Early Childhood Vision Care Program and the Early Childhood Vision Care Commission were established by the N.C. General Assembly in 2005. Revised in 2006, the law currently requires vision screening for children entering kindergarten in the 2007-2008 school year and provides funding for eligible children from kindergarten through third grade, who fail the vision screening, to receive comprehensive eye examinations and glasses if they are prescribed.  The legislation also requires vision screening to be done in accordance with standards adopted by the Commission on Early Childhood Vision Care (PDF, 18 KB).

The Commission on Early Childhood Vision Care oversees and advises the program, which is administered by the Children and Youth Branch of the N.C. Division of Public Health. Schools, local public health departments, doctors and other eye care professionals work together to provide the vision screenings and follow-up care.