Optometry is a profession that continually balances medical science with human experience. In a recent episode of the Reel Eyes Podcast, hosts Dr. Jacob Wilson and Dr. Jacobi Cleaver welcomed guest Dr. Morgan Jones for an unusual yet engaging conversation.

The discussion spanned rare clinical eye cases, such as Tolosa-Hunt syndrome and Kaposi sarcoma, before diving deep into a detailed review of the horror film Together. What began as a movie critique became a broader reflection on trauma, relationships, systemic health, and the eye’s role in revealing more than vision.

Dr. Jones shared the case of a woman in her 40s presenting with severe unilateral eye pain, cranial nerve palsy, and ptosis. After excluding stroke, MS, and tumors, the diagnosis pointed to Tolosa-Hunt syndrome—a rare inflammatory disorder.

The key clinical pearls:

Dr. Cleaver discussed a patient with a history of HIV presenting with Kaposi sarcoma lesions on the eyelids, conjunctiva, and torso. For many clinicians, this remains a rare sight in the modern era of ART.

This case highlighted the importance of:

Dr. Wilson described evaluating a two-day-old infant for congenital ocular signs of TORCH infections—a high-stakes exam emphasizing the role of pediatric collaboration. Later, he shared diagnosing preseptal cellulitis in an infant outside clinic hours, reflecting the reality that optometrists often serve as first responders for families.

Together begins with search dogs discovering ominous cave water that fuses them into a grotesque hybrid creature. Soon, protagonists Millie Tim (David Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie) face career changes, relationship tension, and the cave’s disturbing influence.

A haunting reveal shows Tim discovering his father’s decomposed body and mother’s psychotic break. This trauma underpins his unhealthy dependency on Millie. For the doctors, it illustrated how patient history often clarifies present dysfunction, much like ocular findings often connect to systemic history.

The arrival of Jamie, a teacher with cult ties, deepens the horror. His wedding tape depicts ritual merging, and his references to Greek mythology foreshadow Millie and Tim’s fate. Missing hikers found in grotesque half-merges serve as chilling metaphors for relationships that collapse under pressure.

In the film’s climax, Millie and Tim fully morph into one being. What began as relationship dysfunction culminates in literal fusion, with their eyelashes, corneas, and anterior chambers grotesquely uniting.

While unsettling, this scene resonated with the doctors as an exaggerated metaphor for dependency, identity loss, and uncontrolled bodily change—themes optometrists often see in patients navigating vision-threatening disease.

As the doctors humorously noted, cornea-to-cornea fusion is biologically impossible—but it raised real questions about ocular infection transmission.

Dr. Wilson explained:

The conversation shifted to adult inclusion conjunctivitis, an ocular manifestation of chlamydia. Key points included:

In contrast, gonococcal infection presents as the most purulent, aggressive conjunctivitis clinicians will ever see—requiring immediate systemic treatment (ceftriaxone injection) and partner notification.

Optometrists must remain comfortable initiating difficult conversations about sexual health. As the doctors emphasized, untreated STIs can lead to infertility, systemic morbidity, and vision loss.

This unique episode of the Reel Eyes Podcast highlighted the unexpected but powerful ways clinical practice and cultural narratives intersect. From diagnosing rare neuro-ophthalmic disorders and managing HIV-related ocular disease to critiquing horror cinema, optometrists navigate science, humanity, and storytelling every day.

By reflecting on films like Together, practitioners can better appreciate the symbolic and real-life parallels of dependency, systemic disease, and the importance of thorough clinical care.

Optometry is more than vision—it is about connecting health, culture, and humanity.