Food Drive

We are excited to partner with Forever Fed again this year for a Christmas Box Food Drive! Forever Fed is a mobile food ministry that serves Cherokee County. The goal is to distribute 380 boxes to children receiving gifts through the Christmas Angels list. We have a collection box in our office, please stop by with your donations! :) You were so generous last year, let's keep it going!!

These are the foods that are most helpful:

• Cans of beans (high protein - black, kidney, pinto)
• Cans of fruit
• Cans of vegetables
• Cans of soup (chicken, beef)
• Pasta/Spaghetti sauce
• Pasta (any kind)
• Rice (white)
• Peanut butter
• Jelly (grape or strawberry)
• Quart box of shelf stable milk
• Bottle vegetable oil, spray oil, Crisco bar
• Breakfast snacks (Pop-tarts, granola bars, protein bars)
• Crackers (easy to chew - saltine, club or butter)

Additionally, our office will donate $10 for every new frame sold from now until the end of the year.

Thanksgiving

We are closed for Thanksgiving and will reopen on Monday.  Have a great holiday!!

Costume Contact Lenses

We are often asked about costume contact lenses. These "Halloween" or "Dragon Con" lenses are very different than the mainstream cosmetic lenses that enhance eye color. Color enhancing lenses are made by the major domestic manufacturers including Johnson & Johnson and Alcon. None of the top manufactures make costume lenses. Many of these lenses come from unregulated sources overseas. The FDA has issued a warning about an influx of "counterfeit, illegal and unapproved contact lenses" including some with lead based materials! It is our strong opinion that costume contact lenses are not worth the risk!

Davis Vision

Help us spread the word! We are now providers for Davis Vision and are accepting new patients!

20 Years

We opened our practice 20 years ago! We recently dusted off the original appointment book and found many names of patients who continue to come in. Thank you for taking a chance on a young doctor so long ago!!

Readers Choice Award

Thank you so much for voting for us in the Townelaker Readers Choice Awards!! The category this year was a combined optometrist/ophthalmologist grouping, and that put us up against some very big multi doctor practices that see a lot of patients. We are very grateful that our smaller number of patients spoke up! We appreciate you!!

Eye Allergies

Spring allergies are here! The latest news is that our favorite prescription eyedrop for allergy is finally generic. So far, the price has dropped, however not as much as we would hope. So this is our current advice for eye allergies 1) Don't rub! As tempting as it is, rubbing actually makes it worse. 2) Use a good artificial tear like Refresh or Systane to help flush away the irritants and soothe the eye 3) Use OTC ketotifen twice a day. It is available without a prescription as Alaway and Zaditor 4) If symptoms persist, call our office and we can help with prescription medications.

Contact Lenses and Parasites

Local ABC affiliate WSB ran a story this evening about contact lens wearers and the risk of acanthamoeba infection. This is a rare, but very very serious eye infection. Those most at risk are contact lens wearers that swim in rivers or lakes and then sleep in their lenses. The news story does a good job of stressing the importance of good contact lens habits and hygiene. The story overstates the risk. Our practice has seen two patients with this infection in 20 years. Today we texted top corneal specialists at Piedmont and Northside and both groups confirmed they have not seen a recent increase in acanthamoeba cases. That said, we don't want any patient to have to battle this bug. What are best contact lens habits? Remove lenses before sleep. Store your case dry during the day. Use fresh CL solution, never use tap water. If your eyes seem irritated or red, remove your lenses. Consider using single use lenses. If you think you have an eye infection, contact your friendly local eye doctors right away!

Food Drive

The food drive was a big success! You donated over 240 pounds of food to Forever Fed, a local ministry that delivers food and fellowship to families in need right here in Cherokee county. The second part of the drive was a pledge by our practice to donate $10 for every frame sold in November and December. You responded by purchasing more frames last month than any month ever! And we have been in practice 19 years! We are thrilled to donate $3480.00 to this excellent charity.

Be generous, and you will be prosperous. Help others, and you will be helped. (Proverbs 11:25)