[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 9 (Monday, March 6, 1995)]
[Pages 345-346]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6774--Save Your Vision Week, 1995

March 2, 1995

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Sight is a precious gift--one that we cannot afford to take for 
granted. To ensure that we enjoy a healthy view of the world for many 
years to come, all of us must make certain our eyes receive good care 
and attention throughout our lives.
    Americans can take steps to guard their vision on a daily basis, 
while at home and on the job. Using face masks, goggles, or safety 
glasses can protect our eyes from the dangers of potentially harmful 
chemicals or machinery, and the appropriate protective eyewear is 
critical while playing sports. But

[[Page 346]]

perhaps the easiest and most effective way that we can protect our sight 
is with comprehensive eye examinations. Early eye tests can help secure 
good vision for our children from the start. And with regular eye exams, 
the threat of vision loss does not have to be a normal part of aging.
    For Americans at special risk, preventive care takes on added 
importance. The 14 million individuals nationwide who have diabetes face 
the possibility of developing diabetic eye diseases, the leading cause 
of blindness among working-aged Americans. This condition may show no 
symptoms--even in advanced stages--and it must be detected as soon as 
possible to prevent vision loss.
    Glaucoma, another potentially blinding eye disease, can be 
controlled when detected early. Approximately 3 million Americans suffer 
from this disease, which strikes silently often without pain or 
noticeable symptoms. Especially at risk are African Americans age 40 and 
older and all people age 60 and older.
    To remind Americans of how they can protect 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 the week beginning March 5, 1995, 
as Save Your Vision Week. I urge all Americans to participate by making 
eye care and eye safety an important part of their lives. I invite eye 
care professionals, the media, and all public and private organizations 
committed to the goals of sight preservation, to join in activities that 
will make Americans more aware of the steps they can take to preserve 
their vision.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of 
March, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-five, and of 
the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
nineteenth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:38 a.m., March 6, 
1995]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
March 7.