U.S. Senator raises awareness of amblyopia

U.S. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond (R-MO) revealed that he suffers from permanent vision loss in one eye as a result of undiagnosed amblyopia in childhood. He pledged his support for efforts to educate parents about the important role of preventative vision care in children.

"It is absolutely vital that parents take their children to an eye doctor before [the children] start school," said Sen. Bond. "Had [my parents] done so, I could have avoided a lifetime of vision loss."

He has teamed up with the "Check Yearly" campaign, which educates parents about the importance of eye exams in children. Sen. Bond will appear in a public service announcement (PSA) with Kennedy Biederman, the National Amblyopia Youth spokesperson.

The PSA will be distributed to more than 7,000 media outlets and will be converted into a poster for nationwide distribution.