Highlights of American Public Health Association and
Eye Health Related Resolutions:                                    

1979: Requests the inclusion of vision care in a National Health Service program.

1980: Urges the elimination of restrictive Medicare policies pertaining to reimbursement for optometric services.

1982: Encourages state legislators among others to mandate preschool vision screening with appropriate follow-up programs and/or vision examinations for all children prior to entry into school.

1982: Encourages multidisciplinary efforts to care for the nation's elderly visual needs that would include reimbursement from Medicare for basic services and expand coverage for Medicare and Medicaid to include low vision aids.

1983: Requests state DMV's to give individual functional evaluations of visually disabled drivers who use telescopic mounted lenses in order to pass state acuity requirement, and suggests special training for these persons.

1983: Calls for health insurance plans to recognize freedom of choice by reimbursing doctors whose patients choose orthoptics treatment rather than surgical treatment of strabismus and/or amblyopia.

1984: Encourages state and local health departments to become actively involved in vision care services for their constituencies.

1984: Recommends that the Federal Trade Commission refrain from actions based on its "flawed" 1983 survey report of cosmetic contact lens fittings; and, that future research methodology incorporate other issues.

1985: Urges interprofessional cooperation for international vision care programs and services.

1989: Calls for further research to develop appropriate and cost-effective methods of earlier detection and treatment of vision and hearing problems.

1990: Urges state legislatures to update their optometric practice acts to permit optometrists the use of therapeutic pharmaceutical agents.

1994: Encourages the Food and Drug Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to adopt standards that provide eye protection from ultraviolet radiation.

1995: Encourages long-term facilities to maintain an agreement with an optometrist or ophthalmologist to provide primary vision and eye health services to residents of long-term care facilities.

1997: Urges health providers to identify and routinely refer patients at high risk for glaucoma to ophthalmologists and optometrists for a dilated eye examination, diagnosis and subsequent management.

1999: Urges optometrists, ophthalmologists, and dentists to develop skills for early diagnosis, intervention, and referral for domestic violence cases.

2000: Urges governors and state legislators to require vision assessments for drivers at risk for vision impairment in states without mandatory vision assessments.

2000: Urges health professionals to promote the needs for annual, eye, foot and oral exams for all individuals with diabetes and make appropriate, timely referrals to optometrists, ophthalmologists, and dentists.

2001; Encourages a regular comprehensive eye examination as opposed to screening for school-aged children.

2001: Supports WHO's VISION 2020:  The Right to Sight global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness.

2003: Urges all heatlh care providers to make appropriate and prompt referrals for vision rehabilitation servcies for people with visual impairmtents.

2007:  Promotes use of eye protection for children engaging in sports.