Patch Blog: Women's Club Facilitates Prescshool Eye Screening

“Will it hurt?” asked five-year-old Jack, a student at the I assured him that it was painless, quick and fun. Each Spring, some of the La Canada Junior Women’s Club members, volunteer to help with the annual preschool eye screening program.

Jo-Lynn Battany is the chairperson for this needed service. I joined her recently to visit the La Canada Community Center Preschool. Seven La Canada Juniors were on hand to facilitate the eye screening. Adorable four and five-year olds lined up to take the two-minute exam. Each child received a coloring sheet and cheerful happy face sticker.

For over a decade, the has been voluntarily providing a much-needed service to our local children. Amblyopia, commonly referred to as Lazy Eye, is many times missed at early pediatrician visits.  By using a simple eye test, this program has been a very successful ‘first alert’ for children’s vision problems.  If caught early, certain problems can be corrected.

Many Junior members have had their own children screened in preschool and know firsthand how important early detection is. Battany notes, “Had some of these conditions gone undetected for a few more years, doctors say the damage could have been permanent.  In the 10 years I have been a member, we have caught many cases of vision problems that parents were unaware of.  Our program is very valuable.”

The volunteers tested over 200 children at four local preschools; La Canada Community Center, Parents and Children, St. George’s and Lighted Window.

The La Canada Junior Women’s Club is a nonprofit group dedicated to helping women and children in need, through Philanthropy and service projects.