[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20566]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     ACKNOWLEDGING WORLD SIGHT DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN BOOZMAN

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 10, 2002

  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the optometry community for 
over 24 years, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge 
World Sight Day.
  Today, the National Eye Institute, the Lions Club International, 
Lighthouse International, and the International Agency for the 
Prevention of Blindness will host World Sight Day this year with the 
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. Here in the Nation's Capital 
there will be adult and children's programs educating this community 
about the importance to understanding and preventing blindness and what 
they can do to help.
  While working as an optometrist in Northwest Arkansas with groups 
such as the Lions Club and others which provide eye care for those 
unable to afford it, I saw first hand how important education and 
availability of services are to preventing blindness. Dealing with 
blindness is a serious challenge to the individual, and their families. 
Today sheds light on what people can do within their communities to end 
preventable blindness and provide the facilities needed to deal with 
blindness. Every volunteer in these programs has the potential to 
change lives.
  All to often, we take for granted how precious our senses are to our 
daily lives. I commend these organizations in declaring October 10th, 
2002 as World Sight Day and in promoting the importance of vision 
throughout America's communities.

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