Glaucoma 360: Glaucoma patient recounts journey

Tonian McDonald took the podium at the Glaucoma 360 New Horizons Forum at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco to recount her journey as a glaucoma patient.

McDonald participated in a panel discussion titled Transforming Glaucoma Care: Addressing Unmet Needs. She provided the patient’s perspective.

Leon W. Herndon, Jr., MD, and Ronald L. Fellman, MD, served as moderators. The panel also included Rafael Chan, vice president, Global Alcon Vision Suite & Surgical Franchise Alcon; Jeffrey Goldberg, MD, PhD, professor and chair, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford, and cofounder, Peripherex; and Brandy Keys, MPH, director of Health Policy at the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

McDonald was diagnosed with glaucoma in 2016, when she was just 22 years old. A college student, she was at first shocked and overwhelmed. She didn’t know what life might hold for her.

She would go on to complete her bachelor’s degree in law, and receive a scholarship to complete her Master of Business Administration in London. She also wrote a book about glaucoma and healthy eating.

“Today, and every day I am living with glaucoma, a life filled with joy, happiness and love, I can do anything I want,” she said in a biography posted on glaucoma.org. “My reason for living but not just living, seeing became more significant than my prognosis."