[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 27 (Friday, February 14, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING DR. JEFFREY LEVENSON FOR HIS WORK WITH SURGICAL EYE 
                              EXPEDITIONS

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                          HON. ANDER CRENSHAW

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 14, 2014

  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Jeffrey 
Levenson for his good will and compassion for his work with Surgical 
Eye Expeditions.
   As a practicing ophthalmologist for over 30 years, Dr. Levenson has 
dedicated his career to giving the gift of sight. At the age of 51, Dr. 
Levenson underwent cataract surgery to restore his own vision loss. 
Realizing firsthand the devastation of vision loss, Dr. Levenson 
reached out to California-based Surgical Eye Expeditions, a nonprofit 
humanitarian organization that recruits volunteer ophthalmologists to 
perform free, sight-restoring surgery throughout the world.
   In 2009 Dr. Levenson traveled to Peru for his inaugural trip 
performing multiple cataract surgery. Since then, he and his wife, Dr. 
Ilene Levenson, have traveled to Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexcio 
performing multiple surgeries for those less fortunate. In a typical 
week long trip the ophthalmologists are able to perform 20 cataract 
surgeries. While we are fortune here in the U.S. to have the latest 
specialized technology and equipment for cataract surgery, Dr. Levenson 
had to rely on a low-tech approach that he learned by watching other 
ophthalmologists online. And while this may have been more difficult to 
perform, Dr. Levenson has given the gift of sight to many patients that 
thought they would never see again. And with their appreciation his 
patients have thanked him in different ways, one from Peru giving him a 
goat and in El Salvador, two live chickens.
   Dr. Levenson has served our local community with pride, working with 
the Riverside Park Surgery Center, Baptist Health and St. Vincent's 
HealthCare in Jacksonville. In addition Dr. Levenson has worked with 
the Vision is Priceless Council, a volunteer nonprofit in Jacksonville 
that provides free vision and glaucoma screenings, eye-care education, 
and injury prevention. The Council's Cared Vision Program, ``Gift of 
Sight,'' provides cataract surgery for 20 people a year who are 
completely blind and unable to afford the surgery. Dr. Levenson serves 
as the Council's Medical Advisor and donates more than 100 services to 
the Cared Vision Program all while regularly volunteering at vision 
clinics throughout the community.
   Jacksonville is honored to have such an amazing humanitarian as a 
part of our community. The gift of sight is priceless and I commend Dr. 
Levenson on his compassion and his work to help those in need both at 
home and abroad. Mr. Speaker, I ask you and Members of the House to 
join me in this very special congressional salute honoring Dr. Jeffrey 
Levenson.

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