U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) today praised House passage of H.R. 507, the Vision Care for Kids Act of 2007.  Pascrell, an original sponsor of the legislation since 2002, has worked for six years towards the creation of a grant program that would increase and improve access to preventative vision care for children.

“I applaud the House of Representatives for recognizing the important role of vision care in the early development of our youngest students,” stated Pascrell.  “Eye health has a direct impact on learning and achievement.  It is unacceptable that only one in three children will receive preventative vision care before they reach elementary school.  Today’s progress would reverse a careless oversight in the early development of America’s children and open new worlds of academic and social opportunity.”

“As our Congressman, Bill Pascrell has always put the health and education needs of our children first,” said Michael Veliky, O.D. and president of the New Jersey Society of Optometric Physicians.  “Today, with the passage of the Vision Care for Kids Act, and a push to make children’s vision a top priority in Washington, D.C., optometrists across New Jersey, and our patients, are particularly proud.”

“Congressman Bill Pascrell has led the way and made children’s vision legislation a top priority for this Congress,” said Kevin Alexander, O.D., Ph.D., president of the American Optometric Association.   “After years of hard work and determination by Congressman Pascrell and others who have joined him in this effort, children in New Jersey and across America are now closer than ever before to getting the eye and vision care services they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.”

The Vision Care for Kids Act would establish a five-year $65 million federal grant program focusing on treatment to bolster children’s vision initiatives in the states.  It would encourage children’s vision partnerships with private non-profit entities, like state optometric associations, that share a deep commitment to safeguarding the sight of America’s children.  

“I have worked closely with Senator Chris Dodd and Kit Bond, and urge my Senate colleagues to follow our path towards a new standard for children’s health and learning,” concluded Pascrell.

Ten million children suffer from vision disorders, according to the National Parent Teacher Association.  Vision disorders are considered the fourth most common disability in the United States, and they are one of the most prevalent handicapping conditions in childhood.

In 2006, Rep. Pascrell was selected to receive the American Optometric Association’s Health Care Leadership Award for his longtime advocacy of children’s eye and vision care.

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