Lion Len Minsky Assists in Sight Screening
By Shannen Hayes
Photos by Shannen Hayes
Special to the San-Cap Lions website
For the first time, the Sanibel Captiva Lions Club will offer a complimentary retinal screening from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday, February 27 at the Sanibel Recreation Center, 3880 Sanibel-Captiva Road. No appointment is necessary.
” We have been providing complimentary diabetes, vision and hearing screenings for many years, ” said Lion Kurt Peters, a retired physician who has been instrumental in organizing screenings. ” So, it’s exciting for us to offer a retinal screening, a value of $200 to the community.”
A high-resolution digital photograph is taken of the back interior portion of the eye called the retina and without dilating the pupil. The image provides invaluable baseline information to assist a doctor in determining if there have been any changes in eye health. Lions have partnered with an Orland-based ophthalmologist/retina specialist, and a Lion, to professionally read the retina camera screening results which are sent to those tested via U.S. Mail or email.
Diabetes Retinopathy is one of the leading causes of adult blindness in the country. The Lions program detects this disease as well as many cases of macular degeneration and other retinal disorders. Those who exhibit symptoms of retinal disease are encouraged to seek care from the ophthalmologic physician of their choice.
Sight is undoubtedly one of the Lion’s defining causes. The club continues to collect used eyeglasses as part of “Recycle for Sight” with several donation boxes located throughout Sanibel and Captiva. In January, the club collected 273 pairs for a total of 1, 622 pairs since June 2016. Lions typically perform 110 individual complimentary health screenings each year.
The next retinal screening will be from 1 to 4 p.m. March 3 at the Center 4 Life, 2401 Library Way. The final complimentary screening of the season will be March 29 at the Sanibel Recreation Center. For more information or to get involved, visit sanibelcaptivalions.org.