Recognizing and commemorating St. Joseph's School and their service to the El Paso community.

Mr. Speaker, in 2009, I was proud to co-sponsor with my then-House colleague the Honorable Tammy Baldwin the successfully passed H. Res. 366, which designated 2010 through 2020 as ``The Decade of Vision.'' Accompanied by the Senate's successfully passed companion legislation S. Res. 209, these resolutions recognized the challenges to the vision health of our nation's citizens as the population ages and the incidence of chronic diseases--such as diabetes--grows, causing eye disease and visual impairment.

In the spirit of those resolutions, I am pleased to recognize July as Dry Eye Awareness Month. Dry eye, a growing global problem that affects more than 30 million people in the United States alone, occurs when the eye does not produce tears properly or they are not of the correct consistency and evaporate too quickly. It can range from discomfort to a painful chronic and progressive condition that leads to blurred vision or even vision loss. Dry eye impacts our nation's healthcare policy, as it is one of the most frequent causes of patient visits to eye care providers.

Although past research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its National Eye Institute (NEI) on the causes of and treatments for the condition has identified age, sex, and gender as factors, it has now discovered ethnic and racial differences, and that dry eye impacts younger patients. This ``equal opportunity'' disease can have many causes, including environmental exposure; side-effects from medications; eye surgery; eye lid disorders; immune system diseases such as Sjogren's syndrome, lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis; contact lens wear; cosmetic use; aesthetic procedures; and an increasingly common cause--staring at computer or video screens for too long without blinking. Many are calling dry eye the ``Disease of the Millennials'' due to its increased incidence in that population.

Dry eye has also been a major issue for our brave soldiers who were engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Veterans Administration reports that upwards of 70 percent of Traumatic Brain Injury-exposed veterans have dry eye symptoms.

During the 2017 Dry Eye Awareness Month, the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society's Dry Eye Workshop II (TFOS DEWS II) Report will be published in The Ocular Surface Journal, updating the definition of dry eye and addressing its greater impact on vision health--the first such re-examination since 2007. Report highlights will be presented at a July 12 Congressional Briefing, accompanied by a ``Test

Your Tears'' Screening and presentation of research posters.

The vision community and its coalition partners are uniting to recognize this growing threat to vision health, and I stand in support of these awareness and educational efforts.

Mr. President, in the spirit of the ``Decade of Vision,'' I am pleased to recognize July as Dry Eye Awareness Month. In 2009, while serving in the House of Representatives, I was proud to sponsor the successfully passed H. Res. 366, which recognized the 40th anniversary of the National Eye Institute and designated 2010-2020 as the ``Decade of Vision.'' This resolution sought to bring awareness to our Nation's challenges in vision health, especially as our population ages and the incidence of chronic diseases that may cause vision impairment grows.

Dry eye is one of these growing vision health challenges that affects more than 30 million people in the United States. It occurs when the eye does not produce tears properly or they are not of the correct consistency and evaporate too quickly. It can range from discomfort to a painful chronic and progressive condition that leads to blurred vision or even vision loss. Dry eye is one of the most frequent causes of patient visits to eyecare providers. It is a particularly burdensome issue for our brave soldiers who were engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Veterans Administration reports that upwards of 70 percent of traumatic brain injury-exposed veterans have dry eye symptoms.

Research supported by the National Institutes of Health and its National Eye Institute has improved our understanding of this condition. Dry eye can have many causes, including environmental exposure, side-effects from medications, eye surgery, eyelid disorders, immune system disorders, contact lens wear, cosmetic use, aesthetic procedures, and an increasingly common cause: staring at computer or video screens for too long without blinking, which may have a disproportionate impact on our younger generations.

I want to recognize an important educational opportunity during Dry Eye Awareness Month this year. The Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society's ``Dry Eye Workshop II Report'' will be published in ``The Ocular Surface Journal,'' updating the definition of dry eye and addressing its greater impact on vision health--the first such reexamination since 2007. Report highlights were presented at a July 12, 2017, congressional briefing, accompanied by a ``Test Your Tears'' screening and presentation of research posters.

The vision community and its coalition partners are uniting to recognize this growing vision health problem, and I stand in support of these awareness and educational efforts.