Thousands of Sunglass Options Now Online With Grand Opening Special Prices

You can now click from our homepage to shop online and choose from almost 10,000 sunglasses options. Dozens of the top designers are available at our online store including RayBan, Polo, Revo and Versace.

Just like buying eyeglasses at our optical shops, we guarantee your satisfaction with these sunglasses, too. Adding the store to our website allows our patients to have a much larger selection of sunglasses than we can display in our offices. Further, we plan for all of our online prices to be lower than regular pricing at the mall stores.

To celebrate our opening of this venture, we have extra low prices on these frame brands: Lulu Guinness, Dana Buchman, Guess and Sketchers. Please shop early for a great selection of low priced stocking stuffers.

Steve Cull, the Painter Mailman

We have the opportunity to meet many interesting people at The Eye Care Institute but this month we would like to tell you about the surprising second career of our mailman. During the day, Steve Cull walks through Butchertown delivering mail and smiles. After work, he is a folk artist with an international following. His work has been shown at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City and sold across America as well as in Europe and South Africa.

Steve is self taught. He took some art classes at the University of Louisville in the early 1960s but didn’t like them and left. After a stint in the Navy, he returned to Louisville and began working for the postal service. He began his painting in his spare time and began showing his art in Louisville in the 1970s. He took a break from the postal service and, from 1982 to 1992, he worked on contract with Sailor’s Valentine Gallery in Nantucket.

He returned to the postal service in 1992 but continues to paint. He said that the downturn in the economy has affected his sales but he stores his work, waiting for the right time. In the meantime, he enjoys delivering mail and smiles through Butchertown.

Is This a Follow Up?

Sometimes patients are surprised to receive a bill because they thought the visit was a follow up that was covered under the last visit. The term “follow up” can be very broadly used but patients usually mean that they are seeing the doctor again for a condition for which they have been seen previously. It is neither a medical nor a medical coding term.

Depending on your eye condition, the doctor may recommend that you return in a week, six months, a year, etc. In each case, patients often say they are here for a follow up to the condition for which they were seen the last time. Some conditions may require treatment or specific testing at each visit while others require periodic monitoring in case treatment is required. Each of these visits is a separate episode of care for which there is a charge and any required co-pay.

There are some office visits that do not require a charge. These include the post operative period after surgery and a check of new contact lenses. Some minor surgeries do not have a post operative period. Other surgeries have a 10-day post operative period and major surgeries such as cataract surgery have a 90-day period.

During this period, you will not be charged for the doctor checking on the progress of your recovery. If the doctor finds it necessary to perform some diagnostic tests, they are not included and you will be charged for them. Also, if you need to see the doctor for a condition unrelated to the surgery, you will be charged an office visit. As always, if you have a question, feel free to ask one of our friendly staff members.

Dry Eyes and Menopause

Yes, here it is, the one word women between the ages of 40 and 50 do not want to hear — menopause. Why mention it in a newsletter about eyes? Well, did you know the chance of developing dry eyes increases in women during pre-menopause and continues during post-menopause?

Women may experience a disruption of hormones that help maintain a stable tear film. This may result in inflammation which can lead to decreased tear production and dry eyes. Some symptoms include:

• Eye fatigue
• Excessive tearing
• Blurred vision
• Difficulty wearing contact lenses

We have created a center for treatment of dry eye disease; the only one in Kentucky. Visit us at www.DryEyeCenterOfKentucky.com to learn more about the specialized services we offer.

Your Eyes and Graves' Disease

What is Graves’ disease? Graves’ disease is an immune system disorder which can result in the overproduction of thyroid hormones. This condition is more commonly known as hyperthyroidism.

Some people may experience signs and symptoms of a condition known as Graves’ ophthalmopathy. These signs and symptoms may include:

• Bulging eyes
• Excess tearing
• Dry, irritated eyes
• Gritty sensation in the eyes
• Pressure and pain in the eyes
• Puffy eyelids
• Red or inflamed eyes
• Light sensitivity
• Double or blurred vision
• Limited eye movements

It is important to see an Ophthalmologist once you have been diagnosed with this disease. Your eye doctor will work closely with your family physician or endocrinologist to provide the best possible care for your vision.

Step Out and Walk with Us

The annual American Diabetes Association’s Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes will be held on Saturday October 15, 2011 on the Great Lawn at Waterfront Park. Opening ceremonies will begin at 8:00 am with the walk starting at 9:00 am. Come out to the walk and have your picture taken with honorary walk chair, Darrell Griffith.

Diabetes hurts everyone, especially our patients. So in an effort to help find a cure, we invite you, our patients and families, to Walk with Us. All the funds you donate go directly to the American Diabetes Association. Our team co-captains this year are Samantha Mathieson and Michelle Smith. Please feel free to contact them at info@EyeCareInstitute.com with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the walk.

At the walk, anyone with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes is considered a Red Strider. Let us know if you are a Red Strider so we can make sure you are registered correctly. You will be recognized at the Walk and be given a special red hat, T-shirt and more for participating in this event.

 

Eye Health and Omega-3

Why are omega-3 (EFAs) fatty acids good for your eyes? Studies have increasingly shown the health benefits of consuming healthy fatty acids, primarily omega-3. These healthy fats are thought to help reduce “bad” cholesterol, which helps maintain good blood flow providing oxygen and nutrients for the eyes as well as the rest of the body.

Studies suggest that prolonged deficiencies in adults may increase the risk of damage to the retina. In 2007, one study found that people who eat at least two servings of fish weekly are less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the leading cause of vision loss among people aged 65 or older in the United States.

Some foods containing high amounts of omega-3 are: walnuts, butternuts, flaxseed, soybean, oils (flaxseed, cod liver, and soybean) and fatty fish (salmon, herring, tuna, mackerel, sardines and bluefish).

Fatty acids may also reduce the symptoms of dry eye syndrome, according to a 2005 study, especially among women. Reference: www.allaboutvision.com. Top

Did you know?

Did you know…

• From LASIK to other laser vision correction procures to contact lenses, or glasses, we have many options to have improve the vision of otherwise healthy eyes.
• About 1 in 5 people who come in to see us for LASIK evaluations aren’t candidates for LASIK, so we offer other options to improve vision.
• We provide many LASIK payment options, including several with no interest.
• We never charge a fee for a LASIK consultation.
• Our LASIK patients meet with Dr. John Meyer at every LASIK screening appointment.

Eye Drops Are Real Medicine

At the start of your eye exam, remember to tell your doctor all the medications you are taking whether prescribed or over-the-counter.  Some eye drops are related to other drugs and may cause an allergic reaction.  Mild side effects may include redness of the eye, eye irritation or temporary blurred vision.  Rarely, more severe side effects can occur.

Prescription eye drops are extremely potent and should only be used under the direction of your doctor.  Do not, under any circumstances, use medication prescribed for someone other than yourself.

When visiting your doctor, make sure you know the names and dosages of each medication you are taking.  This will assist the doctor in finding the best treatment for you.

Be sure to discuss any concerns regarding your medication with your doctor.

Sources:  (www.eyecareinstitute.com or www.eyecareamerica.com)

Do you have a pair of backup glasses?

You are walking down the beach on vacation and decide you can’t resist the surf so you run and jump into the waves. When you come back up things are blurry. Oh no! You have lost your glasses in the water. You search in vain for them, but no glasses. Well it’s a good thing you brought your back-up pair of glasses…right? What a terrible time to find out that you should have bought a back-up pair.

A back-up pair of glasses serves an invaluable purpose. Accidents happen and children love to grab things that are shiny. Dogs often find them a delicacy and render them beyond repair. And the most vain contact lens wearer needs a pair of back-up glasses. What will you wear when the Doctor tells you that you have to come out of your contacts for awhile because you have an infection? Your eyes would also like a day off every now and then from that plastic blanket you cover them with 16 hours a day.

In addition to the obvious above there are many other uses for back-up pairs of glasses. Just a simple pair of reading glasses for the multifocal wearer may be just the thing when you are making your model airplanes or scrapbooking. A pair of computer glasses for work may be more comfortable than your everyday pair. Do you play sports? You don’t really want to wear your street glasses to play softball in do you? And if you wear contacts make sure to tell the Doctor to write you a spectacle prescription in addition to your contact lens Rx.

When you purchase your glasses or contact lenses at The Eye Care Institute you will receive a 20% discount on your Back-Up pair of glasses or sunglasses. Just see Nicole, Denise or Aaron in the Optical Shop at Story Ave. or Nancy at our Audubon location and they will take care of all your eyewear needs.