Georgia Woman Went for Her Annual Eye Exam. Then She Got a ‘Shock’ Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis

NEED TO KNOW

• Andrea Medford was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after visiting the eye doctor for blurry vision in one eye

• Dr. Rebecca Briggs Garnier identified optic neuritis during a vision test and sent Medford to the emergency room

• Routine eye exams can detect over 200 diseases, highlighting their importance beyond just checking vision health

A woman in Georgia went in for a routine eye exam, only to leave with a different diagnosis.

Andrea Medford was “in shock” when she went to the eye doctor in June 2024, and found out she had multiple sclerosis.

After waking up with blurry vision in one eye, she went to the team at Briggs Vision Group to figure out what was wrong.

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Dr. Rebecca Briggs Garnier gave Medford some vision tests, including a red cap exam. She diagnosed her with optic neuritis, which occurs when swelling damages the optic nerve.

“Her good eye saw the red perfectly and the bad eye was very muted and looked more like a burgundy-grayish color. So, we knew at that point it was optic neuritis,” Briggs Garnier said, according to Atlanta News First.

“She then came back in the room, handed me a piece of paper and said, ‘I need you to go to the emergency room,’ ” Medford added.

Yet, at the emergency room, Medford’s doctor then diagnosed her with multiple sclerosis.

“I get to my hospital room and an emergency department doctor came into my room once I was in there and said we need to talk about your paperwork and your MS diagnosis,” she said.

She spent a week in the hospital before her vision returned. “I think a lot of patients assume that if they have 20/20 vision, they are perfectly healthy and they have no other health conditions, but really the importance of getting checked because there are so many other diseases that we can diagnose,” Briggs Garnier explained.

The Briggs Vision Group pointed out that a routine eye exam alone can identify more than 200 diseases.

Medford hasn’t had any flare-ups since being diagnosed. She said of Briggs Garnier, “If it wasn’t for her, I would not know that I have MS.”

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