Bausch & Lomb, a global eye care company, sponsored the survey as part of its nationwide consumer awareness program. The survey, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation International, explored Americans' awareness of the critical role vision plays in daily life and attitudes and behaviors surrounding eye care. Bausch & Lomb annually teams up with eye care professionals across the nation to increase public understanding about the benefits of regular eye exams for the entire family and the critical role the eye care professional plays in public eye health.

"Early detection of vision problems is critical, since as much as 80 percent of all learning in a child's first 12 years is obtained through vision. There are almost 70 million families in America with children under 18 and as many as 25 percent of American children have vision problems significant enough to prevent them from succeeding in school," according to William T. Reindel, O.D. of Bausch & Lomb. "It is important that children have a comprehensive eye examination as early as possible to detect any vision problems which may affect their ability to learn and perform to their full potential. I strongly urge parents to include an appointment for their children's vision exams on their back-to-school checklist this year."

While all children should receive routine eye exams, children at higher risk for eye problems include those who:

• Were born prematurely

• Have a family history of eye problems such as childhood cataract, amblyopia ("lazy eye"), misaligned eyes, or eye tumors

• Have parents with health problems such as diabetes

• Have had eye injuries (complications of eye injuries may not appear until later, such as glaucoma or cataracts).