Posted on November 9th, 2009 by Liz B. |
Joel Kestenbaum O.D. is a VSP provider in Long Island, NY.
In recognition of Diabetes Awareness Month, Dr. Joel Kestenbaum has shared some thoughts regarding diabetes and eyecare. VSP is a proud National Strategic Partner of the American Diabetes Association. Join the fight. STOP Diabetes.
One of the first lessons I learned in optometry school was that diabetes was a leading cause of blindness. We were taught that early diagnosis was the key to preserving good eyesight. We were also taught that educating our patients about the effects of diabetes on the eye was extremely important. So here are a few tidbits to think about.
There are many early signs of diabetes, many of which are common eye complaints. Styes, double vision, light sensitivity, fluctuating vision, glare and frequent changes in eyeglass prescriptions are just a few early signs. These and other signs can also affect people who have had diabetes for a long time. Getting annual eye examinations by a qualified specialist can detect problems that may be vision threatening. Early detection can lead to early sight saving treatment. Read more »
File under: diabetes | Tagged: American Diabetes Association, diabetes, Diabetes Awareness Month, eye diseases, eye health, healthcare, private practice eye doctors, STOP Diabetes, vision
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Posted on November 6th, 2009 by Liz B. |
Step aside, Miss Cleo! VSP now has its very own resident fortune teller, The Great Bernie. He is available to see your future through TheGreatBernie.com, and interacts with future seekers on Facebook and Twitter. And, you can always access Bernie from the Featured Apps section of VSP Blog.
See what Bernie has to offer below, visit The Great Bernie, and let us know your fortune in the comments!
File under: Fun | Tagged: crystal ball, facebook app, fortune teller, future, Miss Cleo, The Great Bernie
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Posted on November 4th, 2009 by Jace D. |
Did you know that as of November 1, 2009, VSP Reveal™ and Reveal™ Freeform progressive lenses with optics by Carl Zeiss are available from VSP doctors in all 50 states,Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico?
Cindy M. is a market manager for VSP.
Cindy M., a market manager for VSP, shares her experience adjusting to progressive lenses:
I am an emerging presbyope. Come on. I’m only 42 years old. Really—progressive lenses–really? Up until two years ago, I didn’t even need glasses. Last year, I started with computer vision glasses. Progressive lenses were the absolute last thing on my mind when I headed to my optometrist a few weeks ago for my annual eye exam. But there it was during the exam, my distance vision needed “correcting.” I could go without, she said, but did I really want to give up distance clarity?
Hmmmm. Then my doctor recommended progressive lenses. Granted, I work for VSP, and knew about VSP Reveal progressive lenses and what they had to offer me: greater near, intermediate, and distant fields of vision, reduction in image swim, fully customized for my prescription … I decided to put them to the test. Read more »
File under: Frames & Lenses | Tagged: fields of vision, image swim, presbyopia, progressive lenses, Reveal, VSP Reveal
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Posted on November 3rd, 2009 by Liz B. |
Joel Kestenbaum O.D. is a VSP provider in Long Island, NY.
Today we welcome VSP provider Joel Kestenbaum, O.D. from Long Island N.Y. His guest blog gives an overview of those annoying floating spots we sometimes see …
Often patients either complain of or casually mention that they see little floating spots in front of their eyes. They are described as worms, dust, feathers, spiders, mites, flies on a wall, or just plain floaters. What makes these floaters and why do we see them?
Did you ever put your hand in front of a beam of light and see its projection on a screen? Lets think of the inside of the eye just like the inside of a movie theater. If you stand up and get in the way of the projection, you are seen as a shadow on the screen. In the same way, if something gets in the way of the beam of light coming into the eye, the image is projected onto the retina, the eyes’ movie screen, and seen as a floater with a particular shape.
Where do floaters come from? This is a complicated question and there are two basic answers:
Read more »
File under: Private Practice Doctors, eye health | Tagged: floaters, private practice eye doctors, retina, seeing spots, vision, vitreous humor
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Posted on November 2nd, 2009 by Liz B. |
Liz B. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.
November is Diabetes Awareness Month and as a National Strategic Partner of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), VSP is committed to joining to the fight to STOP DIABETES.
Studies show that diabetes accounts for about 24,000 new cases of vision loss each year. The most prevalent eye disease in patients with diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, a condition in which blood vessels in the eye leak fluid and cause vision impairments including: blindness, blurred vision, floaters, shadows or missing areas of vision.
It is imperative that people with diabetes have annual eye exams as most diabetes-related blindness can be avoided.
Throughout the month of November, you’ll see multiple posts on the VSPBlog educating about the impacts of diabetes to millions of Americans affected by the disease. Read more »
File under: diabetes | Tagged: American Diabetes Association, blurred vision, diabetes, Diabetes Awareness Month, diabetes-related blindness, diabetic retinopathy, eye diseases, eye exams, eyecare, floaters, healthcare, missing areas of vision, STOP Diabetes, Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes
2 Comments »
Posted on November 2nd, 2009 by Liz B. |
File under: healthcare, healthcare reform | Tagged: healthcare, healthcare reform
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Posted on October 30th, 2009 by Liz B. |
VSP wishes you a happy and safe halloween! Scare your friends with a message using our Halloween themed eye chart app!
File under: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Posted on October 26th, 2009 by Vernon D. |
The device receives wireless data from the camera which it then translates into electronic signals that are sent to the brain, restoring sight. (photo and caption courtesy of NPR)
Technology. Love it or hate it – it continues to shape and change the world. Second Sight Medical Products - a company based in Sylmar CA, is in the process of harnessing technology to help those with macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. On their workbench, a bionic eye.
How it works. The bionic eye was designed to be paired with a special set of frames – frames that contain a small video camera. These frames send visual data to the implanted bionic eye, which in turn activates the eye to create electrodes sent to the brain. The brain interprets these electrodes as visual queues, helping the patient interact with the environment.
Results thus far. Patients can find doors and follow the lines of the door. Most patients cannot read [normal size print], and of those who have the ability to read can only make out large letters. On an interesting side note – there are emotional benefits resulting from these tests, which are probably not on the lab sheets. Brian Mech (VP for Second Sight) notes, “There’s a lot of crying, a lot of smiling,” he says. “It’s a sensory input that they haven’t had in a very long time, and so they’re excited.”
Blogger’s take: Initially I was a bit underwhelmed by the results, but the methodology and implementation of the bionic eye was mind blowing! Albeit in the early stages, I’m sure they are going to have greater results with further testing and development. Now only if they could get the eye to shoot lasers…
Via NPR
File under: eye health | Tagged: bionic eye, eye health, eyecare, innovation, Second Sight, sight, vision, vsp blog, VSP Vision Care
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