‘Eyes on Capitol Hill’ Brings Vision Care Issues to U.S. Congressional Members

WASHINGTON D.C.— Prevent Blindness held its 9th annual “Eyes on Capitol Hill” event here on June 19, bringing concerned citizens to meet with U.S. congressional and senate members and their staff to discuss vision care issues and share personal stories about the value of eye health care and the need for public health services in the vision care field. 

The Eyes on Capitol Hill meetings were scheduled to specifically ask elected officials to: 

• Provide $1,000,000 in FY 2015 to maintain the Vision Health Initiative at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

• Provide at least $3,319,000 for the Glaucoma Project at CDC. 

• Support the Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s (MCHB) National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health (the Center) in developing a public health infrastructure to promote and ensure a continuum of vision and eye health care for children. 

• Provide $730 million in FY 2014 funding for the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health. 

• Cosponsor H.R. 3749, the Medicare Demonstration of Coverage for Low Vision Devices Act. 

• Join of the Congressional Vision Caucus (CVC). 

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