Save Your Vision Week, 1996

Proclamation 6869 of March 1, 1996

Save Your Vision Week, 1996

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Vision is a remarkable gift. Our eyes allow us to read,
to see the faces of our loved ones, and to experience
many of life's greatest pleasures. Too often, we take
our sight for granted and must be reminded that our
eyes require regular care and attention. The more we
learn about preventing eye disease and vision loss, the
better equipped we will be to take care of these vital
organs.

Many young people suffer from vision-related learning
disabilities that jeopardize their academic success.
However, with early intervention, such sight problems
are often easily correctable. Senior citizens, too, are
particularly vulnerable to eye difficulties, but we are
fortunate that advances in medical research are
improving our understanding of the diseases that often
rob older Americans of their sight.

As a result of these new technologies and discoveries
in the field of eye care, many diseases that would have
caused permanent sight loss just decades ago can now be
treated with excellent prospects for full recovery. For
example, people with diabetes can reduce their risk of
blindness with timely laser surgery, the effects of
glaucoma can often be prevented, and studies are
exploring the role of vitamins and minerals in slowing
the progression of age-related macular degeneration and
cataract.

To educate people about these strides and to encourage
all Americans to protect their precious eyesight, the
Congress, by joint resolution approved December 30,
1963 (77 Stat. 629; 36 U.S.C. 169a), has authorized and
requested the President to proclaim the first week in
March of each year as ``Save Your Vision Week.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 3
through March 9, 1996, as Save Your Vision Week. I urge
all the people of the United States to participate in
this observance by making eye care and eye safety a
priority and to recognize the important contributions
that vision research makes to our lives. I invite eye
care professionals, the media, and all public and
private organizations committed to the goal of sight
preservation to join in activities that educate our
citizens about the simple steps they can take to save
their vision.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of March, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-six, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and twentieth.