Under the provision, physicians, optometrists or ophthalmologists could voluntarily provide free tests for children who do not have health insurance that covers the exams. WEAC is supporting the initiative, which was spearheaded by Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen. The Children's Vision Initiative will make a positive difference in the classroom by helping students and parents identify and correct vision impairments. Jensen noted that vision problems are especially troublesome to young children who are learning to read. The American Optometric Association estimates that 80 percent of all learning during a child's first 12 years of life is obtained through vision.
Most children receive a vision screening as they enter school.
The screening measures a child's ability to view a chart from 20 feet away, but does not detect problems with near-sight focusing, which is essential for reading. Some estimates report that 10 million elementary school-aged children have vision impairments that hinder their abilities in the classroom. Parents and educators often confuse vision problems with learning disabilities and social anxieties.