Jing Han O.D. is a VSP Provider in Folsom, CA

We welcome Dr. Han to our blog with his first post on allergies and your eyes.

It’s the time of the year when the sun is out and just about everything is in full bloom. It’s also a great time to be outdoors. Why shouldn’t we take advantage of what nature has to offer? For many of you, the answer is simple: allergies.

A stroll through the park or a bike ride down the street is a great way to enjoy the sunshine. Unfortunately, even a walk down the driveway is often all it takes to encounter pollen and other allergens. To fully enjoy the outdoors during this time of year, you must first understand how our body responds to allergens and learn how to properly prepare ourselves for outdoor activities.

Within the skin and soft tissue around the eyes are mast cells. Mast cells contain many smaller histamine cells. When mast cells detect something they don’t like or recognize, they burst and release the histamine cells. These cells bind to receptors in the skin, which triggers itching, redness and swelling—an allergic reaction. Many common allergy medications are histamine blockers that prevent this reaction from occurring. You can purchase these over the counter from your pharmacist. Other, more effective allergy medications have a mast cell stabilizing capability in addition to histamine blockers. These are the prescription medications that your optometrist can prescribe to you.

You can prepare for outdoor activities by limiting the contact of allergens with your eyes.  As you run or bike, all sorts of particles and foreign objects fly at your face. Remember, it doesn’t take much for the eyes to respond with an allergic reaction. One way to keep your eyes protected is with a good pair of sunglasses that create a seal between your eyes and the surrounding air. You may also want to use prescription allergy drops, prescribed by your optometrist, during allergy season for optimal comfort.

Fear not this Spring! Get out there and enjoy the beautiful weather and see all the life spring has to offer! Read more about allergies and your eyes.

Have a question for Dr. Han? Feel free to ask in the comments section below.

BionX e-bike

• test-ride the BionX e-bike, an integrated motor that assists a cyclist, extending the bicycle commuter’s range.
• check out the latest hybrid vehicles (did you just spend $60 filling your tank?) and sign up for alternative transportation (carpooling, cycling, light rail).
• taste and buy some fresh, locally-grown strawberries, feel the heat from Solar Cookers International, and learn about Soil-Born Farms’ efforts to help discover healthy living and grow a sustainable community.

Reducing e-waste, using water efficiently, actively recycling our e-waste, increasing our energy efficiency, and reusing office products are just some of the weapons that the Green Guardians wielded today, with the help of local vendors.

 Who are the Green Guardians?

VSP employees who volunteer to educate and motivate coworkers on ways we can be responsible guardians of our planet, every day at work are known as our Green Guardians.

It’s not coincidence that one of our corporate values is: “We positively impact our communities and environment in ways that truly make a difference in people’s lives.”

What ways do you participate in Earth Day activities?

Rob Tomas, VSP sales

Have you ever heard of vog? If you haven’t, vog is the volcanic smog the good people of Hawai’i experience periodically from the active volcanoes on the Big Island. How does this affect vision? Vog is a form of air pollution from sulfur dioxide and other gases and particles that are emitted by the volcano that reacts with the oxygen and moisture in the presence of sunlight. Vog immediately affects the tissues and membranes of the eyes resulting in watery, itchy eyes – not to mention other physical ailments.

Sadly, there’s not much you can do when vog is in the air. Although, one thing you should not be doing is rubbing your eyes… that would be very bad. Rubbing them can irritate your eyes, causing a very bad allergic reaction. I have seen some really bad results from it: conjunctivitis, corneal infections, and other corneal dystrophies. Be sure to ask your VSP doctor for more information.

Vog, courtesty of hawaii.gov

Ultimately, the best solution would be avoidance. Luckily, the locals, like myself, know to stay indoors when vog is in the air. Yet, the next time you are in Hawai’i during a bad case of vog, you know what NOT to do. Trust me… a healthy vision makes for a fantastic Hawaiian sunset.

Cathy G. a.k.a. Fashion Maven

Here’s what’s been going on with my eyes for the last few months and why I want to “tear” them out of my head! They’ve been beyond irritated almost as if someone blew 1,300 lashes into my eyes then forced me to blink, they’re excessively watery (puzzling as you find out the cause), burn, with blurred vision.

Off to my trusted VSP optometrist, I went, and here’s what he was able to assess through an eye exam. Mine are classic symptoms of…drum roll please…dry eye syndrome, or not producing enough tears or having poor tear quality. My particular malfunction is with tear quality. Really? Seriously?

You’re probably wondering, like I was, how does this happen? Well, dry eye syndrome can be brought on by a variety of factors such as environment, computer and/or digital device use, age (typically over 65), some medical conditions, certain medications, gender (yes ladies, its more prevalent in women) and other factors which may include long term contact lens use or after refractive eye surgeries like LASIK.

All that said, my optometrist put me on a treatment plan to help manage the symptoms yet informed me that it can be a chronic condition. Yikes! There are a few different approaches but here’s my plan for improving my tear quality:

* Hot compresses twice a day while gently massaging eyelids
* Use artificial tears specifically designed for dry eye
* Take nutritional supplements containing essential fatty acids
* Drink plenty of water
* Blink regularly while at the computer or using digital devices (a.k.a. the 20/20/20 rule)
* Wear computer vision glasses
* Wear sunglasses outdoors, to protect from the wind and sun

Why am I telling you all my dry eye woes? I sincerely hope that if one of you reads this and thinks that you may have dry eye syndrome know that there is hope for more comfortable vision. Please see your optometrist for an eye exam and treatment options tailored to your specific needs.

Wishing you all adequate tear production and fabulous tear quality!

Fashion Maven (a.k.a. dry eye girl)

Ana Cardona, Facilities Business Coordinator, VSP

As someone who’s passionate about the environment, I’m excited that my employer, VSP^® Vision Care, is joining millions around the globe to participate in Earth Hour 2011 on Saturday, March 26, at 8:30 p.m. Our facilities team will be powering down our headquarters in Rancho Cordova, Calif., including the parking lot lights, for one hour.

Earth Hour began in 2007 as a single-city initiative in Sydney, Australia, and has grown into the world’s largest public action for the environment. By taking part, we’re not just turning off the lights for an hour. We’re acknowledging a commitment to actions that benefit the planet in the year ahead. I’m proud that Earth Hour is just one of many ways VSP delivers on a commitment to support our community and environment by making a positive difference.

Here are a few ways you can get involved.

• When you leave your office or workplace today or tomorrow, remember to switch off all nonessential office lights and unplug nonessential equipment. Consider making a commitment to do this every day.
• Make your own beyond the hour commitment.
• Share your involvement to encourage your friends, coworkers and your employer to make their own commitments to Earth Hour and beyond.

Visit earthhour.org  to learn more and discover other great ways to take action. Here’s a clip that explains it all.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Damage at Fukushima power station; image by digitalglobe.com.

With the multi-layered disaster faced in Japan right now, it’s hard to look past the immediate needs and concerns to the future impacts of of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuculear reactor meltdowns.

There’s been much comparison of the dangers of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to the disaster at Chernobyl, which happened a quarter of a century ago. While the situation in Japan appears to be less dire (although much is still unknown), scientists were able to learn much from the longterm effects of the Chernobyl meltdown that may come into play as the recent crisis unfolds.

Listening to NPR as I commuted home Monday night, I learned that a number of the Chernobyl emergency workers that were exposed to high doses of radiation developed cataracts. This connection was unknown prior to the Russian meltdown. There are mitigating factors for the Japanese: the exposure to radiation has thus far been relatively light, and there are treatments available to limit or slow the growth of cataracts.

To put it in perspective, an increased probability of developing cataracts in the future may be a minor concern to those struggling to make it through the crisis. But once the dust settles, long-term impacts will begin to reveal themselves.

Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness—I encourage any reader to stay attuned to the common warning signs:

• Painless blurring of vision
• Frequent prescription changes for corrective lenses
• Glare and haloes
• Colors looking dull and brownish
• Poor night vision
• Both sensitivity to light and finding lighting too dim

My heart goes out to the people of Japan as they fight to stay safe and cope with the loss of loved ones. I’m making a donation to the American Red Cross to help in any small way that I can. And as part of our commitment to the global community, VSP is helping double those dollars by matching up to $10,000 in employee contributions to relief funds.

Kristi F. is a member of VSP's Client Services team and a VSP Green Guardian.

Hello readers!  I am VERY excited to have been asked to blog about VSP’s Green Initiatives!  Do you have any idea just how serious we are as a company to be more environmentally responsible?

We take it so seriously that it’s been reflected in VSP Global’s values.  Oh, you didn’t know?  Check out #5!

1. We care
2. We are a team
3. We are trustworthy, honest, and respectful
4. We create the future

5. We support our community and environment
6. We have fun

I happen to be a member of VSP’s Green Guardians -  a wonderful team of like-minded greenies and I have to tell you, we are serious about spreading the word.   We not only want to support our colleagues in thinking more about green practices at work, but hope to spread the message to the public as well.

VSP's Green Guardians - Thats me in the lower center holding the reusable shopping bag!

In future posts, I hope to keep you up to date on what kinds of projects the Green Guardians are working on and special activities we are participating in.  I also look forward to visiting some of the different green projects VSP  is developing to make an impact, and LOTS of feedback from you!

I like fresh ideas and want to know what I can do to get you fired up about my second favorite subject, the environment…My family being #1, of course.

I encourage you to ASK me LOTS of questions.  Comment on my blogs.  I don’t mind getting a little personal or having to do a little research on the side.  I actually love the subject so much that I would thoroughly enjoy the research process.

I can’t wait to hear from you and look forward to writing my future posts.  My mind is reeling with possible topics to bring to you!

Carlos O., Steve H., and Ana C. of VSP's Corporate Services team, pose with Rancho Cordova City Councilmember Linda Budge (right center).

One of VSP’s corporate values is to support the community and environment we live in. We envision a campus that is environmentally responsible, healthy and prosperous, improving the quality of life of not only our employees, but also our community.

Our platinum LEED-EB certification in 2008 was a significant culmination of our efforts, and while it marks a milestone in VSP’s ongoing efforts to become a model of energy and resource efficiency, it has been just the starting point for us. We’re working towards LEED certification for our entire headquarter campus and are actively working on additional initiatives to further lower our carbon footprint. Carlos O. and Ana C.  joined our Corporate Services Director, Steve H., representing VSP as key members of a dedicated team that runs our Environmental Sustainability Program.

VSP’s goal is to continue to lead the way for other companies to implement sustainable business practices and being recognized by an organization such as SACOG is a great asset in working towards that goal.

Take a look as Steve accepts this prestigious award!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jill N. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations Team.

One of my favorite “Do you know?” questions I like to ask people is about VSP’s ongoing commitment to the environment. One of VSP’s core values is to support our community by “positively impacting our communities and environment in ways that truly make a difference in people’s lives.” A lot of companies are talking about being “green” these days, and I am happy to say that VSP doesn’t just talk about it, they do something about it. And it has been inspiring!

VSP's HQ1 was certified as a LEED-EB Platinum buiding in October 2008.

After learning more about environmental sustainability, and looking into the USGBC and LEED, VSP made the decision to take HQ1 through LEED-EB certification starting in 2007. On August 29, 2008, VSP received platinum-level LEED-EB certification, the highest level possible, for our main corporate headquarters building. At the time of certification, there were only 14 other LEED-EB platinum-level certified buildings in the nation, and only seven in California. When certified, it was the oldest (15 years) platinum LEED-Existing Building certified by the USGBC!

But what is just as notable is VSP’s on-going efforts after certification. VSP is on a mission to not only reduce our own carbon footprint by continuing to invest in sustainable practices on campus (we have a goal to LEED certify all buildings on campus), but we have also shown a commitment to motivate a variety of other companies to become environmentally responsible in their business!

VSP has opened our doors to individuals and companies, including the State of California, to tour our campus and share the changes we have made such as reducing waste water, implementing innovative recycling programs, and subsidizing sustainable, healthy food choices for employees. (See video below) VSP shares our best practices, as well as lessons learned, at many conferences and we have encouraged our experience to be used in case studies by many other professionals in the industry.

Before I learned all of the above, I was fairly blasé about my own carbon footprint. But now I have a renewed sense of responsibility! How about you? Do you have examples of individuals or companies that have impressed you with their green practices?

We’re doing our part by earning the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum level certification. When completed, VSP will be one of only a handful of buildings in California with this certification.

Our ultimate goal is to be more environmentally conscious and operate our buildings more efficiently. This also supports our ongoing focus of maintaining competitive administrative costs to allow more patients access to affordable vision care. Since September 2007 we’ve taken many steps to accomplish this, including:

• Installing low-flow plumbing fixtures and water meters, and reducing our landscape watering by 50 percent.
• Giving each employee a permanent water and coffee cup to eliminate the nearly 767,000 Styrofoam cups used on campus each year.
• Installing automatic paper towel dispensers in restrooms.
• Implementing energy upgrades and processes to monitor and reduce our energy use and carbon emissions.
• Replacing large trash cans with smaller ones that clip onto recycling receptacles, encouraging employees to recycle more.
• Using more products made of recycled materials.

We’re excited about these changes and how we can positively impact the environment. Please share your ideas with us and what you’re doing to “go green.”