In it Together Two pairs of family members—one linked by blood, one by marriage—look to Kellogg for urgent glaucoma treatment
Glaucoma has been called the silent thief of sight. It can be inherited or result from other diseases, trauma, aging, or many other causes. Glaucoma can present at birth or develop late in life. Glaucoma’s hallmark characteristic, elevated intraocular pressure, can be manageable for years, and then spike rapidly At a high-volume referral center like Kellogg, our glaucoma experts expect to encounter these variations. But it’s not every day that they come along in pairs. Tierra and Makayla
Tierra Richardson, 25, and her sister Makayla Miller, 17, both of Grand
“
Rapids, Michigan, share an inherited form of glaucoma. Makayla’s glaucoma was discovered at birth,
MIDDLE OF THE SEMESTER MADE ME
ANXIOUS. BUT I WAS INTRIGUED WHEN
DR. SHAH DESCRIBED THE MIGS OPTION. BEING INVOLVED IN THE DECISION MADE
and surgery was performed on one of her eyes as an infant. Tierra was
ME FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE.
diagnosed at age six and underwent her
— Makayla Miller
first operation at age 16. In the ensuing years, both sisters’ intraocular pressures were watched closely, first by their local ophthalmologist, then by a Kellogg team led by glaucoma specialist Manjool Shah, M.D. “My glaucoma was well-monitored near home,” says
Elevated pressure was jeopardizing both of Tierra’s eyes. Dr. Shah performed cyclophotocoagulation on the eye that had undergone a prior surgery. The procedure applies laser energy to the part of the eye that produces intraocular fluid. That essentially ‘turns down the faucet,’ lowering eye pressure. Her other eye was a candidate for micro-
invasive glaucoma surgery, or MIGS. “We chose
to implant the XEN® gel stent, a flexible tube the size of an eyelash,” Dr. Shah explains. Kellogg was among the first U.S.
Tierra. “But I chose to travel to Kellogg for access to more
centers to implant this stent when it first earned FDA approval
options to keep my eye pressure down. I encouraged my mom,
in 2017.
who has lost much of her vision to glaucoma, to allow me to bring Makayla to Kellogg too.” At an evaluation in the spring of 2020, both Makayla
“At the time, I was a full-time college student,” Tierra recalls. “The thought of surgery in the middle of the semester made me anxious. But I was intrigued
and Tierra registered dangerously high intraocular pressures.
when Dr. Shah described the MIGS
“Both patients required prompt interventions,” recalls Dr. Shah.
option. Being involved in the decision
“Because of the distance they traveled, and despite the fact that
made me feel more comfortable.”
Kellogg was operating at limited capacity due to the pandemic,
Throughout the day, the sisters
we scheduled their procedures right away, arranging to operate
worried about each other. But Dr. Shah
on both sisters on the same day.”
kept each updated on the other’s prog-
Glaucoma had already cost Makayla virtually all of the vision in one eye. Dr. Shah recommended that a drainage tube be implanted to manage the pressure in the other eye. 8
Makayla Miller and her sister Tierra Richardson
THE THOUGHT OF SURGERY IN THE
“
and unpredictably.
ress. “We felt better knowing we were in it together,” says Makayla.