Preventive health care for children can have a significant impact on detecting and treating potential health problems. The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Program (EPSDT) is a preventive health program under Medicaid designed to improve the health of indigent children. Since this program is the only federal Medicaid program which requires vision screening and treatment services, the opportunity exists for enormous benefits for detecting and treating an indigent child's vision problems, as well as general health problems. Even though the program has been slow in evolving, it is taking an expanding role in all phases of indigent child health care, including vision care.