Three-thousand, one hundred and twenty.
That's about how many blue, gray, brown, hazel or green eyes have remained wide open as members of the Auburn Lions Club snapped a few quick photographs.
For more than two years, the Lions have used a portable, battery-operated camera known as a PhotoScreener to help detect the possibility of vision problems in young children.
“It's a way of going into the schools and screening kids for eye problems that may have gone undetected because maybe they haven't been taken to the doctor,” said Auburn Lions President Steven Chermak.
After the photos are taken, ophthalmologist Dr. Peter Doane interprets them and makes a judgment about whether or not there may be a potential problem, such as myopia, strabismus, crossed eyes or astigmatism.
Roughly 8 to 10 percent of those who have been screened have shown signs of vision disorders, and the schools then inform the parents that the screenings have come back abnormal.
It is up the parent what action is taken next.
Many decide it's time for a visit to the eye doctor.
“They could now see things they couldn't before,” Chermak said of those who have subsequently gone for a more formal testing and have been fitted for glasses.
Over the past few years, the Lions have screened preschoolers at a variety of schools and programs in Cayuga County, targeting those age 6 and younger.
Their most recent visit was to the St. Peter and Paul School in Auburn, and they'll be taking the PhotoScreener to the First Presbyterian Church in Weedsport next.
The program began when past District Governor Frank Muccini introduced the PhotoScreener to the Auburn chapter. The local Lions now share five cameras with their regional district and take the Polaroid photos free of charge.
Chermak said that the screenings tie in well with the mission of Lions Clubs everywhere.
During the organization's 1925 international convention, Helen Keller challenged members to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness,” and the Lions have since headed up various sight conservation programs.
The children react in different ways to being photographed, Chermak said, noting that some are reluctant but that others want their picture taken again and again.
It's important to catch these visual problems early, when some can be treated more easily, he added.
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
For more than two years, the Lions have used a portable, battery-operated camera known as a PhotoScreener to help detect the possibility of vision problems in young children.
“It's a way of going into the schools and screening kids for eye problems that may have gone undetected because maybe they haven't been taken to the doctor,” said Auburn Lions President Steven Chermak.
After the photos are taken, ophthalmologist Dr. Peter Doane interprets them and makes a judgment about whether or not there may be a potential problem, such as myopia, strabismus, crossed eyes or astigmatism.
Roughly 8 to 10 percent of those who have been screened have shown signs of vision disorders, and the schools then inform the parents that the screenings have come back abnormal.
It is up the parent what action is taken next.
Many decide it's time for a visit to the eye doctor.
“They could now see things they couldn't before,” Chermak said of those who have subsequently gone for a more formal testing and have been fitted for glasses.
Over the past few years, the Lions have screened preschoolers at a variety of schools and programs in Cayuga County, targeting those age 6 and younger.
Their most recent visit was to the St. Peter and Paul School in Auburn, and they'll be taking the PhotoScreener to the First Presbyterian Church in Weedsport next.
The program began when past District Governor Frank Muccini introduced the PhotoScreener to the Auburn chapter. The local Lions now share five cameras with their regional district and take the Polaroid photos free of charge.
Chermak said that the screenings tie in well with the mission of Lions Clubs everywhere.
During the organization's 1925 international convention, Helen Keller challenged members to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness,” and the Lions have since headed up various sight conservation programs.
The children react in different ways to being photographed, Chermak said, noting that some are reluctant but that others want their picture taken again and again.
It's important to catch these visual problems early, when some can be treated more easily, he added.
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
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