CHICAGO (March 3, 2010) – Prevent Blindness America, the nation’s oldest eye health and safety organization, will be holding its fifth annual “Eyes on Capitol Hill” event during the week of March 9-12, 2010. More than 100 years ago, Prevent Blindness America was founded as a group dedicated to giving the American public a voice. Today, the Eyes on Capitol Hill campaign is designed to give those who have been affected by eye and vision problems a chance to share their stories with our nation’s leaders. In addition to educating their members of Congress on eye diseases and eye safety, the delegation will ask that more be done in the way of prevention, early detection, and research.
The Prevent Blindness America Eyes on Capitol Hill event officially kicks-off on March 9 with the Congressional Call-in Day. Participants from across the country will call their local representative to ask them to make vision and eye health a priority. Those interested may visit preventblindness.org or call Prevent Blindness America to receive contact information for their local representatives.
During the rest of the week, individuals affected by eye conditions or diseases, Prevent Blindness America President and CEO Hugh R. Parry, CEOs from affiliates spanning from California to Virginia, as well as community leaders will visit Capitol Hill to speak to lawmakers to share their personal stories and educate them on the need to support critical vision-related programs and appropriations. In preparation for the meetings, Prevent Blindness America will also train volunteers from across the country to become effective advocates for vision health in their home states and communities.
Numerous meetings with Representatives and Senators in the 2nd Session of the 111th Congress have been scheduled to specifically ask elected officials to:
- Provide $5 million in FY 2011 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vision Health Initiative.
- Allocate $1.2 million in FY 2011 to support the Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s National Universal Vision Screening for Young Children’s Coordinating Center.
- Appropriate $730 million in FY 2011 to the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant.
- Support increased FY 2011 funding for the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health.
“By bringing citizens who have been affected by vision loss to Washington, D.C. and arranging for them to speak to their government representatives, we will put a face and a voice to the staggering numbers of individuals living with eye disease and vision impairments,” said Parry. “We hope that our presence on Capitol Hill will help to educate our nation’s leaders of the benefits of investing in vision and eye health programs today. By doing so, we will not only be saving sight, but saving money in the future.”
In conjunction with Eyes on Capitol Hill, Prevent Blindness America will host the second annual Congressional Vision Caucus (CVC) reception on March 11. The CVC is a bicameral and bipartisan coalition of more than 100 Congressional Members and two Senate Members. The CVC is co-chaired by Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas), Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), Rep. David Price (D-N.C.), and Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-Ohio). The CVC reception brings together the vision and eye health community. This year’s reception hosts include the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Optometric Association, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Lighthouse International, the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research, Vision 2020 USA, VisionServe Alliance, and The Vision Council. The event will be held in the Rayburn Building beginning at 5:30 p.m. The event has been made possible due to the generous support of Pfizer, Inc. and Transitions Optical, Inc.
“We would like to thank all of the current members of the CVC for their dedication to eye and vision health and the well being of our citizens,” added Parry. “I’d like to invite other Members of Congress to come to our reception and learn more about how they can help save sight.”
For more information on Eyes on Capitol Hill or other advocacy issues, please call (800) 331-2020 or visit preventblindness.org/advocacy.
Download the Eyes on Capitol Hill release.
Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness America is the nation's leading patient and consumer advocate dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness America touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public. Together with a network of affiliates, divisions and chapters, it's committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more information, or to make a contribution to the sight-saving fund, call 1-800-331-2020.
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