I recently took a trip back to my hometown of Harare in Zimbabwe and got to see my 94-year-old grandmother for the first time in nearly 12 years. While there were a lot of emotions going through my head, being with her reminded me about the importance of annual doctor’s visits.

My grandmother was diagnosed with diabetes after surviving her first stroke, which paralyzed the left side of her body. She was preparing to go to church one Sunday morning in 1998, when she realized she couldn’t move and one of my cousins noticed significant facial drooping. Thankfully, because of fast action and great physical therapy, she regained the use of her leg and wound up losing functionality only in her left arm.

While I was spending time with my gran, I realized that disease prevention doesn’t only depend on a person’s diet, but also the amount of information they have. Since I started working for VM a little over a year ago, one of the prominent messages I have seen the optical industry push awareness for is the importance of comprehensive eye exams. Annual eye exams no longer tell the health of our eyes alone, but can indicate and help prevent diseases such as diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure.

In a country such as Zimbabwe, in which the staple food—sadza—is a heavy carb, educating children who come from families with a history of diseases such as diabetes about the importance of those annual doctors’ visits can mean the difference between life and death, not only for themselves, but for their family members as well.

I have been dodging getting my eyes checked for some time now, and as I watched my gran eat with one hand, get dressed with one hand and navigate her life using only one hand, I realized that I needed to make that visit to the optometrist as soon as I got back.

ssengwe@jobson.com