Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children Act (EDVI)
Editor:
Harita Abraham, BS
Harita is a third year in medical school at the Kansas City University College of Medicine. She is currently taking a gap year to do a pediatric glaucoma research fellowship at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami.
On May 15, 2024, the Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children Act (EDVI) was introduced as a bill to the House of Representatives [1].
Highlighted provisions of the bill [1]:
· Implement approaches to catch childhood diseases earlier. This could include earlier screenings, referrals, and more robust follow-up networks.
· Increase awareness about the importance of early detection and intervention
· Identify any barriers that would hinder early detection of eye disease
· Identify strategies to improve overall eye health outcomes
· Establish a coordinated public health system for vision health, eye health and diagnosis
The introduction of such a bill will be the first of its kind for pediatric eye and vision health simply because there has been no previous federal-level effort to address the issue [3]. Current efforts to address pediatric eye and vision health are at the state level. This implicates a wide variety of care and detection strategies that are not necessarily comprehensive. Some states might have more robust infrastructure in place while others might not. Through this proposed act, grants will be established to support a more concerted approach to ensure children are being detected and treated early enough.
In children, poor vision health can have a significant negative impact on their quality of life simply because it affects other aspects of their experience such as school and other key developments. A child with a vision impairment is more likely to live in deprivation, have negatively impacted emotional and social wellbeing, and have reduced opportunities for future employment, which contributes to an increased financial burden on society through support [4].
Conclusion
Many irreversible eye and vision conditions can be treated or even prevented if detected early. Many of the negative social, mental, and emotional impacts can be also mitigated if issues are detected early. If you are curious about following the status of this bill as it moves through the house, click here. The full language of the bill is also available at that link as well. At the current time, the bill has only been introduced to State Representatives so far [2].
References:
Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children (EDVI) Act of 2024 - advocacy. (2024, February 28). Advocacy. https://advocacy.preventblindness.org/edvi-act-of-2024/
Text - H.R.8400 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children Act of 2024. (2024, May 17). https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/8400/text
Hutton, D. (2024, May 16). Bipartisan proposal to US House aims to establish grants for pediatric eye care. Optometry Times; Optometry Times. https://www.optometrytimes.com/view/bipartisan-proposal-to-us-house-aims-to-establish-grants-for-pediatric-eye-care
Loh, L., Prem-Senthil, M., & Constable, P. A. (2024). A systematic review of the impact of childhood vision impairment on reading and literacy in education. Journal of optometry, 17(2), 100495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optom.2023.100495
