Send a personalized Valentine’s Day message to that special someone and remind them about the importance of eyecare at the same time!
Archive for January, 2010
Looking for a creative Valentine’s gift? Send a Valentine’s Eye Chart Message!
Posted on January 28th, 2010 by Liz B.UV Protection – Protect Your Eyes
Posted on January 27th, 2010 by Melissa W.What we call a “rainbow” is the spectrum of light energy from the sun that we can see. At each end of this visible light are other forms of invisible energy— from radio waves to x-rays. Some of this energy is in the form of ultraviolet waves, or UV. UV is not normally visible, but you might have seen its purplish glow from a special “black light” bulb that makes things glow in the dark.
While we can’t see ultraviolet radiation, it can see—and harm—us if we are not careful. Even on an overcast day, UV light from the sun can cause sunburn of our skin and the cornea of our eyes, which is called “photokeratitis.” Over a long time, it can increase your chance of cataracts (a clouding of the lens of the eye) and damage to your retina that might lead to total blindness.
Team Type 1's Kori Seehafer wearing Nike sunglasses.
Sunscreen protects your skin from overexposure to UV rays. Proper lenses can safely block UV radiation and protect your eyes.
Be Glare Aware!
Glare, or extreme brightness, can be distracting and even dangerous. The direct rays of the sun are the most powerful source of glare and UV radiation, but glare can also be reflected off roads, buildings, water, and snow. Special “polarized” lenses reduce or eliminate glare and reflections. They work by selectively absorbing the reflected glare while transmitting useful light from the scene.
Source: eyedidntknowthat.com
From the Road: VSP Mobile Eyes in Monterey County, CA
Posted on January 20th, 2010 by Kim R.Today we have a guest post from Maggie P. Magallón, a health service advisor from the Monterey County Office of Education – a recent partner of the VSP Mobile Eyes program.
For the Monterey County Office of Education’s first VSP Mobile Eyes event we were able to provide services to over 55 children and youth in need — in the future we’ll shoot for over 100!
VSP Mobile Clinics Operations Manager, Niki M., with a patient in his shades after his eyes were dilated.
During the three day outreach event, the clinic visited three school districts in Monterey County, including Greenfield Union, Sta. Rita Union and Salinas City Union. The young patients entered the clinic with excitement and gratitude, especially after they had the opportunity to select their frames from popular brands like Disney & Coach!
One of the students picking out his frames with VSP Mobile Clinic Operations Managers, Kim R., and Monterey County Migrant Program partner, Isabel.
It was a pleasure partnering with the team at VSP. Kim R., Niki M., and Vicki A. are a great team to work with, and I want to give a big thank you to our local VSP optometrists – Dr. Sylvia Lee, Dr. Brett Fredericks, Dr. William Kadell, and Dr. Catherine Winters – who enthusiasticly volunteered their time to provide eye exams to the kids.
VSP Volunteer, Vicki A., Dr. William Kadell, Kim R. and Niki M.
Now that the students who needed glasses will receive them, I feel they will definitely show an improvement in their language arts and math achievement this year as they can see with much more clarity and precision!
We look forward to VSP Mobile Eyes visiting our area again. What a great service VSP offers to the community!!!
Mona Lisa had high cholesterol?
Posted on January 19th, 2010 by Melissa W.
Vito Franco, Professor of Pathological Anatomy at the University of Palermo, thinks so. In fact, he released a statement last week saying the painting of Mona Lisa shows signs of cholesterol around her left eye.
This got me thinking about another connection between eyes and high cholesterol. An eye doctor can actually see signs of high cholesterol during an eye exam. Cholesterol flows through your blood stream and can cause a yellowish build-up in your blood vessels. When an eye doctor dilates your eyes, your pupils become bigger allowing your doctor to have a closer look inside your eyes. Your blood vessels can tell a lot about your overall health. In addition to signs of high cholesterol, doctors can also see signs of diabetes, high blood pressure and more.
It amazes me to realize an eye doctor not only tests to make sure I’m seeing clearly, but also checks my eyes to make sure they’re healthy. An eye exam allows me to take a proactive step in my overall healthcare routine. With today’s technology, it’s important to take advantage of opportunities for preventive care instead of just waiting for the day when treatment is required.
Da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503. Eyecare certainly has come a long way since then, and I’m so appreciative of the preventive aspects of this exam. If you’d like to see what vision care was like back when Mona Lisa was alive, check out this interactive timeline of vision history.
Related Links:
TIME article – Did Mona Lisa Suffer from High Cholesterol?
Eyecare Discovery Center article – Eye Exam: New Lease on Life
Picture of Mona Lisa via Wikipedia.
Help Needed in Haiti
Posted on January 13th, 2010 by Liz B.Donate to the American Red Cross to help relief efforts in Haiti.
Wow! Your head is so big! Volunteering on the VSP Mobile Clinic
Posted on January 13th, 2010 by Jill NOne of our partners Dan McLean, at Transitions Optical shares a story about working with kids while volunteering on VSP’s mobile clinic.
What Happens During a Diabetic Eye Exam?
Posted on January 12th, 2010 by Melissa W.January is Eyecare Month. In honor of this observance, this is the second post of a three-part video series about how eye exams can show signs of health conditions, like diabetes.
Team Type 1’s Kyle Rose was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 16 years old. He was originally thought to have the flu. When he began experiencing fluctuating vision, he went to see his eye doctor who immediately recognized signs of diabetes and recommended he get tested for diabetes.
In this video, Dr. Sasha Penn, with EyeCare Associates of San Francisco, explains what he’s looking for during a diabetic eye exam and why it’s so important.
For more information about EyeCare Associates of San Francisco, check out their website at www.eyecaresf.com.
About Team Type 1 and VSP Vision Care
Team Type 1 is a group of athletes living with diabetes. The team includes professional race teams, a triathlon team and a development team. Team Type 1 strives to instill hope and inspiration for people around the world affected by diabetes. VSP® Vision Care is proud to be their exclusive eyecare and eyewear provider.
Kyle Rose – Eye doctor was first to see his symptoms of diabetes
Contact Lenses Could Soon Monitor Glucose Levels
Posted on January 8th, 2010 by Melissa W.
I was amazed to read that contact lenses may soon be a source for measuring glucose. How incredible would that be?
Professor Jin Zhang at The University of Western Ontario developed a technology that allows particles in contact lenses to change color based on the amount of glucose found in tears. This would give someone with diabetes an alternative to drawing blood when testing their glucose levels. They’d simply have to look in the mirror!
While I can’t quite fathom exactly how the color change would work with a person’s contact lenses, it certainly seems like a huge discovery. I can’t wait to see how this technology ends up developing.
The University of Western Ontario Newsroom
Blown-glass contact lenses? Yikes.
Posted on January 6th, 2010 by Jessica G.
New York Times' first mention of the contact lens.
Did you know that the first usable contact lens was made in 1888 from blown glass? It’s a fact.
You can find this, and other interesting historical anecdotes about contact lenses in a recently published New York Times article.
Take a look; it’ll give you a fresh perspective on something many of us take for granted.
As I toss my daily, UV-blocking, soft contact lenses in the trash, I give thanks for technological advances.
First Mention: Contact Lens, 1930
Content and image courtesy of the New York Times.
Kyle Rose – Eye doctor was first to see his symptoms of diabetes
Posted on January 5th, 2010 by Melissa W.January is Eyecare Month. In honor of this observance, we’ll be sharing a three-part video series about how eye exams can show signs of health conditions, like diabetes.
Team Type 1’s Kyle Rose was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 16 years old. He was originally thought to have the flu. When he began experiencing fluctuating vision, he went to see his eye doctor who immediately recognized signs of diabetes and recommended he get tested for diabetes.
In this video, Dr. Sasha Penn, with EyeCare Associates of San Francisco, explains why diabetes would have caused changes to Kyle’s vision.
For more information about EyeCare Associates of San Francisco, check out their website at www.eyecaresf.com.
About Team Type 1 and VSP Vision Care
Team Type 1 is a group of athletes living with diabetes. The team includes professional race teams, a triathlon team and a development team. Team Type 1 strives to instill hope and inspiration for people around the world affected by diabetes. VSP® Vision Care is proud to be their exclusive eyecare and eyewear provider.
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