Bill > H1980

This bill establishes a vision care registry within the Department of Public Health to track children who fail to receive or pass required vision tests, as mandated by General Laws Chapter 71, Section 57. The registry will collect information to monitor eye examination results and implement preventative measures, including tracking treatment for identified vision impairments. The commissioner will require reporting of all children who fail these tests and will maintain confidential records, which can be released for research purposes without identifying individuals. Additionally, the bill creates a special commission on childhood vision screening and treatment to study the effectiveness of current vision tests, identify children not receiving screenings or treatment, and explore the impact of vision health on educational outcomes, with the commission dissolving after submitting its report and recommendations. Finally, the bill amends existing law to require school health services to submit annual reports to the vision care registry detailing the number of students needing and receiving screenings, those not receiving them, and the number found with potential vision impairments.