[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 246 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 246

         Supporting the goals and ideals of World Glaucoma Day.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 3, 2010

 Ms. Baldwin (for herself, Mr. Towns, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, and Mr. 
  Sessions) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
         Supporting the goals and ideals of World Glaucoma Day.

Whereas World Glaucoma Day will be celebrated on March 12, 2010;
Whereas four percent of the global population, including infants, children, and 
        the elderly, are affected by glaucoma;
Whereas glaucoma disproportionately affects underserved minority populations, 
        with African-Americans having a three times greater risk of developing 
        this disease than Whites, and it is the leading cause of irreversible 
        vision loss in African-Americans and Hispanics;
Whereas research shows that an estimated 60,500,000 people worldwide will be 
        living with either angle closure glaucoma or primary open angle glaucoma 
        in 2010;
Whereas awareness is absolutely crucial, as glaucoma often has no symptoms until 
        vision loss occurs, and it is estimated that, in the United States, more 
        than half of glaucoma cases remain undiagnosed, and 90 percent of 
        glaucoma cases are undiagnosed in developing countries;
Whereas glaucoma is the second leading cause of preventable vision loss in the 
        United States and it is the leading cause of permanent blindness 
        worldwide;
Whereas the World Health Organization estimates that there are currently 
        4,500,000 people who have been blinded due to glaucoma, and this number 
        will rise to 11,200,000 by 2020;
Whereas early detection and treatment of glaucoma is essential to halting or 
        slowing down the progression towards severe visual impairment or 
        blindness; and
Whereas World Glaucoma Day offers an opportunity to educate patients with 
        glaucoma and those at risk for the disease that there are means for 
        detecting and treating it to save sight, by raising awareness and 
        providing helpful tips about the importance of regular screening, early 
        diagnosis, and appropriate treatment: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That--
            (1) it is the sense of Congress that--
                    (A) World Glaucoma Day provides a special 
                opportunity to educate the people of the United States 
                about the dangers of glaucoma and to take steps to 
                encourage regular screenings, early diagnosis, and 
                appropriate treatment to prevent severe visual 
                impairment or blindness;
                    (B) it is appropriate to acknowledge that 4,500,000 
                people have been blinded due to glaucoma and regular 
                screenings will reduce the number of undiagnosed cases 
                and, in combination with appropriate treatment, prevent 
                the number of those blinded by glaucoma from rising to 
                11,200,000 people in 2020;
                    (C) the American Glaucoma Society should be 
                recognized and applauded for its hard work in raising 
                awareness of the need for regular screenings, early 
                diagnosis, and proper treatment of glaucoma and its 
                efforts to decrease the incidences of undiagnosed and 
                untreated glaucoma;
                    (D) the National Eye Institute (NEI) should be 
                recognized and applauded for its continuing dedication 
                to researching causes of glaucoma; and
                    (E) the Friends of the Congressional Glaucoma 
                Foundation should be recognized and applauded for 
                screening over 300,000 people in the United States for 
                glaucoma and other eye diseases; and
            (2) Congress strongly recommends that national and 
        community health organizations, colleges and universities, and 
        the media--
                    (A) promote, through education, awareness of the 
                need for regular screenings and early diagnosis of 
                glaucoma and strategies to decrease the undiagnosed and 
                untreated cases; and
                    (B) support the goals and ideals of World Glaucoma 
                Day.
                                 <all>