Archive for 2009
Posted on December 14th, 2009 by Jill N
Last week in San Francisco, Exploratorium guests were invited to peer into the science of seeing with VSP Vision Care. During an Exploratorium Free Wednesday on December 2nd, kids and families had the opportunity to tour SeeZar, one of the VSP Mobile Eyes® clinics, Ask the VSP eye doctor, Jim Winnick, all sorts of questions (which animal has a brain that weighs less then its eye?), spin a prize wheel, and participate in intriguing, eyes-on activities inspired by the Exploratorium’s Seeing exhibit collection. As if all of this wasn’t enough fun for the day, we had one more surprise in store for everyone, a visit by San Francisco’s Kyle Rose, member of the Team Type 1 professional cycling team!
Guests had the opportunity to ask questions about diabetes, cycling and receive autographs and pictures with the local star during his last appearance stateside as he prepared to move to Paris, France, where he will be racing for the 2010 season.
Kyle interacted with the kids…”you get to ride bikes for a job??” “Do you ride bikes with Lance Armstrong?” “I have a purple bike…but it’s broke.” “I bet you need really good eyes to see where you are going.” “Have you crashed before?” (OK, this last question was actually me. And yes, he just finished healing from a gnarly crash where he was clipped by another rider, flipped over his handlebars into a ditch and broke multiple ribs!) Read more »
File under: diabetes, VSP in the Community | Tagged: American Diabetes Association, California, children, diabetes, early detection, Exploratorium, eye diseases, eye exams, eyecare, facebook, France, Free Day, insulin pump, Kyle Rose, Lance Armstrong, Paris, San Francisco, Seeing Exhibit, SeeZar, Team Type 1, twitter, Type 1 diabetes, VSP Mobile Eyes, VSP Vision Care
No Comments »
Posted on December 14th, 2009 by Vernon D.
File under: Frames & Lenses | Tagged: contact lenses, contacts, IBN, Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, sunglasses, sunwear alternative, Technology Review, Transitions, ultraviolet, UV
No Comments »
Posted on December 11th, 2009 by Sara J
Sara P. is an Account Executive at Altair Eyewear
It is Christmastime, so much of the conversation in my home lately has revolved around Santa Claus. My son is 5 so he is fascinated by Santa, and that’s primarily because Santa’s going to bring him presents-”Lots and lots of toys” to be exact.
A few days ago I was asked why Santa wears his funny hat. My response was that Santa needs his funny hat because it gets very cold at the North Pole. I pulled out one of our books so we could look at a picture and while we were talking about the hat, I noticed Santa’s glasses and started thinking about how important those glasses are.
First of all, I have seen pictures of Santa without glasses but let’s face it, Santa just isn’t the same without his eyewear. Read more »
File under: eye health, Frames & Lenses, Fun | Tagged: Christmas, Christmas book, Christmas list, eye exam, eye health, eyewear, glasses, Happy Holidays, North Pole, northpole, reindeer, rooftops, Santa, Santa Claus, sleigh, toys
5 Comments »
Posted on December 9th, 2009 by Jill N
Will B. works in VSP’s Customer Service department, part of our fabulous team that achieved the prestigious Service Quality Measurement, Inc. (SQM) Award of “World Class Customer Satisfaction” for the seventh year in a row! He shares his experience as a first time Mobile Response Team (MRT) member with the VSP Mobile Eyes® program.
I was fortunate enough to be selected to go on the last Mobile Eyes trip for 2009 and am quickly experiencing first hand, the work is truly some of the most rewarding work I have done with VSP.
We are half way done with our trip to Central California, and so far everything is running smoothly. Before the trip, I had a general idea of what to expect. I was impressed that we have most everything onboard that you would find in a VSP doctor’s office. We can read the prescription off the patient’s current glasses, we can test for Glaucoma and even do an auto-refraction for the doctor. The VSP doctors who come on board and provide the exams have everything they need to complete a comprehensive exam. They even dilate patient’s eyes if they need to get a closer look.
Read more »
File under: VSP in the Community | Tagged: auto-refractor, California, charitable eyecare, comprehensive eye exam, dilate, eye exams, eyecare, Eyefinity/OfficeMate, eyeglasses, eyes, eyewear, glaucoma, Inc., Not-For-Profit, SeeZar, Service Quality Measurement, SQM, vsp doctors, VSP Mobile Eyes, VSP Vision Care, World Class Customer Satisfaction
No Comments »
Posted on December 7th, 2009 by Jill N
Jeff H. is a channel partner manager with Eyefinity®/OfficeMate®. He shares his recent volunteer experience during an educational event at the San Francisco Exploratorium with our mobile clinic, SeeZar.
I haven’t been to the Exploratorium since my own grade school field trip. As I stepped into the spacious, interactive museum in San Francisco during the recent Eye See: Free Day with VSP Vision Care, I was reminded what a unique educational landmark the Exploratorium is – an exhibit hall filled will hands-on experiments that are not just educational, but entertaining (for kids and adults)! Read more »
File under: VSP in the Community | Tagged: Bill Nye, California, children, Exploratorium, eye exams, Eyefinity/OfficeMate, interactive experiments, optical illusions, San Francisco, science field trips, SeeZar, The Science Guy, VSP Vision Care
No Comments »
Posted on December 2nd, 2009 by Liz B.
Can’t get enough of the eye charts when visiting the eye doctor? Deck the halls of your office, cubicle or home with VSP’s fun Holiday-themed eyechart app!
File under: Fun | Tagged: eye chart, eyechart, facebook, facebook app, facebook applications, fun facebook apps, games for kids, holiday fun, snellen chart, snowman, VSP Facebook
No Comments »
Posted on December 2nd, 2009 by Liz B.
Alexa Donovan-Bowers is a member of VSP’s Marketing Team and a Site Leader for the Mobile Eyes Program. She shares her experience at the Villanova Special Olympics in November.
Last month I was in St. Davids, PA to be a part of the volunteer team for Opening Eyes at the Villanova Special Olympics.
Opening Ceremonies
The first night I attended the opening ceremonies and what an incredible experience! There were around 1,000 athletes, trainers and the volunteers … the energy level in the Pavilion (where Villanova plays basketball) was amazing. There were athletes of all ages from the entire state of Pennsylvania, including Team Pennsylvania, training for the 2010 Special Olympics World Championships in Nebraska next July. Read more »
File under: VSP in the Community | Tagged: Opening Eyes, Special Olympics, Villanova, Villanova Special Olympics
No Comments »
Posted on November 25th, 2009 by Jessica G.
Did you know that parts of your Thanksgiving feast help your eyes? Diets high in antioxidants like vitamin A and lutein (which your body converts into an antioxidant) have been connected with lowered rates of macular degeneration and cataracts.
Here are some harvest favorites that are high in nutrients that support the health of your peepers—and taste great!
- Sweet potatoes: An excellent source of beta-carotene, which your body converts into the essential anti-oxidant vitamin A. For a refreshingly basic take on these oft over-sweetened veggies, try tossing chunks in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasting in a hot oven.
- Pumpkin: With lots of vitamin A and a powerful wallop of beta-carotene and lutein, who needs to feel guilty about a second serving of pumpkin pie?
- Green beans, brussels sprouts, and broccoli: Each is a good source of lutein and zeaxanthin, which help protect the retina from light damage. To let the flavor of these veggies shine, try them lightly steamed or roasted in the oven.
And don’t forget your leafy greens! The deeper the color, the healthier they are for you and your eyes.
VSP wishes you and yours a happy, healthy, Thanksgiving!
File under: eye health, Fun | Tagged: beta-carotene, broccoli, brussels sprouts, eye health, food, Food For Thought, green beans, lutein, sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving, Vitamin A, VSP Vision Care, zeaxanthin
No Comments »
Posted on November 24th, 2009 by Melissa W.
NBA Star Bobby Jackson talks about the importance of vision for kids in school and with sports. Do you have a story about how vision has impacted you or your child in school or sports? Share it with us, and you’ll be entered to win a backpack autographed by Bobby Jackson.
File under: eye health, Get Fit, Uncategorized, VSP in the Community | Tagged: bobby jackson, kids, NBA, school, sports, vision, VSP Vision Care
No Comments »
Posted on November 20th, 2009 by Liz B.
Joel Kestenbaum O.D. is a VSP provider in Long Island, NY.
VSP provider Joel Kestenbaum, O.D. from Long Island N.Y. provides an overview of dry eye syndrome
Tears bathe our eyes to keep them nourished and usually do not leak down the cheek. Why is that? On the other hand, why do tears sometimes flow in such abundance that we must wipe them away?
Various glands in and around the eyelid produce the tears. Microscopic glands produce the tears that are composed of water, oil, mucous and an abundance of nutrients. If one of the components of the tears is not produced in the exact amounts, the tears become either too wet or too dry.
A common complaint in my office, especially as people age, is that tears run down the cheek. Usually excess tear production occurs because the microscopic glands in the lid that produce the normal water part of the tears are not producing enough. In response, the one large gland, the lacrimal gland, that normally secretes a lot of tears when we cry produces too much water so we drip. This is classic dry eye syndrome. Are you confused yet? Read more »
File under: eye health | Tagged: Dr. Joel Kestenbaum, dry eye, dry eye syndrome, excess tear production, FDA, lacrimal gland, tears, uncontrollable crying, wet eyes
2 Comments »
