Elgin Lions to offer hearing, vision screens at May 25 health fair
The Elgin Lions Club is pleased to announce that they have arranged for hearing and diabetic retinopathy screenings in the health fair scheduled for the Gail Borden Library on Wednesday, May 25. These services are free to the public. The screenings are conducted by mobile units of the Lions of Illinois Foundation and are free to the public.
The Mobile Hearing Screening Unit is one the most visible services of the Lions of Illinois Foundation. This "hearing exam on wheels' is often seen at health fairs, schools, and even the Illinois State Fair. The Mobile Hearing Screening Unit is hosted by Local Lions/Lioness Clubs to provide hearing screenings throughout Illinois.
In conjunction with Illinois Retina Associates, the Lions of Illinois Foundation provides a Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Program. This program is designed to screen people who are in high-risk categories for Diabetic Retinopathy, which is a major cause of blindness especially for diabetics.
Screenings are free and made possible through the use of a mobile unit which travels throughout Illinois. The mobile unit carries a non-mydriatic camera with digital imaging capability which photographs the retina. These digital images (computer photos) of the retina are reviewed by professional staff at Illinois Retina Associates. Those found to exhibit symptoms of these retinal diseases after screening are encouraged to seek the ophthalmologic assistance of their choice.
The Elgin Lions Club will celebrate the 90th anniversary of its founding this fall. Throughout its existence, it has been mainly concerned with helping members of our community in many ways and fulfilling a charge by Helen Keller to be "Knights of the Blind ."
Anyone wishing to share this mission should contact club president Ed Bates at batesed@cod.edu or drop him a note at P.O. Box 276, Elgin, IL 60121.