[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 33 (Thursday, March 1, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        NATIONAL EYE DONOR MONTH

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                          HON. JOSEPH R. PITTS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 1, 2012

  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, since President Ronald Reagan declared the 
first celebration in 1983, the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) 
and its 97 member eye banks have designated March as National Eye Donor 
Month--an opportunity to honor eye donors and corneal recipients, and 
increase awareness of the need to donate eyes.
  Through corneal transplants, over 1,000,000 people have had their 
sight restored since the EBAA's inception in 1961. This is precisely 
why it is so important to educate the general public about the donors 
and their families who afford life-changing corneal transplantations 
for over 50,000 people annually.
  Of the EBAA's 97 member eye banks, five are located in Pennsylvania, 
and they have a deep-rooted commitment to restoring sight by providing 
corneas for sight-saving transplant procedures. In 2010, charitable eye 
donations made by Pennsylvania residents allowed our state eye banks to 
provide in excess of 2,900 corneal transplants to help our fellow 
Pennsylvanians regain their sight, and almost 1,200 corneas for 
research and educational purposes.
  The Pennsylvania eye banks' efforts have not gone unnoticed, changing 
the lives of thousands of Pennsylvanians through the selfless gifts of 
donors and their families.
  The Center for Organ Recovery & Education in Pittsburgh will soon 
offer surgeons pre-cut corneal tissue, which will greatly enhance post-
operative recovery time for those recipients undergoing Endothelial 
Keratoplasty.
  In Hershey, the Gift of Life Eye Bank educates the public about eye 
donation and coordinates the recovery and allocation of corneas for 
transplant. Serving the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New 
Jersey and Delaware, the Gift of Life Eye Bank also supports research 
into the causes and cures of blinding eye conditions.
  Located in the City of Brotherly Love, the Lions Eye Bank of Delaware 
Valley recently acquired the latest technological device to prepare 
donated cornea tissue for the most modern, highly-effective surgical 
techniques.
  For over 52 years, the Lions Eye Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania in 
Erie has been dedicated to sight restoration. In November 2011, they 
accomplished a first; procurement of a cornea from a living donor and 
successful transplantation into a young man from Philadelphia.
  Celebrating 55 years of eye banking, the Northeast Pennsylvania Lions 
Eye Bank in Bethlehem is a charter member of the EBAA, and to date, has 
placed over 25,000 corneas for transplantation.
  Even with the tremendous advancements eye banks have made in corneal 
transplantation, much remains to be done to offer more people the 
opportunity to receive life-changing corneal transplants.
  I encourage all Americans to register to become eye donors. Inform 
your family of your wishes; designate yourself as a donor on your 
driver's license; and register as an eye donor through your state donor 
registry.
  I urge my colleagues to work with their local eye banks and the EBAA 
to promote the importance of eye donation and its life-enhancing 
effects on corneal recipients.
  During March 2012, let us remember the donors whose gifts of sight 
make corneal transplants possible, celebrate the corneal recipients 
whose lives are forever changed and work with the EBAA and its member 
eye banks to continue restoring sight worldwide through public 
education and ongoing advancements in corneal transplantation.

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