[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 9 (Monday, March 2, 1998)]
[Pages 343-344]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7068--Save Your Vision Week, 1998

February 26, 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

[[Page 344]]

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.
    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.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., March 2, 
1998]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
March 3.