Thanks to the support of our wonderful Facebook fans, the VSP Facebook community has grown to 50,000 fans and counting! Because you have given us so much support, we want to give it right back!
We are awarding a member of our online community with the opportunity to pay it forward. Enter to win a VSP Mobile Eyes charity event in 2012, for a charity or school in your local community.
“Like” the VSP Facebook page, then comment on this photo on the Facebook page. The first 500 fans will be automatically entered to win!
A wonderful milestone has been reached today as the VSP Eye Pledge campaign soared past the 25,000 pledge mark. As of this evening, over 25,800 free eye exams and glasses are being donated to Boys & Girls Club members in-need! And, although we are halfway to the original 50,000 pledge goal we still need your help. Take the free VSP Eye Pledge NOW and VSP will donate an eye exam and glasses on your behalf! Watch this video to learn how your pledge makes a difference, and take the free Eye Pledge now!
More than 10,000 children have received the gift of sight, help us reach 40,000 more!
Several weeks ago, VSP® Vision Care and Boys & Girls Club of Americaannounced the free VSP Eye Pledge campaign to provide 50,000 Boys & Girls Club members in need with access to free eye exams and glasses worth more than $19 million. We recently hit the 10,000 mark! This means that 10,000 kids across the country will now perform better in and out of school due to their free eye exams and glasses. With 10,000 down, we have 40,000 more to go!
Readers like you can help by simply going to www.seemuchmore.com/eyepledge! You can choose to donate a free exam and glasses to your local club or the club with the most the need.
The VSP Eye Pledge is completely free and is as simple as these steps:
Children today have more digital tools at their disposal than ever before—tablets, smartphones, e-readers, hand-held videogames and computers. What ever happened to playing outside? Somehow Angry Birds usurped hide-and-seek because, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, children and teenagers (ages 8-18) are spending more than 7.5 hours a day consuming electronic media. This overuse can cause digital eye strain, a medical issue with serious symptoms that can affect learning and work productivity. Symptoms of digital eye strain, or computer vision syndrome, include blurry vision, difficulty focusing, dry and irritated eyes, headaches, neck pain and back pain. Digital eye strain is now the number one computer-related complaint in the United States—ahead of carpal-tunnel syndrome.
VSP EyeFiles Season 2 continues with Dr. Liddicoat’s recommendations for avoiding digital eye strain, which include:
Getting annual comprehensive eye exams: make sure your eyes are healthy and can see properly without squinting.
Following the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Ensuring proper lighting: reduce bright light and position devices to reduce reflections and glare.
Limiting device use: watch for squinting and eye rubbing as this indicates overuse
Establishing proper working distance: use the distance from your elbow to your knuckle—about 18”.
Going outside: daily outdoor play can reduce the risk of nearsightedness.
For more information on these tips, be sure to watch VSP Eyefiles episode below, and don’t forget to enter the contest on our Facebook page. You could win a Samsung Galaxy Tab!
Tyreke’s brother, Doc Evans, talks about needing glasses for the first time ever
Doc Evans, Tyreke Evans’ brother, just had his annual eye exam by Dr. Ryan Nakamura at Natomas Optometry. Doc is a musician, and good vision is important to him. During his eye exam, he discovered he needed glasses for the first time ever and shared that experience with me after his exam.
Doc Evans ready for his eye exam
Doc, some people aren’t happy when they find out they need glasses for the first time. How did you feel and what advice would you offer someone in this position? I think it’s natural for a person who has always had “perfect vision” to succumb to the fact their vision is getting worse. At least it was for me! Most of the time, as you age, your vision worsens. It’s just part of life. My advice would be to get an eye exam every year to be aware of your vision and eye health. If you do need glasses, you should definitely get them. If you avoid it, you’re limiting what you can see in life. There’s such a great variety of styles available now, that I was actually excited to hear I’d be able to pick out a really cool pair that fits my personality.
How will having glasses impact your work as a musician? As an artist and producer, I need to be able to see the music from a digital standpoint, which includes placing each bar or verse within the song. Clear vision is important for me to be accurate in what I do.
How did the exam itself go? My eye exam was fun! Dr. Nakamura was very knowledgeable and told me he was looking for signs of diabetes and high blood pressure — just by looking in my eye! I think that is amazing. It was fast and painless, and now I know my eyes are healthy. I love my new glasses and see so much better!
Doc Evans picking out glasses at Natomas Optometry
VSP is a huge a fan of Ultra Marathon Man, Dean Karnazes. He has been a good friend to us, most recently coming to visit our headquarters when VSP was honored by the California Task Force on Youth Workplace Wellness with a 2009 Fit Business Award for our wellness program. Dean spoke about VSP’s commitment to promoting the positive connection between employee health and the return on investment of corporate wellness programs.
Dean is partnering with LIVE! with Regis and Kelly to run across the United States to benefit Action for Healthy Kids. We are going to follow him on his journey (he starts today!) and we ask you to join us! At every other stop, we’ll give away a VSP Backpack signed by Dean to a lucky Facebook friend so be sure to “like” us on Facebook to track of his journey and have an opportunity to win!
VSP is working with Momlogic.com, a premier destination for mothers online, to promote the importance of eye exams in children. Momlogic is hosting a contest on their website for one lucky reader to win $1,000 for their child’s school. The winner will be selected at random on Monday, November 8. Find out how to enter the contest.
Often times vision issues are misdiagnosed as learning disabilities and with one in four school-aged children having an undetected eye problem, experts recommend they get an annual eye exam as early as 6 months. Find out more about how eye exams can help children succeed in the classroom.
November is American Diabetes Month, a time to communicate the seriousness of diabetes and the importance of diabetes prevention and control. VSP Vision Care is proud to be a national, strategic partner of the American Diabetes Association and join the “Stop Diabetes” movement. Now through November 30, we’re asking our friends to share their vision of why they want to Stop Diabetes in a 30-second video and submit it to the American Diabetes Association’s “Share Your Vision to Stop Diabetes” video contest.
Here’s a video that shares the story of a little girl who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes one year ago.
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.
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