Gus Bilirakis: “since 1983, Congress has joined with the Eye Bank Association of America in proclaiming March as National Eye Donor…”

“since 1983, Congress has joined with the Eye Bank Association of America in proclaiming March as National Eye Donor Month. March is a time to encourage all Americans to register their eyes for donation. Throughout the country, the miracle of transplant surgery is drastically improving people's lives. Today I rise to request that my colleagues take a few minutes to focus on eye donations. Some of you may not realize that a person's vision can be restored through corneal transplantation. Every year, thousands of corneal transplants are performed across the country, restoring precious sight to both the young and old. In 1995, over 44,000 corneas were made available by our Nation's eye banks for transplantation procedures. While figures for 1996 are still being tallied, even greater totals are expected. In fact, just outside my district, the Lions Club of Tampa, FL, operates one of the largest eye banks in the world. The Central Florida Eye and Tissue Bank restores sight to over 2,000 people every year. Nevertheless, the need for corneal transplants continues. The benefits of sight-restoring transplant surgeries extend well beyond the people who receive the transplants. The benefits also extend to the transplant recipients' families, friends and communities.”