Archive for the ‘diabetes’ Category

Get Blue for World Diabetes Day

Posted on November 14th, 2011 by Lisa P.

Today is World Diabetes Day. Each year on November 14, the International Diabetes Federation engages millions of people around the world in hopes to draw attention to diabetes. World Diabetes Days falls in American Diabetes Month, which we wrote about last week, but reaches more than 160 countries worldwide.

The focus of the campaign for the next couple of years is diabetes education and awareness, and people are doing a lot of activities to get involved. Public spaces and buildings around the world will be lighting themselves with blue light in honor of the occasion. Because education is a critical part of understanding diabetes, many organizations are making it easy for you to participate. You can take the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Risk Assessment, which evaluates your risk and provides tips to lower it. You can also take the Big Blue Test, which helps provide life-saving supplies to people with diabetes. Both of these tests allow you to share with your Facebook friends to help spread the word about diabetes.

Curious about what VSP does for people with diabetes? Because diabetes can be detected through an eye exam, VSP providers are always counseling patients about the connection between eye health and overall health (see our Diabetes Discovery Center). We also have a great campaign that focuses specifically on diabetes–Eye on Diabetes. This year we took the VSP Mobile Eyes on the road to three states and with the help of 23 VSP network doctors, we helped over 2,500 uninsured/underserved adults and children receive free eyecare services. Of those, 89 were directly referred for diabetes risk.

Here’s a brief video from our last 2011 stop in Atlanta, Georgia.

YouTube Preview Image

The campaign will continue to four more states in 2012. Stay tuned for dates and locations!

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Do you know your risk factors for diabetes?

Posted on November 8th, 2011 by David C

In the past 20 years, diabetes rates have doubled worldwide. And, by 2050, about one third of the people who live in the United States could have diabetes. These numbers are shocking and call for action; one of the easiest ways to do so is by being aware of your risk factors. Risk factors typically include weight, exercise, family history, ethnicity, age, and other diseases (like high blood pressure).

I had no idea how prevalent diabetes had become. So, in honor of American Diabetes Month, I took the free diabetes risk factor test from the American Diabetes Association. I was curious to see what the quick survey said about my risk…especially since I am a “smidge” overweight and have a family history of diabetes. (My mom and grandma have type 2 and my aunt has type 1.)

Now that I’m aware of my risk for developing diabetes, I can make changes to lower my risk. In fact, the ADA even provides a tip sheet at the end of the risk assessment. Take the risk assessment now by visiting the American Diabetes Association on Facebook.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering why I’m writing about diabetes on the VSP Blog, consider this: 90 percent of diabetes-related blindness can be avoided with early detection and treatment. So, make sure you’re getting regular, comprehensive eye exams. To learn more about diabetes and your vision, visit the Diabetes Discovery Center.

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A day of giving back with Dr. Oz

Posted on October 23rd, 2011 by Jill N

VSP employees with Dr. Oz after closing down a record breaking day of 455 patients being seen in the vision area in one day.

In one of the largest outreach  events that VSP has participated in to date, we had the incredible opportunity to work for a day alongside Dr. Oz, two-time Daytime Emmy® Award-winning host of the Daytime Emmy® Award-winning “The Dr. Oz Show”, and vice-chair and professor of surgery at Columbia University (that’s a mouthful isn’t it?).

He arrived on the second day of the clinic to meet with the volunteers, thanking them for their commitment to give back to those who need it most, to consult with the medical, dental and vision care professionals as they donated their time and services and to provide medical advice and guidance to a number of patients who were being seen.

One of those patients, David, was identified when he walked up to the VSP educational table in front of our mobile eye clinic. He told us he was drawn to the table because of an image that was displayed that simulated how a person with diabetic retinopathy would see. He was terrified that the blurriness he was experiencing was, in fact, due to diabetic retinopathy. As a 22-year-old Hispanic male with Type 2 diabetes and a family history of diabetes-related health issues, he had come to the clinic to try to be proactive about his health for his wife and two baby girls. However, he had never received an eye exam in his life and had no idea that he could lose his sight from the disease.

With his eyes extremely red and knowing he was experiencing blurriness, we immediately referred him to the vision area for care where optometry students from Southern California College of Optometry and VSP doctors were awaiting him. After moving through the various stations, David ultimately ended up with VSP doctor, and lead eyecare practitioner for CareNow, John Nishimoto, O.D. After consulting with David and learning more about both his personal and family history, Dr. Nishimoto made an initial check of his eye health. At that point, he didn’t see an obvious sign of diabetic retinopathy, but did see something that didn’t appear normal. At this point, Dr. Oz joined him to learn about David and and his situation. Dr. Nishimoto made the decision to take David onto the VSP mobile eye clinic for a more thorough examination where Dr. Oz joined them. I’m going to do something horrible and leave you here…with a bit of a cliffhanger. The reason why? David’s story will be told on the Dr. Oz show and we really want you to watch! His story is a great example of not only what can be detected in an annual eye exam, but also why regular eyecare  is an important part of a person’s healthcare routine.

We’ll keep you posted on when to tune in to the Dr. Oz show (we are still confirming the exact date) to see the whole experience. But in the meantime, check out some of the behind the scenes pictures we captured here.

And to Dr. Oz? It was a pleasure and we say thank you for helping to bring to the national spotlight some of the personal stories and needs of the more than 725,000 people VSP has had the opportunity to impact through our charitable programs. We hope this will encourage even more people and organizations to give back while also serving to educate everyone about the importance of taking advantage of, and utilizing, the channels they have available to them to take care of themselves.

File under: diabetes, eye exam, VSP in the Community | Tagged: , , ,
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VSP will participate in the largest-ever free healthcare event in the U.S.

Posted on October 19th, 2011 by David C

This week, we are heading down to the Los Angeles Sports Arena to provide vision care services in the largest-ever free healthcare event in the U.S. to date. The four-day clinic (Thursday through Sunday) will bring eye doctors together with hundreds of physicians, dentists, nurses, and general volunteers to service thousands of people in need.

VSP will be providing free eye exams and prescription eye glasses at the four-day event. We’ll have one of our mobile clinics and several additional portable exam lanes to help see as many people as possible. We’re expecting to see about 2,000 patients!

Other services offered at the clinic include physical exams, immunizations, mammograms, PAP smears, diabetes screenings, and dental cleanings and dental work.

And for those of you Dr. Oz fans, he’ll be there, too! Stay tuned to our blog, Facebook, and Twitter channels for our updates about the event over the next few days.

Local residents: please note that you must have a wristband to be admitted.
To learn more about the event, including wristband information, click here.

File under: diabetes, eye exam, eye health, healthcare | Tagged: , , , , , ,
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VSP making strides with diabetes education

Posted on October 18th, 2011 by Jessica H.

VSP was recently invited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to present at an event celebrating the success of the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP). NDEP is the government’s leading public education program for diabetes prevention and control that offers evidence-based, culturally tailored and easy-to-read materials. VSP was invited to present on our partnership with NDEP to produce educational materials and to serve as a role model to other organizations. We shared the actions we have taken to raise awareness around the link between diabetes awareness and healthy vision, including:

  • Spreading the importance of eye exams for the early detection of diabetes
  • Offering continuing education courses to eyecare professionals about diabetes care
  • Reaching out to optometry students to educate them about their role in health care
  • Providing tools to eyecare professionals to educate patients about diabetes and their eyes
  • VSP’s reach through membership and charity work including Mobile Clinics and Sight for Students

For more information about diabetes and your eyes, visit VSP’s Diabetes Discovery Center.

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Do you know what the inside of your eye looks like?

Posted on October 11th, 2011 by David C

The inside of my right eye

Working at VSP, and also wearing glasses for more than ten years, I understand the importance of healthy vision. (I’m not going to lie, either; I love getting new glasses and can never seem to have enough.) Last week when I got my yearly eye check-up, I had the option to get a digital image of my eye in lieu of a dilated exam. I have to admit, I was curious to see what the inside of my eye looked like…just what was my eye doctor (Dr. Nakamura of Natomas Optometry) looking at in there?

At first glance, I was a little concerned with the red dot in the middle and white blob off to the side, but Dr. Nakamura explained to me that the red dot was actually the macula and the white spot was the optic nerve—both were supposed to be there. The macula is responsible for seeing things in detail and our “central vision” (as in not peripheral vision) while the optic nerve is what carries the visual information to the brain.

I thought it was rather interesting to see my own eyes on the screen in front of me. What I liked most was how Dr. Nakamura could show me that my eyes were healthy by comparing my images to sample pictures with various eye or eye-related health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, cataracts, and macular degeneration. I was happy to see my eyes didn’t have any of those problems.

P.S. I just got computer vision glasses for the first time, and I am really excited about them. See what I had to say about them.

File under: cataracts, CVS, diabetes, eye exam, eye health, Macular Degeneration, Private Practice Doctors | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,
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Your Eyes are More Than Just Windows to Your Soul

Posted on October 6th, 2011 by Gail V

Your eyes are also windows to your health.

See the signs.

I was surprised to learn what an eye doctor can discover during an annual eye exam. It can go way beyond simply making sure your prescription is still correct! Your eye doc can catch the early warning signs of overall health problems before they become serious. Did you know your comprehensive eye exam can detect glaucoma, diabetes, and even conditions like a brain tumor?

Shop safely.

For contact lens wearers, by far the safest place to order your annual supply is from your eye doc. But if you typically order your contacts online, make sure your eye doc gives you the thumbs up on your eye health and prescription first. You’ve only got one set of eyes! And make sure the site you order from is one you can trust.

Details matter.

At eyeconic.com, you can order contact lenses with confidence. Eyeconic goes above and beyond for you. We work with your doctor to make sure the prescription we fill for you is right, and we guarantee your satisfaction.

Besides the great service, Eyeconic has over a hundred of the most popular contact lenses to choose from—I bet you’ll find your brand. You’re not tech savvy? No problem. You don’t have to be a geek like me to order from Eyeconic; the site is super easy to navigate. I love all the handy tips, too, like how to figure out which lens type is best for you, and ways to keep your eyes healthy. There’s even a discount for Air Optix® Aqua wearers right now. And I know you’ll love the free shipping!

Most of all, it’s important to know there’s an online store you can trust with your eyes.

Here’s to your eye health!

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Eyeglasses = E-Waste?

Posted on September 22nd, 2011 by Jill N

In total, 33 VSP employees volunteered their time and energy throughout the day.

On Friday, September 16th, VSP Vision Care had the opportunity to participate in an E-Waste collection drive in Sacramento in partnership with California Electronic Asset Recovery (CEAR) and the local NBC affiliate, KCRA. So why did we say yes? For a number of reasons!

With our eyewear donation program, Eyes of Hope®, we’re partnering with communities near and far to help serve the more than one billion people globally who cannot afford or do not have access to eyewear. Through collection drives such as this, local communities have a free and easy way to help make an impact on other communities across the globe.

CEAR was doing more than collecting E-Waste! For each car that came through to drop off E-Waste or gently used glasses, CEAR donated $1 to support the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Step Out: Walk to STOP Diabetes. VSP has a long-standing relationship with the ADA and was excited to have the chance to educate viewers about the important role eyecare plays in a person’s healthcare routine, especially when it comes to early detection opportunities of chronic diseases such as diabetes.

Last, but not least, one of VSP’s corporate values is to support the community and environment we live in. Our platinum LEED-EB certification in 2008 was a significant culmination of our efforts, and while it marks a milestone in VSP’s ongoing efforts to become a model of energy and resource efficiency, it has been just the starting point for us. We’re working towards LEED certification for our entire headquarter campus and are actively working on additional initiatives to further lower our carbon footprint. We are proud to support others in similar efforts as well.

In all, close to 30 VSP employees volunteered their time and energy to support the collection of E-Waste; more than 22 bins were filled by the end of the day.

Additionally, thanks to the KCRA viewers who donated, more than 1,100 people around the world will receive the gift of sight who otherwise would not have the means to obtain it. And more than 1,100 pairs of glasses and cases will stay out of landfills.

What an amazing impact Sacramento area residents have made in just one day! We look forward to the continued support of the local community to help keep our regional environment healthy and to help those in need around the world.

For those unable to make it out to the collection drive, but have glasses you would like to donate, you can either drop them off at your local VSP doctor’s office when you go in for your annual eye exam, or you can go to www.vsp.com/community and click on the Eyes of Hope page. From there you can contact VSP to obtain information about how you can send in your glasses (and others!) absolutely free.

Check out pictures of the day!

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Team Type 1 founder uses diabetes to his advantage

Posted on September 21st, 2011 by David C

When Phil Southerland was a baby, his parents were told his diabetes would make him blind. They were also told he would likely not live past the age of 25. Phil said he has never let diabetes determine what he could do with his life; he just made the necessary adjustments.

“I get regular eye exams to make sure my diabetes hasn’t affected the blood vessels in my eyes. I know it’s really important, and I want to keep the great vision that I have.”

Now 29, Phil uses exercise, diet and insulin to manage his diabetes and is thriving. He is the founder and CEO of Team Type 1, an organization committed to educating and empowering people with diabetes worldwide.

VSP® Vision Care is proud to be the exclusive eyecare and eyewear provider for Team Type 1. For more information about eyecare for people with diabetes, visit the Diabetes Discovery Center.

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Q&A with VSP Optometrists

Posted on September 20th, 2011 by Alex

Today’s blog post features questions asked by VSP members and answers from VSP Optometrists Thomas Jonas, O.D. and Jennifer Wademan, O.D.

1. Should you have your eyes checked every year or like every other year if you’re diabetic? What is the normal?

VSP Provider Jennifer Wademan, OD

VSP Provider Jennifer Wademan, OD

Annual eye exams with a dilated retinal exam or retinal photography are recommended for a person with diabetes.   Annual eye exams are very important for  people with diabetes   because uncontrolled or fluctuating blood sugar levels can cause changes in vision but most importantly, irreversible damage to the back of the eye, leading to permanent vision loss.  However, even a person whose diabetes is under perfect control, can still develop changes.  For that reason, it is essential for  people with diabetes to have an eye exam  annually.

Annual eye exams  are recommended for everyone — babies (starting at 6 months), children, adults, and seniors. Eye exams are especially important for children because nearsightedness, farsightedness, and/or astigmatism can easily go undetected in a child and potentially lead to vision and learning problems as the child gets older. Even adults who have great vision should get an annual eye exam. Your VSP eye doctor can detect signs of health conditions, like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Read more »

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