Wing Eyecare - Cincinnati Optometry

Check In & Receive $5 Off Your Total Purchase

2012-05-15T14:17:00.001-04:00

Are you on Facebook, Foursquare, or Yelp? We are currently have special offer just for you, when check in with us! Using your mobile smartphone or tablet do the following:

Find our page using Facebook, Foursquare, or Yelp's Android or iPhone application.
Find our page through Facebook, Foursquare, or Yelp's mobile website

Once there you should see a $5 check-in offer. Check in to claim the offer and show the optician or front desk staff member. That's it! Can you think of an easier way save $5?

Florence Tent Event 2012

2012-05-11T14:17:00.000-04:00

The Breakdown

Saturday May 19th, 10:00am to 4:00pm
Meet Former Bengals Players
Food & Beverages by Buffalo Wild Wings, Smokey Bones, Bruster's Ice Cream, & more!
30% off all tent event purchases
Contact lens giveaway sponsored by Alcon Vision & Cooper Vision
Live music

UV Protection Critical for Eye Health

2012-05-09T15:28:00.001-04:00

By American Optometric Association

ST. LOUIS, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Summer is on its way, but most Americans don't recognize the importance of ultraviolet (UV) protection for their eyes to prevent damage and visual impairment. In fact, according to the American Optometric Association's(AOA) recent American Eye-Q® survey, only 47 percent of Americans said UV protection is the most important factor when purchasing sunglasses. Additionally, less than one-third (28 percent) of Americans indicated that wearing sunglasses and sunscreen should always go hand in hand.

"UV radiation cannot be seen or felt, making it especially dangerous as the damage done to the eyes from long-term exposure to UV rays cannot be repaired," said Fraser Horn, O.D., a member of the AOA's Sports Vision Council and Assistant Professor of Optometry, Pacific University College of Optometry. "Whether it's a cloudy or sunny day, summer or winter, eyes, just like the skin, need to be protected from the sun's UV rays in order to decrease the risk of diseases and disorders."

Are your sunglasses UV Protected?

Ongoing exposure to UV radiation can cause serious harm to the eyes and age them prematurely. Long-term effects include cataracts, cancer, age-related macular degeneration, and damage to the retina. If the eyes are exposed to excessive amounts of UV radiation over a short period of time, a "sunburn" called photokeratitis can occur. This condition may be painful and include symptoms such as red eyes, a foreign body sensation or gritty feeling in the eyes, extreme sensitivity to light and excessive tearing. Photokeratitis is usually temporary and rarely causes permanent damage.

Parents should be particularly avid in protecting children's eyes from UV rays, with children receiving up to three times the annual sun exposure of adults. Children's eyes are especially susceptible to UV-related damage because the crystalline lenses in their eyes are more transparent to UV than adults. Unlike the mature lens of an adult eye, a child's lens filters out less UV rays so more radiation reaches the retina. According to the American Eye-Q® survey, only 17 percent of parents make sure their children are wearing sunglasses when they are wearing sunscreen.

A good rule of thumb is to wear sunglasses or contact lenses that offer appropriate UV protection, apply UV-blocking sunscreen around the eye area and wear a hat to help protect the eyes.

To provide adequate protection for the eyes, the AOA recommends sunglasses and protective contact lenses that:

Block out 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation
Screen out 75 to 90 percent of visible light

Additionally, sunglasses should be perfectly matched in color and free of distortion and imperfection and have lenses that are gray for proper color recognition.

The best way to monitor eye health, maintain good vision, and keep up-to-date on the latest in UVprotection is by scheduling yearly comprehensive eye exams.

Feel free to walk in and check out what sunglasses we have to offer. We carry some of the best brands available including Oakley, Coach, Maui Jim, Ray-Ban, and more. You can also schedule an appointment with us online at WingEyecare.com or by calling us at 1-888-274-WING.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/08/4474973/uv-protection-critical-for-eye.html#storylink=cpy

Bionic eye gives sight to the blind in medical breakthrough

2012-05-04T11:01:00.002-04:00

(MSN.com)

They have the technology, and now scientists in the U.K. have given sight to the blind using bionic eyes. Electronic microchips implanted into the eyes of a group of British patients suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable genetic condition that causes blindness, have partially restored the vision of the formerly sightless so that they're able to view the world as a "grainy black-and-white image." The implant's first British recipient said the bionic eye gives him "some imagery rather than just a black world."Another patient reported suddenly dreaming in "very vivid color for the first time in 25 years" because a part of his brain had been reactivated. Wow, Toto. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

Getting To Know Dr. Terry Leach (Optometrist)

2012-03-28T15:39:00.001-04:00

Meet Our Doctors

Earlier this month you had a chance to learn a little more about Dr. Jason Winterbottom, today we are featuring Dr. Terry Leach of our Western Hills office. As stated previously, we believe that it is very important for our patients know a little bit more about our optometrists. How can you have a true comprehensive and complete eye exam without a comfortable relationship with your eye doctor? We want you to know more about them and their professional opinions.

Over the past month or so, I composed a series of unique and frequently asked questions that they are commonly asked. I then sent them out to our doctors for their responses. The goal here is to post each of our participating optometrists unique responses every few days on our blog. If there is anything you would like to ask do not hesitate to submit any and all questions to: wingeyecare@wingeyecare.com

Terry Leach, O.D. (Western Hills Office)

1. Name?

Terry Leach

2. Why did you decide to become an optometrist?

I was always interested in the eyes because all of my family had vision problems when I was younger and I always went to the exams with them and just became intrigued by it.

3. What do you like best about practicing optometry?

I like the patient interaction and solving problems for the person to ,hopefully, better their lives in some way. I love it when a patient tells me how much better they can see after I've examined them. It's also rewarding to be able to help detect basic diseases like Diabetes by doing routine eye exams which helps the person's general health too.

4. Why do people need routine eye exams if they feel they see well?
People need routine eye exams even if they don't feel they are having problems for several reasons. Vision can change very slowly and people get accustomed to how the world looks and many times don't realize that their vision isn't as sharp as it could be. Another reason is that headaches that people sometimes associate with stress can be due to eyestrain especially if they are on a computer all day every day. And many eye diseases like Glaucoma don't manifest in the vision until they are fairly advanced and the sooner we detect eye disease, the better chance we have of managing it. The last reason is that the eye is the only place that blood vessels can be viewed directly and blood vessels can be an indicator of what is happening elsewhere in the body.

5. When should I bring children in for an eye exam?
Most children should probably have an eye exam by a professional by, at least, age 5 or 6. Ages 5-6 are my opinion. Some docs might say by age 4 or younger but in my opinion as long as the pediatrician makes sure their eyes are healthy and the eyes appear straight and not wandering I feel that they can wait till about age 5 for a full exam. Again, just my opinion, but I do see 4 year olds and sometimes 3.

Many times if a child is having trouble learning to read it's because they have a vision problem and not because they have a learning problem. Farsightedness, which means trouble mainly seeing close objects, can be hard to detect by a pediatrician or an eye chart on a school wall. So it's important for children to have good vision during those critical years when they are learning to read.

6. What type of contact lenses do you recommend? Daily, Monthly, Bi-Weekly? Why?

1 day disposable contact lenses. They are healthiest.

7. Do you recommend the Optomap Retinal Exam? Why?

Yes because it gives me the best view of the back of the eye to help determine if there are any problems with the health of the eye.

8. Why do you recommend some tests even though they are not covered by
insurance?

Insurances sometimes don't cover procedures done with new state of the art technology until it is proven to them that it is a needed part of an exam to best determine the overall health of a person's eyes. So we sometimes want to do further testing with our new equipment to make 100% sure that everything is ok with a person's eyes. Many times, after a few years, these new tests are determined necessary and become covered by insurance. But by that time some eye problems may become advanced and we don't want to wait for that to happen so we recommend them at a time we feel it is necessary for a patient's well being.

9. How important are sunglasses? What’s the difference between sunglasses sold at Wing Eyecare and the
sunglasses sold in grocery stores and mini marts?

Sunglasses are important to protect the eyes from UV light just like sunscreen does for the skin. UV and blue light can damage the lenses of the eye as well as the retinas in the back of the eye. Polarized sunglasses are the best sunglasses a person can have and cheaper, off the rack sunglasses don't offer the type of protection from the sun that polarized sunglasses do. Polarized lenses also cut the glare much better than regular sunglasses which gives better vision in general.

We are having an Amazon Kindle Fire Giveaway! Entry is simple, click here to see the rules and information. Be sure to "Like" our Facebook page for the latest news and information!

No Vision Insurance? Maybe we could help...

2012-03-26T14:53:00.002-04:00

Yearly eye exams are important!

We know many businesses are unable to provide vision coverage and because of this Wing Eyecare created the "Wing Vision Plan" to provide benefits for corporations employing 10 or more people that do not have or provide vision coverage.

Specific benefits of the plan are outlined below:

Upon presentation of the Wing Vision Plan membership card at any Wing Eyecare office, all employees and family members are entitled to the following benefits:

Services:
Eye Exam for Glasses: $49.00
Eye Exam for Contacts: $89.00*
(*soft spherical contacts)

Materials:
Eyeglasses: 30% off (retail)
Contact Lenses: 10% off (retail)

Also Available:
2 year eye wear service plan $24.00

*Note: Discounts may not be combined with any insurance plan or other discounts.

If you are interested in this plan please email us at wingeyecare@wingeyecare.com

Wing Eyecare Wins 2011 Super Service Award

2012-03-20T12:27:00.000-04:00

Wing Eyecare Earns Coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award

Award reflects businesses’ consistently high level of customer service

Wing Eyecare has been awarded the prestigious 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award, an honor bestowed annually on approximately 5 percent of all the businesses rated on the nation’s leading provider of consumer reviews on local service companies.

“Only a fraction of the businesses rated on Angie’s List can claim the sterling customer service record of being a Super Service Award winner because we set a high bar,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “The fact that Wing Eyecare can claim Super Service Award status speaks volumes about its dedication to consumers”.

Angie’s List Super Service Award winners have met strict eligibility requirements including earning a minimum number of reports, an exemplary rating from their customers and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

Service business ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List, but members can find the 2011 Super Service Award logo next to business names in search results on AngiesList.com.

Angie’s List collects consumer reviews on local contractors and doctors in more than 500 service categories. Currently, more than 1 million consumers across the U.S. rely on Angie’s List to help them make the best hiring decisions. Members get unlimited access to local ratings via Internet or phone, exclusive discounts, the Angie’s List magazine and help from the Angie’s List complaint resolution service. Take a quick tour of Angie’s List and view the latest Angie’s List news.

YoDeal.com Special Offer!

2012-03-20T11:57:00.001-04:00

I'm sure most of you have either heard or even used Groupon or LivingSocial. Running through the end of March we have a special YoDeal.com special offer.

For only $59 you will receive:

• An Eye Exam

• $150 towards prescription glasses.

• $209 value for $59 (72% Discount!)

Click The Image To See The YoDeal

Tablets: iPads, Kindles, and more

2012-03-20T10:29:00.010-04:00

MSE is Anti-Virus/Spyware Protection for Free

As the "IT (information technology) Guy" for Wing Eyecare I find myself occasionally being asked by patients different kinds of tech questions. What laptop do you recommend? What kind of anti-virus software should I get? Advice that I can typically give in about 60 seconds, saving them time and possibly money (especially with anti-virus software). I definitely enjoy being able to help our patients in more ways than just optics.

Most recently, I happened to be at our Cold Spring office and was asked about tablet computers and what I'd recommend. I asked what they were wanting to use it for. He told me he was looking for something simple, affordable, and was really just going to use it to play games along with some partial web browsing. With that said, a lot of it depends on a budget. For his needs, I knew immediately what would be a good fit. I recommended the Amazon Kindle Fire, its $199 and if you purchase directly from Amazon there aren't any taxes and its free shipping. At the $199 price tag half as much as the iPad 2 and more than half as much as the new iPad.

I also told him we are giving one away next month, and its very simple to qualify. All you have to do is "Like Us" on Facebook and write a Google Review. That's it. It's that simple.

If money isn't an object I'd recommend the iPad. Both the new iPad and the iPad 2 have its differences, both positive and negative. The iPad 2 starts at $399, takes half as long to charge, is lighter, and thinner. The new iPad starts at $499, has 4G speeds (if using a wireless carrier like Verizon), and has the highest resolution screen (2048x1536) for any mobile device. More pixels create more of a crisp and sharper image making it easier on the eye.

The new iPad

In this article Gary Heiting, an optometrist and associate editor of All About Vision says "A key factor in something that's called computer vision syndrome, or just eye strain from computer use is screen resolution. The new iPad, with twice the resolution of the iPad 2, 264 ppi (pixels per inch) instead of 132, people are going to notice less pixelation, especially in a small type face. It's not just an enjoyment issue or an aesthetic issue, but it's definetly a visual comfort issue, over time."

The iPad’s retina display would also ease some of the eye strain of playing games, says Heiting. Since games aren’t static like photos, they put more stress on the eye. Although the dynamic nature of games will always fatigue eyes faster than type, the upgraded screen can still help.

See the difference between the iPad 2 and new iPad as well as read into more detail about this here.

In the mean time, for all the guys out there reading this blog your eye health maybe be the reason you need to help convince your wife or girlfriend of needing the new iPad.

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Meet Our Wing Eyecare - Cold Spring Staff!

2012-03-19T10:54:00.001-04:00

Behind (left to right): Tom, Debbie, Brittany, & Dr. Baker.
Front (left to right): Samantha & Amy (Manager).

Our staff at Cold Spring is kind-hearted, helpful, and very knowledgeable. Come in and find out for yourself!

Hours of Operation:

Monday: 9:30am-8:00pm

Tuesday: 9:00am-6:00pm

Wednesday: 9:00am-8:00pm

Thursday: 9:00am-6:00pm

Friday: 9:00am-6:00pm

Saturday: 9:00am-3:00pm

Sunday: Closed

Meet Our Wing Eyecare - Western Hills Staff!

2012-03-15T15:08:00.001-04:00

Top (left to right):Lisa, Bryan (Manager), Rodney, Dr. Thiemann, Dr. Leach, & Cody.
Bottom (left to right): Sandy, Becky, Christy, Amanda, & Kayla.

Our staff at Western Hills are very friendly, hard working, and caring. Come in and find out for yourself!

Hours of Operation:

Monday: 9:00am-6:00pm

Tuesday: 9:30am-8:00pm

Wednesday: 9:00am-6:00pm

Thursday: 9:00am-8:00pm

Friday: 9:00am-6:00pm

Saturday: 9:00am-3:00pm

Sunday: Closed

Thursday a patient thanked them for their exceptional customer service!

Find Wing Eyecare's Western Hill's office on Facebook!

Meet Our Wing Eyecare - Kenwood Staff!

2012-03-13T10:33:00.000-04:00

Top (left to right): Erica (Manager), Dr. Drees, Taylor, Greg.
Bottom (left to right): Corrine, Jamie, Dave.

Our staff at Kenwood are fun, dedicated, and caring. Come in and find out for yourself!

Hours of Operation:

Monday: 9:30am-8:00pm

Tuesday: 9:00am-6:00pm

Wednesday: 9:00am-6:00pm

Thursday: 9:00am-8:00pm

Friday: 9:00am-6:00pm

Saturday: 9:00am-3:00pm

Sunday: Closed

Link Between Eye Health & Colon Cancer?

2012-03-09T15:56:00.002-05:00

By: Alfred Thigpen of The Washington Post

‘Freckles’ on his retina prompts a man to get himself tested for colon cancer

Dr. Neal Adams/DR. NEAL ADAMS - A composite drawing showing a close-up image of a freckle on the retina of a patient with colon polyp syndrome.

I tore my cornea with a thumbnail 25 years ago. I was lunging for a basketball — with my girlfriend watching — and I felt like a klutz. All was repaired, but on doctor’s orders I’ve gotten regular, thorough eye examinations ever since.

It was during one of these last summer that retina specialist Neal Adams caught me totally off guard. After examining the back of my eyes for a suspiciously long time, he advised me to schedule a colonoscopy.

A what?

“My colon has something to do with my eyes?” I asked. The doctor told me he had found “freckles” on my retinas. “When the freckle has a certain appearance and is found in a certain number, evidence shows that it’s highly associated with a specific syndrome of colon polyps,” he said.

Adams explained that the likelihood of cancer was low but that it was better to be safe than sorry. “It’s for your own peace of mind,” he said reassuringly. I located a gastroenterologist that afternoon.

This eyeball-colon correlation was news to me and everybody I mentioned it to. But, as Adams later told me, it’s been known for a long time.

Richard Cabot, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, first reported an association between colon cancer and a certain type of retinal pigmentation in 1935.

“The medical literature remained largely silent on this association until 1980, when Drs. Norman Blair and Clement Trempe described the association between colon polyps and colon cancer and this specific back-of-the-eye freckle,” continued Adams, who is editor in chief of the medical journal Eye Reports. They named the freckle CHRPE (pronounced “chirpy,” an abbreviation for “congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium”).

A later study found that CHRPE has a “statistically significant” correlation with hereditary colon polyps known as familial adenomatous polyposis, or FAP. It may be that the freckles are caused by the same genetic mutation that produces the polyps.

A 2010 study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology concluded that patients with such freckles should be referred for colonoscopies.

The gastroenterologist I went to did not acknowledge any connection between retinal freckles and colon disease. But he did say that at 63, I was overdue for a colonoscopy, and he worked me into his schedule within a week.

During the procedure, he located and removed three sessile (or flat) polyps, each about the size of a pencil eraser. He sent them off to be tested for malignancy and told me it would take a week to get the results.
Rather than fret about the possibility of a positive from the lab, I focused on finding out more about what still seemed to be a peculiar way to start a diagnosis. I asked Adams more questions.

“When we look in back of the eye at the retina, we can find signs that may help us identify many disorders — common ones like high blood pressure and diabetes, rare genetic disorders and even life-threatening cancers.” These could include lung cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, brain cancer, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and more, he said.

Adams told me he once diagnosed early-stage leukemia in an otherwise healthy person by noting blood spots in the patient’s retina. Another patient’s suspiciously inflamed retinas led him to run a test called an electroretinogram, which found an abnormality that was strongly suggestive of a malignancy. He sent the patient to an oncologist, who diagnosed ovarian cancer.

As Gregory Wolfe, chair of the American Optometric Association’s health promotion committee, put it, the eyes aren’t just the window to the soul. “The eyes can be the oracles of a variety of systemic conditions,” he said.

And more than the eyes are involved. As many of us have read, periodontal or gum disease is associated with heart disease. But few of us are aware, Wolfe and Adams noted, of the associations between periodontal disease and osteoporosis or even Alzheimer’s disease. Even though people are becoming increasingly aware of the interrelatedness of diseases, Wolfe said, the public still tends to see fields such as dentistry, eye health and gastroenterology as essentially distinct. “It’s really important to change this mind-set to a more holistic approach,” he said.

A recent study by Consumer Reports found that Americans are growing increasingly likely to put off or skip important diagnostic tests, often for financial reasons. No one is suggesting that an eye exam is any substitute for a colonoscopy or that a dental checkup replaces an EKG. But what’s disturbing is that Americans may be increasingly skipping both, with dangerous consequences.

My polyp tests came back from the lab. Two were benign; the third, however, was a tubular adenoma, often called a precancerous polyp.

Interestingly, my polyps were not the kind associated with FAP, the syndrome my ophthalmologist had been concerned about. Nevertheless, the advice to get the colonoscopy was worthwhile, because colon cancer almost always starts out as a benign polyp gone wrong. By removing the polyps, I’d headed off that possibility.

By nature, I’m not an optimist. But I caught a break because a clumsy basketball move 25 years ago forced me to keep an eye on my eyes. And I think that’s an insight worth sharing.

Thigpen is a Washington freelance writer and critic.

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Getting To Know Dr. Jason Winterbottom (Optometrist)

2012-03-09T10:03:00.007-05:00

Meet Our Doctors

We believe that it is important for you, our patients to understand more about our optometrists. How can you have a true comprehensive and complete eye exam without a comfortable relationship with your eye doctor? We want you to know more about them and their professional opinions.

Jason Winterbottom, O.D. (Hamilton Office)

1. Name?

Jason Winterbottom

2. Why did you decide to become an optometrist?

Psychology class. We were discussing the human senses and the eye segment sold me.

3. What do you like best about practicing optometry?

Instant gratification to our patients. Having the ability to see every aspect of eyecare. My Air National Guard career also lets me travel the world for humanitarian efforts as well. It is very rewarding.

4. What type of contact lenses do you recommend? Daily, Monthly, Bi-Weekly? Why?

Daily and monthly. Dailies are a fresh clean lens every day with no extra solutions. This minimizes contact lens solution cost, supply, preservative issues, allergy patient discomfort. Monthly lenses provide good high oxygen and really do withstand buildup. Monthly modalities have far surpassed the 2 week lenses in technology and comfort.

5. Do you recommend the Optomap Retinal Exam? Why?

Absolutely! When we look into the eye with our lenses we are looking through the eye into a little dark room. We only get to see the spots that our lights aim to. The optomap is like opening up the eye, turning the light on and looking at all the structures at once. It really lets us see the whole retinal picture to determine macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and so on.

6. Why do you recommend some tests even though they are not covered by
insurance?

Insurance usually only want us to track problems, they generally do not like to pay for preventative care. The problem is, if we don’t find the problem or trends of problems early, it could be hard to regain vision. We don’t want to be too late.

7. How important are sunglasses? What’s the difference between sunglasses sold at Wing Eyecare and the
sunglasses sold in grocery stores and mini marts?

We use mainly Coppertone Polarized sunlenses that are endorsed by the Cancer Society. These lenses block UV, Ground glare (polarization) and High energy light that could cause skin cancer. We can make them for driving or even bifocals. UV protection helps minimize risk for changing cataracts, macular degeneration and skin cancers around the eyes.

You can personally follow Dr. Winterbottom on:

March Special Offers!

2012-03-05T11:42:00.000-05:00

Check out this month's special offers!

We are having an Amazon Kindle Fire Giveaway! Entry is simple, click here to see the rules and information.

Be sure to "Like" our Facebook page for the latest news and information!

Violent Video Games Good For Eye Health?

2012-02-23T08:50:00.001-05:00

(By NYDailyNews.com)

It looks like violent video games may do some good after all.

Scientists found that adult patients who were born with a rare eye disorder improved their vision later in life after playing "Medal of Honor,” a World War II-themed video game that involves shooting enemies on a battlefield.

The research shows that some sensory abilities that may seem permanently impaired can be improved in adulthood, according to lead investigator Daphne Maurer of McMaster University in Canada.

Maurer and colleagues followed children born with a rare cataract disorder in both eyes that required surgery and corrective contacts. All were deprived of normal vision as infants between three and 10 months. As these children grew to adults, their vision improved but never reached 20/20, and they showed some deficits in face perception, sharpness, direction of motion, peripheral and binocular vision.

Since previous research on people with certain eye disorders had shown improvements after playing a type of videogame known as a first-person shooter, in which the player wields a gun and blows up foes, Maurer decided to try it on her subjects.

Six patients between the ages of 19 and 31 were tracked for a period of one month, in which they played the Electronic Arts (EA) videogame "Medal of Honor" for a total of 40 hours -- no more than two hours a day, five days a week.

Five of the six showed improvement in their vision, each moving closer to 20/20 from baseline ranges of 20/32 to 20/100, with improved ability to recognize faces, see small print and judge the direction of moving dots.

"About two-thirds of the things we measured improved simply from playing an action videogame," Maurer told reporters at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual convention in Vancouver.

For the average person, that's about the same as being able to read two lines smaller than they presently can on an eye chart, she added.

"I think it tells us that the visual nervous system is still plastic enough to either form or reveal connections in adulthood... and we suspect that might be true for any kind of visual defect."

Maurer, who said she is not a "gamer," admitted some reticence to asking people to play a violent videogame for her study.

"Certainly we don't relish ask adult patients who are nongamers to play a first-person shooter for 40 hours," she said.

"They know what they are getting into and they know there is a small risk they may become addicted to such games as a result of our intervention. That is why we limit them to 10 hours a week and no more than two hours a day."

However, the visual benefits of the game were so great that it made the effort worthwhile, she said.

The fast-paced game requires players to monitor what is right in front of them and what is in the periphery, increasing levels of dopamine and adrenaline that may make the brain more flexible to improvements in visual acuity.

VISION & EYE HEALTH

"It is also called adrenaline for action, because you not only have to make a judgment based on what is going on on the screen but you have to act on it and you have to act on it from a real world perspective," she said.

"So we think the manufacturers built into these games the effective ingredients for retraining the visual brain in adulthood."

Now, Maurer and colleagues are working on creating their own videogame for patients, gleaning the same characteristics of Medal of Honor but adding some elements to train people's brains to improve binocular vision.

"We are currently as a network (with other scientists) building our own game which we hope will be even better because it won't be violent," Maurer said.

We are having an Amazon Kindle Fire Giveaway! Be sure to "Like" our Facebook page for the latest news and information!

Google to Sell Heads-Up Display Glasses

2012-02-22T09:14:00.000-05:00

(By: Nick Bilton of the New York Times)

People who constantly reach into a pocket to check a smartphone for bits of information will soon have another option: a pair of Google-made glasses that will be able to stream information to the wearer’s eyeballs in real time.

According to several Google employees familiar with the project who asked not to be named, the glasses will go on sale to the public by the end of the year. These people said they are expected “to cost around the price of current smartphones,” or $250 to $600.

The people familiar with the Google glasses said they would be Android-based, and will include a small screen that will sit a few inches from someone’s eye. They will also have a 3G or 4G data connection and a number of sensors including motion and GPS.

A Google spokesman declined to comment on the project.

Seth Weintraub, a blogger for 9 to 5 Google, who first wrote about theglasses project in December, and then discovered more information about them this month, also said the glasses would be Android-based and cited a source that described their look as that of a pair of Oakley Thumps.

They will also have a unique navigation system. “The navigation system currently used is a head tilting to scroll and click,” Mr. Weintraub wrote this month. “We are told it is very quick to learn and once the user is adept at navigation, it becomes second nature and almost indistinguishable to outside users.”

The glasses will have a low-resolution built-in camera that will be able to monitor the world in real time and overlay information about locations, surrounding buildings and friends who might be nearby, according to the Google employees. The glasses are not designed to be worn constantly — although Google expects some of the nerdiest users will wear them a lot — but will be more like smartphones, used when needed.

Internally, the Google X team has been actively discussing the privacy implications of the glasses and the company wants to ensure that people know if they are being recorded by someone wearing a pair of glasses with a built-in camera.

The project is currently being built in the Google X offices, a secretive laboratory near Google’s main campus that is charged with working on robots, space elevators and dozens of other futuristic projects.

One of the key people involved with the glasses is Steve Lee, a Google engineer and creator of the Google mapping software, Latitude. As a result of Mr. Lee’s involvement, location information will be paramount in the first version released to the public, several people who have seen the glasses said. The other key leader on the glasses project is Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder, who is currently spending most of his time in the Google X labs.

One Google employee said the glasses would tap into a number of Google software products that are currently available and in use today, but will display the information in an augmented reality view, rather than as a Web browser page like those that people see on smartphones.

The glasses will send data to the cloud and then use things like Google Latitude to share location, Google Goggles to search images and figure out what is being looked at, and Google Maps to show other things nearby, the Google employee said. “You will be able to check in to locations with your friends through the glasses,” they added.

Everyone I spoke with who was familiar with the project repeatedly said that Google was not thinking about potential business models with the new glasses. Instead, they said, Google sees the project as an experiment that anyone will be able to join. If consumers take to the glasses when they are released later this year, then Google will explore possible revenue streams.

As I noted in a Disruptions column last year, Apple engineers are also exploring wearable computing, but the company is taking a different route, focusing on computers that strap around someone’s wrist.

Last week The San Jose Mercury News discovered plans by Google to build a $120 million electronics testing facility that will be involved in testing “precision optical technology.”

We are having an Amazon Kindle Fire Giveaway! Be sure to "Like" our Facebook, & Google+ pages for the latest news & information, special offers, contests/giveaways & more!

Amazon Kindle Fire Giveaway!

2012-02-15T16:44:00.003-05:00

How To Enter:

1. “Like Us” on Facebook!

2. Share your office experience with a Google Review

a. Click Here for the link

3. That’s it!

Rules & Information:

No employees or their family members are eligible to win.
Must have visited an office since January 2011.
1 person will be selected at random
Drawing will be held in April 2012.

Prize:

1 Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet

Be sure to "Like Us" below, as well as check out our Twitter, Facebook, & Google+ pages for the latest news & information, special offers, contests/giveaways & more!

Daily Disposable Contact Lenses

2012-01-24T16:18:00.001-05:00

For those of us who have an astigmatism we have a much more difficult time getting a proper fit from daily disposable contact lenses than those without.

Acuvue just recently released 1-Day Acuvue Moist for Astigmatism daily disposable contact lenses. I've personally been wearing these for about a week and have noticed a considerable amount of difference between these and the lenses I've previously worn (both bi-weekly and monthly). They feel more thin and a lot more comfortable than the alternatives. My eyes feel much more natural.

It's no secret daily disposable contacts are the safest and healthiest option for your eyes (and this isn't just meant for people with an astigmatism). Among the numerous benefits:

Super Comfortable

Discard every night and replace with a new fresh pair every morning

Convenient

No lens cleaning required, no additional expenses
Also more suitable for people that only wear lenses occasionally
No date or lens schedule to remember
Easy for traveling

Healthy (no day to day accumulation of protein or other deposits)

Better for allergies as well
Good for people who work in dusty environments
UV Protection
No Overnight Wear (eliminate any contact lens related eye problems)

Wing Eyecare Optometrists highly recommend daily disposable contact lenses to patients.

Give it a chance, you won't be disappointed.

Also, don't forget to ask your opticians about possible mail in rebates for your contact lenses. Many can offer as much as $100 or more, some will even offer a rebate on the exam:

Be sure to "Like Us" below, as well as check out our Twitter, Facebook, & Google+ pages for the latest news & information, special offers, contests/giveaways & more!

January Special Offers!

2012-01-10T14:56:00.000-05:00

This months special offers!

Researchers Build Terminator Contact Lens

2011-12-30T14:23:00.000-05:00

By Lance Ulanoff of mashable.com

Arnold Schwarzenegger, your contact lenses are calling. Researchers at the University of Washington have successfully built and tested what may be the first-everTerminator-style heads-up display contact lens. For now, the lens displays only a single, well-focused pixel and the wireless power is only enough to give the appearance of constant illumination, but this is the first step toward, asresearchers describe it, building lenses that “may receive data from external platforms (e.g. mobile phones) and provide real-time notiﬁcation of important events.”

Officially called “A single-pixel wireless contact lens display” the super lens, which researchers successfully tested on rabbits, is comprised of a polymer substrate, light-emitted diode, antenna, and an integrated circuit to harvest the wireless power. Researchers built the lens through a highly complex process that included fabricating the antenna, electrical interconnects, electrical isolation and pads for solder coating directly on the contact lens.

To successfully build a working lens, the researchers had to overcome several key challenges. First of all, the lens display, which sits in a live eye, is standalone, meaning it can’t have wires running out of it. So power transmission and storage all has to happen wirelessly and primarily on the lens itself. Obviously, the lens had to be bio-compatible with the human eye — it can’t inflame or in any way damage the sensitive organ and the radio frequencies have to remain at safe levels. The third and most obvious challenge was building the necessary technology at a “micrometer scale.”

A red LED, which was used on a previous test lens, was subsequently replaced with a blue micro-LED mounted on a sapphire wafer. Researchers found that, due to the proximity to the retina, they could not focus the blue light. So a series of micro-thin Fresnel lenses were added to rectify the image.

The finished lens was tested on an anesthetized rabbit with no ill effects — though no one has asked the rabbit for comment.

A single pixel does not an image make, but this is clearly the first step in always-available heads up display and augmented reality. University of Washington researchers envision a whole spectrum of uses for the lens technology. From the research paper submitted to the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering in September:

“As contact lens based biosensors advance, they may alert the wearer of physiological anomalies, such as irregular glucose or lactate levels. With more colors and increased resolution, contact lenses may display text, be used with gaming devices, or offer cues from navigation systems.”

Obviously, researchers are working on ways to build more color, resolution and computing power into these lenses. Yet, even with just a handful of pixels, researchers believe future lenses could communicate short emails, text messages and navigational information. Someone wearing more powerful lenses could also, someday, look at a store and see a Yelp Monocle-style overlay of information. “If such displays were successfully deployed, they would fundamentally change the nature of interaction between humans and visual information,” note researchers in their paper.

Don’t go shopping for super contact lenses just yet. The researchers only built a one blue pixel display and also found that the natural conditions of a living eye dramatically diminish the lenses’ ability to hold power. Surely a problem they can overcome, but it could be quite a few years before we’re all walking around with super eyes.

Our Florence Office Is Moving!

2011-12-20T09:55:00.000-05:00

Our Florence office is moving in mid-January and should be in place by January 16th. In order to keep up with the latest news and information visit us on our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Blog sites.

December Special Offers

2011-12-20T09:46:00.000-05:00

There is still time to take advantage of our December special offers!

Now Hiring!

2011-12-20T09:42:00.000-05:00

Our Optometry practice has immediate full-time openings in our Cold Spring, Hamilton, and Beechmont offices for experienced opticians. We are seeking individuals with good interpersonal skills and a professional approach to eye care services. Doesn't need to be licensed, but knowledgeable in all areas of opticianary. NCLE certification a plus. Experience with frame and lens selection, dispensing glasses and contact lenses, adjustments, repairs, and pretesting. If you have a positive attitude, dependable, able to multi-task and motivated we would like to speak with you!

Benefit package includes:

Competitive wages
Medical
Dental
401-k (with company match)
Life Insurance
Long Term Disability
Generous Optical Benefit including family members
Paid Holidays
Vacation and Sick Days
Bonuses

Hours of Operation:

Full time (40 hours)
Set schedule includes working only two evenings until 8:00pm and Saturday hours until 3:00pm.
Closed Sunday with a day off during the week.

Send your resume:

E-mail: wingeyecare@wingeyecare.com
Fax: 513-921-4935
Call: 513-921-8433 ext. 23

Wing Eyecare Goes Electronic

2011-12-20T09:25:00.000-05:00

We apologize for not having very many posts recently, as we have been very busy implementing our new EMR (electronic medical record) system.

Currently our Colerain, Western Hills, and Florence offices have it implemented and will be followed by Tri County and Hamilton in January of 2012. The other six offices will follow shortly there after in 2012.

Do to this new system being implemented, many changes are taking place. Among them is the patients ability to fill out an online welcome form and submit information via email to our offices. Our new welcome form has added details and information. We hope to get our new online welcome form up shortly. You can still go and print a copy to fill out by hand by clicking the link below:

http://wingeyecare.com/PatientInfo/PatientForms.aspx

We are already one, if not the most technologically advanced optometrist practices in the tri-state area. From the Optomap to Eymaginations to CyberEYES be sure to visit our website to schedule an appointment so we can keep your ensure your vision is healthy!