Eyes on Capitol Hill

Prevent Blindness Wisconsin is very excited and happy to announce the 2018 Eyes on Capitol Hill: Focus on Eye Health National Summit is finally here! Our team is ready to venture the long days in Washington D.C. to advocate for vision health education and programming across the nation.

Prevent Blindness Wisconsin will be participating in the vision health advocacy day at Capitol Hill Tuesday, July 17, 2018, lobbying to delegates for the support and promotion of preventative vision health programming throughout the United States. Our team will also participate in Prevent Blindness’s Focus on Eye Health National Summit on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, learning from the experts on the effectiveness of vision health research and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the National Eye Institute’s dedication towards vision health. We have a lot on our agenda and are ready to take on the challenge and make a difference. Together, we can provide a lifetime of healthy vision!

What are the needs for Vision Health Education and Programming in our nation?

1 in 4 school-aged children and 1 in 20 preschool-aged children has a vision problem.

More than 23 million American Adults have never had an eye exam because most do not think they have eye problems.

66% of adults in Wisconsin have some type of visual impairment or eye disease.

80% of learning happens visually, yet less than 70% of children in the U.S. are receiving appropriate vision screenings or eye exams.

Meet our 2017-2018 Vision Screening Preschool Ambassador, Addisyn!

We are happy to announce Prevent Blindness Wisconsin’s “ask” and “pitch” to delegates of Congress will involve the story and vision health journey of our 2017-2018 Preschool Vision Screening ambassador, Addisyn.

Addisyn is a 5-year-old happy and easygoing little girl. She loves gymnastics and dance, swimming, biking on her new “big-girl” bike, and playing with her twin sister, Abygail. In March 2017 Prevent Blindness Wisconsin volunteers provided a free vision screening at Addisyn’s preschool in Caledonia. Addisyn did not pass the vision screening and volunteers referred her for further care. At her appointment with a pediatric ophthalmologist, Addisyn was diagnosed with amblyopia (also called lazy eye) and strabismus.

Addisyn’s vision screening results and diagnosis came as a bit of a shock to her parents. Born prematurely, Addisyn faced many struggles early in her life, including retinopathy of prematurity. She had many doctor’s appointments and checkups and no one ever noticed that she had a vision problem that required further care. 

It was not until the Prevent Blindness Wisconsin screening at Addisyn’s preschool that a vision problem was detected. Because she had passed so many vision screenings before, her mom Michelle was shocked to hear that Addisyn did not pass her preschool screening, saying, “at first I was annoyed… how could we have missed this? Then I was so worried.”

In order to address Addisyn’s amblyopia and strabismus, her pediatric ophthalmologist prescribed glasses, with routine check-ins to monitor if she should begin a patching regimen. Thanks to her improved vision, Addisyn can continue dancing, tumbling during gymnastics, and playing with her siblings!

When Addisyn was first diagnosed with amblyopia and strabismus, she was seeing 20/100. Recently, Addisyn went in for a routine check-up and thanks to effective, consistent, and early treatment, Addisyn is now seeing 20/20!

Without early detection from Prevent Blindness Wisconsin volunteers, Addisyn’s vision problem may have gone undetected, untreated, and could have resulted in permanent vision loss. Addisyn’s parents are thankful for the work done by Prevent Blindness Wisconsin, saying “We are immensely grateful for the Prevent Blindness Wisconsin screening and for early intervention and a very positive treatment plan. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!” 

Addisyn’s mom, Michelle, is joining our team this year during the Eyes on Capitol Hill Summit to share her story and the impact early detection and effective treatment had in her family’s life. We look forward to the impact and difference Addi’s story will make in Washington D.C. and in the lives of so many children who have an undetected vision problem. With the help of the Reed family and other vision health advocates, we are taking one more step to making healthy vision a priority not only in Wisconsin, but across the nation.

• Maintaining vision and eye health efforts at the Vision Health Initiative for the Centers for Disease Control
• Emphasizing the importance of children’s vision health by targeting the Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the Health Resources and Services Administration
• Increasing awareness and funding on the Sneak Thief of Sight, Glaucoma, through the Glaucoma Project implemented by the Centers for Disease Control
• Funding and support for scientific vision health studies at the National Eye Institute 

2018 Focus on Eye Health National Summit

Join our team and Prevent Blindness July 18, 2018 for the 2018 Focus on Eye Health National Summit: Research to Impact. To stream and stay up to date on presentations and discussions register for the live webcast.