We’re All Eyes … and Ears
Remember that post with the self-adjustable liquid frames? Not really? Was it because you didn’t want to read too much or because you were tired from all the reading and typing you do on the computer all day? Guess what – now you have NO excuse not to know about this.
Just. Press. Play.
Learn more about the importance of wearing sunglasses – even on cloudy, overcast days – on VSP’s Eyecare Discovery Center and The Vision Council’s Under the Sun Guide.
In 1972, Dr. Marvin Poston was the first African American named "Optometrist of the Year" by the American Optometric Association, the highest professional award from the AOA.
VSP is known for quality service – whether providing eyecare to underprivileged through our number of charitable programs, ensuring patients have access to high-quality vision services or providing doctors with the tools they need to maintain successful private practices. This dedication to service can be directly attributed to the core philosophies of VSP’s founders, one of whom was Dr. Marvin R. Poston.
In 1935, Dr. Poston was the first African American student admitted to the study of optometry at University of California, Berkeley. It took another 23 years for the second African American student to follow in his footsteps and graduate from the Berkeley School of Optometry. Dr. Poston later became the first African American licensed to practice optometry on the West Coast.
Nearly 55 years ago, Dr. Poston, along with several of his fellow optometrists, formed California Vision Services, now known as VSP Vision Care. The company originally was the first to offer a prepaid, vision benefit that provided high quality, cost-effective eyecare. VSP has since grown to become the largest not-for-profit visions benefits provider in the nation, covering 1 in 6 Americans.
Dr. Poston’s optometry practice flourished for four decades in Oakland and Danville, California but his reach extended far beyond those who visited his offices. Befitting one of the founders of a company that prides itself on community support, Dr. Poston began his own tradition of community outreach by establishing vision-screening programs for under-served children and adults. The Children’s Vision Center of the East Bay, the West Oakland Health Group and the East Bay Skill Center are just a few of the organizations that benefited from his efforts.
Dr. Poston received numerous honors during his career, including the Optometric Man of the Year award by the Alameda Contra Costa Optometric Society and Optometrist of the Year by the California Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association. He was also appointed to three terms on the California State Board of Optometry by governors Edmund G. “Pat” Brown and Ronald Reagan. In each of these areas, Dr. Poston was the first African American ever to be honored.
“He was a man of great integrity,” says Norm Jacoby, O.D., a former colleague from Encino, California. “He was very soft-spoken and intelligent, and you listened when he spoke. Marvin was conscious of what new graduates needed when getting started in private practice and that they needed all the help they could get.”
Send a personalized Valentine’s Day message to that special someone and remind them about the importance of eyecare at the same time!
What we call a “rainbow” is the spectrum of light energy from the sun that we can see. At each end of this visible light are other forms of invisible energy— from radio waves to x-rays. Some of this energy is in the form of ultraviolet waves, or UV. UV is not normally visible, but you might have seen its purplish glow from a special “black light” bulb that makes things glow in the dark.
While we can’t see ultraviolet radiation, it can see—and harm—us if we are not careful. Even on an overcast day, UV light from the sun can cause sunburn of our skin and the cornea of our eyes, which is called “photokeratitis.” Over a long time, it can increase your chance of cataracts (a clouding of the lens of the eye) and damage to your retina that might lead to total blindness.
Team Type 1's Kori Seehafer wearing Nike sunglasses.
Sunscreen protects your skin from overexposure to UV rays. Proper lenses can safely block UV radiation and protect your eyes.
Be Glare Aware!
Glare, or extreme brightness, can be distracting and even dangerous. The direct rays of the sun are the most powerful source of glare and UV radiation, but glare can also be reflected off roads, buildings, water, and snow. Special “polarized” lenses reduce or eliminate glare and reflections. They work by selectively absorbing the reflected glare while transmitting useful light from the scene.
Source: eyedidntknowthat.com
Today we have a guest post from Maggie P. Magallón, a health service advisor from the Monterey County Office of Education – a recent partner of the VSP Mobile Eyes program.
For the Monterey County Office of Education’s first VSP Mobile Eyes event we were able to provide services to over 55 children and youth in need — in the future we’ll shoot for over 100!
VSP Mobile Clinics Operations Manager, Niki M., with a patient in his shades after his eyes were dilated.
During the three day outreach event, the clinic visited three school districts in Monterey County, including Greenfield Union, Sta. Rita Union and Salinas City Union. The young patients entered the clinic with excitement and gratitude, especially after they had the opportunity to select their frames from popular brands like Disney & Coach!
One of the students picking out his frames with VSP Mobile Clinic Operations Managers, Kim R., and Monterey County Migrant Program partner, Isabel.
It was a pleasure partnering with the team at VSP. Kim R., Niki M., and Vicki A. are a great team to work with, and I want to give a big thank you to our local VSP optometrists – Dr. Sylvia Lee, Dr. Brett Fredericks, Dr. William Kadell, and Dr. Catherine Winters – who enthusiasticly volunteered their time to provide eye exams to the kids.
VSP Volunteer, Vicki A., Dr. William Kadell, Kim R. and Niki M.
Now that the students who needed glasses will receive them, I feel they will definitely show an improvement in their language arts and math achievement this year as they can see with much more clarity and precision!
We look forward to VSP Mobile Eyes visiting our area again. What a great service VSP offers to the community!!!
Vito Franco, Professor of Pathological Anatomy at the University of Palermo, thinks so. In fact, he released a statement last week saying the painting of Mona Lisa shows signs of cholesterol around her left eye.
This got me thinking about another connection between eyes and high cholesterol. An eye doctor can actually see signs of high cholesterol during an eye exam. Cholesterol flows through your blood stream and can cause a yellowish build-up in your blood vessels. When an eye doctor dilates your eyes, your pupils become bigger allowing your doctor to have a closer look inside your eyes. Your blood vessels can tell a lot about your overall health. In addition to signs of high cholesterol, doctors can also see signs of diabetes, high blood pressure and more.
It amazes me to realize an eye doctor not only tests to make sure I’m seeing clearly, but also checks my eyes to make sure they’re healthy. An eye exam allows me to take a proactive step in my overall healthcare routine. With today’s technology, it’s important to take advantage of opportunities for preventive care instead of just waiting for the day when treatment is required.
Da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503. Eyecare certainly has come a long way since then, and I’m so appreciative of the preventive aspects of this exam. If you’d like to see what vision care was like back when Mona Lisa was alive, check out this interactive timeline of vision history.
Related Links:
TIME article – Did Mona Lisa Suffer from High Cholesterol?
Eyecare Discovery Center article – Eye Exam: New Lease on Life
Picture of Mona Lisa via Wikipedia.
Donate to the American Red Cross to help relief efforts in Haiti.
One of our partners Dan McLean, at Transitions Optical shares a story about working with kids while volunteering on VSP’s mobile clinic.
January is Eyecare Month. In honor of this observance, this is the second post of a three-part video series about how eye exams can show signs of health conditions, like diabetes.
Team Type 1’s Kyle Rose was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 16 years old. He was originally thought to have the flu. When he began experiencing fluctuating vision, he went to see his eye doctor who immediately recognized signs of diabetes and recommended he get tested for diabetes.
In this video, Dr. Sasha Pen, with EyeCare Associates of San Francisco, explains what he’s looking for during a diabetic eye exam and why it’s so important.
For more information about EyeCare Associates of San Francisco, check out their website at www.eyecaresf.com.
About Team Type 1 and VSP Vision Care
Team Type 1 is a group of athletes living with diabetes. The team includes professional race teams, a triathlon team and a development team. Team Type 1 strives to instill hope and inspiration for people around the world affected by diabetes. VSP® Vision Care is proud to be their exclusive eyecare and eyewear provider.
Kyle Rose – Eye doctor was first to see his symptoms of diabetes
