May 15, 2024 — Prevent Blindness has released a statement regarding the introduction of the Early Detection of Vision Impairments in Children (EDVI) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The nonprofit urges the 118th Congress to swiftly pass this proposed legislation and for the public to show their support.
Cosponsored by the Congressional Vision Caucus (CVC), the EDVI Act is a bipartisan proposal that seeks to establish grants for states and communities to improve children’s vision and eye health through coordinated systems of care.
“As an American who has suffered from poor vision since childhood, I have a firsthand understanding of how critical early detection and treatment is when it comes to ensuring that all children have the best possible start in life,” said CVC co-chair Rep. Gus Bilirakis. “Our landmark bill will ensure all children get the screening and care they need at the right age by creating the first-ever federally funded program to address children’s vision and eye health. This legislation will empower states and communities, like mine, to improve systems of care for our youngest citizens and their families.”
“Children’s vision and eye health is a critical aspect of a child’s healthy development that has been overlooked for far too long,” said Rep. Marc Veasey, the newly appointed Democratic co-chair of the CVC. “Healthy vision plays a key role in each child’s performance in school. The Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children Act will ensure children, their parents, and their caregivers can access the eye care they need to thrive and succeed.”
Prevent Blindness notes that despite numerous public health programs that support early children’s hearing and oral health, there is currently no federally funded program in the U.S. that specifically addresses children’s vision. In addition to visual functioning being a strong predictor of academic performance, Prevent Blindness highlights the fact that significant disparities exist in children’s vision and eye health outcomes and access to eye care across the U.S., with state laws varying wildly in approaches. Further, states may also lack protocols for documentation and the necessary resources to capture data on rates of received eye care.
Under the EDVI Act, the Health Resources and Services Administration at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will award grants and cooperative agreements for communities to do the following:
- Implement approaches for the early detection of vision concerns in children, referrals for eye exams, and follow-up processes
- Identify barriers to eye care access
- Reduce disparities in eye health
- Develop state-based data collection, surveillance, and performance improvement systems
“More than 1 in every 4 children in America have a vision problem requiring treatment,” says Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “We know access to education, screenings, examinations, diagnosis, and treatment are critical to preventing vision loss, and this legislation is an important step in providing children and their families with those services and the health care they need and deserve.”