WASHINGTON, D.C--The Vision Council of America (VCA) is praising policymakers in Rhode Island for enacting what VCA calls “one of the most progressive laws to protect children’s vision.”

The law (Act 5182), slated to go into effective on Jan. 1, 2006, requires all children in the state to receive a vision screening or comprehensive eye exam before starting elementary school. According to VCA, what sets this law apart from others is a provision that requires all children who fail the screening to receive a follow-up exam from an optometrist or ophthalmologist. Another provision requires exams for all children with neurodevelopmental delays.

Rhode Island is the third state to enact a children?s vision law in 2005; a recent VCA report, Making the Grade?, found that 19 states do not require any preventive vision care before school entry and that 29 states that require a screening do not require a follow-up eye exam for children who fail.

According child development specialist Joel Zaba, OD, the new law addresses one of the major shortcomings of the vision screening system: poor follow-up after a failed screening. “Research shows that the majority of kids who fail a screening never see the eye doctor,” said Zaba. “By requiring a follow-up eye exam, and exams for children with developmental delays, Rhode Island will significantly reduce the number of children in the state with undiagnosed vision problems.”

As a result of the law, nearly 60,000 children will receive a vision screening over the next five years, according to VCA.  Approximately 10,000 children will receive an eye exam over the same period of time. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), two out of three children do not receive any vision care before starting elementary school.