Vision care.(Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee)(Brief Article)

Economic Opportunity Report, August, 2004

* Vision Care: With uninsured families hard-pressed to afford eye doctor visits or glasses for their children, Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) has proposed a bill to provide at least $75 million a year for vision care for young children. Thirty states screen children for vision problems before they enter kindergarten, and another 11 require screenings before preschool, Sarbanes said.

But once screened, there is no guarantee they will get glasses or other needed help, he said. Studies also show that minority and uninsured children are less likely to get treatment for vision problems, according to Sarbanes. Priority would go to children under age 9 under the senator's Children's Access to Vision Act, S. 2749. The bill has been referred to the Senate Health, Education,...

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