Canada's Calgary Herald (8/28, Gray) reported that now that school is back in session, some children may be experiencing vision difficulties that make learning difficult. Calgary optometrist Gaggan Basra, O.D., "says that typically, parents won't act on getting a child's eyes checked until a problem is mentioned. While many schools will screen for vision problems, they only check how well a child sees at a distance." A "comprehensive eye" examination performed by an optometrist, however, includes "tests that can determine nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, color vision, eye coordination, muscle function, and focusing abilities," Dr. Basra explained. She also pointed out "some of the signs that indicate a child has a vision problem," including "difficulty seeing the board at school or TV," squinting while "reading or watching TV," holding "reading material close" to the face, frequent headaches, making "letter or number reversals when reading or writing," using "a finger to keep a place when reading," achieving "below academic or sporting potential," closing "one eye while reading," experiencing "behavioral problems," or turning "the eye inward, outward, upward or downward."
Friday, August 29, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables may help protect against cataracts, AMD, researchers say.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Sunglasses protect eyes against UV rays, skin cancer, AOA says.
South Carolina's Sun News (8/20, Leotta) reported that "sunglasses can protect the eyes from the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays." Optometrist Mark Saunders, O.D., explained that "some of the problems that can result from UV rays include macular degeneration, cataracts," and "pterygium," which is a "fibrous growth in the cornea that" can also be "caused by wind damage." The American Optometric Association (AOA) "notes that sunglasses can" also "protect against skin cancer of the eyelids and skin around the eyes." People "who are sensitive to the sun for other reasons -- for example, younger people, and those with lighter skin, eyes, and hair -- have increased risk for eye problems if they don't wear sunglasses."
Research suggests antioxidants may prevent onset of AMD.
Utah's Salt Lake Tribune (8/21) reports that "a new study involving Brigham Young University (BYU) has shown how antioxidants help protect against" age-related macular degeneration (AMD), "a leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 55." BYU researchers, working with colleagues at the "Weill Medical College of Cornell University, discovered a link between two processes in the retina that, in combination, contribute to the disease."
Both on the air and on its website, Utah NBC affiliate KSL-TV (8/20) explained that an age-related build-up of vitamin A may be associated with the breakdown of the mitochondria in the eyes' "critical visual cells." BYU chemist Heidi Vollmer-Snarr, and colleagues, "tried to...disrupt the process" by "treat[ing] these cells with certain antioxidants" and "vitamin E derivatives." For the study, the researchers "used a derivative of vitamin E called trolox. 'We saw complete reversal in the presence of antioxidants,'" Snarr explained. KSL-TV noted that "a variety of fruits, vegetables, and nuts are rich in antioxidants," including "chokeberry, wheat germ, almonds, asparagus, avocado, pecans, blueberries, artichokes, olives, spinach,...canola, corn, sunflower, soybean, and cottonseed oils."
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Fendi - The Double F Symbol
The Double F Symbol
Commonly referred to as the "Zucca" print in its original form and "Zucchino" in its smaller style, Fendi's iconic "double F" logo pattern was first designed by Karl Lagerfeld in the 1960s. It has been used on a variety of Fendi products, including handbags, wallets, luggage, shoes, and apparel. AND Eye glasses and sun glasses FRAMES !!!
Sports-related blows to eye common, experts say.
Connecticut's News-Times (8/19, Miller) reported that "sports-related blow[s] to the eye" are becoming "regrettably common." Without protection, "eyes are vulnerable to flying objects, whether they be a hockey puck, an air ball pellet, or a line-drive hit back to the pitcher." James Salz, M.D., of the University of Southern California, pointed out that the eye's interior "is filled with a gel-like fluid called vitreous humor that helps the eyeball maintain its shape. But, when a very fast-moving object hits the eye, the force drives the eye into the back of the socket," and "the collision can pull the retina off the rear wall of the eye." Retinal specialist Nazanin Barzideh, M.D., urges people who have "a sudden flurry of floaters, or" notice "a dark permanent shadow in the corner of [their] vision," to see an eye specialist "quickly, so that a doctor can surgically reattach the retina. Otherwise, blindness in the eye might follow." Although "any kind of eyewear will offer the eye some protection," Dr. Salz said that "specially-designed, protective glasses are best."
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
VSP Vision Care buys Marchon Eyewear for $735 million.
California's Sacramento Bee (8/18, Smith) reported that "VSP Vision Care bought eyewear manufacturer Marchon Eyewear, Inc." on Monday "in a deal that combines the nation's largest eye-care benefits provider with one of the world's largest manufacturers of designer eyewear." The $735 million "cash-and-debt" deal "creates a $3.3 billion company that substantially adds to VSP Vision Care's designer portfolio."
"Marchon makes private-label eyewear for companies such as Calvin Klein, Coach, Michael Kors, Sean John, and Nike, and makes its own eyewear collections, including its Airlock and Flexon lines," Ohio's Business First of Columbus (8/19) adds. VSP "gets Marchon's 50-percent ownership in Eye Designs, a custom interior designer for the optical industry." In addition, "VSP's Altair Eyewear brand will become a division of Marchon." And, "Marchon's OfficeMate Software Solutions subsidiary, an industry software and technology company, will merge with VSP's Eyefinity, a web-based business-management firm."
New York's Newsday (8/18, Dymski) noted that VSP "services one in every six Americans with vision-insurance benefits through a network of more than 25,000 doctors, the company said. With more than 55 million members in the United States and Canada, VSP last year had total revenues of $2.6 billion." New York's Long Island Business News (8/19, Powderly) also covers the story.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Regular eye exams may help detect early warning signs of disease.
The North American Press Syndicate (8/17) reported that "[r]egular eye exams are not just about obtaining optimal vision through the right eyeglass or contact prescription, but can also help detect early warning signs of disease that can affect your eye health and general health." And, because "an eye examination can help detect many health problems, eye-care practitioners often work in conjunction with internists and general practitioners to help empower individuals on their health and wellness journey." Many eye doctors now "offer new technology, such as digital retinal eye scans, that are quick and comfortable, and produce a computerized picture of blood vessels in action. This new technology effectively provides information on eye health and certain systemic health conditions, such as diabetes and glaucoma." For good eye health, patients are urged to "[b]egin a regular routine of eye exams with an optometrist or ophthalmologist once a year, or as often as the doctor recommends."
AOA estimates 125 million Americans may suffer from computer-vision syndrome.
Several manufacturers are now "launching a line of computer lensthat aim to prevent the dry eyes, blurry vision, and headaches that can be caused by" computer use
Friday, August 15, 2008
Optometrist's column explains how children's eye examinations may help learning.
In the Eye Man column appearing in California's Redwood City Daily News (8/14), optometrist Andrew C. Soss, O.D., FAAO, responded to a reader who had enrolled her child in a private school that requires students to undergo eye examinations performed by an eye doctor prior to the start of the school year. The reader had already taken her son to the family physician for a physical, during which the child's eyes were checked. She now wanted to know "what difference...it make[s]" who performs the eye examination. Dr. Soss replied that "there is a lot more to vision than just seeing 20/20." For example, "[c]hildren's eyes are different than adults." Specifically, "the constant adjustments to continuous changes associated with development of these growing eyes and formulating brain centers devoted to vision can create challenges." In addition, "the amount of reading and learning that goes on in a classroom and during homework duties can cause a lot of stress to these young students." During "a comprehensive examination" performed by an eye expert, tests "can predict what visual stimuli may impair a student's ability to learn."
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
State halts health program sign up
Here's some old news, but worth mentioning. This is a prime example of what could happen to our nations medicare/medicaid programs if they are cut too much.......
State halts health program signup
Medicaid patients' difficulty finding doctors within Evercare network prompts demand for changes.
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
State health officials on Tuesday suspended enrollment in an Austin area health care program that serves Medicaid patients because too few physicians were willing to accept new patients.
At least for now, no more patients will be able to sign up for the Star Plus managed health care program run by the company Evercare, officials with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission said. The move comes less than two months after the program expanded to seven Central Texas counties, where it serves more than 13,000 Medicaid recipients who are elderly or have disabilities. Medicaid is the federal-state health insurance program for people with low incomes.
Although two HMOs, Evercare and Amerigroup Community Care, provide Star Plus programs in Central Texas, only Evercare's enrollment has been suspended.
"There are very significant concerns with (Evercare's) ability to have an appropriate primary care network for clients, which is the whole point," said Stephanie Goodman, a spokeswoman for the health commission.
A spokesman for Evercare, Peter Ashkenaz, said the company is working closely with the state to resolve the problems as soon as possible.
There are about 152,000 Texans enrolled in Star Plus, a legislative-mandated program intended to curb Medicaid costs. Enrollment in the program, which rolled out in Central Texas on Feb. 1, is required for certain Medicaid recipients.
Many of the more than 6,000 Central Texans in the Evercare plan say they have not been able to find a doctor.
Taylor Dickson of Austin, a former carpenter who said he is unable to work because of several disabilities, said he chose a doctor listed in the Evercare booklet. But when he called to make an appointment three weeks ago because of a hurt knee, the office said the doctor was no longer accepting Evercare. Then he called each of the other eight primary care physicians in Evercare's network in Travis County. None could take him as a patient, he said.
"I'd say, 'Evercare,' and they'd say, 'Oh, no,' " he said.
At his home, Dickson has a stack of notes he jotted down when he spoke to six different Evercare customer service representatives. None of them could find him a doctor, he said, and one suggested that he try a doctor in San Antonio. His doctor of more than three years is not in the network, he said.
"It's frustrating that they would send you a little booklet of names to pick from and none of them are taking new patients. . . . Now I'm without a doctor," Dickson said. "I was having hell getting any kind of cooperation from Evercare."
He also found errors in the Evercare booklet. He said he noticed that the only family practice doctor listed in Bastrop County was actually in Taylor, which is in Williamson County.
On March 20, state officials sent a letter to Evercare requesting a formal corrective action plan by Friday because of complaints that the state had received about "Evercare's lack of responsiveness" to doctors and patients.
Goodman said, "For the problem to be so widespread and come up so quickly, that is what is puzzling to us at this point."
Goodman said the state is "looking at penalties" it may assess because of Evercare's contract violations. The contract requires Evercare to provide access to a primary care doctor who is accepting new patients within 30 miles of a client's home, she said.
In March, Texas paid Evercare $2 million for premiums, she said.
Beth Mandell, executive director of Evercare of Texas, said Tuesday that there were "only a few" primary care doctors in the Evercare network accepting new patients in the Austin area.
"We recently had a number of our primary care physicians in this area close their practices to new members without notifying us," Mandell said.
But Dr. Sheila Shung, an internal medicine physician in Austin, said she never wanted to be listed at all. She agreed to accept Evercare for her existing patients but not for new patients, she said. She has been inundated with calls from prospective patients, she said. Her office called Evercare five times to ask to be removed from the list or at least indicate that she was not accepting new Evercare patients, she said.
Shung, like many doctors, does not like to take Medicaid patients because of the low reimbursement rates, she said.
Amerigroup has not had the same trouble as Evercare in providing an adequate network of doctors, Goodman said.
"We will do everything to accommodate folks" from the Evercare network, said Kent Jenkins, a spokesman for Amerigroup Corp.
Star Plus, which has operated in Houston since 1998, expanded this year to other Houston area cities as well as to the Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Austin areas. The Central Texas counties being served are Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Lee, Travis and Williamson. The expansion was expected to save $110 million over two years by better coordinating care for Texans with long-term health care needs, state officials said.
cmaclaggan@statesman.com; 445-3548
What should Star Plus patients on Evercare do?
Patients who have already found a doctor may stay in the Evercare program. Those who have not or who want to switch may join the Amerigroup Community Care plan. For more information about joining the Amerigroup plan, call the ombudsman's line at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission: (877) 787-8999.
The enrollment suspension in the Austin area does not affect patients in Evercare's other Star Plus service areas, Corpus Christi and Houston.
For more information about the Star Plus health care program, go to www.hhsc.state.tx.us/starplus/Overview.htm.
Source: Health and Human Services Commission
Reposted from:http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/03/28/28starplus.html
Eating oily fish may reduce risk for neovascular AMD, research suggests.
In continuing coverage from previous editions of First Look, Medscape (8/12, Barclay, Nghiem) reported that eating oily fish, "the major source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)," at least once a week may be "linked to a reduced risk for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NV-AMD)," according to a study published in the Aug. issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. For the study, researchers from the U.K.'s London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine examined data from "[p]articipants aged 65 years or older" who were enrolled "in the cross-sectional, population-based European Eye Study." The participants "underwent fundus photography," then "were interviewed with use of a food-frequency questionnaire." Dietary data "and fundus images were available for 105 case patients with NV-AMD, and 2,170 control subjects without any features of early or late AMD." The researchers found that "eating oily fish at least once per week or more, vs. less than once per week, was associated with a halving of the odds of NV-AMD." Medscape noted that the "main dietary source of DHA and EPA is oily fish, such as mackerel, tuna, salmon, sardines, and herring."
AOA recommends comprehensive eye exams for children entering preschool and kindergarten
In continuing coverage from previous editions of First Look, Alabama's Clanton Advertiser (8/12) reported, "As parents send their children back to school, one of the most important things they can do to help ensure their child's ability to learn is to take them for an eye exam. The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends comprehensive eye exams especially for children entering preschool and kindergarten." In particular, "[c]hildren entering preschool or kindergarten benefit the most from comprehensive eye exams," although "they rarely receive them early enough. Currently, only 14 percent of children under age six have received a comprehensive eye exam, according to the U.S. Center for Health Statistics." During an eye exam, an optometrist can detect "common vision problems, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness, as well as more serious conditions such as amblyopia."
Blindness prevention group head emphasizes importance of vision screening for children. In an opinion piece in Tennessee's Chattanoogan (8/12), Jenny Pomeroy, CEO of Prevent Blindness Georgia, wrote, "Since about 80 percent of learning in a child's first 12 years comes through the eyes, it is very important to ensure that...school-aged children can see properly." Across the U.S., "five percent of preschool children have significant visual impairment," Pomeroy noted, adding that "[m]any of these children will develop amblyopia, or 'lazy eye' blindness, if their eye conditions are not diagnosed and treated early." Studies have shown that "sight can be saved in 98 percent of children if treatment is begun by age four. At age six, only 20 percent of children's sight can be saved, and if treatment is delayed until age ten, these children may be blind in one eye for a lifetime," Pomeroy pointed out. Therefore, she urged parents to make sure that their children "can see properly," and that the children receive vision screening "appropriately, and at an early age."
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Getting Back to School and the importance of Eye Exams
Studies show that 80% of all learning during a child's early school years is obtained through vision. Yet too many school-aged children and teenagers have vision deficiencies. Many go undetected because only a small number receive regular eye exams. That's just one reason why annual comprehensive eye exams are so important.
Welcome to our Eye care blog
Jim
http://www.FineEyewear.Net