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Thursday, December 13, 2007

Boys & Girls Club sets sights on good vision for its kids



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Chyanne VanAllen, 7, of Roseburg undergoes an eye exam administered by Dr. Scott Stanley at the Boys & Girls Club of the Umpqua Valley in Roseburg Wednesday.
Chyanne VanAllen, 7, of Roseburg undergoes an eye exam administered by Dr. Scott Stanley at the Boys & Girls Club of the Umpqua Valley in Roseburg Wednesday.
JON AUSTRIA / N-R staff photo
From left, Tanner Cook, 10, and Ben Droscher, 8, read an eye chart during a free eye screening at the Boys & Girls Club of the Umpqua Valley.
From left, Tanner Cook, 10, and Ben Droscher, 8, read an eye chart during a free eye screening at the Boys & Girls Club of the Umpqua Valley.
JON AUSTRIA/ N-R staff photo

‘That was scary,’ said Zoey Voigt, 7, as she reacts to a stereo test given by volunteer Mark Wilson. Voigt used a pair of 3-D glasses and was asked to pinch the wing of a fly during the eye exam.
‘That was scary,’ said Zoey Voigt, 7, as she reacts to a stereo test given by volunteer Mark Wilson. Voigt used a pair of 3-D glasses and was asked to pinch the wing of a fly during the eye exam.
JON AUSTRIA/ N-R staff photo

His eye examination was routine, but, still, Bowin Rondeau, 10, was fearful.

“No laser eye surgery, is it?” he asked as Dr. Scott Stanley brought out his retina scope, a small handheld gadget with a light that checks for myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism.

“No — it’s a flashlight. How long have you had glasses?” the doctor asked.

“Is that ‘Cars’?” Bowin asked, distracted by the movie playing at the back of the room that Stanley brought to keep the kids’ attention.

“I think you need a new pair of eyeglasses,” Stanley said.

“Really?” Bowin’s lenses were about a year old.

“Yeah, especially one without tape on them.”

The first three Wednesdays in December are eye exam day at the Boys & Girls Club of the Umpqua Valley in Roseburg. With more than 300 children coming through the door, Stanley hopes to screen 100 kids each week. The doctor donated his time because as a kid in Albany, he himself spent a lot of time at the Boys & Girls Club.

“If you catch kids that need glasses ... it makes a big difference,” said Stanley, a Roseburg optometrist. “The statistics are one in four kids have a vision problem.”

All 100 kids each day get screened for color blindness, depth perception and focusing before they’re directed over to the standard eye chart.

“P-E-L-O-B-Z-D?” recited Brian Stanley, as he leaned over the line he was asked to stand behind.

“You’re eyes are just fine, bud,” said volunteer Andrew Besson.

About one-third of the kids are directed to Dr. Stanley for a closer look. About one-fifth of the group will be referred on to optometrists.

If the kids’ parents have no insurance and their family falls within 200 percent of the poverty line, the Boys & Girls Club signs them up with Sight for Students, where they can get a thorough examination and a free pair of eyeglasses.

“They don’t have to be a member of the Boys & Girls Club,” said Melanie Clendenin, the club program director. “They just have to be under 18.”

The Sight for Students program is sponsored by Vision Service Plan, a popular insurance package, and it is accepted by four eye doctors in town, including Stanley at New Visions Eye Care.

Maggie Halpern, an AmeriCorps volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club, said that last Wednesday a girl was screened and found to need glasses. Her prescription was filled by Friday.

“Her parents were really on the ball,” Halpern said.



• You can reach reporter Chris Gray at 957-4218 or by e-mail at cgray@newsreview.info


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