The House of Representatives passed its version of the FY 2008 Appropriations bill yesterday, providing $154.2 billion for a range of important labor, health, human services and education programs.
With regard to vision, the legislation includes $3.46 million -- a 40 percent increase -- for the Vision Screening and Education program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prevent Blindness America receives a grant from this program to support our efforts to raise awareness and educate individuals about their risk for vision loss, and to screen them for vision problems. The legislation also included $677 million for the National Eye Institute for biomedical research into vision problems.
House passage of this legislation is only the first step in a lengthy appropriations process, as the Senate must also pass its version of the bill. The legislation also faces an uphill battle with the White House, as the Administration continues to threaten to veto the bill because it exceeds the President’s budget.
Prevent Blindness America will continue to work to support this legislation to ensure that all vision programs receive the resources they need.
Click here to take action on our vision advocacy initiatives.
The Vision Care for Kids Act of 2007 (H.R. 507) cleared its first hurdle in the legislative process yesterday, when the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee voted unanimously to pass this legislation. Prevent Blindness America has been an ardent supporter of the Vision Care for Kids Act, which was a centerpiece of our Eyes on Capitol Hill agenda.
Vision disorders such as amblyopia (“lazy eye”), strabismus (“cross-eye”) and refractive errors are the leading causes of impaired vision in children. Vision problems can harm school performance, impair ability to learn, and can sometimes lead to behavioral problems. Even more troubling, uncorrected amblyopia or strabismus can lead to PERMANENT vision loss. Despite this fact, only 20 percent of children are screened prior to entering school, and only 14 percent of children receive comprehensive vision exams.
H.R. 507 would provide comprehensive eye exams for children who have been identified by a licensed health care provider or vision screener as needing such services. The bill is a collaborative effort of Prevent Blindness America, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Optometric Association, the Vision Council of America, and other vision related organizations.
While committee passage of the bill is a great first step, more work must be done. The bill needs strong support from both sides of the aisle to ensure that it gets passed by the full House of Representatives. Please write, call or email your Member of Congress and urge him/her to cosponsor H.R. 507. Feel free to customize the sample letter to explain why vision care for kids is an important issue for you!
Take action on the Vision Care for Kids Act.
Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness America is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization 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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