REGIONAL – For years since he lost his sight, a 93-year-old World War II veteran relied on his wife to read to him. But then she died, and his world got very small until he turned to the Lions Club for help.
Bob LaFrance, a Lions Club member for 45 years and head of the club’s aid for the blind program for 20 years, delivered an Optelec clear reader that amplifies words of a book or flyer on a screen. Some of the machines will even read the words aloud.
When LaFrance returned the next morning, he found the man had not only figured out how to use the machine, but used it to read the manual and assemble a chair.
Another man in his 70s loved to collect stamps, which gave him joy and occupied much of his day. But when he lost his vision, he could no longer read his stamps and had to depend on his wife to be his eyes. The Lions Club also gave him an Optelec clear reader so he could read the stamps himself. LaFrance was not sure who was happier, the man or his wife, who now had her more time to herself.
The mission of the Lions Club, including District 33N, which serves Essex County and eastern Middlesex County with about 60 clubs, has long been to help low vision people live a more independent, fuller life by providing equipment that helps them see.
The Lions Club in Greater Newburyport currently has five Optelec machines which are being used at no charge by individuals like Mary Blanchette, who suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare, inherited genetic eye disorder that causes the gradual breakdown and loss of light-sensitive cells in the retina.
The machines cost approximately $2,500 to $3,000, but they last a long time because they use very little wattage, according to the company’s web site.
LaFrance said he has seen sightless people who could not read recipes, use the machines to cook dinner. With it, people can read their mail or a novel, work a crossword puzzle or learn a new hobby like crochet or knitting, he said.
One of his favorite stories, he said, was when a woman painted her nails with the machine.
“I leave those moments very emotional, wet eyed,” he said.
To learn more about the Lions’ Club program for the sightless, contact Bob LaFrance at omartent@icloud.com.
