with my eyes."
After scheduling an appointment with an ophthalmologist, Dixon learned she had uveitis, a form of inflammation inside the eye. Her doctor told her that the disease had already put her eyesight in serious jeopardy. He said that 70% of her peripheral vision had been lost, and she would need to begin treatment immediately or risk going blind within 10 years. "Unfortunately, I waited too long before having my eyes examined, and uveitis had already attacked my vision. When the diagnosis sunk in, I thought I was destined to go blind," Dixon said.
Becoming her own advocate
Rallying behind a forward-looking attitude that would become her calling card, Dixon confronted her condition head-on. Working with her doctor, she began an aggressive treatment regimen. While uveitis would eventually take 98% of her vision, the treatments succeeded in slowing down the progression of the
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Article by Amy Dixon
(BPT) - As one of the world's top para triathletes, Amy Dixon is always looking forward. Even though an autoimmune disorder has taken away most of her ability to see, she has an extraordinary vision for reaching her goals. This summer, she competes in Tokyo. For Dixon, it's an incredible journey that would have seemed unimaginable two decades earlier.
Vision troubles come to light
Dixon first noticed her vision problems as a 22-year-old college student. She struggled to see clearly in a darkened room. Driving at night, she failed to notice oncoming cars. The signs were clear that something was wrong with her eye health, but she wasn't convinced. "I had 20/20 vision as a kid, so I dismissed the problems I was having as being related to some other condition like migraine," said Dixon, a migraine sufferer since she was a teen. "I was ignoring what was obvious - that something was wrong
Top Para Triathlete Encourages Everyone to take Care of Their Eyes: Here's how