Lions perform free eye tests at school

Photo by Susan Holland Ken Swanson, of Bella Vista, past district Lions Club president, and Reta Wilkins, a member of the Gravette Lions Club and manager of Roberts-Philpott Eye Associates, waited in a classroom at Glenn Duffy Elementary School for kindergarten students to come in for eye testing. Swanson and Wilkins gave the tests as part of the Lions’ sight conservation program during Worldwide Week of Service in Sight, Oct. 4-10.
Photo by Susan Holland Ken Swanson, of Bella Vista, past district Lions Club president, and Reta Wilkins, a member of the Gravette Lions Club and manager of Roberts-Philpott Eye Associates, waited in a classroom at Glenn Duffy Elementary School for kindergarten students to come in for eye testing. Swanson and Wilkins gave the tests as part of the Lions’ sight conservation program during Worldwide Week of Service in Sight, Oct. 4-10.

GRAVETTE -- Free eye tests were given to 82 kindergarten students and 51 pre-kindergarten students at Glenn Duffy Elementary School recently, thanks to the work of area Lions Clubs.

Sight conservation has always been a prime focus of the Lions organization, and members of the Gravette Lions Club, assisted by Ken Swanson and Mary Patrick of the Bella Vista Lions Club, made the tests possible.

The tests were given during the Lions' Worldwide Week of Service in Sight, Oct. 4-10.

Swanson, a past district governor and guide for the Gravette club, and Reta Wilkins, a Gravette Lion and manager of Rogers-Philpott Eye Associates, administered the exams using state-of-the art eye-testing equipment costing thousands of dollars. Each child looks into the machine, in a partially darkened room, and it provides information indicating whether the child's eyesight is satisfactory or whether he needs to be referred for further testing. Parents are provided with reports regarding their child's results.

Of the 133 students tested earlier this month in Gravette, 11 were determined to have sight problems suggesting the need for additional examinations.

Jeff Davis, president of the Gravette Lions Club, and local Lions Bill Mattler and Susan Holland helped with the testing and recording of results.

Free eye exams and eyeglasses for those who need them are a service of the Gravette club. The club also collects eyeglasses for recycling.

Receptacles are located at Austin Drug, Teasley Drug, Arvest Bank, Bank of Gravett, Care and Share, Roberts-Philpott Eye Associates, Subway, the In Zone and the Gravette Public Library, where eyeglasses may be donated.

One hundred and seventy-four pairs of glasses were sent to the Lions' recycling center in Texas this spring, and an additional 104 pairs were sent more recently.

Community on 10/21/2015