Oak Ridge Lions Club get ready to screen students' eyes

Patti Cates
·2 min read

In 2023, the Oak Ridge Lions Club screened the eyes of 807 students in Oak Ridge, ranging from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. These included 724 in the Oak Ridge Schools and 83 students at St. Mary’s School.

The screenings are a service, supported by the Lions Pediatric Eye Center at Vanderbilt to detect possible vision problems among students.

Lions Club Members Ron Wilson and Gaylan Good screen a student’s eyes with a non-invasive camera. Students in the Oak Ridge Schools were screened after parents signed them up.
Lions Club Members Ron Wilson and Gaylan Good screen a student’s eyes with a non-invasive camera. Students in the Oak Ridge Schools were screened after parents signed them up.

“We were thrilled to screen the eyes of so many students,” said Bill Truex, coordinator of the Oak Ridge Lions screening project for 2023. “Parents signed up the students for our non-invasive screening. All the students had to do is sit still so we could take a digital reading of their eyes.”

The Oak Ridge Schools included the preschool, four elementary schools, and two middle schools. Students from kindergarten to eighth grade were screened at St. Mary’s.

“For the Oak Ridge district, we worked with Marcia Wade, the schools' health coordinator,” Truex said. “We appreciate how she worked with each school in setting up the times for us to come so interference in learning was at a minimum.”

Lions Club volunteers did screenings at the schools during the school day. The results were provided to parents, along with information on whether any followup with an eyecare professional was needed.

The club will be screening again in 2024 once the school system and the Oak Ridge Lions Club plan the schedule.

“We invite parents to approve the screening for their children,” Truex said.

In addition to eye screenings, the Oak Ridge Lions Club members recycle eyeglasses that are repurposed for those in need and provide several scholarships for Oak Ridge High School graduates.

Additional programs supported by the local Lions are Tennessee School For The Blind, the East Tennessee Eye Bank, and training of Leader Dogs of the Blind. Lions also support diabetes awareness and the fight against childhood cancer.

The Oak Ridge Lions Club meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. On the second week via Zoom and the fourth week at Shoney’s in Oak Ridge. For additional information, contact the club at 865-297-3251 or visit www.oakridgelions.org.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Oak Ridge Lions Club get ready to screen students' eyes