California Vision Care Access Declines for Low-Income Children

A new report reveals that access to vision care for low-income children in California has declined sharply over the past decade, with only 16 percent of school-age MediCal recipients receiving eye exams or glasses between 2022 and 2024, down from 19 percent eight years earlier. The trend affects nearly every county and raises concerns about untreated vision problems hindering children's education and development across the state.

The findings, drawn from MediCal data, highlight a growing gap in care even as nearsightedness and other vision issues become more prevalent among American youth. Federal survey data from 2019 indicates that roughly one in four school-age children needs glasses or contacts, a rate that rises with age. MediCal, the state's insurance program for low-income residents and those with disabilities, covers such services, yet utilization has fallen amid rising demand.

Consider the case of Kekoa Gittens, now a 15-year-old high school student from Corte Madera in Marin County. At age 3, his preschool teacher described him as disruptive and inattentive, unable to sit still or learn the alphabet alongside peers. His mother, Sonia Gittens, initially overlooked a...