The MTI PhotoScreener camera was purchased on January 19, 1999.  A June 1997 price list shows this cost to have been $2999.00 the price today is $5,999.00

The Alamogordo Breakfast Lions Club accepted the responsibility of promoting and implementing the “Operation KidSight” Program in October of 2002.  “Operation KidSight” is a Lions Clubs International Sight First supported program and is budgeted as a separate entity within the Breakfast Lions club.  Its operation is supported by funds from Breakfast Lions fundraisers, donations and grants specifically for the program. 

The film that was originally used in the MTI PhotoScreener camera was discontinued in 2002 and the camera had to be re fitted to take another type of film more widely used.  This retrofit cost $550.00.  Due to the film cost and availability, we do not take more than three photos of a child.

In the spring of 2003, the Alamogordo Breakfast Lions opted in to a contract with Vanderbilt University Ophthalmic Imaging Center in Nashville TN for their pediatric Otphamologists to interpret the photos we take.  The OIC at Vanderbilt interprets over 90,000 of these photos each year.  This is a group contract headed by the Ruidoso Valley Noon Lions Club which includes; Alamogordo Breakfast, Silver City and Central Utah.  In December of 2006, notice was received from Vanderbilt that they would be discontinuing their photo interpretation program.  In March of 2007, a new contract for photo interpretation was entered into with the University of Iowa by the ABLC the origination fee of $125.00 was paid by the ABLC on behalf of the “New Mexico Lions Operation KidSight”.

On September 12, 2007, the original MTI PhotoScreener succumbed to old age and had to be put to rest.  On September 13, 2007, the original MTI PhotoScreener from the Ruidoso Valley Lions Club also suffered from the same terminal illness as the ABLC Camera and it too had to be put to rest.  On September 13, 2007 the ABLC purchased a new digital imaging device from iScreen LLC at a cost of $8,000 (this is special pricing on this unit available only to Lions Clubs), it was placed in service on Wednesday September 19, 2007 

The goal of “Operation KidSight” is to screen all Otero County children age 3 to 6 at least once before or when they enter kindergarten each year.  In the fall of 2003, the Breakfast Lions ran a pilot program with APS.  It was successful and the “KidSight” program has been a part of all kindergarten and Pre K classes in APS since the Fall of 2004.

The Ruidoso Noon Lions in conjunction with Region IX Education Cooperative have been providing eye screening as a part of the Kindergarten Registration and Developmental Screening in Lincoln and Otero county for several years.  They currently screen all children in the Lincoln county Public Schools.  They have asked the Breakfast Lions to take over the Cloudcroft and Tularosa Schools effective with the 2005 registration in April of 2004.  The Ruidoso club will continue to provide the “KidSight” Program to the Mescalero Reservation. 

Since 2002, the Breakfast Lions have made this screening available to over 8,500 children in the schools, Head Start Programs and Day Care Centers in Alamogordo, Tularosa, Cloudcroft, High Rolls, Holloman AFB, La Mesa, Mesquite, Vado, Chaparral and other communities throughout South Western NM.  Over 6,750 children have been screened of which over 500 have been found to need vision correction. 

The Breakfast Lions “KidSight” program is not designed to replace any existing eye screening now in place.  This process is a preliminary procedure only and does not constitute a diagnosis of, or absence of, vision problems.  It is a recommendation that further evaluation and testing be done by a pediatric ophthalmologist if deemed necessary.  It is but one more tool to identify a vision problem.  It is especially useful for pre-verbal children, as it requires no feed-back from the child.