Political Quotes

“The gift of sight, Mr. Speaker, is one of our most precious. For those of us who are fortunate to have healthy eyesight, we often fail to recognize that there are those who suffer from debilitating diseases that impair their vision and that oftentimes may lead to complete blindness. Retinal degenerative diseases are a group of diseases that affect the eye's innermost layer. They are inherited, the hereditary pattern varying from family to family. The most common forms of the diseases are macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness among seniors, retinitis pigmentosa, and Usher's syndrome. Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited disease that is usually diagnosed at childhood and is characterized by an increasing loss of peripheral vision. Usher's syndrome is also inherited and is accompanied by varying degrees of deafness and the development of retinitis pigmentosa. Macular degeneration is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors and is characterized by a loss of central vision. These diseases can be detected in routine eye exams; however, they are fairly difficult to diagnose in their early stages. Retinal degenerative diseases cause a loss of vision due to loss of light-sensing photoreceptor cells in the retina. They are responsible for the loss of sight of over 6 million Americans across our country. These diseases unfortunately have no treatment and no cure.”