Save Your Vision Week, 2009

Proclamation 8348 of February 27, 2009

Save Your Vision Week, 2009

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Blindness and visual impairment affect millions of
Americans. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are
critical to minimize vision loss from eye diseases as
well as vision loss that is correctable with eye
glasses or contact lenses. During Save Your Vision
Week, I encourage all Americans to take action to
protect their vision.

Unfortunately, most people have limited knowledge of
blinding eye disorders. In a 2005 study by the National
Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of
Health, only eight percent of respondents knew that
glaucoma, a condition that can damage the optic nerve
and cause vision loss and blindness, strikes without
early warning. Similarly, only 11 percent knew that
diabetic eye disease also begins as a silent vision
threat.

Several demographic groups are at higher risk for
visual impairment, including teenagers, diabetics,
Hispanics, African Americans, and the economically
disadvantaged. Older Americans are more susceptible to
eye conditions such as age-related macular
degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma.
Children need regular vision screenings because vision
disorders left untreated during childhood can lead to
permanent visual impairment during adulthood.

Still, eye disease knows no bounds, and every American
should take steps to protect his or her eyesight.
Doctors recommend seeking routine eye examinations,
maintaining a healthy diet, wearing sunglasses to
protect the eyes from damaging ultraviolet rays, and
using protective eyewear in hazardous environments. The
National Eye Institute's website, www.nei.nih.gov,
provides resources for learning more about common
vision conditions and information on finding an eye
health professional. By being proactive and seeking out
information, Americans can do their part to prevent or
reduce vision loss.

To remind Americans about the importance of
safeguarding their eyesight, the Congress, by joint
resolution approved December 30, 1963, as amended (77
Stat. 629; 36 U.S.C. 138), has authorized and requested
the President to proclaim the first week in March of
each year as ``Save Your Vision Week.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 1
through March 7, 2009, as Save Your Vision Week. During
this time, I invite eye care professionals, teachers,
members of the media, and all organizations dedicated
to preserving eyesight to join in activities that will
raise awareness of vision diseases and disorders.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-seventh day of February, in the year of our Lord
two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
third.