House passes Student Vision screening Legislation

OKLAHOMA CITY — A bill that seeks to more quickly identify vision problems in Oklahoma public school students passed the House 93-1 on Wednesday.

House Bill 1598, authored by Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, authorizes the State Department of Education to approve a list of personnel who may conduct required vision screenings for students.

“Our schools check for vision impairment because of the correlation between a child’s vision and their academic success,” Provenzano said. “A lot of our schools, due to resources available, are still using antiquated techniques to test for vision, which often misses many of our students.”

The legislation hopes to expand access to more modern techniques to check the vision. The American Optometric Association estimates that current school eye exams give less than four percent of a comprehensive eye exam.

“There are organizations that serve our communities today that can help fill this gap,” Provenzano said. “We just need to engage them, which is part of what this legislation does.”

HB1598 is now available to be heard in the Oklahoma Senate.

State Rep. Melissa Provenzano’s office can be reached by phone (405) 557-7330 or email [email protected].