TALKING OF … – U.I.C. MULTIFUNCTIONAL MOTORHOME ON THE GO FOR THE PREVENTION OF GLAUCOMA

This month in “Talking of …” we will deal with a philanthropic project that would have never seen the light without our favourite vehicle: the motorhome, of course. We are talking about the project by the humanitarian association Lions Clubs International, that, in cooperation with Unione Italiana Ciechi – UIC sponsors the prevention of glaucoma all over Italy by giving free examinations aboard a specially equipped motorhome. The Motorhome is an Ophtalmic Mobile Unit supplied with complete eye equipment for eye screening, able to provide early diagnosis for the most common eye diseases. This very Ophtalmic Motorhome, purchased by the Lions and solely loaned to Unione Italiana Ciechi, travels to all Italian squares offering free prevention exams with eminent specialists specifically contacted by Lions International and UIC. The Lions have been working worldwide to help blind and partially sighted people since 1925, namely when Helen Keller asked the Lions partners to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness” at the association international conference. This project is showing once again how a recreational vehicle – designed to spend free time in the open air – can actually be used also to offer a public and free health service.