Vision testing for pre-school children slated

“I distinctly remember seeing things I’d never seen before,” Ken Hayes said, recalling getting glasses when he was 6 years old.

Remembering that he wasfailing first grade because he was “blind as a bat,” Hayes, the president of the Pea Ridge Lions Club and superintendent of the Pea Ridge Water/Wastewater Department, is passionate about helping children see more clearly.

“What I remember more thananything is being in the back yard, picking up a leaf and seeing it had veins,” Hayes said.

Detecting - and treating - vision problems in children before they enter school will help them learn once they enter school, Hayes said. He, and members of the Pea Ridge LionsClub, have organized a vision screening for pre-school age children in Pea Ridge.

The vision screening for 2- to 5-year-old children is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, in the fellowship hall of First Baptist Church, Slack Street.

Members of the Bentonville andBella Vista clubs who are authorized to operate a PediaVision Assessment Solution, will be on hand to screen children’s sight.

The test is simple, non-invasive and takes just a few minutes. The results are given to the children’s parents. There is no pre-requisite for being screened.