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Capitol Hill Briefing Educates Congress, Moves Children"s Vision Legislation Forward

Washington, D.C. (February 9, 2007) - A congressional briefing and press conference held last week on Capitol Hill brought vision advocates together in an effort to raise awareness for H.R. 507, the "Vision Care for Kids Act of 2007." With more than 60 participants, the briefing and press conference educated attendees about the need to improve vision care for children and encouraged their support for the bill.

Speakers at the briefing included pediatric ophthalmologist Jean Ramsey, M.D. and pediatric optometrist Andrea Thau, O.D. With strong visuals and statistics, the doctors addressed the need for the legislation and shared real-life examples of children who could have benefited from preventive vision care. "I regularly see children whose sight could have been saved with early detection, good follow-up and treatment," noted Dr. Ramsey.

As a united front, the bill's sponsors expressed their dedication to advance the "Vision Care for Kids Act of 2007," at the press conference, citing the need to provide proper follow-up treatment to a population greatly in need of vision care.

"There is no question that too many of America's children are going without much-needed vision care," stated Rep. Gene Green (D-TX), one of the bill's sponsors. "This legislation represents a big step for advocates within the vision community, as well as vision care advocates within Congress"

With bipartisan support in the House of Representatives, the "Vision Care for Kids Act of 2007" was introduced in January to treat vision problems in children, as well as to educate Americans about healthy vision. Bill sponsors include U.S. Reps. Green, Eliot Engel (D-NY), Vito Fossella (R-NY), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and John Sullivan (R-OK).

The legislation is supported by the alliance of the Vision Council of America, American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the American Optometric Association and Prevent Blindness America.

"Last week's events were a great kick-off for the children's vision care legislation," stated Ed Greene, chief executive officer of the Vision Council of America. "The briefing and the press conference gave us the opportunity to explain the merits of the bill and to share the stories of those affected by undiagnosed vision problems."

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New Report: Employers Pay High Price for Vision Disorders

Uncorrected Vision Problems Contribute to Decreased Employee Performance

Vision disorders carry a hefty price tag for employers and result in a marked decrease in productivity costing businesses an estimated $8 billion annually, according to a new report released today by the Vision Council of America (VCA). The Vision in Business [pdf] report shows the staggering financial impact of vision problems on the economy, individual states and the workplace.

"Uncorrected vision problems are costing employers billions of dollars," said Ed Greene, CEO of VCA. "Direct medical costs associated with vision disorders exceed similar medical expenditures for breast cancer, lung cancer and HIV, yet few Americans get regular eye exams or have vision coverage in their health plans."
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Report Finds States With Weak Vision Screening Requirements May Endanger U.S. Highways

Washington, D.C. (November 22, 2006) - States with lax vision screening requirements for drivers renewing their licenses may be endangering American roadways, according to a new state-by-state report released today by the Vision Council of America (VCA). The report, Keeping Our Eyes on the Road, finds that of the top 10 states with the highest rate of fatal crashes, four states require no vision screenings after the initial license application and four require screenings only at intervals of eight or more years.