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Support for Vision Screening From Medical Organizations

See by Three, the vision screening program of the Children's Eye Foundation, fully supports this statement issued today by a number of medical organizations.

A coalition of medical doctors is recommending regular eye screenings for children and young adults as an evidence-based, cost-effective plan for providing vision benefits mandated by the Affordable Care Act. The American Academy of Ophthalmology, along with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, outlines specific eye-related services in Children and Vision Care, presented to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The agency is in the process of defining an essential health-benefits package -- including pediatric vision care -- that must be included in qualified health plans available through state insurance plan exchanges, called for in the Affordable Care Act.

Adopting the recommendation of the medical associations provides a strategic means to significantly and positively impact the lives of children. The associations recommend essential vision benefits:

• Begin with regular eye screenings in the doctor's office, the community and the schools.
• Cover a comprehensive eye exam -- including refraction -- for children or adolescents who fail a screening, have an unfavorable risk assessment, report a visual problem, or who cannot complete a screening due to such factors as a developmental delay.
• Include glasses, contact lenses, or low vision aids, determined to be necessary by a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist
• Instituting regular screenings for all children provides multiple opportunities throughout a child's preschool and school-age years to effectively identify disease or detect problems.

This is a national health goal under Healthy People 2020, the science-based, 10-year national objective for improving the health of all Americans.

"Congress' mandate to include children's vision in the health care reform law greatly expands the potential for identifying eye-related issues in children and adolescents from birth to 21-years old," said Michael X. Repka, MD, medical director for governmental affairs for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. "States consistently have recognized that screenings are the most effective, practical method for identifying children with eye problems, and it is logical that the federal government be consistent in establishing pediatric vision care benefits."

For the full relese: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/medical-doctors-recommend-regular-vision-screenings-to-identify-eye-issues-in-children-and-young-adults-2011-10-05