Archive for August, 2009

Fabio Calabrio visits Dr. Jackson Condon for an Eye Exam

Posted on August 21st, 2009 by Karen A.
Dr. Jackson Condon examines Fabio's eyes.

Dr. Jackson Condon examines Fabio's eyes.

Before heading to the Tour of Ireland, Team Type 1’s Fabio Calabria stopped in to see Dr. Jackson Condon for an eye exam. Annual eye exams are an important part of the training regimen for Team Type 1, especially for those who have diabetes. An eye doctor not only helps you see clearly, they also check to make sure your eyes are healthy.

Fabio with Dr. Jackson Condon

Fabio Calabrio with Dr. Kelley Jackson Condon

Cheryl fits Fabio with a pair of sunglasses.

Cheryl fits Fabio with a pair of sunglasses.

Fabio is wearing Calvin Klein model number ck10945.

Fabio is wearing Calvin Klein model number ck10945.

Good luck in Ireland, Fabio! We’ll be cheering for you.

For more information about Dr. Kelley Jackson Condon, check out Table Mountain Vision’s website .

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"See Much More" with VSP

Posted on August 19th, 2009 by Liz B.
Liz B. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.

Liz B. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.

Did you know that for every optometrist there are 23 hair stylists? Or that computer eyestrain is the number one workplace complaint?  See Much More with VSP. VSP has launched a new interactive website today with fun facts, videos, tips and savings information!

Take a look, tell your friends, fan us on Facebook, and visit often for new applications videos.  Most importantly – during open enrollment with your employer – choose VSP and our network of 26,000 eyecare providers for your vision care needs. Not offered vision benefits at work? VSP offers an individual plan.

Picture 20

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The Perfect Pair-Part 2

Posted on August 18th, 2009 by Patti S
Patti S. is a member of VSP's Ophthalmic Services team.

Patti S. is a member of VSP's Ophthalmic Services team.

I believe you should really consider the addition of an anti-reflective [AR] coating when filling your child’s lens prescription. A lot of people may cringe at this suggestion because we all know the little buggers can be hard on their lenses. Anyone who’s purchased a pair of glasses with an AR coating knows that they usually come with a special little cloth and cleaning instructions designed to encourage proper care and the preservation of your investment. The instructions should apply to any lens, regardless of material, and the little microfiber cloth, or similarly soft material, should be used to clean any lens—coated or not. Lenses are expensive and require appropriate care. If your kid wears spectacles, he or she needs to be taught what that care is, because if coated lenses can’t be treated with respect, then uncoated ones will suffer at least as badly. I say “at least” because the world of anti-reflective coatings has evolved. Read more »

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Harry Potter Saves the Day-Kids Get Excited about their Eyewear During Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month!

Posted on August 17th, 2009 by Sara J
Sara P. is part of the Altair sales team.

Sara P. is part of the Altair sales team.

Kids are always inspired to look and act like their heroes. I remember growing up, my hero was She-Ra (she was the twin sister of He-Man, Master of the Universe, for those of you not in the know). I had all the action figures, and I would put my hair in a high ponytail like She-Ra and reenact my favorite scenes from the show. Her clothing choices were a little questionable, so Mom didn’t allow me to actually dress like her, but my point in bringing this She-Raup is that kids are always looking for heroes to emulate. Even if I couldn’t wear She-Ra’s weird clothing, I could wear her crazy ponytail and imitate her sword-wielding ways.

Nowadays, kids have different choices for heroes but they’re still looking for someone to look up to. Harry Potter is an international phenomenon-the bestselling book series spurred blockbuster movies. Everyone, whether they like him or not, knows who Harry Potter is and what his trademarks are-his scar and his round glasses. He’s “The Boy Who Lived” and he fights for good, although with a wand instead of a sword. At Halloween, the streets get taken over by swarms of kids wearing fake scars, waving their wands, and of course, the most key piece of the costume, the round glasses!

Now, call me a conspiracy theorist, but I do not Harry Potterfind it a random coincidence that the latest Harry Potter movie, “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” was released on July 15th, 2009, and shortly thereafter, Harry Potter-style glasses starting flying off the shelves. And, coincidentally, short on the heels of the movie’s release, August is also Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month. It’s a perfect time to get kids educated and excited about their eye health and wearing their glasses…thank you, Harry, for making wearing glasses so cool!

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Introducing Wink Glasses, appropriate name council approved.

Posted on August 14th, 2009 by Vernon D.
Vernon

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

Will this product reduce eyestrain – yes. Will it also make you look silly while using it – yes. Can you even understand the product page - maybe.

Aimed at reducing stress upon the eye while staring at bright lit, boxy objects that change shapes and colors (some might call these computers, or TV screens), the Wink Glasses will dectect how long you’ve gone without blinking. In order punish these non-blinkers, the device will automatically fog up, forcing the user to blink to clear up the device.

Initially targeting the gaming and computer audience, I’m finding other uses for this product. Imagine these being thrown into the national Wink Glassesstaring contest semi-final rounds, or maybe tossing them on before your 2 hour long lecture on soil & minerals – forcing you to at least seem interested by blinking every once in a while. 

Projected to hold up to an 8-hour charge, Wink Glasses can be connected via USB. Product will be released on the Japanese market this month for 15,750 Yen, translating to 7,895 Rupees, or 99.45 Pounds, depending on where you live.  

 

via dvice

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The Perfect Pair for Kids-Part 1

Posted on August 14th, 2009 by Patti S
Patti S. is a member of VSP's Ophthalmic Services team

Patti S. is a member of VSP's Ophthalmic Services team

This is not a treatise on the benefits of the natural feeding of human infants, but rather the first installment of a two-part post containing my ideas of what constitutes optical nirvana when filling your child’s ophthalmic lens prescription. Well, maybe only fools like me achieve anything close to nirvana when considering the composition of the ultimate pair of lenses given the needs of the recipient. Having children of my own and obviously working in this esteemed industry, I have developed a vast array of opinions over the years. I am about to share a few more with you.

Before approaching your optician, bear in mind that lens material is the first consideration you must think about. I was going to say “should,” but I think “must” fits the bill far more accurately in this case. You want to provide an impact resistant (note the italics) material. There are no ophthalmic lens materials, of which I am aware, that are impact proof, just resistant, and that is a relative term. Two readily available materials spring to mind and will do so for nearly anyone concerned with children’s vision and eyewear. These are polycarbonate and Trivex. Both of these materials will not only provide your child with safer lenses than standard plastic (don’t even think about glass), but they will be lighter in weight and possibly thinner, depending on the correction. So, poly (in optical nerd jargon) and Trivex are a done deal. Consider this bit of advice indispensable law.

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Glasses too cool for school? Not if you need to learn.

Posted on August 13th, 2009 by Jessica G.
Jessica G. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.

Jessica G. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.

I was seven. Holding the book inches from the end of my nose, I was reading the newest Encyclopedia Brown. My parents witnessed my peculiar reading posture, and took me to an optometrist, where we found it was time for vision correction. All through elementary school, I wore glasses (bad ones), and survived the kind of taunts you would expect: “four eyes,” “nerd,” “dork.”

Jessicaglasses

Jessica G. in the 4th Grade.

Then I reached high school. As a textbook sullen teen, I decided that I was “soooo over” glasses and begged my parents for contact lenses. They weren’t sure I was ready to take the leap and wanted me to wait a couple more years before graduating to contacts. In a self-defeating act of defiance, I just stopped wearing my glasses. No glasses meant no blackboard in class, which meant that my attention span dropped as my grades followed suit. I began having headaches and eye strain from constantly squinting. But, hey, I thought I looked good.

So when a recently-released joint study by VSP and Prevent Blindness America showed that one in five teenagers have difficulty seeing in class, I believed it. Kids who can’t see what’s on the blackboard in class are at a serious disadvantage, and may be perceived to have learning disabilities or other behavioral problems, when it’s simply an issue of correcting their vision. These kids also often suffer from headaches and other symptoms of vision impairment. Read more »

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Could you run 100 miles?

Posted on August 11th, 2009 by Karen A.
Lee Anne P. is a VSP Wellness Coordinator.

Lee Anne P. is a VSP Wellness Coordinator.

On July 18, two of our very own VSP employees competed in the toughest runs around. Rick Santos from Provider Services and Brian Miller from Corporate Development joined 126 runners in the 2009 Tahoe Rim Trail Run. The 100-mile journey took them 50 miles out on the northeast section of the Tahoe Rim trail and back another 50 miles!

The Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run is held on single-track trails and dirt roads. The level of difficulty for this race is so high that each participant must qualify before entering. There’s nothing easy about this course and the greatest challenge runners face is staying focused and keeping emotions in check.

Rick Santos and Brian

Would you share some of your high and low points during the run?

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VSP Mobile Eyes InfantSEE Outreach – Day 5

Posted on August 10th, 2009 by Liz B.

VSP Mobile Clinic InfantSEE outreach continues in Louisiana this week. Watch the video below to hear Covington, LA – based VSP provider Jeff Anastasio, O.D., explain the importance of comprehensive eye exams for young babies and explain amblyopia (lazy eye) and its possible effects.

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Ilesic Delivers 50th Win For Team Type 1 Men

Posted on August 10th, 2009 by Karen A.
Aldo Ino Ilesic of Team Type 1 wins the Hanes Park Classic Sunday in Winston-Salem, N.C. Photo courtesy of Lyne Lamoureux.

Aldo Ino Ilesic of Team Type 1 wins the Hanes Park Classic Sunday in Winston-Salem, N.C. Photo courtesy of Lyne Lamoureux.

A flat rear tire nearly deflated Aldo Ino Ilesic’s hopes of scoring Team Type 1’s 50th victory of the season Sunday at the Hanes Park Classic in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Fortunately, the mishap occurred moments before the free lap period expired. Team Type 1 Technician Alex Banyay made a quick wheel change and shoved Ilesic back into the race. Three laps later, the 24-year-old Slovenian was freewheeling across the finish line with his arms in the air as race winner.

The internationally flavored podium of the National Racing Calendar (NRC) event was completed by Australian Ben Kertsten (Fly V Australia) in second and Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Colavita-Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light) of Argentina in third.

Ilesic’s victory was his third in the past five days and his sixth of the season. He earned a pair of victories at the Giordana Crossroads Classic on Wednesday (Mocksville Criterium in Mocksville, N.C.) and Thursday (Cabarrus Creamery Criterium in Concord, N.C.). It was also Team Type 1’s fourth win in an NRC event.

Ilesic credited flawless teamwork by Team Type 1 riders Joe Eldridge, Ken Hanson, Dan Holt, Valeriy Kobzarenko and Shawn Milne for making it look so easy.

“The guys did just a perfect lead-out,” Ilesic said. “Everyone was up there. Dan and Shawn just kicked it in the end. We passed the Colavita train with no problem.”

Team Type 1 made sure no one was able to dangle more than a few seconds off the front of the peloton for any extended period of time during the 90-minute race. The oppressive heat – temperatures were in the upper 90s with high humidity – also led race officials to open a feed zone on the 1.3-mile (2.0 km) tree-line circuit around a historic park in Winston-Salem’s West End.

Team Type 1 Director Sportif Vassili Davidenko said Sunday’s victory, combined with Ilesic’s second-place finish Saturday night at the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium, made for a terrific weekend.

“All the hard work of the last eight months of racing together is paying off,” he said. “These guys know each other and are showing perfect cooperation. This was a good test before the national criterium championship at Downers Grove next weekend.”

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