Friday, September 25, 2009

Massachusetts SB 850, Vision Care Registry

Katherine Majzoub, RN, MBA, Director of the Northeast Region for Prevent Blindness America, testified before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health in support of Senate Bill 850 on September 22.

This bill would establish a Vision Care Registry in the state of Massachusetts. Massachusetts law requires vision screenings for school children and a mandated vision exam follow-up for children who fail the vision screening. Currently, there is no mechanism in place to track referrals and the follow-up exams.

The Vision Care Registry established by SB 850 would track vision screening information that would assist school health personnel as they manage referrals and treatment for children who fail a vision screening.

The Massachusetts General Assembly is expected to adjourn for this session on January 5, 2010. Legislation introduced in 2009 may be carried over to the 2010 session. Prevent Blindness America will continue to track the success of SB 850 and the other pieces of legislation addressing eye and vision health in Massachusetts.

Prevent Blindness America is the nation's leading eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and preserving sight. For more information on Prevent Blindness America, go to http://www.preventblindness.org/.

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