Jill N. is a member the VSP Global Public Relations team and mommy to an infected, yet happy, baby AJ.

 Me: “Ummm, what did you say?”
Nurse practitioner (as she peers into AJ’s eyes): “Conjunctivitis. He’s got pink eye. What is his interaction with other children? Is he in day care?”
Me (feeling like I just won the “Worst Mother of the Year” award): “No. He’s either home with my husband or with his grandparents. I assumed it was just allergies. How could he have gotten pink eye? I thought you only got it from other kids?”
Nurse practitioner: “Well, since he also has an ear infection, and the eyes, ears and nose are all connected, it probably is from the same bacteria. We’ll give him some antibiotic drops for the eyes and an oral antibiotic as well.”

So off we went to the pharmacy to stock up on medicine. I’m not sure about you, but my initial thought (after feeling like I totally let my child down) was more practical: How on earth am I supposed to get drops into a 10-month-old’s eyes, especially when she said it would probably burn for about a minute afterwards? And let me tell you, it has been as hard as I anticipated. Who knew that it would require two adults to hold down 17-pound baby?

To get some more insight into conjunctivitis, more commonly known as pink eye, I reached out to Dr. Kirschbaum, AJ’s VSP optometrist. Here is what I learned:

What causes Pink Eye?
Bacteria, viruses or allergies are all causes of pink eye—it’s the most common eye infection in the country. It’s an infection of the conjunctiva, which is the clear membrane that coats under your eyelids and the whites of your eyes. It can affect one or both eyes, and symptoms range from redness and itching to burning and even pain.

I thought it was just allergies. What should have tipped me off?
Many people experience allergies, which can settle in the eye causing redness, burning and itching. These are very common symptoms to pink eye as well. The biggest difference is a discharge from the eye that causes eyelash matting in the mornings. Also look for a thick, yellow or green discharge coming from the eye during the day. Because allergic pink eye can cause itching, your child rubbing his eyes more often can also be a sign. To be safe, if you have any of these symptoms, it is best to see your eye doctor, as treatments can be provided for both.

AJ has a bacterial form. What is the difference?
Bacterial is the most common type and passes from one person to another very easily. Symptoms include redness, itching and sticky eyes that form at night and crust over to keep your eyelids stuck together by morning. Antibiotic drops are the treatment.

Any number of viruses can cause viral pink eye.  Redness and itching are typical symptoms, along with watery, clear discharge from the eye. Like the bacterial type, it is contagious, but don’t bother with antibiotics. As with all viruses, antibiotics are useless.

Allergic pink eye can include anything from dust and pollen to chemicals like cleaners, perfumes and industrial pollutants. When these irritate the delicate conjunctiva, the eyes usually get red and swollen. Watering and itching can be severe.

Can pink eye cause vision loss?
Most types of pink eye are not threatening to eyesight, especially when treated in a timely manner. But persistent conjunctivitis can signal a potentially serious underlying disease that often only your eye doctor can diagnose. Left untreated, certain types of bacterial conjunctivitis can scar the eye’s surface, which can lead to permanent eye damage and vision loss.

Any tips for putting those drops in?
I recommend having at least two people, if possible. Sometimes it really helps to have another person acting as a distraction, or helping to hold the baby gently but firmly to minimize movement. Some parents find it easiest to put drops in baby’s eyes when they are closed. Simply pull down the corner of each eye and put in the recommended number of drops. The drops should dissolve and affect the entire eye. Aim to put the drops in the inside corner of the eye. You can even try to do this when your baby is sleeping, and he may never even know you gave him medication.

The tip does work, for the most part. But my husband and I still need to pull out our WWE wrestling holds at times.  After the first round of drops, he showed immediate improvement! So my lesson learned? Call your eye doctor the minute you notice a change in his eyes. It will help you feel less likely to receive the “Worst Mom” award, at least in that category. Learn more on The Center at vsp.com.

Many suffering from wet macular degeneration, an age-related condition, are treated with a once-monthly shot of Lucentis—costing upwards of $2000 per shot!  So, it’s great news that an alternate drug, Avastin, has been proved an effective treatment for this condition, with costs as low as $50 monthly. Avastin has been used to treat certain types of cancer, and was not originally intended for ocular use.

Consider the potential savings of swapping the drugs, shared in the Philadelphia Inquirer: “Over the course of a year in the study, Avastin cost to $385 from $595, depending on the treatment regimen. Lucentis cost $13,800 from $23,400.”

And the audience for this is huge. The Associated Press quotes Dr. Paul Sieving, director of the National Eye Institute, the federal agency that paid for the study: “More than 250,000 Americans are treated for macular degeneration each year… About 1.6 million Americans have advanced macular degeneration and another 7 million are at risk of developing it.”

While testing still needs to be done before Avastin is officially approved to treat wet macular degeneration, this is a huge development for those struggling with the cost of care.

Read more about the results of the study in Associated Press and Philadelphia Inquirer articles.

Wondering about the difference between wet and dry macular degeneration? Learn more.

Guest Blogger – Laura Ely competes as a member of Team Type 1′s Triathalon team. She works as a Clinical Research Coordinator and Marketing Coordinator for the University of North Carolina Diabetes Care Center Clinical Trial Program and is also a Communication Coordinator for DiabetesSisters, an online diabetes community for women. Laura was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of four.

One amazing woman, Brandy Barnes realized the lack of this support system in the diabetes world and decided to do something about it.  She created an online community, DiabetesSisters, that would allow women to connect via the web and share their experiences as a woman with Type 1, Type 2, gestational or pre-diabetes.  I was fortunate enough to meet Brandy at a diabetes event and I fell in love with the organization.  At the time, I knew how important my girlfriends with diabetes were to me but knew that not everyone shared my fortune.  Every woman living with diabetes deserves to have this type of support system to help her live to her fullest potential.  Since it began 2 years ago, DiabetesSisters has grown to become a 501c3 not-for-profit organization whose mission is to improve the health and quality of life of women living with or at risk of developing diabetes, and to advocate on their behalf.

DiabetesSisters provides Weekly Blogs from women covering Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes, a Women’s Forum, Diabetes Buddy Program, Nutrition Tip of the Month, a free Medication and Appointment Reminder Program and Monthly Newsletter, just to name a few!  DiabetesSisters goes beyond the web to provide women with face-to-face contact through local quarterly gatherings, PODS meetings (Part of DiabetesSisters or mini group meetings) and for the first time ever this May, a Weekend for Women Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina held in conjunction with the TCOYD conference.

If you are a woman living with diabetes or know/care about/love a woman with diabetes, please tell her about DiabetesSisters – a place where she can go to find support from other women living with her disease!

Diabetes Video! To learn about the connection between eye exams and diabetes watch episode #2 of VSP’s EyeFiles starring Bill Nye the Science Guy.

About Team Type 1 and VSP Vision Care
Team Type 1 is a group of athletes living with diabetes. The team includes professional race teams, a triathlon team and a development team. Team Type 1 strives to instill hope and inspiration for people around the world affected by diabetes. VSP® Vision Care is proud to be their exclusive eyecare and eyewear provider.

Jill N. is a member of the VSP Global Public Relations team.

Recently VSP announced the launch of VSP Eye on Diabetes, a five state campaign created in response to the increasing spread of diabetes across the U.S. A lot of people (did you know?) are unaware that diabetes can be detected through an annual eye exam, sometimes as much as five years earlier than through a Fasting Blood Glucose (Blood Sugar) test! 

Our first stop on the campaign trail was Little Rock, AR on May 21-22. In partnership with the American Diabetes Association Little Rock chapter and the Arkansas Optometric Association, VSP provided free eye exams, eyewear and diabetes screenings to residents in need who had or were at risk of developing diabetes.

It’s been found that 61% of Americans with vision coverage go in for their annual eye exams vs. just 21% who get an annual physical! This provides an opportunity for optometrists to be the first to detect a variety of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, in a patient. With new information pertaining to diabetes continuing to be introduced, it is important to realize that your VSP private practice eye doctor is being provided the most recent information available pertaining to diabetes and eyecare and is a key component to a patients diabetes-care team. You can find more information at the VSP Diabetes Discovery Center.

Check out the video of the day of outreach in Little Rock, narrated by the Mayor of Little Rock, Mark Stodola.

View GMA segment

Guests had the opportunity to ask questions about diabetes, cycling and receive autographs and pictures with the local star during his last appearance stateside as he prepared to move to Paris, France, where he will be racing for the 2010 season.

Kyle interacted with the kids…”you get to ride bikes for a job??” “Do you ride bikes with Lance Armstrong?” “I have a purple bike…but it’s broke.” “I bet you need really good eyes to see where you are going.” “Have you crashed before?” (OK, this last question was actually me. And yes, he just finished healing from a gnarly crash where he was clipped by another rider, flipped over his handlebars into a ditch and broke multiple ribs!)

An amazing story was a woman who asked Kyle if he was wearing an insulin pump on the back of his arm. He said yes and proceeded to tell her the story of Team Type 1. She then proceeded to tell us about her husband, who also has Type 1 diabetes, and how cycling has saved his life by getting and keeping him active. It gave me goose bumps! Kyle provided her with information about Team Type 1 and encouraged her to have her husband reach out to the team.

We were all so grateful to have Kyle take time out of his busy day to join us for a few hours (he literally was packing up the last of his things to get shipped across the Atlantic just 72 hours after the event!).

Be sure to stay tuned as we post a series of videos featuring Kyle as he shares with us how an eye exam led to the early detection of his diabetes and how he continues to use annual eye exams to help manage and monitor his diabetes. And be sure to follow him while he’s in France on twitter and Facebook!

Joel Kestenbaum O.D. is a VSP provider in Long Island, NY.

In recognition of Diabetes Awareness Month, Dr. Joel Kestenbaum has shared some thoughts regarding diabetes and eyecare. VSP is a proud National Strategic Partner of the American Diabetes Association.  Join the fight. STOP Diabetes.

One of the first lessons I learned in optometry school was that diabetes was a leading cause of  blindness.  We were taught that early diagnosis was the key to preserving good eyesight.  We were also taught that educating our patients about the effects of diabetes on the eye was extremely important.  So here are a few tidbits to think about.

There are many early signs of diabetes, many of which are common eye complaints.   Styes, double vision, light sensitivity, fluctuating vision, glare and frequent changes in eyeglass prescriptions are just a few early signs.  These and other signs can also affect people who have had diabetes for a long time.  Getting annual eye examinations by a qualified specialist can detect problems that may be vision threatening.  Early detection can lead to early sight saving treatment.

Having diabetes does not mean that your sight will be affected, but there is a greater risk.

Controlling blood sugar via diet, medication or both is extremely important in minimizing the affects of diabetes.  Exercise, weight loss, lowering cholesterol and not smoking are all ways to help control all the effects of diabetes.

Recently I had a patient who did not control her diabetes.  She was a smoker, stopped seeing her doctor three years ago, did not eat well or exercise, stopped taking her insulin two years prior, and for the last 6 months, has been experiencing some of the eye signs mentioned earlier.  A comprehensive eye examination revealed retinal bleeding and leakage of fluid.  This is typical of diabetic retinopathy, requiring treatment by a retinal specialist in an attempt to save her precious eyesight.

November is American Diabetes Month.  Take your children, your spouse and your elderly parents for an eye examination.  Early detection can lead to early treatment.  Be smart even if you do not have diabetes.  Have annual eye examinations.

Dr. Joel Kestenbaum
www.optixeyecare.com

Liz B. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and as a National Strategic Partner of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), VSP is committed to joining to the fight to STOP DIABETES.

Studies show that diabetes accounts for about 24,000 new cases of vision loss each year.  The most prevalent eye disease in patients with diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, a condition in which blood vessels in the eye leak fluid and cause vision impairments including: blindness, blurred vision, floaters, shadows or missing areas of vision.

It is imperative that people with diabetes have annual eye exams as most diabetes-related blindness can be avoided.

Throughout the month of November, you’ll see multiple posts on the VSPBlog educating about the impacts of diabetes to millions of Americans affected by the disease.

Let’s start with the basics on why we must stop diabetes:

• Nearly 24 million children and adults in the United States live with diabetes. In fact, if trends continue, one in three children born today will face a future with diabetes.
• Type 1 Diabetes – For people with type 1 diabetes, their bodies cannot make insulin, the hormone that allows the cells in the body to admit glucose, which they use as fuel.  Without glucose, your body doesn’t have enough energy to live. That’s why people with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin (through a shot or pump) to stay alive.
• Type 2 Diabetes – People with type 2 diabetes can make insulin, but the body fails to use it properly. About 90-95 percent of people with diabetes have type 2. Typically type 2 of diabetes affects adults, but as obesity rates have increased in kids, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes continues to rise in kids and teens.

Join the movement and STOP DIABETES.  Find out how you can help at stopdiabetes.com or call 1.800.DIABETES.

Jill N. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team - and a huge fan of NBA star Bobby Jackson.

Yesterday VSP participated in an event that not only gave kids an opportunity to be successful in school by providing them with comprehensive eye exams, eyewear and school supplies, but also gave them another reason to smile – a chance to meet and play basketball with Bobby Jackson from the Sacramento Kings!

We spent the day with 40 Herman Leimbach elementary students, their families and school staff along with parents and students from two other elementary schools who conducted their own school supply fund raising effort for these students through a program called “Kids Helping Kids.”

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and Bobby Jackson arrived to the absolute delight of the kids (and the parents!). They toured SeeLia, our mobile clinic, and helped a few of the students pick out their new frames from the dispensary located on the clinic.

Bobby Jackson and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson pose with VSP Drs. April Omoto and Stephanie Kirschbaum.

Then the fun began when Bobby agreed to try on our vision impairment simulation goggles and attempt a few basketball drills. He experienced what would happen to his vision if he had different eye diseases, including glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and even hemianopia! The kids then had an opportunity to participate in the basketball drills wearing the different goggles so they could experience for themselves how good vision is an important component to being successful in both sports and in school.

Bobby Jackson attempts a free throw while wearing glaucoma simulator goggles.

VSP knows the important role regular eye exams play in back to school preparation, and we also know the important role giving back to the community plays in ensuring every child has access to receiving those exams. Even as we all battled the hot Sacramento sun, we all had smiles at the end of the day knowing the positive impact made on all those who were there.

Bobby Jackson poses with VSP's Niki Myers, Randy Santos, Joy Denney, Principal Sonjhia Lowrey (Herman Leimbach Elementary), and Dr. Diana Holcomb.