Lions Clubs held Vision Screenings on VGCC Main Campus

Five local Lions Clubs — from Oxford, Henderson, Creedmoor, Townsville, and Epsom — brought the “See the 21st Century” Vision Van to Vance-Granville Community College’s main campus on Nov. 15. Free vision screenings were offered to VGCC students, faculty and staff near the Civic Center that day. In addition to the vision screenings, staff from the Vance County office of the Granville-Vance Health Department provided free blood sugar screenings for VGCC students, faculty and staff on the same day.

The “See the 21st Century” Vision Van is a 40-foot-long mobile unit that travels across the state, conducting vision screenings under the sponsorship of the many Lions Clubs in North Carolina. According to Mike Howard of the North Carolina Lions Foundation, who is the state coordinator for the Vision Van, 69,268 North Carolinians have taken advantage of the free screening services provided by the van since 1999, in addition to 62,303 children who have been tested at school screenings. “This is one service project that enables Lions to live the Lions’ motto: We serve!” Howard said.

The primary purpose of the Vision Van is to identify those citizens who suffer from eye diseases or other ocular problems that may not have otherwise been found because of lack of proper medical treatment. A second purpose of the van is to educate people to the need for and the importance of regular eye exams. Screenings are conducted using state-of-the-art equipment to test visual acuity, field vision and eye pressure.

Above: The Vision Van was parked in front of the Civic Center on VGCC’s main campus. Inside the van, VGCC students, faculty and staff received free vision screenings. (VGCC photo)