Should eye examination be a school entry requirement in Canada?

One in every six Canadian children may have a vision problem that makes it difficult to learn and to read, but only 14 percent of children under the age of six receive professional eye care. This is a statistic that Dr. Elizabeth Lee Ford Jones, Professor of Paediatrics at The Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto, simply believes is unacceptable. More school districts and provinces are considering requiring mandatory immunization in order to attend school. Should eye examination be added to the list of entry requirements? Interview by Mélanie Meloche-Holubowski, journalist intern at EvidenceNetwork.ca, and journalist with Radio-Canada. The Evidence Network of Canadian Health Policy, commonly known as EvidenceNetwork.ca, is a Canadian healthcare resource designed with the needs of journalists in mind. The project links journalists with health policy experts to provide access to credible, evidence-based information. We also create original OpEds, articles, podcasts, infographics, posters and videos on health policy topics for publication in the mainstream media.