Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Posted on November 11th, 2011 by Alex
File under: Uncategorized, VSP Eye Pledge, VSP in the Community | Tagged: Atlanta, boys and girls club, charity, donation, Eye Pledge, free eye exams, free glasses, help, outreach, Tampa, VSP
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Posted on November 3rd, 2011 by Lee Anne P
My son is obsessed with keeping his hair long. As long as I can still see his eyes, I’m good with it, but I came home from work the other day and it was in fact right in his eyes. It was time for a haircut.
I scooped up his hair just so I could see him. Staring back at me was a swollen and red eyelid. “Hey!” I exclaimed, “What’s up with your eye?” He told me he thought he got bit by a mosquito.
In my past career as an optician I had seen this type of angry eye before and knew it was something more than a bug bite. I was 99.9% sure it was a sty. I quickly washed my hands and held up his eyelid to take a closer look. Gross! It looked like a pimple on the inside rim of his eyelid.
What causes a sty?
Sties are usually caused by obstructed oil glands in the eyelid and are infected by bacteria. Reasons include:
- Hormone changes
- Stress
- Outdated or infected cosmetics
- Hygiene
Symptoms
- Swelling of the eyelid
- A lump on the top of bottom of eyelid
- Pain
- Redness
- Crusting of the eyelid
Treatment
Warm compresses several times a day are the most common treatment for most sties. Your optometrist may prescribe antibiotics or pain medicine depending on the situation. In some cases, the eye doctor may have lance the sty to help it heal faster. It is not recommended to squeeze the sty, as this can worsen the infection. Makeup and contacts can also spread infection during treatment.
I immediately set up an eye appointment with my VSP doctor. I wanted to make sure my assessment was correct, and if it was, my eye doctor would know how to treat it.
After our visit he prescribed the normal home remedies and gave us a prescription for some eye drops to help the process along. Within a couple days, he was good as new. The long hair is still there, but now he keeps it just above his eyes.
File under: eye health, Eye Safety, Uncategorized | Tagged: bacteria, causes, eye infection, hurts, lump, pain, pimple, relief, remedy, sty, stye, swollen, symptoms, treatment
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Posted on November 2nd, 2011 by fashionmaven
Eyeconic.com
I don’t know about you, but I get seriously bummed when I have to put away all the colorful stuff I wear all summer just because I don’t live in a sun shiny place like Maui. Yeah, black is eternally epic. Gray is awesome. But can’t I hang on to my “crush” on color all year round?
Turns out – I can! At least this season. I did some serious research—getting stuck in the longest line in the supermarket can come in handy—and there it was. In magazine after magazine. Bags, scarves and boots in some really strong colors, like orange! Oh yes, I’ve got a crush. An orange crush. Now, no one wants to look like a pumpkin or gigantic can of soda, so key word…moderation. But warming up all the gray, brown and black outfits was splashes of orange, yellow and magenta.
Tyreke sports orange
So, I decided the easiest way to keep my crush alive all winter was through a sunglass splash. And eyeconic.com has some hot orange sunglasses that look like me (or NBA star Tyreke Evans…yeah, I think he copied me). Ok, so, I used a webcam on my computer to try a pair of Nikes on live. It was fabulous, and since my style team was out of town I could confirm that my orange crush was real…Color rules.
Fashion Maven
File under: Eyeconic, fashion, Frames & Lenses, Fun, Tyreke Evans, Uncategorized | Tagged: accessories, Eyeconic, eyeconic.com, fall, fashion, orange, Rookie of the Year, style, sunglasses, trends, Tyreke Evans, winter
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Posted on October 27th, 2011 by Kay
VSP Optometrist Wesley Umeda, O.D., examines a patient in-need onboard the VSP Mobile Eyes Clinic
I am constantly reading the blogs and articles from the VSP Mobile Clinic team and it always seemed like the people who participate have such rewarding experiences–I used to think it was just a marketing strategy. That is until I joined up with Lori F., Vicki A., and the Mobile Clinics team at the Loaves and Fishes event this month in Sacramento. Talk about an eye opener!!! I arrived at the location at 8:00 am to help set up and was immediately approached by numerous people from Friendship Park asking how they could get an appointment to see the eye doctor. I directed them to the event coordinator for Loaves and Fishes, but many of them were not seen at the clinic that day because patients had already been pre-registered.
Once the patients started arriving, I quickly realized exactly what the other Mobile Clinic volunteers had been blogging about. The people we saw are often overlooked in society–most of them carrying everything they own in a backpack. And yet, the energy and excitement they exuded was intoxicating. I heard more laughter and saw more smiles on their faces than at the mall on a weekend.
As the morning rolled on, the line continued to grow and it started heating up outside. There was really nothing we could do to speed up the process as so many patients were getting their eyes dilated and had to wait inside for the doctor to reexamine them. Jessie, a VSP Intern and fellow MRT, did such an amazing job with the people waiting outside and making sure all of the paperwork was in order so that we could focus on getting the patients in and out as quickly as possible. I will never forget one of the patients named Brandy. She was so tired of waiting to see the doctor and was getting incredibly grumpy, so we invited her to wait in the clinic in the air conditioning. She tried so hard to stay mad, but once she and I started picking out her frames there was nothing that could wipe the smile off of her face.
Dr. Umeda, Dr. Swan and Dr. Kim, VSP doctors who volunteered their time, all did such an amazing job with the patients. People kept telling me how nice they were to them. It is so easy to take the kind of care I receive from my VSP doctor for granted, and it was just one of many reminders I had that day of just how blessed I am. I feel kind of selfish for having gotten so much out of this experience when we were there to be giving to others, but I truly felt like I was doing something that made a difference. So many of the people I met during the event were so gracious and grateful to us for helping them to see. Without my glasses I can see about 6 inches from my face, so I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it is to have to go through life not being able to see what’s going on around me.
I would like to say a big thank you to Loaves and Fishes for everything they do for the people in our community. I have always known VSP was a special place to work and am so grateful that our company not only gives back to the community, but allows and encourages its employees to do the same. This event hit close to home for me and opened my eyes to so many of the things in life that I take for granted. I cannot wait for the next opportunity I get to volunteer with the Mobile Clinics!
File under: Uncategorized, VSP in the Community | Tagged: free eye exams, free glasses, Friendship Park, Loaves and Fishes, mobile clinic, Mobile Eyes, Sacramento, VSP
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Posted on August 3rd, 2011 by fashionmaven
Last month we reviewed what was happening in the fashion world regarding summer eyewear trends for gals. This month, we’re checking out what some of the hot ”guywear” trends are this summer. Here’s the scoop gentlemen…
Colors: Brown, sand, gray and clear or a combo of color and clear (all about neutrals)
Style: Small round (like John Lennon), small square or rectangle (think Johnny Depp), aviator or navigator (for sunwear)
Details: Keyhole bridges, two tone and for sunwear blue or white to make an impact
So, using all the scoop gathered for both gal and guy trends, I picked out my new frames. Going with what’s happening in “guywear.” Kooky. I know, right? Selected small, square, “geek chic” look for everyday and for sun, decided on navigator (squared off aviator) in shiny silver with “flash” mirror coating (this type of mirror coating still allows others to see one’s eyes through the lenses unlike the true mirror coating that shows one’s reflection).
I can’t leave you without tossing out a tiny word of caution. Please, please, please get UV protection on your prescription eyewear and/or sunwear. Consider polycarbonate lens material, if your VSP doctor feels it’s appropriate, which inherently has UV protection and can be tinted for sunglasses.
For those of you that don’t need a prescription, and are on the prowl for new shades, look for 100% UVA/UVB protection, it’ll be noted on the lenses. Every little precaution helps lessen sun damage…talk about other UV options with your VSP doctor.
File under: eye health, Eye Safety, fashion, Frames & Lenses, Fun, Uncategorized, vision benefits | Tagged: eyewear for men, eyewear styles for men, summer sunglass trends, sunglass trends for men, vsp insurance, VSP Vision Care
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Posted on July 12th, 2011 by Jessica G.
There I was, going about my business getting ready for work on Monday morning, when I hear it: ruptu
red cornea. What the…? NPR had struck again, and I was immersed in a story about a teenage girl whose cornea had ruptured due to keratoconus, an eye condition that impacts one in every 2,000 teens and young adults. Over a single weekend, the teen’s eyesight had deteriorated to the point where she couldn’t even see the whiteboard in class.
Keratoconus causes the cornea, which is usually bowl-shaped, to become conical. Normally, for cases caught early on, rigid contact lenses are used for treatment, but this case was too advanced: “…it was kind of like trying to put a plate on a peak. They just kind of wobbled, and didn’t fit.”
My goodness. I supposed there’s one benefit to being a relative old-timer. According to the article, “experts suggest that if you’re a teen or 20-something whose vision is changing so quickly that you find you need to switch the prescription of your glasses or contacts every few months, check with your doctor. You may need to have the shape of your eyes examined.”
So, if you fall into the age category, or have a loved one that does, please make sure vision care is top-of-mind.
Listen to the entire radio piece and accompanying article on npr.org.
File under: eye exam, eye health, Uncategorized | Tagged: keratoconus, school
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Posted on May 2nd, 2011 by Jessica G.
The every-increasing cost of healthcare is a concern for many Americans, but even more so for the elderly.
Many suffering from wet macular degeneration, an age-related condition, are treated with a once-monthly shot of Lucentis—costing upwards of $2000 per shot! So, it’s great news that an alternate drug, Avastin, has been proved an effective treatment for this condition, with costs as low as $50 monthly. Avastin has been used to treat certain types of cancer, and was not originally intended for ocular use.
Consider the potential savings of swapping the drugs, shared in the Philadelphia Inquirer: “Over the course of a year in the study, Avastin cost to $385 from $595, depending on the treatment regimen. Lucentis cost $13,800 from $23,400.”
And the audience for this is huge. The Associated Press quotes Dr. Paul Sieving, director of the National Eye Institute, the federal agency that paid for the study: “More than 250,000 Americans are treated for macular degeneration each year… About 1.6 million Americans have advanced macular degeneration and another 7 million are at risk of developing it.”
While testing still needs to be done before Avastin is officially approved to treat wet macular degeneration, this is a huge development for those struggling with the cost of care.
Read more about the results of the study in Associated Press and Philadelphia Inquirer articles.
Wondering about the difference between wet and dry macular degeneration? Learn more.
File under: eye health, healthcare, Macular Degeneration, Uncategorized | Tagged: eye diseases, eyecare, macular degeneration
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Posted on April 8th, 2011 by Jessica H.
VSP is a member of the Diabetes Advocacy Alliance, we are excited to announce the launch of an Alliance- supported diabetes prevention campaign. Over the years, countless national health and safety prevention efforts have changed attitudes and behaviors around issues such as seat belt use, bike helmets, and flu shots. We can do more to change attitudes and behaviors around type 2 diabetes and limit the societal and economic burden of this disease. That’s why this April we are asking policymakers in Washington, DC to focus on diabetes prevention as part of our “Why Not Diabetes?” campaign.
Nearly 26 million Americans are suffering from diabetes and of those, an estimated 90 to 95 percent have type 2 diabetes. VSP, along with our network of dedicated doctors, is helping to detect signs of diabetes through a comprehensive eye exam, then referring those people to their primary care provider for additional testing and treatment.
Diabetes prevention is a smart investment and something VSP is on the forefront of promoting. That’s why we are asking Congress to fund the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) – a program of the Center for Disease Control, which makes available proven lifestyle interventions in local communities to help prevent type 2 diabetes. To learn more about this campaign and about preventing diabetesm, visit LetsPreventDiabetes.org .
File under: Uncategorized | Tagged: burden of diabetes, Center for Disease Control, detecting signs of diabetes, Diabetes Advocacy Alliance, Letspreventdiabetes.org, National Diabetes Prevention Program, VSP, VSP Network of Doctors, Why Not Diabetes?
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Posted on April 4th, 2011 by Jessica H.
Many of us know there are lots of benefits to eating fish including, omega 3 fatty acids, selenium, and it’s a great source of protein. Another benefit new research suggests women who consume fish regularly — and the abundance of omega-3 fatty acids found in that meal choice — have a lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Specifically, women who ate one or more servings of fish every week had a 42 percent lower risk of AMD than those who consumed fish just once a month or less, the study found.
Read the full article by U.S. News.
File under: Uncategorized | Tagged: health benefits of fish, macular degeneration, omega 3 fatty acids, protecting eyesight, protein, selenium, vsp blog, vsp insurance
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Posted on April 1st, 2011 by Lisa P.
The 2011 Eye on Diabetes Campaign kicks off the four-state tour in Phoenix, Arizona this week. In partnership with the Arizona Optometric Association, Phoenix Chapter of the American Diabetes Association and VSP network doctors, we were able to provide free eye exams, glasses and diabetes screenings to the underserved in Phoenix. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer showed her support for this cause by declaring the week of March 31 “Eye on Diabetes Week in Arizona” with a signed proclamation.
Sara W. (Eye on Diabetes, Phoenix)
We saw a lot of patients this week but one in particular who stood out in my mind was Sara W. I asked her why vision was so important to her and she said “reading and my dog, Charlie, are the only forms of entertainment my husband and I have.” Due to physical circumstances, Sara and her family have been displaced and Sara has been struggling to read. She was so thankful to have had her eyes checked by an optometrist and is excited to get her new glasses to be able to read with her husband.
I hope after reading about Sara you’re encouraged to visit your eye doctor to get your annual eye exam so you’ll be able to read with your friends and family for years to come.
See more pictures from the Eye on Diabetes Campaign in Phoenix, Arizona on our Flickr page.
File under: Uncategorized | Tagged: American Diabetes Association, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, Arizona Optometric Association, diabetes, eye exams, Eye on Diabetes, VSP, VSP Mobile Eyes, VSP Vision Care
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