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.

Will B. works in VSP’s Customer Service department, part of our fabulous team that achieved the prestigious Service Quality Measurement, Inc. (SQM) Award of “World Class Customer Satisfaction” for the seventh year in a row! He shares his experience as a first time Mobile Response Team (MRT) member with the VSP Mobile Eyes® program.

I was fortunate enough to be selected to go on the last Mobile Eyes trip for 2009 and am quickly experiencing first hand, the work is truly some of the most rewarding work I have done with VSP.

We are half way done with our trip to Central California, and so far everything is running smoothly.  Before the trip, I had a general idea of what to expect.  I was impressed that we have most everything onboard that you would find in a VSP doctor’s office.  We can read the prescription off the patient’s current glasses, we can test for Glaucoma and even do an auto-refraction for the doctor.  The VSP doctors who come on board and provide the exams have everything they need to complete a comprehensive exam.  They even dilate patient’s eyes if they need to get a closer look.

Every patient we have encountered has been very gracious.  Many of our patients had either lost their glasses or their glasses were in disrepair.  Some patients had not seen an eye doctor for many years and in a few cases, had not visited an eye doctor for over a decade!  We have been thanked many times over for the service we are providing them. Our community partner has been equally thankful for the service we are able to provide.

So far, I have been able to pre-test patients, help with frame selection and submit orders on Eyefinity.  I have also learned how to set up and tear down the clinic. What a process!

It’s very rewarding to be part of the Mobile Response Team.  I feel a sense of pride working for a company that is actively reaching out to the community to provide a much-needed service, especially during a time when the number of people in need is greater than ever.  I am looking forward to the rest of our trip and many trips to come in the future!

I haven’t been to the Exploratorium since my own grade school field trip.  As I stepped into the spacious, interactive museum in San Francisco during the recent Eye See: Free Day with VSP Vision Care, I was reminded what a unique educational landmark the Exploratorium is – an exhibit hall filled will hands-on experiments that are not just educational, but entertaining (for kids and adults)!

Our main objective for the day was to expose students to the wonders of our eyes and to promote the importance of regular eye exams. And just as importantly, we were responsible for making sure the kids had fun. As volunteers, we were supplied with glue, scissors, crayons, plastic wrap, newspaper, water and a half dozen interactive experiments that the students could attempt with these every day household items. I felt like Bill Nye the Science Guy as I led the students, ages 3 to 15, through the optical illusions and educational experiments that explained the color detecting cells in our eyes or how drops of water can act as a natural magnifying glass. I must admit I learned a few things myself.

As the students left our activities area, it was quite rewarding to receive the chorus of thank you’s from each class. Every participant went home with a VSP branded bag filled with their new discoveries that they could now wow their parents and siblings with. I can only hope that they learned as much as I did; and had as much fun.

Editors Note: Looking for cool eyecare activities for the doctor’s office, classroom or home? Check out the VSP/Exploratorium Eyecare Discovery Guide available for free download!

Steve B. is Chief Technology Officer for Eyefinity/OfficeMate.

Guest blogger – Steve Baker, chief technology officer for Eyefinity/OfficeMate:

Professional cyclists employ a technique called “drafting.” You might have seen this form, where cyclists ride very close to one another. The objective of drafting is to use your time and energy as wisely as possible, allowing you to win the race. As an organization, Eyefinity/OfficeMate is committed to helping our users win the race. We are helping our users “draft” by conserving their time and energy with our latest innovation… the Virtual User Group Meeting.

Rather than ask our customers to leave their businesses and travel to an on-site meeting, we are hosting a virtual user’s group meeting over the web. Over the next five days, twenty-four classes ranging from managing your practice’s financial performance to our popular ExamWRITER boot camp series will be delivered to more than 2,000 users… and that number continues to grow.

Giving access to this type of content over the net without having to leave your office is something we hope our users will find easy and convenient.

Leave me a comment here on the blog or feel free to drop me a line at sbaker@eyefinityofficemate.com with your thoughts. I’m also interested in your Tour de France predictions and if Lance will do it once again.

Thanks!
~Steve

VSP Global launched today at the American Optometric Association annual meeting. Steve Baker, Chief Technology Officer of Eyefinity/OfficeMate provides a guest blog post on the positive impacts.

Steve B. is Chief Technology Officer for Eyefinity/OfficeMate.

I love cycling. It’s a great sport that also affords an opportunity to get away from television and media in general. It seems that ever day I’m pelted with new brands. Products. Companies; Services. You name it. I can hardly keep up with it but every now and then something exciting and unique comes along that grabs my attention. Well, I’d like to share with you something that I hope grabs you like it did me … The VSP Global brand.

We recently announced a new brand that ties together all of our diverse companies. Pulling together industry leading companies like Marchon and Eyefinity/OfficeMate enables our companies to be much much more than just the sum of our individual parts. We can offer integrated products in benefit programs, the latest in frame fashion, advanced optical lab services, and technically superior business management solutions. The best part? Working together we can create fantastic and unique programs that you will benefit from. Here’s two quick examples:

EyeHealthCheck+: Want to increase patient satisfaction and grow your revenue? VSP doctors can jump into this program that gives them access to Optos‘ retinal imaging technology at great pricing. New optomap installations also come with a free ExamWRITER equipment integration software license for OfficeMate users.

Healthcare Technology Program: VSP doctors who are looking to update their old software but are unsure of the price can take advantage of this risk-free offer from VSP Global through Eyefinity/OfficeMate which gives current OfficeMate users ExamWRITER electronic medical records at no initial software license fee, and gives first time users the whole package: OfficeMate Suite or OfficeMate Enterprise with ExamWRITER at no initial software license fee. This offer will prepare VSP doctors to take advantage of federal stimulus money which will become available to eyecare professionals who use electronic medical records. How great is that?

We’re hard at work developing new programs that leverage all of the companies under the VSP Global brand. Check out the latest video

Drop me a line on your feedback. I’d love to hear from you, especially if you love cycling!

~Steve

VSP and Marchon are optical industry trailblazers with complimentary leadership experience in eyecare and eyewear. Blending the exceptional products, services, and expertise of Marchon with VSP creates a more integrated eyecare delivery platform.

The partnership allows us to compete more effectively in the global marketplace, and enhance our premier supply network. Improved turnaround times, quality, service, and savings will benefit eyecare professionals, VSP members, and our customers.

Another unique aspect is the merger of Marchon’s OfficeMate Software Solutions with VSP’s Eyefinity to establish the leading eyecare business solutions organization in North America.

These important developments expand the capabilities of the VSP Family of Companies, which now deliver:

Eyecare benefits

A portfolio of internationally-recognized eyewear brands

Integrated eyewear design and manufacturing capabilities

Practice-management technology

Custom interior designs and merchandising systems

Today we welcome Marchon to VSP; together we’ll reach new heights by focusing on quality, service, and operational excellence.

What’s next? Well, we’re committed to continuously strengthening our business, so stay tuned as we announce further efforts to deliver the best in eyecare and eyewear.