Happy Friday, everyone! This week, we’ve been focusing on the importance of eye health using the Kings VSP Vision Tips with our friends from the Sacramento Kings. We posted a Facebook poll on Tuesday asking fans when their last eye exam was, and we were very happy to see that 65% of poll participants have received an eye exam in the past year!

Receiving regular eye exams is a critical component of your health care routine. Learn more fun facts about eyecare by watching these silly Kings VSP Vision Tips today!

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!

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!

If you are feeling eyestrain when reading the latest news on Facebook, remember our digital eye tips while adjusting to the new Facebook font size:

1. Blink Often: When looking at a computer or hand-held digital device, it’s common for you to blink two to three times less than you normally would. This can lead to “dry eye.” Blinking bathes your eyes in tears, and tears are naturally therapeutic for the eyes.
2. The 20/20/20 Rule: When spending long periods in front of a digital device, every 20 minutes, spend 20 seconds looking at something 20 feet away to allow your eyes to rest.
3. Ensure Proper Lighting: Poor lighting often causes eye strain. To help ease the strain on your eyes, keep bright lighting overhead to a minimum and position your desk lamp to shine on your desk, and not at you. Position your computer screen in a way that reduces reflections and glare from windows or overhead lights.
4. Location of computer screen: Most people find it more comfortable to view a computer when the eyes are looking downward. Optimally, the computer screen should be 15 to 20 degrees below eye level (about 4 or 5 inches) as measured from the center of the screen and 20 to 28 inches from the eyes.

Check it out and send a personalized eye chart to all your friends.

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

In February we asked our VSP doctors to submit names for the new VSP/Transitions mobile clinic. Thanks to the great response from our providers, we received over 600 names, and selected five for the general public to vote on: Eyenstein, LuSee, SeeAna, SeeBert and SeeCil. After a two week voting period, Eyenstein received the top number of votes and has become the official name for the third mobile clinic in the VSP Mobile Eyes^® fleet!

Amanda S. from Dr. Churchill’s practice, Cedarville Eye, in MA, submitted the winning name: “I had originally come up with several other names, and while I was submitting them, the name ‘Eyenstein’ just popped in my head. The play on the name made me laugh a little, so I submitted it. I thought it was clever because as an opticianry apprentice, I know that healthy vision is smart!”

Our winners, Dr. Churchill and Amanda

Dr. Churchill gave the prize, an all-expense paid trip for two to the 2011 Transitions PGA Championship at Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club in Florida, to Amanda who stated, “I’m very excited about the trip, but I know I’ll be even more excited when March comes and the weather is miserable here in New England, but I’ll be boarding a plane to sunny Florida!”

The new clinic will travel to Cedarville Eye later this year to provide charitable eyecare services in the local community to those in need.

Christine M. from Chicago was our Facebook Fan consumer drawing winner winning a VSP Experience (a comprehensive eye exam and new eyewear from a local  VSP doctor of her choice) and HD Flip Video Camera!

Thank you to all who participated! We look forward to utilizing Eyenstein, in partnership with our VSP network doctors, to help extend our reach even further to help more people in need.

About VSP Mobile Eyes^® Program

The VSP Mobile Eyes^® program features portable ophthalmic equipment and three advanced mobile eyecare clinics which respond immediately to disasters and assist people in need. When not at disaster sites, our mobile clinics travel to community events across the country. In partnership with VSP network doctors, the clinics provide no-cost comprehensive eye exams and, if needed, glasses to the underserved.

Since inception, the mobile clinics have visited over 200 underserved communities nationwide, providing charitable eyecare services and education outreach. Over 410 VSP eye doctors have volunteered their time and services to help more than 23,500 low-income, uninsured, and underinsured children and adults.

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

The winner of our Facebook Sweepstakes made it to Florida Friday afternoon to the Transitions PGA Championship with his wife, brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Whil PGA player John Mallinger wasn’t able to make it to the tournament last minute, our back up plan did work well with an introduction to non-other than Erik Estrada, that’s right, Ponch himself. That’s a fair trade right?

After a good night sleep, Dave and guests joined us at the Transitions/VSP/Nike Competitive Advantage Tent to receive a private swing consultation with Kinesiologist, Tyler, walk through the newest lens and frame technology from Nike and Transitions and learn about the importance of annual eye exams and eye health through a putting excercise wearing glasses that simulated different eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and glaucoma.

Erik Estrada hanging with Dave W.

Next, we walked next door and took a tour of our newest mobile eye clinic (yet to be named!) and recorded a video on the video kiosk showing their squinty faces when they are caught outdoors in bright light. Last stop was the Live Your Vision Pavillion where they experienced Optomate technology and watched the Transitions/VSP/Nike fashion show before sneaking onto Ponch’s tricked out CHP car for a quick photo.

Stay tuned for some videos of Dave’s experience and updates from Sunday, including Erik Estrada’s explanation of the “Sightations” he has been giving out all weekend.

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

On Tuesday, March 16th, VSP Vision Care and Transitions Optical unveiled a new mobile clinic, the third to be added to the VSP Mobile Eyes fleet. Outfitted with a state-of-the-art comprehensive eye exam room and a full dispensary, this new clinic also houses a finishing lab, providing glasses to patients on-site!

With this clinic comes a new name – that’s where you come in!

Starting today through March 31st, we’d like you to vote for your favorite name for the new clinic. You can vote up to twice – just go to the VSP Vision Care and Transitions Lenses fan pages on Facebook, vote and have the chance to an HD Flip Camera and more!

Thank you for participating and good luck!

Tell us which name you think fits best!

The new clinic at the Transitions PGA Championship for Healthy Sight!

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!