Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 101 Part 3.djvu/783

 PROCLAMATION 5612—FEB. 25, 1987

101 STAT. 2081

serious eye disorders tend to strike in middle and later life. But if these conditions are detected and treated in time, serious visual loss often can be prevented. Children, too, stand to benefit from eye examinations. A routine checkup may reveal some problem that should be corrected while the child is still young. Many children have been spared from lifelong visual handicaps because a checkup gave warning of a need for treatment. Preventing eye injuries is also very important. Everyone should wear goggles, safety glasses, or a face mask when working with chemicals or machinery that might be a hazard to the eyes. People participating in certain sports may also benefit from protective eyewear. And there is more we can do. We can give the gift of sight to others by making arrangements to donate our eyes after death. Donations are needed for corneal transplant operations that can cure blindness in people whose corneas have been damaged by injury or disease. It is hard to imagine a more magnanimous bequest. This is a time to recognize the many contributions of private organizations devoted to the safeguarding of eyesight, the prevention of visual loss, and the rehabilitation of those with impaired vision. During this centennial year of the National Institutes of Health, we can also celebrate the many research accomplishments of the National Eye Institute. To encourage all Americans to reflect on how important eyesight is and what they can do to safeguard it, 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. RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning March 1, 1987, as Save Your Vision Week. I urge all Americans to participate in this observance by making eye care and eye safety an important part of their lives. I invite eye care professionals, the communications media, and all public and private organizations committed to the goal of sight conservation to join in activities that will make Americans more aware of the steps they can take to protect their vision. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eleventh. RONALD REAGAN

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