[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 11, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E936]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E936]]
             CHILDREN'S VISION IMPROVEMENT AND LEARNING ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 2005

  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the 
travesty of preventable vision loss in our nation's children.
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently 
reported that millions of children do not receive the vision 
evaluations recommended by top medical organizations, placing them at 
greater risk for permanent vision loss, as well as physical and 
emotional difficulties.
  Undiagnosed vision problems can lead to permanent vision loss and 
learning difficulties.
  The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends a vision evaluation 
in the preschool years. Yet, the study finds that only 1 in 3 children 
received one before entering kindergarten.
  It is a national disgrace that only a small number of children are 
actually receiving the preventative care, recommended by our own 
medical guideline, they need to ensure healthy vision.
  One eye doctor who read the report called it, ``a wake-up call to 
both primary care providers and eye care professionals.'' It is clear 
that we must do better.
  Mr. Speaker, in many cases, vision loss can be avoided with early 
diagnosis and treatment. For the sake of our nation's young people, we 
need to make sure that children receive the necessary preventative 
vision care.
  Amblyopia is a serious vision problem that affects nearly one-half 
million preschoolers and is the leading cause of vision loss in young 
Americans. I recently met with seven-year-old Kennedy Biederman. She is 
a prime example of what can happen when a child doesn't get proper 
visual evaluations.
  Throughout her childhood, no one noticed that Kennedy couldn't see 
well. Despite multiple visits, her pediatrician did not notice, her 
teachers did not notice and neither did the nurses that screened her 
vision at school. Like many others, she simply slipped through the 
cracks.
  At age 5\1/2\, Kennedy happened to visit an eye doctor because of a 
small injury. The doctor performed an eye exam and diagnosed amblyopia. 
He also found that Kennedy was legally blind in her left eye and that 
her ``good'' eye had only 20/80 vision. ``I don't know how she was even 
functioning at school,'' her father said.

  Mr. Speaker, we have the best medical system in the world. We must do 
better so that more children don't wind up in the same position as 
Kennedy. The best way to do that is by making sure that children 
receive an eye exam from an eye doctor.
  An eye exam measures a number of visual skills that are critical to a 
child's healthy vision, such as using both eyes as a team, the ability 
for the eyes to focus properly when reading a book or viewing a 
computer, and the ability for the eyes to move properly when reading 
across a page of print.
  As the National Amblyopia Youth Spokesperson, Kennedy, and her 
parents Jason and Jill Biederman, will have a great opportunity to 
share their story. I commend them for their efforts to raise public 
awareness and believe that with their help, we can make a difference in 
the lives of children nationwide.
  The CDC states that approximately 1.8 million children under the age 
of 18 (2.5%) are blind or have some form of visual impairment. Many 
cases of visual impairment could be eliminated simply through more 
timely diagnosis and treatment.
  In order to address this egregious situation, in the last Congress I 
introduced legislation to provide states with resources they need to 
increase the number of children that receive an eye exam. More than 100 
of my colleagues cosponsored the legislation, as did more than 60 
organizations nationwide.
  Yesterday, I proudly reintroduced, the Children's Vision Improvement 
and Learning Act, H.R. 2238.
  This bill would work to address these issues by offering grants to 
all states to provide eye exams and necessary follow-up care; 
developing and distributing educational materials on state children's 
vision programs; and ensuring that these new initiatives complement, 
not supplant, services provided under Medicaid and SCHIP.
  As Congress works to improve the educational opportunities available 
to children in this country, the need to remove outside impediments to 
learning must be addressed to achieve long-term success.

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