[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 3, 1998)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 10289-10290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-5601]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 41 / Tuesday, March 3, 1998 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 10289]]

                Proclamation 7068 of February 26, 1998

                
Save Your Vision Week, 1998

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The ability to see is a great treasure; but, as with 
                any precious possession, it is vulnerable to loss--
                through injury, age, or disease. Men and women whose 
                jobs require them to work with chemicals or machinery 
                are at increased risk of eye injury. Macular 
                degeneration takes a dramatic toll on the vision of 
                people aged 60 and over, causing severe visual 
                impairment and even blindness in its victims. Diseases 
                such as glaucoma, cataract, and diabetic retinopathy 
                can silently steal the vision of their victims without 
                pain or other early symptoms to signal the need for 
                immediate medical attention.

                The greatest defense we have in protecting our eyesight 
                is early detection and treatment. While many Americans 
                receive regular physical examinations to ensure their 
                overall fitness, they often ignore the health of their 
                eyes. Yet, by the time many patients realize their 
                eyesight is deteriorating, it is often too late to 
                restore vision already lost. Even though they may not 
                be experiencing vision problems, Americans should make 
                a dilated eye examination part of their preventive 
                health care routine. A dilated eye exam can reveal 
                early signs of eye disease and make it possible to 
                treat the affliction and preserve vision.

                Good eye care is not solely for those who know they are 
                at high risk for eye disease--it is for everyone. 
                Certain types of eye disease tend to develop primarily 
                in children, while others manifest themselves most 
                often in working-age adults or older men and women. By 
                taking good care of our eyes, we can take the important 
                steps to maintain our quality of life and ensure the 
                full enjoyment of all that our world has to offer.

                To remind Americans of the importance of protecting 
                their 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 1 
                through March 7, 1998, as Save Your Vision Week. I urge 
                all Americans to participate by making eye care and eye 
                safety an important part of their lives and to ensure 
                that dilated eye examinations are included in their 
                regular health maintenance programs. I invite eye care 
                professionals, the media, and all public and private 
                organizations dedicated to preserving eyesight to join 
                in activities that will raise awareness of the measures 
                we can take to protect and sustain our vision.

[[Page 10290]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-second.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 98-5601
Filed 3-2-98; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P