For 30 years Tom Hart stood in front of an elementary classroom and talked, talked, talked. Now, as a retiree, he's roaring.

While working as an elementary school teacher in West Sand Lake, Hart saw firsthand how often school nurses were first to detect vision problems in students.

Those who could not afford eyeglasses were given a voucher for glasses provided by the local Lions Club.

Now, Hart and colleagues in the Albany and Troy Lions Club have helped assure those nurses get some overdue thanks for their dedication to the health of children in schools.

Honoring them was the focus of a recognition dinner held in Albany for 100 school nurses from the area. The speaker was an ophthalmologist who addressed common eye problems in school children.

"Nurses are the first line of defense for students who need glasses," said Hart.

School nurse Catherine Wager, a member of the Averill Park Teachers Association, refers at least one student to the eyeglass program every year from the small West Sand Lake Elementary School.

Averill Park has a nurse in every school building, and two at the high school, Wager said, and "it makes a wonderful difference."

NYSUT continues to advocate in the state Legislature for a school nurse in every school building.

Eye care is a major concern of Lions Clubs International, which collects old eyeglasses to distribute throughout the Third World.

Hart helps collect old glasses, trekking to 37 optometrists in the area, as well as businesses and organizations that put out boxes for donations.

Hart became a Lions Club member after his wife joined in order to help their son, who is deaf, and the Lions project of collecting and refurbishing hearing aids.