I want to take this opportunity to thank all our readers for your continued support. Our family of bloggers try to make each post interesting and educational and hope you have enjoyed this year’s selections. We are proud to have bloggers from all professions including our employees, VSP eye doctors, as well as professional athletes. Just in case you missed it, here are the top three most viewed posts of 2010.
If you have a question/request for 2011, please submit them in the comments below and we will make sure to add them to our list for the new year. We hope you have a safe and happy new years!
We are bombarded by advertisements everywhere we look but can you imagine seeing one even with your eyes closed? This is exactly what marketers at BMW Germany tested using “flash projection” technology. During a recent trial, moviegoers were exposed to an advertisement with no visible logos. Instead, they saw what appeared to be a bright flash during the ad. A few moments later, after they were asked to close their eyes, the audience reported seeing the letters “BMW” appear. The flash actually projected the “BMW” letters and the audience saw them with their eyes closed just as you see a bright light after staring at the sun.
A true medical miracle! Sharron Kay Thornton lost her vision ten years ago, but with the help of Dr. Victor Perez, a cornea specialist at Bascom Palmer in Miami, FL, and her tooth, she can now drive, see her grandchildren and play bingo. Watch Sharron’s story on the Today Show.
Dashing fashion statement? Half a pair of glasses? Or both?
Needless to say, I didn’t see this trend coming.
According to an article on Telegraph.co.uk, monocles are making a come-back. Our intrepid blogger, Vernon D., documented the birth of the monocle in the 18th century, but I never anticipated that 300 years later this one-lensed eyepiece would be a hit on the high streets of London yet again.
Read the article, and tell me… are you investing in a monocle for 2010?
The device receives wireless data from the camera which it then translates into electronic signals that are sent to the brain, restoring sight. (photo and caption courtesy of NPR)
Technology. Love it or hate it – it continues to shape and change the world. Second Sight Medical Products - a company based in Sylmar CA, is in the process of harnessing technology to help those with macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. On their workbench, a bionic eye.
How it works. The bionic eye was designed to be paired with a special set of frames – frames that contain a small video camera. These frames send visual data to the implanted bionic eye, which in turn activates the eye to create electrodes sent to the brain. The brain interprets these electrodes as visual queues, helping the patient interact with the environment.
Results thus far. Patients can find doors and follow the lines of the door. Most patients cannot read [normal size print], and of those who have the ability to read can only make out large letters. On an interesting side note – there are emotional benefits resulting from these tests, which are probably not on the lab sheets. Brian Mech (VP for Second Sight) notes, “There’s a lot of crying, a lot of smiling,” he says. “It’s a sensory input that they haven’t had in a very long time, and so they’re excited.”
Blogger’s take: Initially I was a bit underwhelmed by the results, but the methodology and implementation of the bionic eye was mind blowing! Albeit in the early stages, I’m sure they are going to have greater results with further testing and development. Now only if they could get the eye to shoot lasers…
We know that VSP has an affinity for outreach programs. So, when we learned of the Crocker Museum’s Art Ark program, we knew it was a perfect fit!
VSP embarked on a one-year sponsorship of the Art Ark program, a mobile art museum that travels to schools in the Sacramento region, giving students access to art that they may not otherwise have. Art is so often a visual representation, sharing a close tie with healthy eyesight.
Bev Thorn is a Crocker Art Museum docent and a VSP employee.
The Art Ark sponsorship isn’t VSP’s only support of the Crocker. VSP employees, such as Bev Thorn, are also active with the Crocker Art Museum. Bev, a 20-year veteran of volunteering at the Crocker, shares:
“I think it’s so awesome that VSP is sponsoring the Crocker’s Art Ark! Programs like art and music always seem to be among the first casualties of the budget ax, meaning fewer school kids get to visit the Crocker in person during these tough economic times.
The Art Ark is a perfect fit for VSP. Its traveling nature echoes the Mobile Clinics that support our eyecare outreach. And, it’s a perfect pairing with our ongoing commitment to kids through the Sight for Students®program.
I’ve been volunteering at the Crocker for years now. After 20 years of helping visitors engage with art in my role as a docent, I suppose I’m biased. But, the museum truly is an incredible asset to our region. And it’s going to get even bigger and better next year with the opening of major expansion.”
Yesterday, I came across a Wired article about a microchip in development at MIT that can be implanted in the eye, giving some vision to the blind.
What a truly beautiful use of technology. Using the hard tools of titanium and electrodes, science will be able to give the visually-impaired a chance to experience what most of us take for granted—being able to see enough to navigate in an unfamiliar room.
VSP Global CEO Rob Lynch co-authored an opinion piece for healthnewsdigest.com discussing how stand-alone ancillary benefits, such as vision and dental, provide an essential component of healthcare that should be included in any comprehensive healthcare reform efforts.
Here is an excerpt from the article:
“The current proposal could have significant cost consequences for the medical delivery system. Dental and vision benefits play a critical role in improving the health of Americans and reducing the overall cost of chronic disease. With chronic disease representing 75 percent of the total U.S. spending on health care, few know that optometrists and dentists have the ability to detect symptoms of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, much earlier than primary care providers. Moreover, it is well established that Americans with dental and vision coverage are more likely to go to the dentist and optometrist or ophthalmologist for regular preventive care and obtain needed early treatment related to dental or optical conditions, as well as other chronic diseases which can be detected through these regular visits.”
Al Schubert, VSP’s Vice President of Managed Care and Health Policy, was on the air with Tom Sullivan last week, discussing vision care’s place in healthcare reform.
Listen to the interview, and let us know what you think.
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Popular lifestyle blog BlissTree is conducting a giveway contest featuring the latest Coach sunglasses! Six winners will be selected and entry is simple. Visit the BlissTree VSP Vision Care Coach Giveaway for all the details.
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