[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 95 (Wednesday, July 19, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S7922]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BOND:
  S. 3685. A bill to establish a grant program to provide vision care 
to children, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, children endure a lot. They cannot always 
tell us what is wrong. Often they do not know themselves. So it takes a 
special person to work with young people and help identify their 
problems. Every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full 
potential, but it takes more than a bookbag full of pencils, paper, 
books and rulers to equip children with the tools necessary to succeed 
in school.
  The most important tool kids will take to school is their eyes. Good 
vision is critical to learning. Eighty percent of what kids learn in 
their early school years is visual. Unfortunately, we overlook that 
fact sometimes. According to the CDC only one in three children receive 
any form of preventive vision care before entering school. That means 
many kids are in school right now with an undetected vision problem. 
One in four children has a vision problem that can interfere with 
learning. Some children are even labeled ``disruptive'' or thought to 
have a learning disability when the real reason for their difficulty is 
an undetected vision problem.
  Without any vision care, some of our children will continue to fall 
through the cracks. I sympathize with these kids because I suffer from 
permanent vision loss in one eye as a result of undiagnosed Amblyopia 
in childhood. Amblyopia is the No. 1 cause of vision loss in young 
Americans. If discovered and treated early, vision loss from Amblyopia 
can be largely prevented. Had I been identified and treated before I 
entered school, I could have avoided a lifetime of vision loss. Parents 
are not always aware that their child may suffer from a vision problem. 
By educating parents on the importance of vision care and recognizing 
signs of visual impairment we can help children avoid unnecessary 
vision loss.
  To ensure that children get the vital vision care that they need to 
succeed, today I am introducing the Vision Care for Kids Act of 2006 
which will establish a grant program to complement and encourage 
existing state efforts to improve children's vision care. More 
specifically, grant funds will be used to: (1) provide comprehensive 
eye exams to children that have been previously identified as needing 
such services; (2) provide treatment or services necessary to correct 
vision problems identified in that eye exam; and (3) develop and 
disseminate educational materials to recognize the signs of visual 
impairment in children for parents, teachers, and health care 
practitioners.
  We need to do this. We must improve vision care for children to 
better equip them to succeed in school and in life. The Vision Care for 
Kids Act, endorsed by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American 
Optometric Association, and Vision Council of America, will make a 
difference in the lives of children across the country.
                                 ______