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Lions show
the way
Millions of blind or visually
impaired are helped
by the clubsBy Pat Gee
Lions on Parade
Star-BulletinAs a preschooler, Cami Tanouye used to lie close to the TV set to watch her favorite shows.
Her parents didn't realize it was because she couldn't see well.
Two years ago, a free eye test sponsored by the Hilo Lions Club revealed she was far-sighted.
Her mom, Audrey, said "We are so thankful that we were made aware of this before she started kindergarten."
Now a happy first-grade graduate who loves to read, Cami is one of the millions of blind or visually impaired people worldwide helped by the Lions.
The civic association has a long-standing service commitment to help the blind and visually impaired.
"I've read stories of children who have fallen behind in school because no one realized that they couldn't see until it was a little too late. It definitely affects their achievement in school, which in turn affects their self-esteem and their drive to learn," Tanouye said.
"Every day, Cami is eager to complete her reading assignment. She often comes home and says, 'Mommy, I'm the only one who could read the big words!' "
Lions Club members first began screening children 3 and 4 years of age in 1994, specifically for amblyopia, also known as "lazy eye," which could lead to blindness if left untreated, according to the club's public relations officer Clifford Wakatake.
In fiscal year 1998-99, 3,155 preschoolers were given vision tests and 2 percent, or 63, were referred for further testing by an eye doctor, he said.
Shining a light
into their worldAn eye bank gains needed space
Star-Bulletin staffTen years ago Hawaii could barely find enough local residents to donate corneas for transplants. Only 25 were donated each year, when 120 corneas were needed to help people with vision problems.
The picture is far brighter now.
"We procure and distribute about 170 corneas a year in Hawaii now. The difference is huge. We really have grown," said Fred Safi, executive director of Hawaii Lions Bank and Makana Foundation.
The eye bank's success is the reason that the nonprofit organization is moving to bigger quarters in the Queen's Physicians Office Building II at 1329 Lusitana St. The basement office opens with a dedication ceremony today. The space, donated by Queen's Medical Center, is about 900 square feet -- nearly six times the size of the old facility at Straub Clinic and Hospital.
"It's really been through education, more public awareness in the community, that we've grown so much," Safi said. "Now we have more corneas than we can use in Hawaii, so we export some to other places to help them."
Every year, between 120 and 150 corneas are needed for transplants in Hawaii, Safi said. The extras are exported to South and Central America, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. Safi said the Hawaii eye bank makes no profit from the exports, and even pays for shipping to disadvantaged areas that cannot afford the freight.
The increase in cornea donations is also a result of successful partnership with the Organ Donor Center of Hawaii, Safi said. The center approaches families of deceased people and asks for organ and eye donations.
The eye bank also processes the sclera, the white outer covering of the eye, which is used for reconstructive and glaucoma surgeries. Safi said there are about 50 to 60 sclera transplants in Hawaii a year.
