Madison Area Family Lions Club honor club members for heroic acts for eye screening

MADISON – Helpful outreach to local youth by Madison Area Family Lions Club earned recognition from fellow members.

The club’s prestigious honor, Eye Screening Hero Award, recognizes members who have conducted eye screening events that help children in the greater Madsion area as part of the club’s “Vision for Learning” program, Lion Vice President Tony Villamil said.

“We were able to recognize Heri Rodriguez, who joined the club in June 2024, for receiving his f Hero Award by conducting 157 eye screenings for children,” Villamil said. Another award-winner, John Nerger, a member since October 2024, has screened 114 children at various day cares and preschools.

“The club recognized Ernie Rodriguez, our youngest member who also joined in October 2024, for screening 113 children,” Villamil said. Villamil told Lion Ernie Rodriguez during the Kid-Towne West Madison Pre-School screening, “You’ll have enough screenings to receive an Eye Screening Hero.” Rodriguez smiled and replied, “I’m not doing it to get an award. I just love doing this!’” In 2024, Madison Lions expanded Vision for Learning to include improvements for students:

• Conducting eye screenings in schools and day cares.

• Providing eye exams and eyeglasses to children whose families cannot afford these needs.

• Donating funds and supplies to local school nurses.

“Club members have provided eye screening to over 1,100 children and provided an eye exam and eyeglasses to 16 children since starting Vision for Learning in 2021,” Villamil said.

To receive the Eye Screening Hero Award, members must actively participate in the club’s scheduled vision screenings. A member can earn the Bronze Award after screening 100 children, the Silver Award after screening 300 children, and the Gold Award after screening 500 children.

Currently, 15 club members have earned the Bronze Eye Screening Hero Award, two members advanced to the Silver Award, and one exceptional member has achieved the prestigious Gold Award.

According to Lions Kid-Sight USA, education and vision experts say 80 percent of learning is visual with 40 percent of the brain devoted to the visual function. Many young children do not get a vision screening until after age 5 when problems in class are identified.

“Waiting until a child is 5 years of age or older for their first eye screening is unacceptable and an area we want to change,” Villamil said. Eye screening children in pre-kindergarten and pre-school helps identify amblyopia and other refractive problems. Children need treatment early for amblyopia because these conditions could become permanent by age 7.

Club members use the Welch-Allyn Eye screening machine to conduct eye screening. The machine projects a harmless, low energy infrared light into the eye and measures the light reflected to the device.

Day care and pre-school owners can contact Madison Lions Club for eye screening. “We conduct these events free of charge. Proper vision is critical to learning and is one of the easiest things to correct in most cases,” Villamil said.

Club members have partnered with several optometrists. Dr. Micheal St. Peter with Madison Eye Care Center, Dr. Steve Sullins with Sullins Eye Care Center and employees at America’s Best Eyeglasses and Contacts have helped.

To sponsor a child with an eye exam and eyeglasses, individuals can mail $50 to Madison Area Family Lions, P.O. Box 25, Madison AL 35758, or Venmo donations to maflc@_al. All donations are tax-deductible.

For more information, email madisonlionsclub@ gmail.com or visit Facebook.