Proclamation 4419

February 25, 1976

Try to imagine a world without sunsets, without the smiles of friends, without the comfort of books, or without any of the simple sights we take for granted but which make our lives so much richer. Such a world will become a reality for the fifty thousand Americans who will become blind this year alone. Over a million other Americans will also suffer some form of visual impairment. Yet all too often it is only when these problems occur that we realize how important vision is to almost every aspect of our daily existence.

Americans have access to the most advanced facilities for the care of vision available in the world. This has been made possible through sustained research by dedicated professionals, supported in large measure by private organizations as well as the Federal Government through the National Eye Institute. Nevertheless, whether out of vanity or unfamiliarity with the elementary principles of proper vision care, millions of Americans continue to neglect their eyesight.

To remind all Americans of the importance of good vision to themselves and the Nation, and to encourage them to learn and practice the fundamentals of eye safety-including the need for regular professional examination-the Congress, by joint reso­lution (36 U.S.C. 196a), has requested the President to issue annually a proclamation designating the first week in March as Save Your Vision Week.

Now, Therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate the week beginning March 7, 1976, as Save Your Vision Week. I urge all Americans to mark this occasion by learning and practicing the safety measures appropriate for good eyesight. I call upon optometrists, ophthal­mologists, and opticians, the communications media, and educators to join in public activities and programs to improve and protect the vision of Americans of all ages.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of February in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred seventy-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundredth.



GERALD R. FORD