Archive for November, 2009

Do You See Floaters?

Joel Kestenbaum O.D. is a VSP provider in Long Island, NY.

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:

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Join the fight to STOP DIABETES

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

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 »

Rob Lynch Pens Healthcare Reform Article in the Sacramento Bee

RobLynchBlk Jkt03_07_72dpi-Top StoryLast week, The Sacramento Bee published an opinion editorial article regarding the impact healthcare reform could have to stand alone benefits.

In the article Rob says:

Whether you are for or against the current health care legislation soon to go to a floor debate in Congress  nearly all can agree that the current health care system is broken and needs to be fixed. What to fix is where the debate lies. But what about the things that aren’t broken?

Amazingly enough, there is a vital component of our national health care system that not only provides top-notch services, but actually has an incredible 90-plus percent approval rate by those who are covered. This component is America’s vision insurance system. Vision insurance and eye care not only deliver vital health care services but actually lower the cost for treating the chronic diseases that are bankrupting America’s health care system. It is a shining example upon which Congress  should base the reforms they are now examining. So this begs the question: Why are they trying to change a part of the system that’s not broken?

Read the entire article.

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