NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Volunteers with the Downtown Nashville LIONS Club are performing free eye screenings at local daycare centers to catch vision issues early.
At the McNeilly Center for Children, 4-year-old Amariyah Smith, Ayva Battle and Armani Dunn got their eyes checked.
The free eye screenings are performed by volunteers like Mark Mattson, the club's President.
Through the TN Lions KidSight Outreach program, they go to daycare centers, preschools and mother's day out programs. Then, their findings are sent to the Vanderbilt Eye Institute at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
“It’s really rewarding when we screen kids that we actually refer," Mattson said, "We’re trying to catch eye problems early in their lives when they can be corrected before it becomes a more permanent problem.”
Amariyah Smith said it was a break from learning about dinosaurs.
"I liked my eye check… and I like getting my nails done," Smith said.
McNeilly Center's Natalie Jackson said it's important to identify eye issues before kindergarten.
“When a child is not able to see clearly it causes frustration with them because they want to see, they want to learn, and they want to do the right thing,” Jackson said, “Not being able to hear, not being able to see, can cause difficulties with them and their interactions, and their learning capabilities," Jackson said.
Mattson said they’re currently able to expand to additional daycare centers too.
"They can see better, read better, and we even have statistics that they end up writing better as well," Mattson said.
"Oftentimes our families don’t have insurance, or they make too much money to qualify for TennCare, and it’s always good to have partnerships with people in the community to assist those families that do have needs," Jackson said.
The club also provides eyeglasses to low-income individuals. In addition, they collect used glasses to send on mission trips. They can be contacted online.
