Lions club to offer vision screenings
One of my favorite things to do (besides eating) is reading. Eyesight is a precious gift that those with 20/20 vision take for granted. Now that I have to hunt for one of my five or six "Walgreen specials" before I can read a phone number or see if the tiny print on the side of the cake box says one-fourth or one-third, I begin to appreciate how valuable my good eyesight was.
There is an organization in our community whose mission is to provide free health checkups so that problems involving sight or hearing can be detected early. That organization is the Dundee Township Lions Club.
Last year around this time with the help of George and Stella Koulis, owners of The Manor restaurant in East Dundee, the club took aim at these problems. They sponsored the Lions Mobile Services unit providing free hearing screenings for adults and for youngsters, age 10-17, with parental consent.
This year, the Lions are focusing their efforts on diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of new blindness in adults today. Without a doubt early detection greatly enhances the visual prognosis and outcome for all patients with diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases.
This program provides communities throughout the state with a method for early detection of retinal diseases, including macular degeneration.
If you notice any of these symptoms, you should contact your eye care professional as soon as possible: blurring vision, distorted vision, double vision or darkened or reduced vision. Any one of these symptoms can be an indication of diabetic retinopathy or one of the complications from it.
The Lions of Illinois Foundation, along with the Illinois Retina Associates S.C. in conjunction with the Dundee Township Lions Club, is providing an free screening to anyone who has diabetes, a family history of diabetes, or is 55 years old and older and would like to have a picture taken of their eyes to check for this problem.
The screening will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 5 at the West Dundee Fire Station, at Route 72 and Carrington Drive, just west of Sleepy Hollow Road.
The foundation will take photographs, which will be forwarded to Illinois Retina Associates S.C. where they will be reviewed by a retinal specialist.
The person who has had the screening test done receive a copy of the results. For details, call Lion Phyllis Connelly at (847) 515-8743.
Barbecue dinner: The Dundee Township Lions Club and its 37 members are busy doing good deeds throughout the year. From sponsoring the Christmas tree contest in Grafelman Park during Dickens in Dundee Days to the middle school basketball contests, it has found creative ways to help schools raise funds. The Lions also collect used eyeglasses, hearing aids and cell phones to distribute to needy people.
Even though the club shows a definite concern for our hearing and vision, once a year it does provide a temptation to expand our waistline when it hosts its 12th annual fundraiser -- a Faye's pork chop barbecue dinner. The dinner will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 18 at Max Freeman Park in East Dundee. The cost per dinner is only $9 if you buy your tickets in advance or $10 if you buy them at the park.
If you are not a picnic type of person, carryout orders are available. You can buy your tickets from Lions Club members. To find the nearest Lion, call (847) 515-8743.