The Unifour Childrens Sight (and Senior Sight/Family Sight) program was made possible by Lions Clubs and individuals from throughout the Unifour region of Western North Carolina (Catawba, Alexander, Burke, and Caldwell counties) and many sponsors from community businesses and service organizations. These financial contributions enabled the purchase of a new vision van and the necessary equipment to provide free vision screenings for children of the area. This program, which will kick-off during the third quarter of 2022, is consistent with the goals and objectives of NC Lions Inc.’s KidSight USA Program. The Senior Sight and Family Sight components of the program are described below
The first of the three program components focuses on ages 6 months through high school age (17/18). Specifically: (1) children from 6 months through 6 years in age. Often young children do not receive an eye exam or screening by the time they start school, and they and their parents do not realize that they have a visual impairment that might affect their learning; (2) school children through elementary school age. The Childrens Sight program provides an opportunity to identify possible vision problems not apparent in the school’s screening process and to aid parents who may need optometric or ophthalmic financial help; (3) middle and high school ages who are experiencing learning or outside activities challenges that may be due to unidentified vision issues.
The second program component will be the Senior Sight program which will aim to help senior citizens, particularly those in assisted living or nursing facilities, with visual acuity and glaucoma screenings and appropriate follow-up with eyecare professionals. The timing of this program has not been established, as it depends on availability of funds for the additional adult-specific equipment, progress and workload of the Childrens Sight program, and availability of volunteer Lions.
The third program component will be the Family Sight program which aims to include all family members, with a focus on providing vision screening tailored to the person’s age and to provide glasses for those with limited means. The desired outcome is for entire families to learn and be productive members of their communities without visual impediments. The timing to implement this program has not been established.