Bipartisan bill introduced to improve children’s vision, eye health
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Key takeaways:
- The Early Detection of Vision Impairments in Children Act will establish grants for states to implement strategies for early detection of vision concerns.
- The legislation also will identify barriers to care.
U.S. Reps Marc Veasey and Gus Bilirakis on May 14 introduced the Early Detection of Vision Impairments in Children Act, which will establish grants for screenings, early interventions and coordinated care to improve children’s eye health.
According to a press release from Rep. Veasey, there are several public health programs that offer support for children’s hearing and oral health, but currently there is no federally funded program that addresses children’s vision or equitable eye care for children.
“The disparity in access to children’s vision care is a crisis that can only be solved by unifying the industry,” Steven T. Reed, OD, president of the American Optometric Association, told Healio. “With most learning, cognition and perception abilities mediated through vision, there is a clear and present need to activate solutions that will close the eye health and vision care gap before it adversely impacts more children’s literacy, visual efficiency and perceptual skills.”
State laws to address children’s vision vary widely and often lack protocols for referrals to eye care providers and documentation of care, the release stated. Under the Early Detection of Vision Impairments in Children (EDVI) Act, the HHS Health Resources and Services Administration will award grants and cooperative agreements to states and local communities to implement strategies for early detection of vision concerns in children, identify barriers to eye care and raise awareness about the importance of early interventions and screenings, as well develop state-based data collection systems.
The CDC also will provide resources to assist communities in implementing these screening and care programs.
“Children’s vision and eye health is a critical aspect of a child’s healthy development that has been overlooked for far too long,” Rep. Veasey, the Democratic co-chair of the Vision Caucus, said in the release. “The Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children Act will ensure children, their parents and their caregivers can access the eye care they need to thrive and succeed.”
“More than one in every four children in America, or roughly 19.6 million, have a vision problem requiring treatment,” Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness, said in the release. “We know access to education, screenings, examinations, diagnosis and treatment are critical to preventing vision loss, and this legislation is an important step in providing children and their families with those services and the healthcare they need and deserve.”
In addition to the AOA and Prevent Blindness, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Optometry, the Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the American Society of Ophthalmic Registered Nurses, the Children’s Vision Equity Alliance and the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research support the legislation.
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