St. Jerome once said, “eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart.” But what if our eyes are holding another secret? According to Doctor Mason Bryant, owner, and Optometrist of Edge Optics, they are.
One look into our eyes and a doctor can discover an array of hidden information about our health. “That old saying that eyes are the window to the soul, that’s true because we can see a lot of systemic diseases through the eyes, diabetes, high blood pressure, sickle cell anemia, MS, the list goes on and on,” said Dr. Bryant. And yet, the eyes are one of the most overlooked areas of the body. So, how can this be when so much of our everyday lives involve using our eyes? Dr. Bryant says he understands because it wasn’t until a rare condition drastically changed his life that he realized the importance of his own eyes.
When Dr. Bryant was a senior in high school, he and his classmates took a rafting trip that would lead to an unknown parasite entering his eyes. Awakening the following day with little to no vision his condition only worsened. After a visit to his physician, he was declared legally blind. “I was about to go into college and I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it. It really gave me a new perception of how important vision is and how quickly it can leave you. So that sparked my interest in the field and I started taking pre-med courses in undergrad.” With fortune in his favor, eventually, the rare unknown parasite that caused his blindness cleared and he regained his vision. Dr. Bryant’s extreme loss, accompanied by his miraculous recovery, inspired his new passion and career, Optometry.
In 2011, Dr. Bryant and his wife Mindy opened Edge Optics. An eye exam and unique eyewear store with a deep Colorado theme. “We wanted to try to reflect the passions of the local community for the outdoors and sustainability, so when we choose lines for eyeglasses we choose places that have a story, that give back, and are doing eco-friendly products.” As our team was in-store, our Editorial Coordinator and Photographer, Cassie, pointed out that the only thing missing was beer on tap. As the store is filled with artwork from local artists, pine beetle kill wood display cases, and snowboards mounted on the walls, Cassie couldn’t be more right.
As a way of furthering its deep connections with the community, Edge Optics offers a VIP program to encourage everyone to focus on their eye health without worrying about overwhelming costs. “We have a VIP program for anyone that comes in, so if you don’t have insurance it’s kind of a discount program, we do it for local businesses too so it will give all your employees and their spouses a discount.” Even with insurance, unfortunately, it doesn’t always have eye coverage, but Dr. Bryant wanted to make sure that wasn’t stopping anyone from getting the care they deserve.
With adults ignoring their own eye health, it is no wonder that one of the most overlooked patients is children. “A lot of times the kids don’t know there is anything wrong with their vision and they can’t explain it because they think everyone sees that way,” Dr. Bryant warned. Because of this, children can go with undiagnosed conditions for years. Dr. Bryant and Mindy wanted to create a space for children to enjoy their eye care and be excited to come back. “We’re a family practice, we have two kids of our own, and we want to be open to everyone. There are a lot of doctors that don’t want to deal with kids but we welcome kids and enjoy helping children.” Out of their family-oriented approach came the Kids' Zone, a corner of the store dedicated to children’s eyewear and fun.
To this day, the parasite that entered his eye is still unknown, but because of Dr. Bryant’s own experience of losing his sight, he can connect to his patients better than any other Optometrist. Edge Optics combines healthcare with the personal touches that make every patient excited for a check-up. Dr. Bryant understands his patient's concerns and why it is so important to be seen by a Doctor you trust. When it comes to providing the best eye care, or if you just need a new pair of stylish glasses, there is no better place to go than Edge Optics.
“That old saying that eyes are the window to the soul, that’s true because we can see a lot of systemic diseases through the eyes, diabetes, high blood pressure, sickle cell anemia, MS, the list goes on and on.”
“We’re a family practice, we have two kids of our own, and we want to be open to everyone. There are a lot of doctors that don’t want to deal with kids but we welcome kids and enjoy helping children."
