Timed with the back-to-school season, Prevent Blindness’s campaign for Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month aims to raise awareness of childhood vision issues and provide free educational resources for families, educators, and health care professionals.

Fact sheets, social media graphics in English and Spanish, and video content with expert perspectives and patient experiences cover:

• Common pediatric eye conditions, including amblyopia, strabismus, myopia, retinopathy of prematurity, and vision complications from juvenile diabetes.
• Guidance on eye patching for amblyopia, supported by child testimonials.
• Tips for eye safety related to contact lenses, sports, UV exposure, screen time, and toy-related hazards. 

Prevent Blindness is also advocating for systemic policy changes. The organization supports the Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children (EDVI) Act, H.R. 2527, recently reintroduced in Congress. The bipartisan bill, supported by more than 100 national and state organizations, seeks to establish the first national program to improve pediatric eye health. It is led by Congressional Vision Caucus cochairs Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12) and Marc A. Veasey (D-TX-33) and cosponsored by several additional members of Congress.