Tag: Westside Optometry.

Westside Goes to Seattle

Karen Griffith

It’s been nearly a month since Maureen, Nannette and I came home from the American Optometric Association (AOA) meeting in Seattle.  seattle starbucksWe had amazing weather, it was in the mid-80’s! Besides enjoying the weather, the abundance of coffee and a beautiful city, we attended some excellent classes.
Nannette participated an ocular anatomy workshop where she dissected a cow’s eye to better understand the structures and function of the eye. She and Maureen also went to a lensometry workshop to learn the intricacies of measuring lens prescriptions and parameters such as power, astigmatism and axis postition.
The new buzz in eyecare is the effect of blue light that is emitted from digital devices. It is thought that exposure to the blue light can cause sleep disruption and even macular damage. It’s nearly impossible to avoid our phones, tablets, computers and even TVs so blue light filters and gaming glasses are available.
Maureen went to a contact lens course which emphasized the importance of proper care, cleaning and replacement to maintain successful wear of contact lenses.
OCT AOAAll 3 of us spent time looking at new equipment and asking the vendors questions about instruments we use in our office. We found and purchased some items to use for our dry eye treatments. I also bought a device to aid in determing spectacle prescriptions for my pediatric patients.
The courses that I learned the most at were one on glaucoma and another on cataracts. In particular the cataract course described new technology and how it compared to current surgical procedures. The educator also talked about the “premium” intra-ocular lenses (IOLs) that include multi-focal and toric designs to correct most refractive errors.

We returned to Petaluma inspired and ready to implement our new knowledge.

 

 

Jury Duty

admin

 

jury duty

I am doing my civic duty and serving on a jury. Of course I can tell you nothing about the case, except that I will probably be out of the office for 6 days. The court is not in session on Mondays, so I will be in the office seeing patients on November 18th and 25th. Dr. Staton has graciously adjusted her life and schedule to cover for me. She will be doing eye exams and available for emergencies through November 27th, the day the case should be settled. The office is open regular hours for exams, glasses and contact lenses.

I thank you for your patience, this has really tried mine.

 

Sincerely,

Juror 218

New Year’s Resolutions for Better Vision

admin

 

2013 can be the year you have the best vision possible. Below are some suggestions to help you.

Improve Your Eye Health

  • Eat smart. Diet and nutritional supplements go a long way in promoting eye health. Studies show a diet rich in fruits, leafy vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids may reduce your risk of eye problems like macular degeneration and dry eye syndrome.
  •  Get moving. Research has shown higher levels of physical exercise can reduce certain risk factors for glaucoma, as well as macular degeneration.
  • Quit smoking. Put simply, smoking harms your vision. Studies show smoking dramatically increases the likelihood of developing cataracts, macular degeneration,uveitis and diabetic retinopathy.
  • Protect your eyes from the sun (and make sure your kids do, too). Always wear sunglasses with UV protection when outdoors — no matter what time of year — to shield your eyes from UV rays. This may reduce your risk for cataracts and macular degeneration.
  •  Schedule an eye exam for everyone in your family. Kids and seniors, especially, should have comprehensive annual eye exams to monitor vision changes. Also, have your family doctor screen you for diabetes and hypertension — if left untreated, these diseases can lead to serious eye problems.
  •  Start using safety eyewear for lawn-mowing, home repairs and other chores. Experts say 90 percent of eye injuries requiring a visit to the emergency room can be prevented with proper safety eyewear.
  •  Properly care for your contact lenses. Dirty contact lenses, even if they are not uncomfortable, can cause serious eye infections. Clean your contact lenses and contact lens case properly, and always replace your contacts as recommended.
  •  Reduce computer eye strain. Rest your eyes from computer work every 20 minutes to relieve computer vision syndrome and avoid dry, red eyes. Also, ask your eye doctor about stress-relieving computer glasses.
  •  If you’ve been putting up with contact lens discomfort, dry eyes, eye allergies or blurry vision, talk to me about changes you can make to improve or eliminate these problems.

Improve Your Vision

  •  Blurriness? If your contacts or glasses are no longer doing their job,  you may need a new prescription and/or a different lens design.
  • Upgrade your contact lenses. Contact lenses come in a wide variety of materials, replacement schedules and wearing times — not to mention the array of color contact lenses and special effect contacts available.
  • With the advancement in contact lens technology, there’s sure to be a type of contact lens that suits your individual requirements and lifestyle.
  • Try eyeglass lens coatings. Various lens coatings keep your field of view clear by reducing reflections, fogging and scratches. And eliminate glare during outdoor activities with polarized sunglasses.
  • Consider sports-specific eyewear. For athletes and sporting enthusiasts, there are performance-enhancing frames and lenses designed specifically for different sports and outdoor activities.
  • Make sure your sports eyewear includes lightweight, impact-resistant polycarbonate or Trivex lenses for comfort and safety.

Improve Your Appearance

  • Upgrade your eyewear. Get with the times and refresh your look, as well as take advantage of the latest in lens and frame technologies.
  • If you have a strong prescription, try high index eyeglass lenses. High index lenses provide the same optical power as regular ones, but are thinner and lighter.
  • Considering LASIK? If you’re tired of wearing glasses or contacts, ask your us if you are a good candidate for LASIK or other vision correction surgery.

60 Minutes Exposé

admin

Last Sunday, the  investigative news program 60 minutes did an exposé on the largest eyeglass manufacturer in the world, Luxottica. The Italian company  completed a hostile takeover of U.S. Shoe Corporation in 1995 to acquire Lenscrafters. They have since bought Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, and Target Optical. Additionally, they have purchased the designer eyewear lines such as Coach, Prada, Tiffany and the popular sunglasses like Ray Ban and Oakley. Westside Optometry does not carry any of the Luxottica frame lines as a small stance against the huge corporate gorilla. Additionally, we do not accept the Eyemed vision plan which is also owned by Luxottica.

As an independent local eyecare provider we can’t compete directly with Luxottica, but we can continue to provide our patients with the most personalized vision care possible.

Here is a clip from the 60 minutes program: