MOREE Lions Club will next month launch the Lions Eye Health Program in Moree schools, with an aim to reduce the incidence and impact of vision loss through education and awareness.

LEHP promotes eye examinations and conducts free children’s vision screenings for children aged three years and up in childcare centres, schools, sporting clubs or community groups.

Moree Lion Beth Hearn and fellow local club members visited Moree schools earlier this week to deliver eye-testing information.

“We visited all the schools on Monday and the response has been incredible,” Beth said.

Lions members will be trained to use a vision screening device that takes images of children’s eyes.

The screening incudes visual acuity, which tests how clearly a child can see at a distance, and colour vision, which uses a basic colour screening book or similar tools to check if children perceive colours normally.

Tests for depth perception to see how well the eyes work together and spot vision screening to detect potential issues are also conducted.

Potential issues include myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, anisometropia, strabismus and anisocoria.

A technical report can be downloaded from the vision screening device, which records information for doctors and optometrists.

Moree Lions’ members will train to use to device on April 20, with screenings rolled out across Moree schools from April 21.

“The result of the tests will be returned to the principal of each school to be forwarded to students’ parent to arrange a further consultation with an optometrist if required,” Beth said.

“We’ll do our first lot of student eye-testing on April 21-22-23. The four tests involved in the screening should only take about 10 minutes per student.”

The Lions Eye Health Program is a volunteer-driven initiative focused on increasing awareness of preventable vision loss and blindness, and works with schools, communities and health professionals to ensure children receive the best possible start in life through early detection and referral.

Parents seeking further information can contact Moree Lion Col Paton on 0417 465199 or fellow Lion Beth Hearn on 0427 824300.

“This is a great free service for our community, and it’s wonderful to have all Moree schools involved,” Beth said.