Strong screening and exam law gets OK in Oklahoma

Two weeks ago, Governor Brad Henry greatly advanced children's vision care in Oklahoma as he signed into law the Children's Vision for Excellence Act which requires vision screenings and mandatory follow-up eye exams for students who fail the initial screening. The law, which received widespread support from legislators and the vision community, will result in vision screenings for 140,000 students and an estimated 10,000 follow-up eye exams each year.

'Up until this point, Oklahoma had no vision testing requirement for students', said Michael Daley, chair of the Vision Council of America's (Vca) Government Relations Committee. 'This legislation will have a real impact on the lives of thousands of children in Oklahoma for years to come'.

The law, which takes effect in 2007, will require Oklahoma children entering kindergarten, first and third grades to receive a vision screening. Students who fail the initial screening will be required to receive a comprehensive eye exam by an optometrist or an ophthalmologist, who will then share the diagnosis with the parents, school and primary health care provider. In addition, a state advisory committee will be formed to guide the Oklahoma State Department on Health on screening standards, qualified vision screeners and free screening resources.

Oklahoma follows a recent trend in states to enact children's vision care legislation. 'As identified in Vca's Making the Grade? report, there are still many states with no vision screening or eye exam requirements, and this takes Oklahoma off that list', noted Daley. 'We applaud Oklahoma for enacting these preventive measures to ensure that more children receive the vision care they need'.