WASHINGTON—It was a “white hat” effort all around as the American Academy of Ophthalmology, working with the Oklahoma Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS), saw the “Children’s Vision for Excellence Act,” which they helped develop and foster, recently enacted.  Thanks to the action of the state legislature and Governor Brad Henry, school children in the Sooner State hold the promise of an education supported by an effort to identify vision problems that could get in the way of successful learning.

This new law requires vision screening for all school-aged children entering Kindergarten, first and third grade, in an effort to identify eye and vision problems that could impede their healthy development.  Children who fail the screening are referred for further vision evaluation performed by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. The “Children’s Vision for Excellence Act” passed both the House and Senate by near unanimous votes earlier this spring.  Optometry failed to gather enough support to introduce a bill that would have mandated comprehensive eye exams for school children, which would have been both expensive and wasteful.

“The enactment of the ‘Children’s Vision for Excellence Act’ is a true victory for the children of Oklahoma,” said Cynthia Bradford, Academy secretary for state affairs and a practicing ophthalmologist in Oklahoma. “We needed to support the children and their eye and vision health with options that were both clinically effective and fiscally responsible, which is what Oklahoma children deserve.”

On a positive note, as legislative action for the “Children’s Vision for Excellence Act” wrapped up, the Oklahoma optometry association endorsed the bill.  The Academy sees this action as a positive step and hopes optometry will join them to enact similar legislation in other states for the benefit of children.