Florida Senate - 2022 (NP) SR By Senator Berman 31-02690-22 20221972__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Senate Resolution A resolution recognizing August as “Amblyopia Awareness Month” in Florida. 3

WHEREAS, amblyopia is the most common cause of vision loss in children, and

WHEREAS, amblyopia can cause permanent vision loss if not detected and treated early in life, and

WHEREAS, the detection of amblyopia and other vision threatening disorders, including retinoblastoma tumors, 10 cataracts, and strabismus, in early childhood inc reases the chances of successful treatment, especially if the disorder is detected before a child reaches years of age, and

WHEREAS, many forms of amblyopia are difficult to detect and can be identified only through proper screening techniques, 15 and

WHEREAS, the sooner children are identified as having amblyopia or other vision threatening disorders, the sooner treatment can commence, and

WHEREAS, millions of children in the United States are left with permanent vision loss due to undetected amblyopia and other childhood ocular disorders that could have been detected with proper screening and successfully treated, and

WHEREAS, less than percent of preschool children are currently screened for vision problems, despite the fact that such screening is a covered service by many health insurance plans and health maintenance organizations, and

WHEREAS, parents should be encouraged to have their children screened for vision problems before admission to Florida Senate - 2022 (NP) SR 1972 31-02690-22 20221972__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. preschool, and

WHEREAS, the Florida Society of Ophthalmology and the For Eye Care Foundation, Inc., believe that it is of paramount importance to promote statewide preschool vision screening, with the goal of testing all children between and years of age, 34

NOW, THEREFORE, 35

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 37 That August is recognized as “Amblyopia Awareness Month” in Florida. 40