Vision care is often mistakenly seen as optional or an add-on service. But no one illustrates how essential it is better than John,* an 18-year-old, recent high school graduate who dreams of becoming an electrician.

John came to Zufall with blurry vision, migraines, and nausea. His primary care provider, Dr. Katharine Palla, diagnosed him with new-onset migraines and prescribed a short course of steroids. But she was concerned. If his symptoms didn’t improve within a week, she wanted to schedule an MRI. But it’s a costly test, and one his family would struggle to afford without insurance.

When John returned with no improvement, Dr. Palla acted quickly to rule out anything further before scheduling the MRI. She referred him to Dr. Jose Pierre, Zufall’s only optometrist, for a same-day exam.

That visit saved John’s life.

Dr. Pierre found that John had lost the right half of his visual field in both eyes. This ruled out vision-related causes and confirmed the need for urgent neurological imaging.

An MRI revealed John had a malignant brain tumor. He had surgery within weeks, his symptoms have improved, and he has started radiation while continuing to recover.

While the cause of the tumor is unknown, some studies suggest a link between childhood head trauma and an increased risk of brain tumors. John had fallen from a tree at age six and was hospitalized for two weeks, though no imaging was done at the time.

John was lucky. Without on-site vision care and strong teamwork between providers, his MRI could have been delayed by days he simply didn’t have.

Our patients shouldn’t have to rely on luck. Right now, vision services at Zufall are limited to a single provider in one location. With your generous support today, we can expand care by bringing equipment and services to more sites. Make a secure gift online here or mail a check payable to Zufall Health Foundation with “Vision” in the memo to: 18 West Blackwell Street Dover, NJ 07801.

*Name changed to protect patient privacy.