I spy, with my little eye, a new contest from VSP!
Today we launch our brand new “EyeSpy” contest, which gives one lucky person the chance to walk away with a 16GB SlideHD Flip Video Camera. Created to promote the importance of proactive vision care, our EyeSpy challenge is to see how much money you can save with VSP vision insurance.
It’s easy to enter. Just do the following:
Visit See Much More, find the answer to the question: What is the average amount of money a VSP member can save annually on an exam and glasses?
Visit VSP’s Facebook Page, click on the “Sweepstakes” tab, fill out the form and enter the savings amount for your chance to win.
Grab a rabbit’s foot, four leaf clover or whatever luck-giving apparatus you prefer and wait for the winner to be announced on October 6.
The EyeSpy contest will begin today, September 29 and will run through Wednesday, October 6. To qualify, you must be a fan of VSP Vision Care, at least 18 years of age and a legal U.S. resident. The winner will be selected at random by VSP at the end of the contest.
Joel Kestenbaum O.D. is a VSP provider in Long Island, NY.
VSP Blog regular Dr. Joel Kestenbaum is back with a post on the start of flu season and how our eyes can give us an early warning signs to help minimize infection.
Here we are again in the beginning of flu season. Our body is achy. We are tired and irritable. Our throat hurts and nose is running and we are probably coughing too. We have a fever, our stomach is upset and we have a terrible headache. Each sign or symptom can indicate a different diagnosis. For instance, children can get an upset stomach with the common flu, but this symptom is rare in adults.
Sometimes, our eyes give signs which are an early indication of a cold or flu. These signs include watery, red and irritated eyes. Sometimes these can be allergy symptoms. Sometimes these symptoms can be an early indicator of diabetes or thyroid disease. But how do you know? You may not be able to tell the difference but your eye doctor would know. Subtle signs in the eyes can be a dead giveaway to a trained optometrist. Small blisters or follicles develop on the inside of the lid that could indicate early signs of a virus. The cornea can have small translucent grayish cells that indicate a virus as well. These can only be seen with a specialty microscope called a slit lamp which is standard equipment in any eye doctor’s office but is never available in a pediatric or internists office.
The outbreak of H1N1 in 2009 caused many vaccine experts to determine that individuals six months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every year. Since different strains of influenza occur each year, it is possible for people to contract the flu more than once.
VSP Provider Dr. Stephanie Kirschbaum spoke with KCRA 3 (Sacramento) about how eye doctors can detect more than just vision changes in their patients. Dr. Kirschbaum explains how she can see signs of diabetes and other chronic conditions during an eye exam. Check out the KCRA 3 clip for more.
You can visit Dr. Kirschbaum at Dr. Chan and Moon‘s practice in Grass Valley.
This month’s edition also includes information on which eye drops work best for your needs and Dr. Michelle Calder-Cardwell answers a reader’s question about new lash-growth serums. Each monthly issue features a fabulous prize and this month one lucky reader will win an iPad.
Sign-up to receive your monthly copy and check out the second edition of EnVision and tell us your thoughts!
VSP and Dr. Oz share the same goal of promoting overall health and wellness so it was a natural fit to partner together to promote eye health.
VSP will sponsor the Eyecare Center on the Dr. Oz Show’s website from now till mid-November. We will work together to update the center with helpful tips and informational videos and articles on eye health.
VSP takes to the streets in the second Eye-Q video asking folks “how many hours a day do you spend looking at the computer?” Check it out and see how you match up.
If you have any questions about computers and your eyes, register for VSP’s Ask and Doctor – Live Q & A about Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) today at 11 a.m. P.S.T or 2 p.m. E.T. with Dr. Nathan Bonilla-Warford. He will answer your questions and provide tips on how to keep your eyes healthy and safe in this technological world.
For more fun videos and to find out more about eye health, check out our new, interactive website SeeMuchMore.com.
Dr. Nathan Bonilla-Warford is a VSP provider practicing in Tampa, FL
Guest blog post from VSP provider Dr. Nathan Bonilla-Warford.
With American workers now spending over 858 million hours a day using digital devices and kids consuming electronic media up to 7.5 hours a day, health problems caused by computers aren’t going away any time soon.
In fact, vision problems related to computer and hand-held device are so common, they collectively have a name: Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). I talk about CVS literally every single day with patients.
That is why I am so excited that VSP Vision Care, the largest eye care benefits provider in the US, is hosting a live ‘Ask an Eye Doctor’ web event tomorrow. It will feature me discussing and answering questions about CVS. I’ll talk about what it is and how you can keep your eyes comfortable when using digital devices.
Michael O. is Sr. Technical Writer for Eyefinity/OfficeMate
I love working in the eyecare industry because I am so deeply indebted to it.
Most people don’t believe me when I tell them that I have worn hard contact lenses since I was a month old. You see, I was born with cataracts, and after undergoing four corrective surgeries as an infant, I am now aphakic. For those of you who follow this blog but are not doctors, aphakia is the technical term for having the natural crystalline lenses in one’s eyes surgically removed. While contact lenses are still the standard method of optical correction, these days, a cataract patient’s natural lens may be surgically replaced by a synthetic intraocular lens (IOL). Thirty years ago, IOLs were far too risky and expensive, thereby making contact lenses my only option.
Many people take sight for granted. You have no idea how precious sight is until your contact lenses are accidentally thrown out on Christmas Eve, or you can’t drive because you dropped a contact down the drain. Work can be interrupted. Vacations can be ruined. The possibility of suddenly not being able to see, which probably doesn’t occur to many people, keeps me on my toes.
The miracles of modern medicine and advances in eyecare have afforded me the opportunity to live a normal life. Of course, normal to me involves cleaning and securely storing my contact lenses every night and fussing with reading glasses everywhere I go. These are small prices to pay, however, considering that in past eras, my sight couldn’t have been saved at all.
It pleases me to write documentation for a company that supports what I would consider to be a noble industry, and I am proud to work with optometrists and ophthalmologists who have helped improve the daily lives of millions of people like me.
In partnership with the American Diabetes Association, VSP’s Eye on Diabetes campaign traveled to Denver, Colorado on Monday, September 12 to provide free eyecare, eyewear and diabetes screenings to over 100 uninsured residents. The VSP Mobile Eyes team brought their 45-foot mobile eye clinic SeeLia to the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center in downtown Denver, who generously hosted the outreach event in their parking lot.
VSP providers Dr. Deanna Alexander with Eyecare Associates and Dr. John Schachet with Eyecare Consultants took time out of their day to support the efforts of the Eye on Diabetes campaign.
Marathon runner and Denver resident Kerry Kuck came out to show his support for the campaign and the importance of eyecare in detecting signs of diabetes. Kerry has Type 1 diabetes and is now completely blind from the disease. He is the only blind marathon runner with Type 1 diabetes who completed the Boston Marathon, which he accomplished this spring. He truly is an inspiration to everyone on how anything can be achieved with some hard work and dedication.
I went back to my high school, New Beginnings Academy, with the VSP mobile eyecare clinic. It was great to see the kids get eye exams and glasses before school started the next day. Vision is important. You need good eyesight for sports and school.
I helped the kids with sports vision drills where they put on goggles that imitated eye conditions like diabetic retinopathy, and then tried to shoot a basket. It showed the kids how hard it is to play basketball without good vision.
Partnering with VSP Vision Care and Dr. Becky Verna gave these students the opportunity to get eyecare, which is so important for the kids. Check out my video about the event.
About Tyreke Evans and VSP Vision Care
VSP Vision Care is proud to be the exclusive eyecare and eyewear provider for Tyreke Evans. Tyreke plays professional basketball for the Sacramento Kings and was named 2010 Rookie of the Year. He’s the fourth rookie ever to average 20 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game. The only other players to accomplish this were Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Not only is good vision a critical component for being successful in sports, it’s also an important part of every day life. Be sure to follow VSP Vision Care on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with Tyreke’s Activities.
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