One in every four children suffers from a vision problem…

yet only 14 percent of children in the United States receive a comprehensive eye exam prior to entering the first grade. At highest risk is the two to five percent of pre-school children who have serious vision abnormalities or risk factors for amblyopia (more commonly called lazy eye) that can lead to vision loss or blindness if not detected and treated early.

Young children often struggle to explain what or how they see. If they have a vision problem, it can be even more difficult because they may not be able to distinguish individual leaves on trees or words on paper. A vision screening can identify issues when a child cannot recognize or describe a problem.

In 1925, Helen Keller

addressed the Lions at their international convention and urged them to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” Since then, Lions have become renowned worldwide for their efforts to improve sight, prevent blindness and other visual impairment, and improve eye health and eye care for millions of people around the world.

Iowa KidSight is a joint project of the Lions Clubs of Iowa and the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, dedicated to enhancing the early detection and treatment of vision impairments in young children (target population 6 months of age through kindergarten) in Iowa communities through screening and public education.

We screen for: amblyopia (lazy eye), nearsightedness, farsightedness, blurred vision, unequal reflective power, eye turns, and unequal pupil size.

Iowa KidSight screens with the iScreen Vision Camera, designed to work as easy with toddlers as with teenagers. iScreen Vision uses a patented process of image capture and pattern recognition analysis developed over a decade ago by iScreen Vision and its medical advisers in partnership with the U.S. Army Missile Command in Huntsville, AL. The process utilizes a sophisticated set of rapidly timed flashes at different angles to capture “red reflex” images of the eye, creating light patterns on the images that trained technicians can analyze to screen for potentially serious vision problems in young children.

Fort Dodge Noon Lions are currently providing FREE vision screening at preschools, daycare centers, elementary schools and Lions Club functions.
NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 situation, we are currently screening some children at locations in first grade as well with super results.

Iowa KidSight Parental Consent Form
Iowa El ChivoVisión Formulario de consentimiento de los padres

If your 6 month to kindergarten aged child is enrolled in or attends a Daycare, Pre-K, Transitional or Kindergarten School in the Fort Dodge, Webster County area, then you may see this document come home with them from the school.
Please fill out (CLEARLY) ALL information, especially your childs full name, birthdate and your name and signature on the form and return it with your child.
The Fort Dodge Noon Lions Club will then be coming to that facility to do the FREE vision screening for your child.

If the doctors in Iowa City determine your child to have potential eye issues, a letter will be returned to the parent with recommendations for your child. These recmmendations may be a referral to your local optometrist for further exam or to monitor your child for potential issues. Your child may be screened, by us, every year as they get older up to kindergarten age for your own personal peace of mind.

If your child is determined to need glasses after gettng the results from the doctor and you can not afford glasses for your child.

The Fort Dodge Noon Lions Club may be able to help with these costs.

So PLEASE!! DO NOT let financial situation dictate whether your child is able too see properly. Lions Clubs will look at each eyeglass assistance request on a case by case basis.