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Eye Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy

eye graphic

Wednesday, March 21
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Lions Club Bus, East of the Spencer Student Recreation Center

Have Your Eye Photographed

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of new blindness in adults in the United States today. Early detection is a major factor in the prevention of visual loss. A screening may determine whether you have a retinal problem associated with macular degeneration.

All services are FREE of charge!

Sponsored by the Employee Wellness Committee in conjunction with the Lions of Illinois Foundation and the Illinois Retina Associates, S.C.

Questions? Call Human Resources, Sherman Hall 105, (309) 298-1971, or the Campus Recreation Office, Spencer Student Recreation Center, (309) 298-1670.

Official Press Release

MACOMB, IL – Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-age Americans. To help with early detection of this disease, the Western Illinois University Employee Wellness committee and program—known as Western Well—and the Macomb Lions, in conjunction with the Lions of Illinois Foundation and WIU Campus Recreation, are sponsoring free diabetic retinopathy eye screenings for the general public Wednesday, March 21. The diabetic retinopathy eye screenings will be available from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on the Lions Club Bus, which will be parked east of the Donald S. Student Spencer Student Recreation Center on the WIU-Macomb campus (south of Western Hall).

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine's Pub Med Heath, people with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are at risk for diabetic retinopathy. Jack Schoonover, a member of the Macomb Lions and director of residential administration in Western's University Housing and Dining Services, said the Lions Club Bus was just delivered in Illinois, and the March 21 eye screening clinic at WIU will be one of the first places it will be used. He also noted that early detection of diabetic retinopathy is a major factor in the prevention of visual loss, and a screening may determine whether an individual has a retinal problem associated with macular degeneration.

"One of the primary goals of the Lions International, which includes the Macomb Lions, is to prevent blindness when possible and help those who are sight impaired. This has been the cause for the Lions since 1925, when Helen Keller addressed the Lions and challenged them to become 'Knights of the Blind in the Crusade Against Blindness.' Today , with nearly 600 Clubs in Illinois, we continue to try to meet that challenge ," Schoonover said.

According to the Lions of Illinois Foundation website, the program is designed to screen people who are in high-risk categories for diabetic retinopathy. Screenings are free and made possible through the use of a mobile unit that travels throughout the state. The mobile unit carries a non-mydriatic camera with digital imaging capability, which photographs the retina. The website notes that the digital images of the retina are reviewed by professional staff at Illinois Retina Associates, and those who are screened and found to exhibit symptoms of these retinal diseases are encouraged to seek the ophthalmologic assistance of their choice.

According to Judy Yeast, chair of Western Well and associate director of Campus Recreation, the free diabetic retinopathy eye screening service will be available during the entirety of the Western Well Health Fair March 21, which will be going on from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Spencer Student Recreation Center for WIU employees. During the Health Fair, free screenings for body composition and blood pressure will also be available to WIU employees, including student employees.

For more information, contact Sharon Chenoweth in WIU Human Resources at (309) 298-1971 or Yeast at (309) 298-1670.

Learn more about Western Well at www.wiu.edu/wellness/. Learn more about the Lions of Illinois Foundation at www.lionsofillinoisfoundation.org.