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North Carolina: fifth state to pass screening-exam bill
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About 100,000 children a year will receive significantly improved vision care as a result of legislation recently approved by the North Carolina legislature.
H2699 is designed to standardize and make more comprehensive the vision screening required for all children entering kindergarten, according to a press release issued by the North Carolina State Optometric Society (NCSOS).
The law also requires children failing the vision screening to receive a comprehensive eye examination, creates a commission on early childhood vision care and provides funding for exams and follow-up care for families in need.
“Certainly, we would have preferred the mandatory eye exam bill, as exams are the gold standard of care,” Max Raynor, OD, president of the NCSOS, said in the press release. “But this bill was a good compromise for all parties, especially for the children of our state.”
A fight over eye exams
In late 2005, the state enacted a law to require eye exams for all children. However, the law came under immediate political fire, primarily because of the way in which it passed. The law had been added as part of a budget bill that typically does not include legislative provisions. Pediatricians and ophthalmologists also opposed the law, and a court injunction issued in late 2005 put its implementation on hold.
At the start of the 2006 legislative session, children’s vision advocates began discussing ways to achieve compromise on this important issue. No one disagreed that the current vision screening system in the state needed improvement; finding consensus on remedies to the problem were more difficult.
Similar legislation
After much negotiation, the NCSOS-brokered compromise gained the support of legislators, ophthalmology, pediatricians and educators. Similar to legislation enacted in Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Arkansas and Massachusetts over the last 18 months, the new law may herald a new era of compromise and collaboration on a highly polarized issue.
Dr. Raynor praised those involved in securing support for the initiative. “Rep. Linda Coleman did a wonderful job,” he said in the press release. “We would not have succeeded without her leadership. I would also like to acknowledge the support of pediatricians, ophthalmologists, educators and Prevent Blindness North Carolina in this effort to find common ground for our state’s children.”
For more information:
- Max Raynor, OD, is president of the North Carolina State Optometric Society. He can be reached at 113 W. Main St., Benson, NC 27504; (919) 894-7570; Web site: www.nceyes.org.
- Joseph LaMountain represents the NCSOS. He can be reached at Sparklight Communications, 106 East Cliff St., Alexandria, VA 22301; (202) 288-5124; e-mail: joseph.lamountain@gmail.com.