Vision Preservation Act of 2007
On October 4th, members of the Congressional Vision Caucus, led by Representative Gene Green (D-TX), introduced the Vision Preservation Act of 2007, HR 3750. The bipartisan legislation will create a comprehensive national public health strategy for vision care. There are two main components to the Vision Preservation Act: implementation of vision loss prevention programs and the establishment of grants to train more vision rehabilitation professionals.
The vision loss prevention programs will consist of national outreach and public awareness efforts to highlight "the impact of vision problems and the importance of early diagnosis, management and effective prevention and rehabilitation strategies." Additionally, the Vision Preservation Act will strengthen efforts to expand the available scientific information on the prevention, control and rehabilitation of vision problems.
The bill also contains provisions that will establish federal grants for higher education institutions and non-profit organizations. The grants must be used for continuing education training opportunities and to develop inter-disciplinary curricula for use in the preparation of new professionals in vision rehabilitation, occupational therapy, and related disciplines. The legislation will also seek to "educate physicians, nurses and other health care providers about the value of vision rehabilitation."