Roger Martin
LUMIGAN® Patient
Roger Martin is the third generation of his family to have glaucoma — both his mother and grandmother were blinded from the disease. Roger discovered he had glaucoma while taking his mother for her treatment. As the owner of a struggling restaurant, Roger had forfeited his health insurance just two weeks prior to his diagnosis. Fortunately for him, his ophthalmologist extended care to Roger out of loyalty to his family. This single act of kindness started Roger off on his mission to become a glaucoma advocate and prevent blindness for both himself and for others.
Roger sold his business and set out to raise awareness of glaucoma and bring high-tech educational screenings to the underserved. In 1997, the same year as his diagnosis, Roger founded the Connecticut Lions Eye Health Program Glaucoma Screening Initiative, which was named a pilot program by Lions International.
As Roger's advocacy endeavors continued, he had increasing difficulty managing his glaucoma. Medications only provided Roger with temporary relief, and his intraocular pressure (IOP) — a key risk factor of glaucoma progression — kept increasing. Then, his ophthalmologist prescribed LUMIGAN® (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03%, and within two weeks, his IOP levels decreased and have been maintained at the same level for the past several years. With his own disease under control, Roger's efforts have helped more than 100,000 people in 39 states obtain glaucoma screenings, including his wife Marie, whom he met attending one of these screenings. Roger hopes that through his work he can teach others that early glaucoma intervention with appropriate medication is the key to preventing blindness.