Mother praised early detection of problem
Ayasha McKinney of Destrehan thanked the Norco Lions Club for helping discover her daughter’s eye problem at a young age.
“I thought it was a great help, because as a parent, you don’t know if your child has eye problems,” McKinney said. “That was a great thing for me to determine that and get it corrected at an early age.”
A Lions Club-sponsored eye exam provided at New Sarpy Elementary, where her six-year-old daughter, Morgan, attends school, identified her as being nearsighted and needing glasses.
Based on the exam, Arolyn Honor, school nurse coordinator with St. Charles Parish Public Schools, advised McKinney to take Morgan to an optometrist.
McKinney said she did it and was told her diagnosis was correct.
Morgan wasn’t complaining or having problems at home or school, but McKinney said discovering this early avoided that from happening and she’s grateful for it.
“It was an eye opener because I did not know she had that problem,” McKinney said.
The Norco Lions Club, as well as the national and international organization, has long been dedicated to projects aimed at preventing blindness, restoring eyesight and improving eye health.
Norco President Ronald St. Pierre said they work through Honor, at parish public schools, who refers children who need help to the Lions Club.
“This one of the best services that we provide,” St. Pierre said. “We also collect eyeglasses so they can be refurbished and reused.”
The Lions Club has included vision care as one of its main projects for many years, he said of their group, as well as the international Lions Club.
The club got about 60 referrals from Honor last year, he said. The help focuses on students age 7 to 8.
St. Pierre said Honor has done “a terrific job” for many years with routing children to the club for help with vision care.
“They scan the kids with problems, talking to the doctor, and taking a picture of their eyes to determine their problems,” he said. “If there are problems, they refer them to the Lions Club for additional help.”
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