Optometry

Michael S. Vaughn

In the 2003 standards for jail and prison medical care issued by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), there is no specific standard for optometry. Yet, the NCCHC requires a full health assessment of all inmates entering the facility, which comprises a systematic review of all bodily systems, including inmates' visual needs. Inmates must be referred to specialists when they require consultation or care beyond the capabilities of the correctional facility, and they are entitled to eyeglasses if a physician deems them necessary for proper functioning. Eye care is guaranteed to all prisoners in the United States both through the U.S. Constitution and through state constitutions and state laws. However, optometry services do not have to be the best available or even very good to meet legal requirements. Instead, the courts have merely set a threshold for the minimally acceptable ophthalmologic care that inmates are to receive. Under ...

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