Brian Stafford, 51, has spent most of his life outrunning his family history of disease. “My father is a prostate-cancer survivor, and I’ve had multiple aunts and uncles fight cancer as well,” he says. “I’ve always been so afraid of developing it myself that I did everything to stay healthy—eating right, exercising, regularly screening. But I never thought once about eye health.”
That changed when Stafford noticed extreme blurriness in his right eye during a routine vision test to renew his driver’s license. “I could’t see anything clearly using my right eye,” he recalls. Assuming he needed glasses, he scheduled an eye-doctor appointment for the first time in his adult life—but the tests he underwent there uncovered a more serious diagnosis than he expected. “My doctor told me I had severe glaucoma,” Stafford recalls. “All I could think to say was, ‘What are you talking about?’”
What Is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is the umbrella term for a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, which transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. The most common type of glaucoma is usually caused by fluid building up in the front part of the eye and exerting intraocular pressure on the optic nerve, which damages it over time. Since this fluid accumulates slowly, symptoms often go unnoticed until loss of vision has begun. So annual eye exams are one of the most effective ways to catch the disease—no matter your age.
“Glaucoma typically affects older people, but younger people can have it as well, especially when there’s a family history of the disease,” says Jennifer Wademan, OD, a VSP Vision Care provider. Skin tone is another risk factor to be aware of, she adds: “Individuals with melanated or darker skin tones tend to have a higher risk of developing glaucoma, though the reason why is still unclear.”
The Importance of Early Diagnosis
When glaucoma is caught early, the pressure on the optic nerve can be reduced through treatment. Luckily for Stafford, he was able to reduce his eye pressure from an initial measurement of 30 mmHg (eye pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury on a manometer, and generally ranges from 12 to 21 mmHG in healthy individuals) to slow his vision loss. Though his right eye had already lost 90 percent of its visibility—eyesight lost to glaucoma cannot be restored—his left eye retains full functionality, with his 20/20 vision preserved by a careful management plan of prescription eye drops taken throughout the day. Glaucoma can occur in one or both eyes, and, as in Stafford’s case, does not always cause equal damage to both impacted eyes.
The experience has driven home the importance of eye health to Stafford, and now that it’s a priority in his life, he’s able to continue doing what he loves. Treatment allows him to remain physically active, going to the gym every day and even picking up new hobbies, such as golf. He also remains an avid travel partner to his wife. “She and I travel the world,” he says. “We just came back from Japan a couple of weeks ago. My biggest fear after diagnosis was that if I lost my sight completely, I wouldn’t be able to continue seeing the world with her. So now I’m just doing everything I can to hold onto what vision I have left.”
Though he initially kept his story to himself post-diagnosis, Stafford now makes an effort to speak publicly about his journey with glaucoma. “I’ve had friends tell me that they’ve scheduled their first eye exams since hearing what happened to me,” he says. “Making sure everyone gets regular eye exams has become a goal of mine. I want people to learn from me and take this seriously.”
What to Expect from an Eye Exam
Before your first exam, consider compiling a list of everything you know about your family history of ocular health and any concerns you might have about your eyes. This can involve some digging. “After I got diagnosed with glaucoma, I found out that both of my parents had the condition,” Stafford says. “We had never talked about it. If I’d known that, I might’ve gotten my vision checked sooner.”
Dr. Wademan agrees. “As a doctor, I hope for as much medical and family history as possible,” she says. “Background information helps me decide if I should administer further tests for specific conditions, beyond the routine annual examination.” Eye exams can screen for myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), presbyopia, and astigmatism, along with more serious conditions such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.
The exams also can go beyond the eyes themselves. “Vision correction and eye diseases aren’t the only issues your doctor can detect,” Dr. Wademan says. “An annual eye exam can also help detect signs or symptoms of more than 270 chronic health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancer, like brain tumors.”
If you aren’t feeling symptoms or living with a condition that requires active management, Dr. Wademan recommends scheduling an eye exam once per year. “But see your eye doctor immediately if you’re experiencing symptoms such as eye pain, blurry vision, or complete loss of vision,” she adds. “More subtle changes also warrant scheduling a visit—such as an increase in headaches, difficulty seeing while driving at night, or discomfort in and around the eyes.”
Visit VSP.com to find an eye doctor and vision-care plan that works for you.
