BLIND INVENTOR PREVENTING CHILDRENS BLINDNESS, DEATH WITH FREE SCREENINGS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Angela Johnson or Starla Powers
Ph: 619-429-5576 mailto:trc@inetworld.net
<http://www.consumernet.org/lazyeye>

NEW CALIFORNIA LAW REQUIRES INFANT VISION SCREENING
BVC FOUNDATION FUNDED BY CITY OF SAN DIEGO TO DO IT NOW!

A major bill [AB 2185] has just been passed by theCalifornia State
Legislature to implement the early detection of eye diseases to help
prevent the blindness and death resulting from eye cancer.

The Better Vision for Children Foundation [BVC] will soon be screening
children for retinoblastoma [eye cancer-fatal if not treated in first
few years of life], amblyopia /lazy eye [permanent blindness in one or
both eyes]and other PREVENTABLE vision disorders…under a
first-of-its-kind grant from the City of San Diego.

"These are breakthroughs of major significance" says Tom Cataldo, a
lifelong victim of amblyopia and the founder of BVC. " It is clear
evidence of the compelling need to screen EVERY preschool child ".
"It's not possible for even eye specialists to determine which children
will be affected without performing a number of in-office tests that are
time consuming and expensive" adds Dr. Sal Stella, a Pediatric
Ophthalmologist and
co-founder of BVC.

The initial screenings will be conducted at The Southeast Alano Club by
their own personnel to be trained by BVC . They will be using BVC's
state-of-the-art Digital Photo Screener that has been designed for FIELD

use by non-technical, non-medical, operators. Program Director Dede
Wright feels certain that "this is the first step in an eventual
citywide mandate, under which all preschoolers will be screened for
this, in the same way they are given inoculations."

"This is a high speed portable system that gives us visible results
instantaneously" says Cataldo… "which is very important in screening
young children who often get unmanageable after the first few seconds.
We can now screen about 60 kids an hour if they're lined up and ready to
go."

In addition to the new San Diego city program, BVC will continue its
13-year binational program of screening children at orphanages,
preschools and business locations with financial assistance in the US
from WALMART, MEN'S WEARHOUSE, Mac DONALDS and LIONS CLUBS, and in
Mexico from a major bank.

BVC welcomes inquiries from other cities and countries. It can help form
chapters and independent non-profits to conduct similar screening
programs worldwide.