From: empower@smart.net
Subject: Presidential proclamation on "Save Your Vision Week"
I was impressed by what this proclamation did not say.  It
avoided the sappy language and metaphors about sight that have
typically accompanied such statements.  Hopefully, this is a sign
of progress in changing what it means to be blind.
Regards,
Jamal
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  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.
 
  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.
 
                                         [signature]
 
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