Archive for July, 2009

My Favorite Sights

Posted on July 22nd, 2009 by Tamiko M.

Tamiko M. is a member of VSP's Provider Services team.

Some memories are stored through sound. Saturday mornings as a child – Earth, Wind & Fire over the hum of my mother’s vacuum, Don Cornelius wishing me “love, peace and soul”. Other memories are tied to taste. Pittsburgh, PA – perfect pillows of pierogi or the surprising balance of tang and salt in a Primanti Bros. sandwich.

Though all of my senses impact the way I experience the world, vision seals the deal. Most of my favorite moments were experienced overwhelmingly through vision.

The first view of my children
Michelangelo’s David
The big smile from the cute stranger who would become my husband.
Exploring Mauna Kea – an elusive blooming silver sword, snow boarders, the sun setting behind the clouds, Saturn’s rings from a telescope!

A life this rich requires vision. For my best chance at new sights I have an annual comprehensive eye exam with my private practice VSP eye doctor. I also work to maintain my overall health to keep my risk for diabetes, a leading cause of blindness, low. I hope you will too.

I would love to hear about (and see) your favorite visual experiences. Do you have photos to share? E-mail us! You may see your photos here.

File under: diabetes, eye health, Fun, Private Practice Doctors | Tagged: diabetes, eye exams, eye health, eyes, mauna kea, perogi, primanti bros, private practice eye doctors, senses, vision, VSP Vision Care
2 Comments »

Now THIS is Geek Chic!

Posted on July 21st, 2009 by Sara J

Sara P. is part of the Altair Eyewear team.

News flash-I think we’ve officially reached the absolute pinnacle of geek chic: Calvin Klein for the fashion-conscious + USB flash drive cleverly hidden in the temple for the geeks= a masterpiece in futuristic sunwear. Read below! calvin_klein_usb_sunglasses

Geek.com – Calvin Klein Eyewear sports hidden USB Flash Drive

File under: Frames & Lenses, Uncategorized | Tagged: Calvin Klein, Marchon, sunglasses, sunwear
7 Comments »

The future is now! Eyeglass mounted data manipulated through eye movements.

Posted on July 21st, 2009 by Vernon D.

Vernon D. is a member of VSP's Provider Services team.

The Germans have done it again – from the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems comes the first active heads-up-display system mounted within eyeglass frames. This allows the user to view and manipulate data with simple eye movements. Eye movements!

The images are projected onto the retina and appear as if from a meter (ahem – that’s about 3.2 feet) away from the user. You then have the ability to scroll by slowly gazing downward/upward, and can toggle through different menus by simply focusing on different areas of the window pane.

So you’re asking yourself (even though it’s awesome) how is this even useful if I’m not a terminator from the future via SkyNet searching for John Connor? Good question. The researchers suggest that it would be most useful in those situations where the users hands are otherwise occupied – medical technicians for example.

Just don’t get an eyelash stuck in your eye – then you’d be rerouted to Friendster. Friendster I tell you!

File under: Frames & Lenses | Tagged: eyewear, Fraunhofer Institute, Friendster, innovations, John Connor, SkyNet
5 Comments »

Time To Make A Transition

Posted on July 17th, 2009 by Brian B.

Brian B. with VSP's Customer Care team, protects his eyes with Transitions lenses.

Well folks, I believe that the 100 plus temperatures confirms that summer is here. I was recently spending time with a friend when I noticed his lenses had transitioned to brown. I was reminded of when I got my first pair of Transitions lenses and he made fun of me. He stated that only old people have transition lenses and that I was officially old.

At first I told him that I was not old, I was trendy. That didn’t work.

So, with my best effort I tried to explain to him all the benefits, no switching frames, Ultra Violet protection and even scratch coating – but he still said with a laugh, I was old. I finally gave up and said “you say old, I say trendy and wise.”

Well, as you can imagine when I had the chance I quickly pointed out his new lenses and asked how he liked them. He stated “I love them.”

I really wanted to take the high road and not bring up last year’s experience, but I was forced to say… “how does it feel to be trendy and wise?”

Do you have Transitions? How do you enjoy them?

File under: Frames & Lenses | Tagged: eyeglasses, eyewear, sunglasses
4 Comments »

Styling in your shades … But what about the kid?

Posted on July 16th, 2009 by Liz B.

A baby in Baby BanZ

July is UV Protection Month – a reminder to wear sunglasses with 100% UV protection. I for one enjoy wearing a fabulous pair of sunglasses, but often see parents struggling to keep a hat on their small kids, much less a pair of sunwear. Don’t forget about the little ones and their eye protection. In addition to slathering on sunscreen to protect skin cells from the sun’s rays, remember the sun can burn the eyes just like the skin, and most damage occurs before maturity.

One of our latest followers on Twitter, Baby BanZ, offers super cute sunwear and swim goggles with 100% UV protection and neoprene straps to secure on the child’s face. Send us your photos of your kids in sunglasses! We’ll share on the VSP Blog …

File under: Frames & Lenses | Tagged: children, eye health, eyes, eyewear, sunglasses
2 Comments »

Chris Jones speeds through the streets of Lodi!

Posted on July 15th, 2009 by Paula F.

On Sunday it was a thrill to watch Chris Jones of Team Type 1, sponsored by VSP Vision Care, take third place in Lodi during the Pro 1, 2 criterion bike race at speeds in excess of 30 MPH. Lodi, a quiet little town just South of Sacramento is where I lived there for fifteen years before moving closer to work. The downtown streets were packed with people, music was playing and the bike racers were smokin’ through town………it was SO great! I can’t imagine a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Organization of the
Lodi Cycling Fest was a first step as Lodi seeks to attract the Tour of California next year. Did you see the Tour of California Prologue in Sacramento this year? That was a super amazing event sponsored in part by VSP and led out by the VSP Cycling Team.

From my perspective the Lodi event organizers did an amazing job. Michael Hernandez from VOS – Cycles Gladiator Racing Team did the honors and called the race keeping the Lodi crowd on the tips of their toes. That man can really talk the talk! The local restaurants, brew pubs and wine bars were open and a great time was had by all.

File under: Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Diabetes and Early Detection through the Eyes

Posted on July 15th, 2009 by Melissa W.

Melissa W. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.

Diabetes is a cause I care deeply about, which is why I was particularly interested in the topic of a press release distributed yesterday. A VSP study discovered a strong relationship between corneal arcus (a grayish-white ring around the cornea) and high fasting blood sugar.

What exactly does this mean? Well, further research needs to be conducted, but these preliminary results show that eye exams may provide even more opportunities for the early detection of diabetes. For all of you who are impacted by this disease, you know this is huge. The earlier diabetes is detected, the sooner a person can start managing their disease and avoiding complications. Knowledge is power. If you don’t know you have diabetes, you can’t get the treatment you need.

This is also an important finding for the healthcare industry and reinforces the fact that eyecare plays a critical role in overall health. This is especially true for the majority of US citizens who see their eye doctor more often than their primary care physician. When an eye doctor sees signs of a chronic disease through an eye exam, there’s an opportunity to educate the patient about their health and refer them to their doctor for follow-up care.

File under: diabetes, eye health | Tagged: diabetes, eye health, Study
No Comments »

Want 20/20 Eyesight?

Posted on July 14th, 2009 by Sara B.

Sara B. is part of VSP's Finance team.

Forget about making that dash to the soda machine. Don’t even think of having a Diet Coke with that Chipotle burrito! Feeling thirsty? Why not reach for a tall, refreshing, nutritional glass of carrot juice? Yes, you heard me correctly; I said carrot juice! Not only is carrot juice good for your overall health, but it is excellent for your eyes, too!

Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which our bodies are able to convert into vitamin A. Vitamin A is vital for eye health; in fact, vitamin A deficiency can cause poor vision, including night vision. However, research suggests that incorporating vitamin A into your diet aids in fighting vision problems like cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration and night blindness.

Why is eyesight so important? Because, our eyes are our windows to the world and we are constantly using them. Just think of how much strain we put on our eyes daily—from sitting in front of the computer all day at work, watching TV when we get home, reading before bedtime, or driving at night. Since we are using our eyes every second of the day, we need to take extra care of them to ensure they stay healthy.

File under: eye health | Tagged: carrots, eye health, eyes, Food For Thought, health drinks, Vitamin A
6 Comments »

Share. Play nicely!

Posted on July 14th, 2009 by Andy G.

VSP audience in a facilitated training session

This past week, I participated in a VSP training course on how to be an effective facilitator. At the start of the class, we quickly reviewed some ground rules for participants. The rules are designed to aid facilitation, to ensure that everyone is equally heard, to make wise decisions with our time, and ensure we all get the most benefit from the course.

Allow and encourage others to contribute.
Appreciate the other person’s point of view.
Enter into the discussion enthusiastically.
Feel free to ask questions.
Follow established timeframes.
Give freely of your experience.
Keep confidences and assume others will.
Listen attentively.
Practice learned skills.
Provide constructive feedback and receive it willingly.

These groundrules aren’t rocket science. The rules are common courtesy, just gentle reminders of social graces.

I couldn’t help but notice how similar these rules are to the rules we give preschoolers. All right, they’re worded differently, for us grownups. But they are preschool rules nonetheless.

andy-preschool1

It’s refreshing to be reminded, as adults, of the things we first learned as kids.

So, with a tip of my hat to all those preschool teachers and parents, here are VSP’s ten ground rules for training participants, grouped under the three rules for preschoolers.

“Share.”

Give freely of your experience.
Allow and encourage others to contribute.
Feel free to ask questions.

“Play nicely.”

Appreciate the other person’s point of view.
Provide constructive feedback and receive it willingly.
Keep confidences and assume others will.

“Do what I say.”

Practice learned skills.
Follow established timeframes.
Enter into the discussion enthusiastically.
Listen attentively.

Hm, now that I see these ten rules in this new light, maybe we should just use these three?

File under: Uncategorized | Tagged: culture, people, training
4 Comments »

Taking the Lead

Posted on July 13th, 2009 by Jace D.

Steve B. is Chief Technology Officer for Eyefinity/OfficeMate.

Guest blogger – Steve Baker, chief technology officer for Eyefinity/OfficeMate:

Professional cyclists employ a technique called “drafting.” You might have seen this form, where cyclists ride very close to one another. The objective of drafting is to use your time and energy as wisely as possible, allowing you to win the race. As an organization, Eyefinity/OfficeMate is committed to helping our users win the race. We are helping our users “draft” by conserving their time and energy with our latest innovation… the Virtual User Group Meeting.

Rather than ask our customers to leave their businesses and travel to an on-site meeting, we are hosting a virtual user’s group meeting over the web. Over the next five days, twenty-four classes ranging from managing your practice’s financial performance to our popular ExamWRITER boot camp series will be delivered to more than 2,000 users… and that number continues to grow.

Giving access to this type of content over the net without having to leave your office is something we hope our users will find easy and convenient.

Leave me a comment here on the blog or feel free to drop me a line at sbaker@eyefinityofficemate.com with your thoughts. I’m also interested in your Tour de France predictions and if Lance will do it once again.

Thanks!
~Steve