[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 32 (Thursday, March 13, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H1003]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            MARCH 1997 NATIONAL EYE DONOR MONTH PROCLAMATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Bilirakis] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, since 1983, Congress has joined with the 
Eye Bank Association of America in proclaiming March as National Eye 
Donor Month. March is a time to encourage all Americans to register 
their eyes for donation. Throughout the country, the miracle of 
transplant surgery is drastically improving people's lives.
  Today I rise to request that my colleagues take a few minutes to 
focus on eye donations. Some of you may not realize that a person's 
vision can be restored through corneal transplantation. Every year, 
thousands of corneal transplants are performed across the country, 
restoring precious sight to both the young and old. In 1995, over 
44,000 corneas were made available by our Nation's eye banks for 
transplantation procedures.
  While figures for 1996 are still being tallied, even greater totals 
are expected.
  In fact, just outside my district, the Lions Club of Tampa, FL, 
operates one of the largest eye banks in the world. The Central Florida 
Eye and Tissue Bank restores sight to over 2,000 people every year. 
Nevertheless, the need for corneal transplants continues.
  The benefits of sight-restoring transplant surgeries extend well 
beyond the people who receive the transplants. The benefits also extend 
to the transplant recipients' families, friends and communities.
  In recent years, the public education campaigns launched by Congress, 
educators, and the media have had a positive impact on the success of 
eye donation programs.
  Since 1961, when the Eye Bank Association of America was founded, 
member eye banks have made over a half million corneal transplants 
possible. The success rate of these transplants, Mr. Speaker, exceeds 
95 percent.
  Let me stress an important point. Anyone can be an eye donor. It does 
not matter if people have cataracts, poor eyesight, or other eye 
ailments. They can still contribute to improving the life of fellow 
human being, regardless of age or health status.
  Another area that is somewhat confusing is how one becomes an organ 
donor. Many States have potential organ donors declare their intentions 
on their driving licenses. However, in order to guarantee that an organ 
donation will occur, a person must share, and I repeat, must share 
these intentions with his or her next of kin and other family members.
  In some cases, the deceased person's next of kin may object to their 
loved one becoming an organ donor because the matter was never 
discussed. If an individual's next of kin objects to their loved one 
becoming an organ donor, those wishes are usually respected. It is 
extremely important that potential organ donors make their intentions 
clear with family members before it is too late.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, we have a tremendous opportunity to educate our 
fellow Americans about eye donations. We must take this occasion to 
encourage all Americans to give the gift of sight.
  What better legacy to leave than to have our eyes become someone 
else's miracle?

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