New Law Requires Eye Exams for Kids

By Margaret Lyons in News on Aug 14, 2008 6:57PM

Illinois is the third state to require incoming kindergarteners get full eye exams, but some worry that it's a burden on parents and on little kids, especially when students are already required to get a physical, which typically includes a vision screening. But...going to the eye doctor is the best! Reading the chart, using the paddle-y thingie to cover one eye, getting your pupils dilated, and when they shine that super bright light through the magnifying glass, it feels like the doc's looking at your brain! It's a science class in your face! Perhaps not everyone is as enthusiastic about ocular health as I.

Illinois already required schools to do basic screening of students' eyesight in kindergarten, 2nd and 8th grades, leading some medical experts and educators to question the merits of the new law. More extensive eye exams undoubtedly will mean earlier detection of vision problems in some children, they say, but will also increase the expense for some financially strapped families. An eye exam typically costs about $50.

In-school screening typically only check how well kids see, not for astigmatism (holla atcha, Margaret's left eye), a lazy eye, glaucoma, or around 20 other indicators of how healthy your peepers are. Schools are allowed but not required to withhold report cards for students who haven't had an exam. [Beacon News, Trib, remember that guy who liked a woman's toes during an eye exam and claimed to be "checking her sugars"?, photo by ninjapoodles]