SIGHT & HEARING
Founded in 1955, the Maine Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation aims to educate Mainers on early detection of vision and hearing issues, support projects enhancing sight and hearing, and offer services and financial aid for sight and hearing preservation to those under its established income limit. It draws its members from Lions Clubs across Maine, providing varied assistance including financial and material support.
Eyeglass Recycling: How You Can Help
You can help a child read, an adult succeed in their job, a senior maintain independence, and provide your community with more opportunities to grow and thrive.
Every day, our recycled eyeglass program helps do all of this and more. Donate your unneeded, usable eyewear and help improve someone's life. It's easy!
Drop Your Eyeglasses in Lions Collection Boxes
You can drop off your usable eyewear in our collection boxes at the following locations:
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Cumberland Congregational Church
282 Main Street
Cumberland, Maine, 04021
North Yarmouth Congregational Church
3 Gray Road
North Yarmouth, ME 04097
Cumberland Town Office
290 Tuttle Road
Cumberland Center, ME 04021
North Yarmouth Town Office
10 Village Square Road
North Yarmouth, ME 04097
Prince Memorial Library
266 Main Street
Cumberland Center, ME 04021
Vision Screenings
More than 12 million school-age children in the United States have some form of vision problem, yet only one in three have received eye care services before age six. Many vision problems run the risk of becoming permanent if not corrected by age seven, when the eye reaches full maturity.
The Maine Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation (MLSHF) / Kid Sight USA Vision Screening Program provides early intervention in detecting eye disorders.
Lions Club members throughout Maine screen children’s eyes with a special hand-held device that will help detect the possible presence of six vision problems that can be effectively treated if caught early.
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These eye disorders include:
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nearsightedness
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far-sightedness
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astigmatism
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eye misalignment (strabismus)
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unequal refractive power (anisometropia)
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unequal pupil size (anisocoria)
Vision plays an important role in education. According to educational experts, 80 percent of learning is visual.
To schedule a free Vision Screening Event at your school, day care, preschool, or other facility, please contact us!
CNY Lions-Led Screenings
Mabel I Wilson School
Screenings Performed in Portland by Lions on Behalf of MLSHF
Deering High School
Casco Bay High School
East End Community School
Gerald E Talbot Elementary School
Amanda C Rowe Elementary School
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Facts About Diabetic Eye Disease
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Between 40 and 45 percent of Americans diagnosed with diabetes have some stage of diabetic retinopathy, although only about half are aware of it. According to the National Eye Institute, diabetic eye disease comprises a group of eye conditions affecting people with diabetes. These have the potential to cause severe vision loss and blindness, and include:
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diabetic retinopathy
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diabetic macular edema (swelling)
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cataract (clouding)
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glaucoma
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Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision loss among working-age adults. It often goes unnoticed until vision loss occurs.
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People with diabetes should get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year.
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Early detection, timely treatment, and appropriate follow-up care can protect against vision loss.
About the White Cane
In 1927, a Lion named George Bonham, of Peoria Illinois, created the White Cane.
The cane, with its red band at the bottom, has become a universally understood symbol indicating a person is blind or vision-impaired, and is a practical tool for sight-by-feel and sound by these individuals.
Today, White Cane Laws have been enacted in every state in the U.S., as well as many other countries. These laws provide the blind with legal status should they be involved in an accident, and requires drivers yield to people with white canes, even if not in a crosswalk.