Florida Senate - 2024                             (NP)    SR 482
       
       
        
       By Senator Berman
       
       
       
       
       
       26-00774-24                                            2024482__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing August 2024 as “Amblyopia
    3         Awareness Month” in Florida.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, amblyopia is the most common cause of vision loss
    6  in children, and
    7         WHEREAS, amblyopia can cause permanent vision loss if not
    8  detected and treated early in life, and
    9         WHEREAS, the detection of amblyopia and other vision
   10  threatening disorders, including retinoblastoma tumors,
   11  cataracts, and strabismus, in early childhood increases the
   12  chances of successful treatment, especially if the disorder is
   13  detected before a child reaches 5 years of age, and
   14         WHEREAS, many forms of amblyopia are difficult to detect
   15  and can be identified only through proper screening techniques,
   16  and
   17         WHEREAS, the sooner children are identified as having
   18  amblyopia or other vision-threatening disorders, the sooner
   19  treatment can commence, and
   20         WHEREAS, millions of children in the United States are left
   21  with permanent vision loss due to undetected amblyopia and other
   22  childhood vision disorders that could have been detected with
   23  proper screening and successfully treated, and
   24         WHEREAS, less than 20 percent of preschool children are
   25  currently screened for vision problems, despite the fact that
   26  such screening is a covered service by many health insurance
   27  plans and health maintenance organizations, and
   28         WHEREAS, parents should be encouraged to have their
   29  children screened for vision problems before admission to
   30  preschool, and
   31         WHEREAS, the Florida Society of Ophthalmology and the For
   32  Eye Care Foundation, Inc., believe that it is of paramount
   33  importance to promote statewide preschool vision screening, with
   34  the goal of testing all children between 3 and 5 years of age,
   35  NOW, THEREFORE,
   36  
   37  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   38  
   39         That August 2024 is recognized as “Amblyopia Awareness
   40  Month” in Florida.