Quote :

"Pediatricians and local school boards are among the groups that want the law repealed. Optometrists support the law."

I would have never thought that optometrists would support this law...

2/16/2006 9:43:29 AM

What law?

2/16/2006 9:52:01 AM

worst thread ever

2/16/2006 10:00:05 AM

lol

2/16/2006 10:02:43 AM

what's new about it? I remember an eye exam, hearing test and a teeth check up when i was in school

2/16/2006 10:11:44 AM

I remember it being free. This law is saying that one has to pay for it.

[Edited on February 16, 2006 at 10:15 AM. Reason : http://www.wral.com/apncnews/7103160/detail.html]

2/16/2006 10:14:41 AM

85-185 bucks to read an eye chart with each eye... ummm yeah

[Edited on February 16, 2006 at 10:19 AM. Reason : ha!]

2/16/2006 10:18:37 AM

OH! yeah ours were free.

^DO WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?! that's ridunkulous

[Edited on February 16, 2006 at 10:30 AM. Reason : ]

2/16/2006 10:30:01 AM

Yeah it's absurd. I can see if they made an individual recommendation after a kid gets the eye test to get his parents to take him to get an eye exam and corrective measures. But to outright charge for a service that parents should be taking care of outside of school is ridiculous.

2/16/2006 10:31:58 AM

There are bad things that come out of these eye tests... but most people don't really think about it that way. Most people see it as a harmless test to see if a child should be recommended to see an optometrist. Unfortunately, the number of children with far more severe eye conditions is growing exponentially. Many of the children they are testing have already been to eye doctors for years trying to solve some kind of myopia or lazy eye (they seem to be increasing due to the age of mothers increasing (when child is born) and increased stress while the mother is pregnant, but i have no scientific proof to accompany that point) Anyway... since the children are so young and are having to have extensive things done to their eyes (many times multiple surgeries before the age of 2... because at 2 the things are far harder to change) that the doctor's office resembles that of a very fun place... with lots of toys and activites to grab their attention away from what is happening. Oftentimes the schools will not notify parents of the date when these tests will be given, and then they will make a huge fuss over them not being able to see (although they may very well have 2020 vision... they just don't know how to diagnose)... causing unnecessary worry for the child and causing them to question why they had such a difficult time with the task that their peers completely so effortlessly.

Ok. I know this rant was a bit off topic, but there is more going on with these eye exams than some dad just filing a lawsuit because his kid had to look at an eye chart through one of those damn swish cups. This has always been an issue... now someone is just actually doing something about it.

(Also, where did you find your original quote? Is the law just for NC? Thanks.)

[Edited on February 16, 2006 at 11:07 AM. Reason : ]

2/16/2006 11:06:56 AM

I agree with the dad.

If the child seems to have problems reading the board/etc then it's the schools job to notify the parents, possibly take action if there's a bad problem that's being neglected.


Otherwise, wtf?

2/16/2006 11:21:38 AM

i wonder if we have any optometrists in our state government



...oh wait

2/16/2006 11:23:49 AM

y'mean its not me noggin, its me peepers?

2/16/2006 11:29:59 AM

When I was a kid, I remember vision and dental checks being free services provided by the school. It was just a teacher's assistant, an eye chart, and a line of kids reading the chart. What's so costly about that?

Actually, my near sightedness was caught during one of those vision checks. Upon notification, my mom took me to see the doctor and I received much needed glasses. It wasn't that my mother hadn't noticed me squinting a bit to see the TV, but I kept telling her that I could see just fine. I had no idea how much I wasn't seeing until after I got glasses.

I think that it is silly to start charging parents when it use to be a free service.

2/16/2006 11:53:27 AM

ncsukat

I disagree. You shouldn't shelter kids/parents from the fact that they have bad vision. I don't see the point of catering to the poor-sighted kids; it's good for them to know early on.

[Edited on February 16, 2006 at 11:54 AM. Reason : like bottombaby's story]

2/16/2006 11:54:21 AM

^^ I'll agree there too. I remember having free tests done, if they want to require free simple tests like that, then i'm fine with it.

None of this $185 eye exam shit though.

2/16/2006 8:12:33 PM

That's what you get when you have a Speaker of the House (NC) that's not only a crook... but an optometrist. Jim Black is one of the most arrogant assholes I've ever known.

2/17/2006 12:05:14 AM