Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Vision Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears bill to deliver free eye exams and glasses to Title I Oregon students
Summary
House Bill 2,992 would create a statewide program for no-cost eye exams and prescription eyeglasses for students in Title I or high-poverty schools; proponents described research showing academic gains and urged the committee to support a public–private rollout that maximizes federal funding.
The House Education Committee heard testimony on House Bill 2,992 on Feb. 3, a measure to establish a program providing free eye examinations, prescription eyeglasses and replacements to qualifying K–12 students.
Representative Ben Bowman, the bill’s introducer, told the committee the program targets schools that qualify for Title I assistance or where more than 50% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. “At a relatively low cost to the state and at zero expense to students, their families, and their schools, we have the ability to essentially eliminate the problem of kids needing glasses but not having them,” Bowman said.
Bowman and multiple witnesses told the committee that vision problems affect learning and that existing school vision screenings do not always result in follow-up care. Bowman cited estimates presented to the committee that about 1 in 4 students have vision issues and that roughly 40,000 Oregon children need glasses but do not have them. He described research indicating that providing glasses can boost reading scores in some cases by the equivalent of up to six months of classroom instruction.
Damien Carroll, national director for the nonprofit Vision to Learn, described a mobile-clinic model that delivers eye exams and glasses at school and said Vision to Learn has served nearly 3,000 Oregon students since October 2023 and more than 630,000 students nationally. “Most of these students are insured through Medicaid, but insurance does not by itself mean that families have access to vision care,” Carroll said, describing transportation, scheduling and provider shortages as barriers the program removes.
Colt Gill, interim superintendent of Eugene School District, described a local demonstration at Cesar Chavez Elementary: more than 20% of students were identified as needing a comprehensive eye exam and more than 15% of students at that school received prescription glasses through a demonstration. “This act takes that critical next step of making it possible for our kids to get that eye exam, and to get the glasses provided to them at school, and eliminates all access barriers,” Gill said.
Representatives of the Oregon Education Association, the Oregon Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation, and the Oregon Optometric Physicians Association testified in support with technical suggestions. Dr. Bill Heffner of OOPA recommended that the Oregon Board of Optometry be consulted during rulemaking and suggested adopting an existing statutory definition of “eye examinations” to maintain consistency in state law.
Witnesses said the program is intended to maximize federal and private philanthropy and to seek Medicaid reimbursements where available; several witnesses noted existing private partners such as Warby Parker that have provided frames in-kind for some programs. Proponents urged the committee to advance the bill to expand in-school eye care access in communities with limited provider capacity.
The committee held a public hearing but did not take final action on HB 2,992 at this meeting. The sponsor and advocates indicated the measure declares an emergency and would take effect on passage if enacted.
