Archive for 2010
Posted on March 10th, 2010 by Jill N
Jill N. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team
“Golf is an ineffectual attempt to put an elusive ball into an obscure hole with implements ill-adapted to the purpose.” ~Woodrow Wilson
For the second year in a row VSP has the opportunity to participate with Transitions Optical at the 2010 Transitions Championship for Healthy Sight as part of the “Live Your Vision Pavillion” and “Healthy Sight Village.” VSP will be one of a few optical industry partners on hand providing information, education, and hands-on experiences that will include sports-vision demonstrations, golf clinics, eyewear fashion shows and health and wellness screenings.
VSP will be included in a new “Competitive Advantage” area developed by Transitions, VSP and Nike Golf, where attendees will have the opportunity to learn how vision impacts athletic performance (I don’t know about you, but I definitely blame my eyesight, among other things, for my golf performance…), how general fitness impacts their golf swing (so you’re NOT supposed to match the number of beers to the number of strokes?), and how the latest technological innovations like performance eyewear and golf apparel can help them golf and look their best (who cares how good you are if you don’t LOOK good doing it?).
Prior to the tournament, VSP will also partner with Transitions and Prevent Blindness Florida to provide three days of charitable outreach to local Tampa children and adults in need. After the outreach, the VSP mobile clinic will be showcased during the tournament to help educate attendees on the importance of eye health and giving back to your community.
As part of the fun leading up to the tournament, VSP conducted a sweepstakes and one lucky winner was selected to attend the tournament with three friends. Stay tuned to see the tournament through his eyes as he creates and posts a video diary of his experience.
Check out a video from last year’s event with SeeZar! 
File under: Fun, VSP in the Community | Tagged: 2010 Transitions Championship for Healthy Site, charitable eyecare, children, competitive advantage, eye health, eyewear, fashion show, FL, golf apparel, golf clinics, Golf Quotes, health screenings, Innsibrook Resort, Nike Golf, performance eyewear, PGA Tournament, President Woodrow Wilson, Prevent Blindness Florida, Sports-Vision demonstration, sweepstakes, Tampa, Transitions, Transitions Optical, vision and athletic performance, VSP Vision Care, wellness screenings, Woodrow Wilson
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Posted on March 8th, 2010 by Niki M.
Niki M. is a VSP Mobile Clinic Operations Manager.
Participating in the Sacramento Black Expo at the Sacramento Convention Center in February has been a blessing in many ways. Our first day started off just like any other convention, we drove SeeLia into the convention center safely and perfectly angled her in our booth for the festivities to begin. We had the prize wheel a-spinnin’, multiple job opportunities displayed, a gorgeous frame display with both Altair and Marchon sunglasses, an interactive and fun kids table, a table with some of our plan information, and of course, SeeLia set up as a back drop open for exams and tours.
We were able to secure a VSP doctor for the first afternoon. The rest of the time, we handed out VSP Mobile Eyes® gift certificates that VSP pays for to provide qualified people to receive no-cost eye exams and glasses from a local VSP doctor’s office. Usually when we participate in these types of events, we don’t find many people who qualify, but due to the recent changes in Medi-Cal, coupled with the bad economy, many people qualified and were in need of exams and new glasses.
We did eye exams onboard the first day for about three hours and then handed out over 80 gift certificates during the rest of the time. While all patients were remarkably grateful, I personally experienced three patients come to tears in thanks. Coming to tears actually doesn’t even describe it, I should say crying in thanks and praise. Two of the ladies were from a church group and were so amazed that VSP would offer this type of service to people in need. They said they have been contacting people from all over the area to find help and they couldn’t find anyone offering services that didn’t involve some sort of weird catch. Neither one of them had an eye exam for a long time (one was about 5 years and one was over 10 years ago!). So, I think they were both impressed and amazed at VSP’s generosity. So blown away in fact, that both started crying and grabbed me to give me a giant hug and really let me know how important this gift was to them.
All experiences touched me, but the last woman’s story really touched me. Now, my mom always told me that you can’t judge a book by its cover, but it was a little hard with this young woman. She walked in looking like someone I wouldn’t normally think would meet our guidelines. She looked well put together, dressed in khaki’s and a blazer jacket nicely matching. She appeared to be in her late 20’s or early 30’s and was very modest, having a hard time asking for help. When I shared with her the gift certificate program, she dropped her jaw and asked how she could qualify for one. She explained to me that she had lost her job over two years ago and has been having a very hard time finding a new job; she also mentioned that because she is a single woman, without children, she is having a hard time finding anyone who will help her with any type of assistance in the meantime. When I told her that there were no hidden fees and this gift certificate would get her a completely free eye exam and glasses, she couldn’t believe it and started crying right there in the exam room in front of me. I could tell she was embarrassed to cry and she even stepped to the side to hide her face from me and ask for a second to gain her composure.
This last story really hit me hard for numerous reasons. First of all, she wasn’t expecting a free hand out and she was so sweet and kind about the whole thing and in total shock that we would do something like that. Finally, it had also occurred to me how easily the two of us could have been in each other’s situations…
I think we all went home that night feeling very blessed and incredibly grateful for VSP’s generosity….
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Posted on March 4th, 2010 by Liz B.
VSP provider Dr. Jeffrey Anshel wrote an article for education.com regarding keeping our kids eyes safe while using digital devices and avoiding Computer Vision Syndrome and tired eyes. Good advice for adults too. Read article.
So how much time do you estimate you or your kids spend per day looking at digital devices (smart phones, video games, tv, computers, etc.)? Leave us a comment.
Photo via education.com
File under: Eye Safety, eye health | Tagged: computer, computer vision, computer vision syndrome, digital devices, education.com, eye health, Eye Safety, iphone, Jeffrey Anshel, kids, smart phone, tired eyes, TV, video games
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Posted on February 27th, 2010 by Liz B.
Photo via Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
Gold! The US Bobsled Team 1 wins the first American gold medal in bobsled in 62 years. Sure, that is a feat in it of its self with heavy competition, but to make the victory even more sweet, the pilot of the Night Train sled Steve Holcomb, suffers from keratoconus, a degenerative eye condition in which the cornea distorts, causing streaking and blurring in the vision.
After his vision had deteriorated to 20/500, last March Steve underwent a radical 20-minute procedure, yet to be approved by the FDA, in which doctors implanted a lens behind each iris. Now just a year later, Steve is an Olympic champion!
See the gold medal run here and read more about Steve and the US Bobsled team here.
File under: Get Fit, Technology, sports | Tagged: 20/500, 62 years, blurred vision, cornea, degenerative eye condition, gold medal, iris, keratoconus, lens implant, Night Train, not approved by FDA, Olympics 2010, plant lens behind iris, Steve Holcomb, Steven Holcomb, USA Bobsled
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Posted on February 25th, 2010 by Vernon D.
Very interesting stuff. EPAM – Electroactive Polymer Artificial Muscle, is currently working its way to human implantation (within 5 years). From the article:
Surgeons from UC Davis Medical Center have demonstrated that artificial muscles can restore the ability of patients with facial paralysis to blink, a development that could benefit the thousands of people each year who no longer are able to close their eyelids due to combat-related injuries, stroke, nerve injury or facial surgery.
…
For people with other types of paralysis, the use of artificial muscles could someday mean regaining the ability to smile or control the bladder. Reanimating faces is a natural first step in developing synthetic muscles to control other parts of the body, said UC Davis otolaryngologist Craig Senders.
If you have the slightest interest in medical technology or just want to see how hard researchers are working – I HIGHLY recommend reading this article. Go humans!
Read full article HERE.
File under: Technology, Uncategorized, eye health | Tagged: artificial muscle, blink, disabled, eyelid, facial paralysis, mobius syndrome, restoring ability, Technology, UC Davis medical center, wink
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Posted on February 23rd, 2010 by Liz B.
Joel Kestenbaum O.D. is a VSP provider in Long Island, NY.
In today’s guest blog post from Dr. Joel Kestenbaum of Optix Eyecare in Long Island, NY, he discusses protective eyewear and winter sports …
The 2010 Winter Olympics are upon us. Lets take a look at the common attributes most Winter Olympians have:
- Athletic ability
- Drive and determination
- Support of family and friends
- Excellent vision
If you look at all the skiers, snowboarders, speed skaters, lugers and bobsledders, they are all wearing some sort of protective eyewear. How do they know which lenses to wear? What if it is cloudy, sunny, snowing, sleeting, raining, foggy, nighttime, or early morning?
Think Safety First
You can be certain that the lenses in an athlete’s goggles are made of polycarbonate. For fast-moving winter sports, this material is much more impact-resistant than glass or conventional plastic. The frame also needs to be lightweight and flexible reducing the likelihood of the lens breaking or popping out in a bad fall. Prescription lenses can be made for inserts that sit behind the shield of the goggle or some goggles are actually made to wear over a regular pair of eyeglasses.
Think Visual Efficiency Next
Black, gray, or smoke lenses
Best for bright conditions – they dim the bright sunlight to ease the strain on your eyes. Depending on the intensity of the tint, these lenses do darken your vision but gray does not alter color. These lenses are best for wide-open areas, especially on sunny days. One should not ski or snowboard in trees or trails with dark lenses.
Amber Lenses
Amber is a color in between a light brown and a dark yellow lens. Amber blocks blue light, greatly increases contrast. This color is a good choice for seeing moguls out on the slopes. Amber is best for under cloudy skies or on dimly lit trails but is not recommended for sunny days.
Read more »
File under: Uncategorized | Tagged: 2010 Winter Olympics, amber lenses, clear lenses, Dr. Joel Kestenbaum, eye exams, eyecare, eyewear, glare, gray lenses, interchangable lenses, lenses for different weather conditions, Nike, protective eyewear, red lenses, sunglasses, sunwear, UV protection, Vancouver, vision, Winter Olympics, winter sports, yellow lenses
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Posted on February 18th, 2010 by Liz B.
File under: Contests, Fun | Tagged: Championship, golf, HD Flip Cam, Innisbrook Resort, John Mallinger, kinesiologist, PGA, PGA Championship for Healthy Sight, Professional Golf Tournament, resort, sports, sweepstakes, Tampa, Tournament, Transitions, VSP, VSP Vision Care
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Posted on February 16th, 2010 by Vernon D.
TrueVision Systems, Inc. is helping budding ophthalmologists in the operating room by providing a new tool to help observe surgeries. The Santa Barbara CA based company is offering “3DHD” – a technology that projects a 3D image from an LCD screen (think Avatar the movie – hence the James Cameron reference). Its initial design is most beneficial for instructional purposes. Residents and students are able to observe delicate surgeries enlarged in great 3D detail, of course with the help of polarized 3D glasses.
Check out their page for a video in the operating room. Drew Carey bonus points if you know the bands playing in the background, I’ve got the song titles – Amber and Facedown. I’d like to hang with these MDs, they know good music.
Brought to you via MedGadget and TrueVision.
File under: Technology, healthcare | Tagged: 3D, avatar 3D, James Cameron, medical residents, medical school, medical students, medical technology, ophthalmology, surgery advancements, Technology
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Do you know if you’re at risk for developing type 2 diabetes? Studies have shown that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by losing just 5-7% of body weight through regular physical activity and healthy eating. However, 57 million Americans currently have pre-diabetes. That’s one in every five people! Pre-diabetes places you at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, and, if current trends continue, one out of three children born today will face a future with diabetes.
FORE! Even better – Four!
