Who are the Lions ?
Founded in 1917 by Melvin Jones in Chicago, Lions International has grown into the largest voluntary services organisation in the world, with nearly 1.4 million members in over 200 countries, organised into more than 49,000 Lions Clubs.
In the UK (England, Wales, Scotland), we are organised as Multiple District 105, comprising eight districts with around 9,300 members. Our service programmes include sight conservation, hearing and speech conservation, diabetes awareness, youth outreach, international relations, environmental issues, and many other initiatives.
Since Helen Keller, a blind and deaf American author and activist, challenged us to be “The Knights of the Blind” in 1925, we have been involved in numerous vision-related projects, including eye camps, cataract surgeries, used spectacle collections, diabetes prevention, and other sight-loss prevention initiatives.
Lions Child vision screenings have been pioneered by Lions KidSight USA as a nationwide project over the last decade. Lions Child Sight UK is now launched in the UK and will bring these valuable vision screening opportunities to the children of the UK over the coming years.
Lions Child Sight UK
The Lions Child Sight UK project is based on the highly successful Lions KidSight USA project, which has brought screenings to millions of American children in the last decade. The project has even been credited with saving the life of one young lady who was “referred” by a vision screening camera. After being referred to an ophthalmologist she was eventually diagnosed with an eye tumour (which is very rare). Prompt attention in this case saved the little girl’s life!
The mission of the project initially is to screen the eyes of 5- to 7-year-olds in UK schools, which is the best time to discover undiagnosed eye issues. Some of the conditions detected by the special screening cameras include lazy eye (amblyopia) – a condition with is best treated at an early age (up to the age of 7 or 8) as the outcomes are better if it is caught early.
The teams of British Isles Lions are volunteers who have been trained in the use of the special camera – in this case the Plusoptix. Every Lion participating in the project has been enhanced DBS cleared and will be part of a team of typically five people, with two cameras. The team will all be trained to use the cameras and complete the paperwork for each child.
Sight problems are a significant factor in under-achievement in schools and affects the education of a large number of children. These problems can usually be treated and sometimes cured completely if they are caught early enough.
Plusoptix Vision Screening Camera
Using the Plusoptix vision screening camera, we will be able to screen children in schools across the country in order to detect certain eye conditions.
It is able to detect the most prevalent vision disorders in children. The earlier a vision disorder is detected the better it can be treated, and Amblyopia (a lazy eye), can be prevented if caught early enough.
The screenings will begin with a consent form to be sent home with the child from their school.
The test is performed by the child sitting at 1.0 metres in front of the camera and the test takes just a few seconds. The camera will then produce a simple “pass” or “refer” result. This will be recorded on the paperwork and sent back home with the child afterwards.
For further information please email our headquarters in Birmingham or contact your local Lions Club.