Can people get healthier as they get older? You bet. 78-year-old Esther Cortez will tell you it’s true, because it happened to her. It started with her yearly eye exam – something she never missed. And this was all the way back in 1987. Esther visited her eye doctor, Dr. Gary Louie, in Union City, Calif. She just went in for a new pair of glasses.

But even back then, before there was so much evidence and so many stories about the link between eyes and overall health, Dr. Louis checked for much more than just vision problems. As with all his patients, the doctor dilated Esther’s eyes, helping him see more easily all the way to the back of them. It’s an important step to make sure aging hasn’t started damaging the light-sensitive cells of the retina, needed for healthy vision.

Dr. Louis didn’t like what he saw in Esther’s eyes.

“When I looked for the tiny red blood vessels that normally feed the retina with nutrients, I couldn’t find any,” he recalls. “I looked more closely . . . and discovered that the capillaries (vessels) had all turned white. I knew this indicated a dangerously high level of lipids (particles of fat) in the bloodstream and that she needed to see her family physician as soon as possible.”

The exam prompted more questions for Esther. Dr. Louis found out that his patient hadn’t been feeling very well. Annoyances like fatigue and what she described as a “burning pain” had been bothering Esther’s stomach. Dr. Louis suspected Esther might have developed pre-diabetes. It’s a growing condition that precedes the full onset of diabetes. Blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not quite high enough to be considered diabetes.

More and more people have it – at last count more than 54 million Americans. And, many don’t know they have the beginnings of a disease that can rob quality of life, cause blindness and worse if not caught and treated in time.

Dr. Louis’ careful exam and thoughtful concerns made a difference in Esther’s life. “He made me promise to go see my family medical doctor immediately, and I went the very next day,” Esther remembers. “The lab ran some (blood-sugar) tests on me, and they found I was pre-diabetic, just as Dr. Louie had suspected.”

It was just the first step to what’s turned out to be a much healthier – and happier – story.

With the help of her family physician, Esther dedicated herself to a better diet and vigorous exercise program. She’s been successful in controlling her blood sugar through these lifestyle changes alone – no daily insulin shots for this determined senior.

It’s a happy outcome, especially for someone who loves life and her beloved hobby, gardening. In fact, Esther now spends many hours everyday taking care of her favorite – avocadoes. “I’ve enjoyed good health for the past 20 years,” she says contentedly, “and each year when I visit Dr. Louie for my eye exam, I thank him all over again!”

As for Dr. Louis, he’s just as happy: “It’s wonderful to see Esther doing so well. All my patients can rest assured that I’ll check their eyes carefully for vision problems and health conditions, such as pre-diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and tumors – during every eye exam!”

Source: VSP