[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 25, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E77]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING JANUARY AS NATIONAL GLAUCOMA AWARENESS MONTH

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                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 25, 2012

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I wish to take the opportunity to 
recognize January as National Glaucoma Awareness Month. Glaucoma is an 
insidious class of diseases that robs hundreds of thousands of 
Americans of their sight. The Glaucoma Research Foundation reports that 
over 2.2 million Americans have glaucoma, with approximately 120,000 
Americans being blind as a result of the disorder.
  Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness and accounts 
for between 9 percent to 12 percent of all cases of blindness. Glaucoma 
affects people of all ages but is more common among people who are 
middle-aged or elderly. As with many health problems, glaucoma 
disproportionately affects people of color, with glaucoma representing 
the leading cause of blindness for African American and Latino 
individuals. Research indicates that this group of eye diseases is 6 to 
8 times more common in African Americans than Caucasian Americans. 
Those who are diabetic or severely nearsighted are further at 
heightened risk for developing glaucoma.
  Glaucoma presents few if any symptoms of its onset; those affected 
can lose as much as 40 percent of their vision prior to noticing the 
vision loss. Unfortunately, there is no cure for glaucoma; however, 
amazing advances are occurring to prevent further visual loss. 
Medications that slow the progression are critical and steps toward 
optic nerve cell regeneration are being made. I am proud that many 
skilled researchers in Chicago are working to advance the prevention 
and treatment of glaucoma, including experts at Rush University Medical 
Center, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Northwestern 
University Medical School.
  National Glaucoma Awareness Month is designed to raise awareness of 
this group of eye diseases and to encourage individuals to get tested. 
Given the lack of cure for glaucoma, early detection is incredibly 
important. Thus, I lend my voice to the cause of raising awareness of 
glaucoma and encouraging Americans to get regular eye exams to identify 
early any potential visual problems.

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