Medical savings accounts

Do you have money left in your medical savings account or flex spending account for 2011?  Purchases from your optometrist are eligible.  Patients have enjoyed using these accounts at year end for sunglasses or an extra set of eyeglasses.  Our opticians are available all week, you can stop by at your convenience.

Year End Planning

If you have a flex/medical savings account or vision insurance benefits that you want to use in 2011, this is a great time to schedule an appointment. We have many appointments available now, however they will fill up by the end of the month.

3-D Smartphones

Interested in a 3-D Smartphone? They are more likely to cause visual discomfort, fatigue and headaches. According to a new Journal of Vision study, these phones place extra demand on the eyes to focus on the screen while simultaneously adjusting to the distance of the content.

Outdoor Time May Reduce Nearsightedness in Children

Having a family history of nearsightedness, myopia, is still the biggest predictor of a child being myopic, however some evidence is suggesting that spending more time outside helps.

Link to full article

Facebook contest winners

Congratulations to our Facebook "Ugly Glasses" contest winners.  Susie Franke is wearing her new Cole Haan eyeglasses and Ken Mai sports his new Revo sunglasses.  They were voted most deserving of a free glasses makeover.

Contact lens solution

We are seeing more store brands of contact lens solution coming from overseas. This is a concern because we try to buy U.S. made products when possible, and the uncertainty about the quality of the foreign solutions. Patients have had the most success with Bausch & Lomb's latest solution Biotrue and Alcon's Optifree. Biotrue is made in South Carolina and Optifree in Texas.

Fall eye allergies

We are beginning to see fall eye allergies. The eyedrop ketotifin was one of our favorite prescription medications for eye allergies and is now available OTC. Brand names include Alaway, Zaditor, Claritin Eye and Zyrtec Eye. If you try one of these and still have itchy eyes, call our office and we can help with a prescription eyedrop.

Contact lens advice

Two recent studies of current contact lens wearers found habits that put the eye at risk. Nearly half of contact lens wearers in the study groups admitted to not washing their hands before touching the lens, and 25% do not empty the contact lens case in the morning and store the case wet. This gives bacteria a big advantage. Need a quick review? Check out this page written for new contact lens wearers.

Link to full advice

Green laser pointers

Green laser pointers grab attention because unlike a red laser pointer, the green beam itself can be seen in mid-air in dark conditions. They are very bright and very powerful. They can also be dangerous.

NY Times article

Green laser video

Illegal contact lenses

Contact lenses with colors can be fun, but there are reports of expired and even recycled lenses being sold without a prescription. A colleague recently treated a young woman who was injured by such a lens. He was interviewed by WSB TV.

Link to WSB Atlanta news story

Electronic eyeglasses

A new electronic progressive lens will be available soon. Progressive lenses are variable focus lenses that provide clear vision far and near, typically worn by those of us over 40. The lens begins as a low strength progressive, and has liquid crystals embedded that when charged add even more reading strength. The prototype is impressive, we are looking forward to the finished product.

Link to NY Times article

Bryce Harper

I was watching ESPN and this story caught my attention. Bryce Harper is 18 years old and Major League Baseball's top overall draft pick signing with the Washington Nationals for nearly 10 million dollars. Amazing that he achieved this with poor natural vision! He is now wearing contact lenses and is crushing the ball in the minor leagues.

Link to Washington Post article