[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 23 (Wednesday, March 6, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   THE CONGRESSIONAL GLAUCOMA CAUCUS URGES AMERICANS TO GET SCREENED 
                         THROUGH CAPITOL VISION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 6, 2002

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the issue of 
glaucoma awareness and the importance of early detection to prevent 
blindness among Americans.
  Glaucoma, a debilitating eye disease that strikes without warning and 
often without symptoms, blinds more than 5,500 Americans annually. 
While impacting all Americans, glaucoma is the leading cause of 
blindness in African-Americans. Because eye damage from glaucoma cannot 
be reversed, early detection and treatment are the only ways to prevent 
vision impairment and blindness.
  As a member of the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus, I am pleased to 
announce that glaucoma will take on a renewed emphasis on March 6, as 
the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus, Friends of the Congressional 
Glaucoma Caucus Foundation and Pharmacia Corporation join forces to 
bring glaucoma awareness and screenings to those at risk around the 
United States.
  Capitol Vision, the call-to-action and educational campaign, will 
challenge Americans to learn more about glaucoma and encourage them to 
take positive steps to protect their vision. Capitol Vision will 
especially emphasize the importance of glaucoma awareness among 
African-Americans, who are three to four times more likely to go blind 
from glaucoma than are Caucasians. We will also raise awareness of the 
Medicare Improvement Act--effective since January 2002--that adds 
Medicare coverage of annual glaucoma screenings for people who are at 
high risk for glaucoma.
  Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-New York); Bud Grant, CEO, Friends of the 
Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation; Eve Higginbotham, M.D., 
Professor and Chair, Department of Ophthalmology, University of 
Maryland School of Medicine; Paul Chaney, Vice-President, Global 
Ophthalmology Business, Pharmacia Corporation; Herman Washington, WHUR-
FM; and Sharon Matthews, a glaucoma patient, will joint me to kick off 
the campaign with a media briefing in the Rayburn building on March 6 
in Washington, D.C. Capitol Vision will then travel to communities 
throughout the country to provide free glaucoma screenings. The first 
screening will take place in Rep. Rangel's district in late March.
  I am honored to join forces with such a distinguished group to tackle 
a very important health concern. I strongly encourage other members of 
Congress to join us in our efforts to promote early detection of 
glaucoma so that we can eradicate a disease that steals the sight of 
many Americans.

                          ____________________