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Naples Lions Club Fights Lazy Eye with Free Screenings, Eye Care

https://www.flickr.com/photos/schrierc/4816500325
Photo: Chris Schrier via Flickr Creative Commons

The Naples Lions Club is setting for itself an ambitious goal: eradicating lazy eye, or amblyopia, from kids across Collier County. To accomplish that goal, they're funding eye exams, glasses, surgeries and more for needy adults and children in Collier County.

The program is offering vision and hearing screenings for preschool children to detect lazy eye, as well as screening for needy adults to test for issues like glaucoma, cataracts and retinal disease. The Lion's Club says that more than 1,000 children have eye problems needing treatment, but fewer than 30 percent of those kids are getting screened.

Dr. Howard Freedman, treasurer with the Naples Lions Club, joins Gulf Coast Live to talk about the project, why the Lion's Club is focusing on eye issues, how residents can access the screenings, and the community partners making it possible.

Matthew Smith is a reporter and producer of WGCU’s Gulf Coast Live.
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