North Carolina now requires child vision screening

Children in North Carolina now must undergo vision screening before entering kindergarten, due to a law signed this past September by Mike Easley, the state's governor.

The new law also recommends a comprehensive follow-up exam for those whose vision does not meet pre-determined standards, and it provides $500,000 in state aid to cover the cost of screenings for those who otherwise could not afford them. A previous law passed in 2005 had required screenings but had not provided funding. An injunction, following a lawsuit by 87 school boards, the North Carolina School Boards Association, and the parent of an affected student, prevented that law from being enacted.

North Carolina now joins 34 other states and the District of Columbia in mandating child vision screenings. The effort to pass the latest requirement was spearheaded by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and the North Carolina Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons.