Sitting front row to hear Venus Williams talk about her love of tennis, what keeps her motivated and the importance of self-care wasn’t exactly on my 2025 bingo card. Yet, there I was at Vision Expo East, an annual trade show dedicated to the eyecare industry, where the tennis legend took the stage as the keynote speaker.
While every insight she shared was worth noting, what stood out most was her discussion about Sjogren’s disease, the autoimmune disorder she was diagnosed with in 2011. According to the NIH, it’s a chronic condition “that happens when the immune system attacks the glands that make moisture in the eyes, mouth, and other parts of the body.” As a result, the main symptoms are “dry eyes and mouth, but other parts of the body may be affected as well, with many people reporting fatigue and joint and muscle pain.”
During the Q&A portion of her talk, a few eye industry professionals asked Williams how she manages the condition, hoping to share valuable insights with others facing the same challenges. Below were the key takeaways.
On one of the most important ways she manages Sjogren’s disease…
“I have to say sleep, which sounds interesting, but I found that if I wasn’t getting enough sleep, my eyes were drier,” she told the audience. “If I actually got quality sleep, my eyes felt better. I think there’s always a level of dryness that you live with, but actually treating myself better helped a lot.” Williams added that she needs eight to nine hours of rest each night to feel her best.
On how her diagnosis impacted her life, shaped her as an athlete and a person and how she navigated the initial shock…
“Yeah, the initial shock, for me, was relief because I hadn’t been feeling well for a long time,” Williams said. “So finally I was like, ‘Okay, now I know what’s wrong.’ But also, there was zero acceptance because I was so used to pushing through anything and everything that it was hard to accept that maybe I couldn’t do that anymore.
And when I did push so hard, I would literally crash. Like one time, we were in Africa, and I wanted to have fun with everybody, so I wasn’t sleeping, and you know, doing this and that. And I crashed to the point where I couldn’t get off the couch.
In any case, I learned a powerful lesson. I had to learn more balance in life, and I eventually did. I don’t go that hard anymore, but also I’ve improved my health, so I don’t crash like that. So it took literally took me out of the game. I was just out of the game, and I was at home singing karaoke on the couch, wondering when I would get my job back, and watching TV.
So there were definitely some interesting moments, but I think the thing I learned the most from that was sometimes you don’t have as much to give. You can still try, and even if you can’t give a lot, whatever you give that day or that moment will add up. Just keep giving something.
And you know, learning to manage fear is a big lesson, too,” she concluded. “So I like to think I came out of it stronger.”
