- Eric Stonestreet is raising awareness for eye health with a new campaign.
- The Modern Family star also shared how he feels about turning 52.
- “I wake up every day and try to be as fun and goofy and impromptu as I possibly can,” he says.
You may recognize Eric Stonestreet from the Emmy-winning comedy TV show Modern Family, where he played the dramatic and lovable Cam Tucker. However, when it comes to being proactive about health, Stonestreet isn’t kidding around—particularly about eye health. The star revealed to Prevention the reason why he’s aging with his eyes open, so to speak.
Stonestreet partnered with Iveric Bio for a new campaign, raising awareness about GA, or geographic atrophy (askaboutga.com). GA is an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that causes irreversible vision loss.
Stonestreet explains that this cause is near and dear to his heart, as both GA and AMD have run in his family. “My grandma was a sufferer of GA, so I watched my grandma’s vision deteriorate over the course of time. We didn’t really know much about it because it is kind of an undermentioned situation in healthcare,” he explains. “Now, my mom has been diagnosed with AMD, and that’s why she’s staying on top of her eye health care, and we’re encouraging everyone to stay on top of their eye health care with this campaign.”
The Modern Family star says eye health should be top of mind for all. “I think a lot of people don’t take their eye health as seriously as they should,” he says. Eye health issues abound: 1.5 million people across the US are living with GA, but only one out of four individuals have been diagnosed. That’s why Stonestreet encourages everyone to get your eyes checked, “Talk to their healthcare provider, and see what’s available for them to keep their eyes as healthy as possible.”
After watching his grandmother lose her vision, and as a result, her independence, Stonestreet felt motivated to raise awareness for GA and AMD. “When this opportunity came along to do a little video with my mom for the campaign, we just thought it was a great opportunity to talk about our story in the hopes that we could make an impact in someone else’s life.” Now, he says, there are advances in science and medicine that could potentially be helpful for people who suffer from AMD/GA, “That’s why we want to drive people to the website so they can educate themselves on eye health.”
With a family history of GA, Stonestreet is staying on top of his health with age. In fact, the star recently celebrated his 52nd birthday. “I feel great…I wake up every day and try to be as fun and goofy and impromptu as I possibly can,” he says of aging. But in reality, he says that turning another year older doesn’t feel all that different. “I would say I don’t really think of myself as getting older, so I don’t view my life any differently as I did 10 years ago.”
But aging isn’t always a laugh. “Everyone talks about waking up and there’s something that hurts, and I can’t say that I’m not experiencing that and I don’t enjoy that,” he explains. But for the most part, he says: “I try to attack life with the vigor that I’ve always had.”
Though Modern Family ended in 2020, we had to ask Stonestreet who from the cast he’s kept in touch with. The truth? “We all keep in touch,” he says. “You spend 11 years with someone, you definitely create bonds. We don’t see each other as much as we used to, but we have a text thread and we’re always texting each other about one thing or another.” Stonestreet recalls from the start of the show, “I remember wondering how long I’m going to know these people, and it turns out for the rest of my life.”
Madeleine Haase
Madeleine, Prevention’s assistant editor, has a history with health writing from her experience as an editorial assistant at WebMD, and from her personal research at university. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience—and she helps strategize for success across Prevention’s social media platforms.
