Can eating carrots improve your vision? That question is the next eye health myth Bill Nye and Dr. Roger Phelps tackle in the latest VSP EyeFiles series. Watch as Bill and Dr. Phelps uncover the answer and also discuss other delicious eye healthy foods that should be added to any diet like kiwi, whole grains, salmon, dark chocolate, red wine, tuna, sunflower oil, spinach, egg yolks, and kale.
Dr. Michelle Calder Cardwell
Guest Blog: Dr. Michelle Calder Carwell, an optometrist in Northville, from her Visionista Blog.
If you’ve had Lasik surgery and want to upgrade to a new pair of sunglasses this summer, we’ve got a great tip that could save you over $100 on your new shades. Thanks to a little known benefit from VSP, VSP vision insurance members who have undergone Lasik vision correction surgery can use their bi-yearly eyeglass benefit toward a pair of non-prescription sunglasses. Yes, we said that right: If you’ve had Lasik and you have VSP, you can get your non-prescription sunglasses completely or partially paid for.
Normally, the frame benefit can only be applied to prescription sunglasses (for non-Lasik patients.) But if you’ve had Lasik surgery, VSP wants you to still protect your eyes from damaging UV rays and is willing to let you apply your usual frame benefit toward a pair of fantastic suns.
Depending on your particular VSP plan, this benefit can save you up to $150 dollars on non-prescription sunglasses, at a savings of up to 50% off the retail price (or better, depending on brand and model.)
Available Only Through VSP Optometrists. Find a VSP doctor near you!
There are two important things to keep in mind around this Lasik sunglass benefit from VSP:
To determine your exact sunglass benefit, please contact VSP’s member services at 800-877-7195, imember@vsp.com. With just a couple pieces of information, they can pre-authorize you in minutes over the phone so you’ll know exactly what you qualify for.
In Episode 3 of the VSP EyeFiles series, Bill Nye debunks the eye myth about wearing glasses with an out-of-date prescription. Can they really hurt your eyes? Find out Bill’s conclusion and join him as he visits Dr. Phelps for an eye exam and picks out a new pair of glasses! Are you in need of a new look? Enter VSP’s Eyewear Makeover contest today!
Back by popular demand VSP EyeFiles, featuring Bill Nye the Science Guy! In the second video of the series debunking eye health myths, Bill and Dr. Roger Phelps dive deeper into the facts surrounding comprehensive eye exams and if eye doctors can detect signs of serious diseases like diabetes. Watch as Bill and Dr. Phelps saddle up and discuss what an eye doctor can see in an eye exam with a patient who has the disease. You’ll discover why it’s so important to make annual visits to your eye doctor for an exam – even if you don’t need glasses.
What do you think? Did you know an eye exam could show so much? Curious to hear the thoughts of Manny Hernandez, David Mendosa, and Amy Tendrich!
Editor’s Note:
Dr. Roger Phelps is a VSP Vision Care eye doctor practicing in Ojai, Calif. He’s a Certified Diabetes Educator and also has type 1 diabetes. Dr. Phelps is passionate about educating others about this disease and the importance of eye exams. For more information about his practice, Ojai Eyes Optometry, visit his website.
See all the action from the VSP Vision Care & Transitions Optical mobile eyecare clinic!
After viewing the video, vote for the clinic name and be entered to win an HD Flip Cam!
Gail J. and her grand-daughter.
Gail J. works in VSP’s Human Resources department. She shares her experience as an employee volunteer at the recent 2010 Sacramento Black Expo, of which VSP was a major sponsor.
VSP made quite the impression at Black Expo 2010. We’ve participated in the past by having the standard booth and VSP volunteers on hand to share information about our company, more so from a job opportunity perspective. But this year, it felt different. With our VSP Mobile Clinic, SeeLia, as the backdrop of our booth, it was a thrill seeing the eyes of both children and adults as they approached us. Lots of “Wow! Look how big that thing is!” People were definitely drawn to VSP; and whether they wanted information about vision care, job opportunities, or simply to spin the prize wheel, they walked away with a true sense of the VSP experience.
While VSP made quite the impression to others, my volunteer experience left quite the impression on me. A lot of times, events such as these are basically an opportunity for people to walk by and grab the free giveaways. I didn’t get that sense this time at all. I may have chatted with at least a hundred people during my few hours of staffing the booth, but one person in particular stood out for me. I met an elderly gentleman who didn’t know anything about VSP and when I shared what we were doing at Black Expo (e.g. sharing eye health information, the Mobile Eyes program, job opportunities), he said he knew it was important to go to the doctor every year for a check-up, but he just didn’t have the money and he didn’t think the government was going to fix healthcare with all of their partisanship. I told him about our voucher program and to step inside the mobile clinic to learn more about the program. He emerged a few minutes later with a voucher and list of local VSP providers in hand. He had the biggest grin on his face and thanked me for making his day. I honestly believe the reverse was true … he made my day.
In 1972, Dr. Marvin Poston was the first African American named "Optometrist of the Year" by the American Optometric Association, the highest professional award from the AOA.
VSP is known for quality service – whether providing eyecare to underprivileged through our number of charitable programs, ensuring patients have access to high-quality vision services or providing doctors with the tools they need to maintain successful private practices. This dedication to service can be directly attributed to the core philosophies of VSP’s founders, one of whom was Dr. Marvin R. Poston.
In 1935, Dr. Poston was the first African American student admitted to the study of optometry at University of California, Berkeley. It took another 23 years for the second African American student to follow in his footsteps and graduate from the Berkeley School of Optometry. Dr. Poston later became the first African American licensed to practice optometry on the West Coast.
Nearly 55 years ago, Dr. Poston, along with several of his fellow optometrists, formed California Vision Services, now known as VSP Vision Care. The company originally was the first to offer a prepaid, vision benefit that provided high quality, cost-effective eyecare. VSP has since grown to become the largest not-for-profit visions benefits provider in the nation, covering 1 in 6 Americans.
Dr. Poston’s optometry practice flourished for four decades in Oakland and Danville, California but his reach extended far beyond those who visited his offices. Befitting one of the founders of a company that prides itself on community support, Dr. Poston began his own tradition of community outreach by establishing vision-screening programs for under-served children and adults. The Children’s Vision Center of the East Bay, the West Oakland Health Group and the East Bay Skill Center are just a few of the organizations that benefited from his efforts.
Dr. Poston received numerous honors during his career, including the Optometric Man of the Year award by the Alameda Contra Costa Optometric Society and Optometrist of the Year by the California Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association. He was also appointed to three terms on the California State Board of Optometry by governors Edmund G. “Pat” Brown and Ronald Reagan. In each of these areas, Dr. Poston was the first African American ever to be honored.
“He was a man of great integrity,” says Norm Jacoby, O.D., a former colleague from Encino, California. “He was very soft-spoken and intelligent, and you listened when he spoke. Marvin was conscious of what new graduates needed when getting started in private practice and that they needed all the help they could get.”
Appearing this morning on Good Morning America, a new study shows that nearsightedness is up 66 percent since the 1970s.
Liz B. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.
Poking around on Twitter the last few days I’ve come across a few conversations from folks who don’t have vision insurance, but need eyecare and eyewear.
First I saw this …
heartniki My wombat needs glasses. No vision insurance. Bye bye money we don’t have. Uhg…
and then this …
DerekShaneLowe @baital I feel ya. My most recent pair of glasses cost me over $650…and that was with a 20% discount. I have no vision insurance either.
and finally …
surroundsoundud Chick got a man but wanna be on my health insurance, how does that work? Your teeth and vision are no longer my concern.
Make your own eyechart at http://seemuchmore.com
Are you flying American Airlines this month or US Airways in November or December? If so, tune into Sky Radio’s in-flight programming to hear an interview with VSP Global CEO Rob Lynch about a recent study undertaken by Human Capital Management Services, Inc. on behalf of VSP.
The study found that for every dollar invested in VSP’s exam services, clients saved 94 cents in medical, lost-time, and human capital costs from the early detection of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol through an eye exam.
Not flying anytime soon? Click below to hear the interview.
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To read more about the study, click here for Vision Monday’s coverage.
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