Sight & Hearing

Fall 1997

SHA, Vision World partner to give kids free eye care
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The Sight & Hearing Association has teamed up with Vision World to offer disadvantaged students in SHA's preschool screening program free eye exams and corrective lenses.

Each year, SHA screens approximately 3,660 students in five metro area Head Start programs, a federally funded child development program for preschoolers from low-income families. A pilot version of the SHA/Vision World partnership was launched this fall in Anoka/Washington and Wright County Head Start programs to ensure that students who have potential vision problems will receive appropriate care.

Last year, 10 percent of Head Start students were referred to a medical professional for vision concerns; 13 percent were referred for hearing concerns. Eventually, the Vision World partnership may be offered to all five Head Start programs where SHA screens, including Ramsey, Hennepin and Lakes and Pines counties.

If a student is referred by an SHA screener for follow-up, his/her parents will be given a voucher for a free eye exam and eyeglasses.

"This helps us finally complete the circle," explained Sue Veys, SHA's director of preschool screening. "Now, when we detect a problem, we can feel secure that these kids are getting the help they need even if their parents can't afford it."

Headquartered in Minnesota, Vision World was founded in 1977 and has 37 store locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Iowa; 21 stores are in the Twin Cities metro area.

According to Vice President Susan Peterson, Vision World was looking for a way to give back to the community and help those in need. SHA's linkage with the Head Start programs provided that perfect partnership.

"Obviously, in our industry, we are committed to vision programs," she said. "We were impressedwith Sight & Hearing's preschool screening program. We have worked with the Lions in the schools for years, but it is exciting to see SHA doing vision work with preschoolers. There is an identifiable need there and we are thrilled to be able to help needy families. It really is a perfect partnership."

In the News: President Clinton gets hearing aids

President Clinton, 51, was fitted with hearing aids this October - news that, according to his doctor, is attributable not only to age, but also to many hours of band practice during his youth.

Typically, hearing begins to deteriorate after age 65. However, the incidence of premature hearing loss - or hearing loss before age 60 - is continuing to grow because of one culprit: noise. More than 10 million Americans like Clinton have a hearing loss because of everyday noise-related activities, such as attending concerts, working with power tools or wearing a stereo headset. However, the good news is noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is nearly 100 percent preventable. That's a message the Sight & Hearing Association promotes through such programs as Know Noise¨. An elementary school-based program, Know Noise teaches children the importance of protecting their hearing - before it's too late. Recent studies in a California school district show a growing number of 20-year-olds have the hearing of 60-year-olds, and are dealing with the same problems Clinton is now facing. Dr. James Suen, Clinton's hearing specialist, said in an Oct. 4, 1997, Star Tribune article that the president suffers from a high-frequency hearing loss. This means he has a difficult time distinguishing certain consonant sounds within words, such as the letters s, f and th. Clinton will wear the hearing aids on select occasions, particularly in gatherings where there is background noise. He officially joins more than 28 million other Americans who have a hearing loss.

Know what's under the hood

David Lundgren of Blaine, Minn., will never forget the time he witnessed a car battery explode directly in front of his eyes - even though it was 25 years ago. It all happened because he didn't know how to properly jump-start a vehicle. Lundgren was lucky; he wasn't injured. However, nearly 6,000 motorists each year suffer serious eye injuries or even blindness from working around batteries. In an effort to prevent such injuries this winter, the Sight & Hearing Association is reminding motorists to follow proper jump-starting procedures. To help make this important task easier, free jump-start safety stickers are available from the Sight & Hearing Association. These fluorescent self-stick guides - perfect for placement underneath the hood of a vehicle - provide do's and don'ts for a proper jump-start as well as a diagram showing the proper placement of jumper cables. It's a lesson Lundgren, now 82, admits all Minnesotans should know. "I didn't realize how dangerous it was," he said. "A neighbor and I didn't put the negative cable on the frame of the car [to ground it]. It blew the top of the battery right off." Whether dead or not, the batteries can release an explosive hydrogen gas; all it takes is a small spark to ignite the gas and cause an explosion. "Most injuries," said Dr. Charles Barer, an ophthalmologist with Eye Physicians & Surgeons and vice president of SHA's board of directors, "are burns to the cornea of the eye caused by battery acid, or cuts to the eye caused by flying battery fragments."

For a free jump-start safety sticker, send a self-addressed, stamped business envelope to Jump-Start, c/o Sight & Hearing Association, 674 Transfer Road, St. Paul, MN 55114-1402.