Tyreke Evans drives to the hoop - Photo Credit: Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images

NBA star Tyreke Evans recently spoke about his return to the court following the NBA lockout, the current state of his Sacramento Kings and vision drills that help his game during his interview with Yahoo! Sports Radio on Sunday. Want to know what he thinks of his new teammate, former BYU phenom Jimmer Fredette, or his new head coach, Keith Smart? Curious about what his favorite sports vision drill is? Learn more by listening to Tyreke’s interview below.

If you catch the sports vision drill Tyreke used to do with his brother, email it to prteam@vsp.com and you’ll be entered to win an item autographed by Tyreke!

Click the gray arrow to play the interview:

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.

There could be several reasons that cuff read so high for these guys…user error, cuff too low in relation to the heart, vessels too far beneath the skin, and so on. However, we tested each person at the table three times, at different intervals and stages of rest. All fluctuated in heart rate, but consistently presented similar blood pressure. These three guys, whom I love and respect, could be ticking time bombs. I found myself in a quandary. I’m concerned. The writing seems to be on the wall, but I’m not a doctor. Should I say something?

I did. I couldn’t just sit back and let this slide. It was difficult to address when it’s not my expertise—not even close. But, I did it, privately and after the celebration. By talking to them, I had nothing to lose. If I didn’t speak up, I could literally lose them. I shared my concern and asked them to take the opportunity to get a way-past-overdue physical, including a COMPLETE eye exam by an optometrist.

They had no idea that a look into the eye may reveal the silent damage wrought by high blood pressure and diabetes and reflect the risk of a future stroke or heart attack. All I can do is hope they share my concern and check it out. If nothing else, they’ll have an answer. If it turns out to be nothing, they’ll have a reason to hassle me (the nosey-Nellie/worrywart). There has to be at least one of us to razz while sitting at the poker table. In this case, I’ll gladly wear that hat. If it turns out we caught something by playing our little impromptu game, then I’ll just be happy to be sitting at the table with them for a while longer.

No matter who you are, regular eye exams are important for seeing more clearly and seeing signs of diseases like hypertension, glaucoma, and diabetes.

To learn more, visit VSP Vision Care’s The Center.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Just in time for the season of giving, Sacramento’s FOX affiliate (KTXL) recently aired a special story on Christmas Day about one of the 50,000 Boys & Girls Club members who are receiving the gift of sight from a VSP doctor courtesy of the VSP Eye Pledge campaign. Watch the story here.

To learn more about the VSP Eye Pledge campaign, please click here.

Kate Renwick-Espinosa, CMO of VSP Global celebrates the VSP Eye Pledge with Sacramento-area Boys & Girls Clubs members

In recognition of the VSP Eye Pledge campaign reaching its goal to provide more than $19.2 million worth of free eye exams and glasses to 50,000 at-risk youth across America, the Boys & Girls Clubs Teichert Branch in Sacramento and VSP Vision Care (VSP) hosted a fun-filled celebration Friday.

Kate Renwick-Espinosa, CMO of VSP Global speaks to Boys & Girls Club members

Karolina Maluga, development manager of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento was on-hand to receive a giant gift certificate for 50,000 free eye exams and glasses on behalf of Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. Local Boys & Girls Club members also enjoyed an eye-opening tour inside one of VSP’s state-of-the-art, 45-foot mobile eyecare clinics.

In the online campaign that kicked off in mid-August, VSP Vision Care and Boys & Girls Clubs of America partnered to encourage people across the country to visit www.SeeMuchMore.com and take the free VSP Eye Pledge. For each pledge made, a gift certificate for a free eye exam and glasses was directed to a local Club child in need.

VSP Vision Care and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America launched the free campaign to encourage consumers to take care of their vision.

Children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento, Kate Renwick-Espinosa, CMO of VSP Global, Karolina Maluga, Development Director of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento and Dave Dess, VP of VSP Vision Care Marketing

Boys & Girls Club members will receive free eye exams and glasses thanks to the generosity of the fifty thousand people across the country who took the pledge to not only take care of their eyes, but directed care to a child in need.

Since the VSP Eye Pledge campaign launched in mid-August, more than half of those who pledged opted to direct a free eye exam and glasses to a Club most in need. Pledge-takers also had the option to direct to a child from a local Club in their area.

A special thanks to the individuals in these nine states that helped us receive the majority of our pledges:

• California
• Illinois
• North Carolina
• Georgia
• Texas
• Indiana
• Florida
• New York
• Missouri

Visit SeeMuchMore.com to learn more about the VSP Eye Pledge Campaign and check out the video below to see how your pledges have helped children. Plus, you can still take the VSP Eye Pledge and promise to care for your eyes. Your promise helps support the donation of free eye exams and glasses to those in need and keeps eye health top-of-mind.

Once again, THANK YOU for helping provide the gift of sight to 50,000 Boys and Girls Club members across the country!

Over the past few months, we’ve posted several polls on the VSP Facebook page that have garnered some great results! The polls have helped us learn more about our wonderful VSP members in a fun and engaging way.

In a recent poll VSP members were asked how long it had been since the last time their children had an eye exam. As it turns out, 75% of respondents have taken their children to see a VSP doctor in the past year! And, we would love to see the other 25% of respondents start taking their children in for annual eye exams as well, since more than 60% of children with learning problems have undiagnosed vision problems. And, getting your child an annual eye exam can help them learn, succeed in school, and experience life’s moments clearly. Discover how you can ensure your family gets the eyecare they deserve here.

Another poll asked VSP members when they started wearing glasses. 51% of poll takers started wearing glasses between the ages of 0-15 years old! With so many individuals reaping the benefits of glasses it makes sense that we share the hundreds of stylish eyewear options available for you and your family here. 

The results of a third poll helped us see that members realize the importance of annual eye exams. We asked members when their last comprehensive eye exam was, and 74% of respondents have received one in the past year! Annual eye exams can reveal signs of eye-related and other health conditions, like:

• Diabetic Eye Disease
• Macular Degeneration
• Glaucoma
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Risk of stroke
• Risk of heart disease

Check out SeeMuchMore.com for more information on the importance of eye exams and stay tuned to VSP on Facebook for fun ways to learn about the importance of your eye health!

At VSP Vision Care, we like the idea of preventative medicine a lot more than we like the idea of regular medicine. That’s because when it comes to health, we’d rather be proactive than reactive. For example, fixing a broken leg is good, but not breaking a leg in the first place is even better.

Being proactive means putting in a little effort now to save time, money, and the stress of dealing with a serious health problem in the future. Ultimately, it could even save your life.

One of the easiest ways to be proactive about your health is to get an eye exam every year. In one short office visit, your  VSP eye doctor can check for several common health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Identifying and treating these conditions early is imperative to managing them with as little interruption to your life as possible.

We regularly receive great stories from VSP members who have realized how important annual eye exams are and wanted to share the following ones with you:

“My VSP eye doctor took longer than usual examining my eyes. My eye doctor informed me that I had a gray ring around my cornea, which is a sign of high blood pressure, and referred me to see my primary care physician. My PCP confirmed the diagnosis and provided treatment. I’m truly convinced that you can find health problems through an eye exam.”

- Nancy L.

“My daughter went in for her yearly eye exam and the VSP eye doctor found a retinal hemorrhage. The VSP doctor referred her to see her family physician. She saw our doctor the next day and the doctor could not get a blood pressure reading and she had extremely high urine levels. They sent her to the hospital immediately, where we found out she was in kidney failure and had to go on dialysis immediately. Four months later, she had to get a kidney transplant. We thank God for the VSP doctors who found the hemorrhage! “

- Sharon W.

“After suffering some headaches and nausea, I went to my eye doctor, thinking I needed an updated eyeglass prescription. After a series of tests, the eye doctor concluded that I had “hyperopia”, and that I ran a risk for “narrow-angle glaucoma”. She referred me to an eye surgeon because the intraocular pressure needed to be reduced as soon as possible. I feel very lucky — sometimes you might think the series of tests is excessive or unnecessary, but I feel now that they are exactly what saved my eyesight. Thanks for supporting my eyecare needs, VSP!”

- Joan P.

An annual visit to a VSP eye doctor can play a big role in the early detection of eye and health-related conditions. Check out SeeMuchMore.com for information on the importance of eye exams and to read additional member testimonials.

• Spreading the importance of eye exams for the early detection of diabetes
• Offering continuing education courses to eyecare professionals about diabetes care
• Reaching out to optometry students to educate them about their role in health care
• Providing tools to eyecare professionals to educate patients about diabetes and their eyes
• VSP’s reach through membership and charity work including Mobile Clinics and Sight for Students

For more information about diabetes and your eyes, visit VSP’s Diabetes Discovery Center.