[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 13, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E166]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


           DOUBLING THE BUDGET OF THE NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PATSY T. MINK

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 13, 2001

  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce a bill that 
would double the budget of the National Eye Institute (NEI) within 
three years.
  Blinding eye and vision disorders pose a tremendous challenge to our 
health care system. The numbers are staggering. By the year 2030, 66 
million Americans will be at risk for blinding-eye disorders. Cataracts 
affects 29 percent of Americans between the ages of 65-74. Glaucoma, 
the leading cause of blindness in African Americans, affects three 
million Americans. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease 
which alters central vision, affects an estimated 1.7 million 
Americans.
  Since its establishment in 1968, NEI has conducted and supported 
research that helps prevent and treat eye diseases. A few of its 
research achievements include: New medical therapies to treat glaucoma; 
introducing drugs to treat uveitis, a potentially blinding inflammation 
of the inside of the eye; and contributing to the development of 
medical lasers to treat patients with glaucoma, AMD, and other eye 
disorders.
  The National Eye Institute has many exciting research projects on the 
horizon. They cannot complete those projects without adequate funding. 
In FY 2000, NEI's funding was $452,706,000. This year, NEI is funded at 
$510,611,000. By FY 2004, we should commit $791,714,000 to the NEI 
budget.
  We have an obligation to make our commitment to eye and vision 
research at the NEI as strong as our commitment to the biomedical 
research at the National Institutes of Health.
  I urge my colleagues to support increasing the research efforts at 
the National Eye Institute by cosponsoring this legislation.

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