Dr. Phelps

Today’s post is written by guest blogger Dr. Roger Phelps, a VSP provider in Ojai, California. Dr. Phelps is also a certified diabetes educator.

Diabetes is becoming more and more prevalent, but still many patients either don’t know they have the disease or don’t take the proper preventative steps. Those preventative steps include not only keeping A1C levels as low as possible, but also getting an annual eye exam to check for any signs of trouble with the blood vessels.

As an optometrist and a type 1 diabetic, I am very passionate about controlling diabetes because of the damage it can do to the eyes without proper care. I sat down with Phil Southerland of Team Type 1, who is equally passionate about diabetes, and he shared with me why he takes going to the eye doctor so seriously.

For more information about diabetes and the eyes, visit the Diabetes Discovery Center.

The inside of my right eye

Working at VSP, and also wearing glasses for more than ten years, I understand the importance of healthy vision. (I’m not going to lie, either; I love getting new glasses and can never seem to have enough.) Last week when I got my yearly eye check-up, I had the option to get a digital image of my eye in lieu of a dilated exam. I have to admit, I was curious to see what the inside of my eye looked like…just what was my eye doctor (Dr. Nakamura of Natomas Optometry) looking at in there?

At first glance, I was a little concerned with the red dot in the middle and white blob off to the side, but Dr. Nakamura explained to me that the red dot was actually the macula and the white spot was the optic nerve—both were supposed to be there. The macula is responsible for seeing things in detail and our “central vision” (as in not peripheral vision) while the optic nerve is what carries the visual information to the brain. (Quick clip: the eye is like a camera.)

I thought it was rather interesting to see my own eyes on the screen in front of me. What I liked most was how Dr. Nakamura could show me that my eyes were healthy by comparing my images to sample pictures with various eye or eye-related health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, cataracts, and macular degeneration. I was happy to see my eyes didn’t have any of those problems.

P.S. I just got computer vision glasses for the first time, and I am really excited about them. I will write about what I think of them after I have used them a week or so.

Here’s a video that shares the story of a little girl who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes one year ago.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

After viewing the video, vote for the clinic name and be entered to win an HD Flip Cam!

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — An estimated 11 million Americans have uncorrected vision problems — from near- or far-sightedness to sight-threatening diseases. That’s why everyone should get an annual eye exam, starting at six months old — it’s as important as regular trips to the dentist. To educate people about eyesight and overall vision health, VSP Vision Care, the nation’s largest eyecare benefits provider, today kicked off its ‘See Much More’ campaign.

The See Much More initiative includes a fun, interactive website with loads of useful information and resources about eyesight and vision health, including:

• A fast-paced video with interesting facts and things you may not know about your eyes
• Tips everyone can follow to immediately improve their vision health
• Information about how vision coverage helps keep eyecare affordable by reducing the cost of eye exams, eyewear and other vision-related health services
• Daily surveys about eyesight and vision health
• Community features, such as links to VSP’s blog, Twitter feed, Facebook page and resources for finding a doctor
• Fun, interactive games and social networking applications will be added throughout the fall enrollment drive

“The goal of the See Much More website is to remind members and potential members how valuable their vision is in all aspects of their lives — personally, professionally and physically,” said Kate Renwick-Espinosa, Vice President of Marketing at VSP. “While vision coverage itself might not seem exciting, it is important and it impacts our lives in deeply meaningful ways. We want to help people learn about it in a fun, easy and accessible way.”

Learn more about taking care of your eyesight at www.SeeMuchMore.com. Whether it’s to make sure your kids can see well at school, to know that your spouse can see the road perfectly, or to be confident you can always be productive at work, great vision is vital for your health and well-being.

Photos

Twitter Pitch

Your eyesight is important. If you haven’t seen an eye doctor lately, see what you’re missing at SeeMuchMore.com

Tweet It!

News Facts

• Nearly 80% of what a child learns is obtained visually… however, 1 in 4 have undetected vision problems.
• 65 million Americans have never had their eyes checked. Ever.
• Diabetes causes 18,000 new cases of blindness in the US every year.
• Eyestrain is the most common workplace-related health complaint today.
• See much more at SeeMuchMore.com.

Viral Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Resource Links

See Much More

VSP

VSP Blog

VSP on Flickr

VSP on Twitter

VSP on YouTube

VSP’s Facebook Fan Page

About the VSP Family of Companies
VSP Global includes VSP Vision Care, the largest not-for-profit vision benefits and services company in the United States with 55 million members; Marchon Eyewear Inc., one of the world’s largest manufacturers, designers and distributors of quality fashion and technologically-advanced eyewear and sunwear; Eyefinity/Officemate which offer innovative solutions and the premier management software and technology to improve overall practice management and patient experience; and VSP Labs, industry leaders in new technologies, production processes, service and logistics.

Since 1997, VSP has provided more than 529,500 low-income, uninsured children with free eyecare. Through relationships including those with the American Diabetes Association and Prevent Blindness America, VSP promotes the importance of annual eye exams for maintaining eye health and overall wellness.

Press Contact:
Liz Baidoo
VSP Corporate Public Relations