they do.”
Teachers often catch vision problems when a child begins complaining of headaches or eye strain or asks to be moved to the front of the class, Lewis said, but sometimes poor eyesight goes unnoticed by parents or the school for a long time, which is why the screenings are important.
“It does a baseline screening to see if they pick up any vision problems,” Lewis said.
It can also catch worsening vision for students who already wear glasses, like fourth grader Shannah McCloud.
“It was hard,” McCloud said. “I think I’m going to have to get something (stronger).”
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