Full Text of SJR0057 94th General Assembly
SJ0057 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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SJ0057 |
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LRB094 17341 HSS 53987 r |
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| SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Glaucoma affects more than 2.2 million Americans | 3 |
| age 40 and older, including nearly 100,000 individuals in | 4 |
| Illinois; and
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| WHEREAS, Glaucoma is indicative of tragic health | 6 |
| disparities, affecting African Americans six to eight times | 7 |
| more frequently than Caucasians; and
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| WHEREAS, Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness for | 9 |
| African Americans, with elder African Americans 14 to 16 times | 10 |
| more likely to go blind from glaucoma than their Caucasian | 11 |
| counterparts; and
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| WHEREAS, Latinos and women are also disproportionately | 13 |
| affected by glaucoma in younger age groups than other | 14 |
| populations; and
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| WHEREAS, Glaucoma affects increasing numbers of older | 16 |
| people across all races and ethnicities, reducing the quality | 17 |
| of life for people in their golden years; and
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| WHEREAS, Glaucoma causes people to lose their peripheral | 19 |
| sight, oftentimes without the individual knowing it, and | 20 |
| consequently only half of all people with glaucoma are aware of | 21 |
| their condition; and
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| WHEREAS, Because of the furtive nature of how glaucoma | 23 |
| progresses, it is commonly called the "Sneak Thief of Sight"; | 24 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Most cases of glaucoma can be controlled and | 26 |
| vision loss can be slowed or halted when identified and | 27 |
| treated; and
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SJ0057 |
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LRB094 17341 HSS 53987 r |
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| WHEREAS, When glaucoma is undetected, lost sight cannot be | 2 |
| restored; and
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| WHEREAS, Glaucoma runs in the family, yet few people know | 4 |
| to have regular dilated eye examinations if they are at higher | 5 |
| risk via their family history; and
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| WHEREAS, Prevent Blindness America, the nation's leading | 7 |
| voluntary health organization dedicated to saving sight and | 8 |
| preventing blindness, in partnership with the Illinois Society | 9 |
| for the Prevention of Blindness, seeks to educate the citizens | 10 |
| of Illinois at large, and especially people in communities of | 11 |
| higher risk, about the dangers of glaucoma and the importance | 12 |
| of regular eye examinations; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL | 14 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | 15 |
| CONCURRING HEREIN, that we join with Prevent Blindness America | 16 |
| and the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness in | 17 |
| recognizing January as Glaucoma Awareness Month; and be it | 18 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 20 |
| presented to Prevent Blindness America and the Illinois Society | 21 |
| for the Prevention of Blindness.
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