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.
Guest Blogger Lori F.
Lori F. is a Disaster Response Team Member and Marketing Coordinator with VSP in Rancho Cordova, CA. When Tennessee was devastated with heavy rain and flooding, Lori immediately reached out to VSP Network Doctors in the area to see what her team could do. The following are just a few responses from them that shed some light on the damage caused to their professional and personal lives.
Doctor David J. Shen sat in his practice while a foot of water was being pumped out of his first floor office. Fortunately for him, most of his inventory was not significantly affected. He knew Downtown Franklin, TN and surrounding areas were overflown with flood waters so he immediately began to clean up his practice and was determined to provide patients with some level of vision care and quickly as possible.
Photo Source: Reuters
When VSP’s Disaster Response Team reaches out to our providers, more times than not, their personal lives are also affected. This is the case for Doctor John Anderson. His practice didn’t incur any damage from the flood but his home basement wasn’t so lucky. When he bought his home three years ago he didn’t think he needed to purchase flood insurance because he lived outside the flood zone. However, Dr. Anderson was thankful that we were reaching out to his community and was amazed by the quick response time.
Photo Source: Reuters
Disaster relief services are still available for those who have lost or damaged their glasses from the Tennessee flooding or any type of natural disaster. Find out how to get help.
VSP’s Disaster Response Team was formed in 2007, and since then, we’ve responded to 56 natural disasters throughout the country. We’re currently reaching out to Doctors in Oklahoma and Kansas affected by the tornadoes. My heart goes out to communities affected by natural disasters but it feels good knowing we can provide assistance when they need it most.
Question: If you could ask Bill Nye about any eye care related topic, what would it be?
VSP is working with Bill Nye (yes, the Science Guy!) on a series of videos that look at eye health topics and myths. As we get ready to shoot the videos this week, we’d love to hear what eye-related myths you’d like Bill to explore. Just comment to this post with your eye-related question, and Bill Nye just might confirm or debunk yours.
I’ll admit it, I’m addicted to technology. My Blackberry is attached to my hand, I can’t imagine life without my computer, and I think Facebook is the best thing that ever happened to my far-flung family and friends.
Every once in a while, I run across a story that reminds me that technology can be used to serve a much bigger, far-reaching purpose than my own creature comforts. I found this story about how specialized glasses are helping Lance Corporal Craig Lundberg, a British soldier blinded in Iraq, actually see again so incredible that I thought it needed to be shared.
Sara J. is a member of Altair's sales team.
Were you aware that VSP’s eyewear companies Marchon and Altair encompass a total of 26 brands including Calvin Klein, Joseph Abboud, Coach and Disney? With such a diverse product offering, Marchon and Altair have a strong marketplace presence and something to offer every consumer. With that in mind, there’s been an exciting update to VSP.com- an Eyewear Gallery!
The new Eyewear Gallery is one comprehensive location for many of the Marchon and Altair brands offered by VSP doctors. You can search frames by specific brand or style category such as Sport, Technology, and Kids, among others.
You can also click through to view style samples for the collections and take a look at the latest trends. This year’s trends of retro style and pop colors such as reds and purples can be seen in many of the style samples.
It’s a great resource whether you’re a patient getting ready to visit your VSP doctor and looking for a new frame, or a VSP doctor looking for new styles to provide your patients.
The best part is that this is just the beginning. More will be coming to the Eyewear Gallery soon, so be sure to check in often! Check out the new Eyewear Gallery today and let us know your thoughts!
Jill N. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.
Well, maybe. As someone who swears by polarized lenses due to my Scandinavian love of water, I have gone through life assuming those lenses will do me just fine in whatever activities I participate in. After spending a week learning all about Nike Vision while in the Competitive Advantage Tent at the Transitions PGA Championship last month, my eyes started crossing (definitely not helpful when playing golf) with all of the amazing lens technology that is currently out there.
There was one that completely reasonated with me because I could really identify with it. I asked Andy S. with Nike Vision to share with us why the Nike Max Optics and Max Golf Tint may be a better option than a polarized tint when trying to hit a little round contraption into that obscure hole hundreds of yards away…
Are you keeping healthy vision top of mind? Many Americans are conscientious about scheduling their dental care, visiting their dentist every six months. Others remember to change the oil in their car oil every 5,000 miles. Why should getting an annual eye exam be any different?
The advertisements (see the TV ad below) focus on a variety of eye health issues, and urge viewers to visit www.thinkaboutyoureyes.com for more information on healthy vision, as well as a tool to locate a local eyecare professional and schedule their annual eye exam.
You can also connect with Think About Your Eyes on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. The Coalition will be putting on some exciting awareness events in the coming months, so be sure to check the social media channels to see what’s coming up. Help us spread this important message and remind your friends and family to schedule their annual eye exam today!
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:
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
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.
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.”
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.
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