Vision Care Beyond Your Annual Eye Exam

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Life can change in the blink of an eye–both literally and figuratively. For my son Jordan’s 17th birthday, he invited some friends to join us for paintballing. I’m always the overly prepared and anxious mom, ensuring everything is planned and coordinated for a fun and safe time. Once everyone arrived, we checked in and received the safety brief before getting started. Although it was a bit chaotic, the teens seemed to enjoy themselves. I mostly sat on the sidelines with my youngest son. He was initially supposed to participate, but we quickly realized it was too much stimulation for a 6-year-old. Better safe than sorry!

There were moments when I was taken back to my Army days during field training exercise (FTX) with the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES). Standing outside of the fence, fingers clenched on the mesh covering, yelling to Jordan, “I’m up, he sees me, I’m down,” in an attempt to get him to do a 3-to-5-second rush and avoid being hit by an enemy paintball. Ultimately, he didn’t understand anything I was screaming and was plummeted by a storm of paintballs. Afterward, everyone regrouped before preparing to head back on the field. A couple of games later, Jordan left the field. As he walked into the waiting area, he removed his eye-protection and helmet. I watched in slow motion as a new game began on another field and a paintball flew through the fence and mesh netting, hitting him in his eye. Before he could scream, I ran to his aid. His dad and I escorted him to a chair to assess the damage. We decided to call the ambulance because his eye started to swell and close. Once they arrived, the EMTs asked if we were certain we wanted him to ride in the ambulance because the bill could be expensive, even with medical insurance. Since Jordan could walk and was in no imminent danger, we drove to the closest hospital.

Hours later, we left the emergency room, where they flushed his eye to ensure all paint and particles were removed. His discharge instructions were to apply ice to his eye and follow up with an optometrist or ophthalmologist for continued care and treatment. Thankfully, we have VSP Vision Care! Medical insurance covered the ER visit, but Jordan’s initial follow-up treatment lasted for about two months. He was prescribed steroid eye drops and had regular visits to see if he had any severe damage to his retina or cornea. Once finally cleared, the doctor reminded us to continue to get annual eye exams and to call immediately if there were any changes in his eyesight. This was the first time I really considered the importance of vision care beyond the routine exam for glasses or contacts. 

During Jordan’s next annual exam, the doctor called me to the back to ask some questions about his eye injury. She noticed, what she believed to be, damage to the retina. We were referred to an eye specialist and managed to get an appointment within a couple of weeks. Jordan seemed unphased while I worried myself sick. Being the prepared and anxious mom that I am, I made sure to call to verify our vision coverage so there would be no surprises. VSP Vision Care reassured me of the services covered and our savings, and they even provided additional provider options. We navigated Jordan’s eye injury during his senior year of high school. He began to complain about headaches, poor vision, and seeing spots, which caused alarm.

Common signs of serious eye damage can include:

• Severe eye pain or irritation
• Vision loss or double vision
• Eye floaters, flashes of light or halos around lights
• Severe headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Numbness or weakness on one side of the body
• Confusion, dizziness or trouble talking

When the ophthalmologist examined his injured eye, she informed us that due to extensive trauma to the right eye, he would never regain full vision and it would progressively get worse over time. Jordan is unable to see anything directly in front of the eye, he can only see from his peripheral vision on the right. As a mom, I immediately got emotional as she explained her findings. I had no idea just how bad his injury was. He suffered for over a year without mentioning how much his vision loss affected his day-to-day life. “Mom, stop crying. I already accepted my fate a long time ago.” That day, I mourned for my son. I was grief-stricken knowing that there would be certain things that he would be unable to do, such as possibly joining the military. Nearly two years later, we are still navigating Jordan’s vision journey. He is required to see a low vision specialist to enhance his quality of life and independence.

If we have learned anything from this experience, it’s never to take your vision for granted. Like most people, we never thought something like this could happen to our family until it did. My son’s life changed forever. All of our lives have. Now, we are more proactive about ensuring our vision health is well maintained. Having VSP Vision Care made a horrible experience a little less horrible. We were able to focus on Jordan’s treatment without the stress of expensive bills, complicated claims processes, or concerns about network coverage.

Now is the time to ensure your family has the same piece of mind. VSP Vision Care Open Season is November 13, 2023 - December 11, 2023. See how vision care benefits can give you peace of mind too, or learn more on how you can enroll in VSP Vision this Open Season.

LaQuista Erinna is an Army Veteran & Licensed Mental Health Therapist. You can follow her here: Instagram laquistaerinna TikTok  laquistaerinna Facebook quistaerinna 

Information received through VSP Vision Care's social media channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. For coverage details, check your VSP plan to learn more.