Wing Eyecare - Cincinnati Optometry

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:

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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!

5 Million Contact Lenses Recalled

2011-11-17T08:55:00.002-05:00

(By Catherine Holland of AZFamily.com)

WASHINGTON -- CooperVision, one of the biggest eye-care companies in the country, is recalling nearly 5 million contact lenses.

The initial recall was announced mid-August and involved more than 600,000 Avaira Toric contact lenses. Wearers reported severe pain, red eyes and hazy vision. Serious injuries, including torn corneas, were reported, as well.

The company said a silicone oil residue on the lenses is to blame for the issues customers have experienced.

While CooperVision first focused on alerting eye-care professionals who sell the product, it later expanded its efforts to reach consumers themselves under pressure from the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA issued a Class I recall notice, which is the highest level, indicating "a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death."

As of late last month, the FDA had received 40 reports of problems with the CooperVision contact lenses.

The recall has now expanded to include nearly 5 million contact lenses. Not only are the Avaira Toric lenses still on the list, but the Avaira Spherelenses are now part of the recall, too. A CooperVision spokesman said the Toric and the Sphere are the company's only lenses that use silicone oil in the production process.

According to the company, 6.6 million lenses were produced, but only 4.9 million were shipped to customers.

The CooperVision Avaira Toric and Avaira Sphere contact lenses are sold at Costco, Wal-Mart and LensCrafters.

According to CooperVision, the symptoms vary from wearer to wearer, but generally start with hazy or blurred vision and progress to pain. If you experience any issues, the company says you should remove your lenses immediately and contact your eye-care provider.

To find out if your contact lenses are part of the recall, visit the CooperVision website and enter the lot number on the package.

Consumers with problems or questions related to the recalls and availability of Avaira Toric and Avaira Sphere lenses should contact the company at 1-855-526-6737.

*Note: Wing Eyecare does not sell these contact lenses.

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Wing Eyecare Joins Google+

2011-11-08T16:06:00.001-05:00

Are you on Google+? We are! Yesterday Google announced the addition of Google+ Pages on their blog:

In life we connect with all kinds of people, places and things. There’s friends and family, of course, but there’s also the sports teams we root for, the coffee shops we’re loyal to, and the TV shows we can’t stop watching (to name a few).

So far Google+ has focused on connecting people with other people. But we want to make sure you can build relationships with all the things you care about—from local businesses to global brands—so today we’re rolling out Google+ Pages worldwide... read more.

Or you can watch on it below. Don't see the video? Click here:

We look forward to interacting with you via Google+! Please click the Google+ icon below to check out our page. Also, while your there please go ahead and +1 us!

November is Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month

2011-11-04T13:34:00.000-04:00

(By VisionMonday)

NEW YORK—The latest American Eye-Q consumer survey from the American Optometric Association (AOA) found that 55 percent of people are unaware that diabetic eye disease often has no visual signs or symptoms. Additionally, 44 percent of Americans don't know that a person with diabetes should have a comprehensive eye exam once a year. That’s why this year, professionals throughout the optical industry are placing added focus on November as Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month.

The National Eye Institute (NEI), a part of the National Institutes of Health, is encouraging consumers with diabetes to get annual dilated eye exams and take steps to avoid vision loss and will be providing resources to health professionals and the public to educate and increase awareness of diabetic eye disease through its National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP). By distributing free diabetic eye disease resources to health professionals and community organizations serving people with diabetes, the organization hopes these teaching tools (including cards to promote the Medicare and other educational materials) will benefit those with diabetes.

In addition, Prevent Blindness America (PBA) reported that more than 25 million Americans have diabetes, a disease that is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in those ages 20 and over. “People with diabetes are also twice as likely to develop other eye diseases such as cataract and glaucoma. Fortunately, recent studies have shown that the onset of Type 2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented and the risk of vision loss reduced through a healthy diet and exercise,” PBA said.

As part of November’s Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month, PBA said it is launching the new campaign “Live Right, Save Sight!” to educate the public on diabetes and its potential effect on vision, as well as healthy choices they can make today to save sight in the future. The campaign will provide free information including risk factors, treatment options and Medicare benefits as well as a dedicated web page at preventblindness.org/diabetes.

Citing the AOA survey, the Minnesota Optometric Association (MOA) is urging Minnesotans living with diabetes to schedule yearly comprehensive eye exams to help detect diabetic eye disease, especially since, according to the organization, the number of people suffering from diabetic eye disease is expected to nearly double by the year 2020.

"When optometrists dilate a patient's eyes during an eye exam, they have a clear view of the retina and can look for indications of diabetic eye disease, such as leaking blood vessels, swelling and deposits within the retina," said Dr. Linda Chous, chief health officer at United Healthcare and past president of MOA. "Optometrists often serve as the first line of detection for diabetes, since the eye is the only place in the body that blood vessels can be seen in their natural condition," she added.

Importance of Yearly Eye Exams:

Congratulations to Sue Walters for winning our "Kinect With Wing Eyecare" Giveaway. She won an Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle! Be sure to "Like Us" below, as well as check out our Facebook Page for news, info, special offers, & more!

November Special Offers!

2011-10-31T16:35:00.002-04:00

This month's special offers:

Buy One, Get One Free!

Save up to $125!

Our Facebook giveaway is over! Be sure to check out our Facebook Page to see if you have won! One lucky person will win an Xbox 360 Kinect bundle!

Finally, don't forget to click the "Like Us" button below

VSP Guarantees Your Satisfaction With Transitions Lenses

2011-10-27T15:30:00.000-04:00

Do you have a VSP insurance plan?

As part of a shared commitment to promote healthy sight, VSP and Transitions Optical are teaming up to provide VSP members guaranteed satisfaction on Transitions lenses. VSP members who select original Transitions lenses or Transitions^® XTRActive^TM lenses from a VSP doctor have up to six months to experience their new lenses, risk free. If not completely satisfied, VSP will refund any associated out-of-pocket expenses, less any copays, and will replace your Transitions lenses with clear, prescription lenses—free of charge.

About VSP

With an extensive network of private-practice doctors who will take the time to get to know your eyes and deliver the best overall care year after year, VSP members benefit from high-quality WellVision Exams® that look for vision problems, and signs of other health conditions, too. And, our plans offer the flexibility to select the vision wear options that your doctor believes are important to optimize and protect your vision. Wing Eyecare accepts VSP. Please click here to find one of our offices near you.

Are Transitions Lenses right for you?

Transitions lenses are convenient, everyday lenses that do more. Outdoors, they automatically adapt to changing light conditions – darkening to reduce glare. They provide visual comfort and quality at any and every moment. And just like sunblock protects your skin, Transitions lenses help preserve your vision for the future by blocking 100 percent of harmful UV rays.
Now, you have a choice: original Transitions or Transitions XTRActive.
If you’re looking for a Transitions lens that is clear indoors and at night, talk to your eyecare professional about the benefits of original Transitions lenses.
If you’re looking for a Transitions lens that gets even darker outdoors, activates moderately behind a car windshield and has an attractive, light tint indoors, ask about new Transitions XTRActive lenses.

Click Here to see the Transitions interactive slider on how they work.

Transitions Lenses: Which product is right for you?

If you haven't heard we are having a "Kinect" With Wing Eyecare Facebook Giveaway. Hurry though time is running out! One lucky person will win an Xbox 360 Kinect bundle! Please click the link for complete details.

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iPads May Help Kids with Severe Vision Impairments

2011-10-12T16:47:00.005-04:00

By: TechMediaNetwork via Fox News

The iPad has the potential to increase communication skills in kids living with severe vision problems and become a “life-changing therapy” tool, according to research conducted at the University of Kansas.

New findings reveal that Apple’s best selling tablet device may have the ability to improve cortical visual impairment, a severe neurological disorder resulting from brain damage that prevents children from interpreting visual information.

Muriel Saunders, assistant research professor at the University of Kansas’s Life Span Institute, was conducting a study about how children respond to adaptive switches – a tool that teaches kids with disabilities cause and affect skills needed for early language development – when her assistant asked to use an iPad to gauge interaction.

“We gave 15 toddlers between the ages of three and four with cortical visual impairment an iPad to play with and were completely shocked with the results,” Saunders told TechNewsDaily. “Children with the disorder don’t usually look directly at people and objects, but they were completely drawn to the light of the iPad and could interact with objects on the screen.”

Children with cortical visual impairment often work with therapists and parents using a light box – similar to the light box a doctor use to see an X-ray – so they have an easier time seeing lights and objects in high contrast.

“Someone with severe cortical visual impairment will spend a lot of time looking at lights,” Saunders said. “They might just sit and look at a light inside the house or typically they look out the window into the bright sunlight. They might look briefly at something passing by, but they don’t look at faces and they don’t look at objects. So they appear to be blind.”

The iPads – which replicated a light box – ran an app called Baby Finger, in which kids can tap images and colored shapes that appear on the white background.

“The results were remarkable,” Saunders said. “Their parents had never seen them interact with an object like that before.”

Parents of children with cortical visual impairment had been the first to notice the iPad’s potential as a therapy tool for their kids, with buzz about its benefits circulating the Internet and social media. However, according to Saunders, no formal research has been conducted so far about the iPad’s power to help children. She is currently writing a grant proposal to the National Institutes of Health to conduct a study.

Just as the iPad is being used with children with autism to help them adjust to sensory overload, there is a lot of potential to use the device as a teaching tool for kids with cortical visual impairment, Saunders said. “The iPad can not only be used to help them interact with the screen, it can also teach them how to control the things they see on the screen.”

Saunders noted that early intervention in the lives of children with the disorder is critical to their development and helping to improve their vision as they grow. With the proper techniques, the child’s brain grows the cells needed in the cerebral cortex to begin understanding what their eye is seeing, so they develop the ability to interpret images.

“The iPad could be a huge resource in helping kids with cortical vision improvement see better in the future,” Saunders said.

Click here to see Gizmodo's Best iPad Apps for Babies, Toddlers and Sanity-Loving Parents.

If you haven't heard we are having a "Kinect" With Wing Eyecare Facebook Giveaway. One lucky person will win an Xbox 360 Kinect bundle. Perfect for Christmas! Please click the link for complete details.

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2011-10-07T09:15:00.000-04:00

By Jessica Satherley of dailymail.co.uk
This is the remarkable first picture taken by the new $1.3billion radio telescope sitting high in the Chilean Andes.
It shows two galaxies colliding in a view no other telescope on Earth or in space could capture.
The shot is a teasing glimpse of the capabilities of the Atacama Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array telescope - this picture has been taken using only a quarter of the antennae it will have when it comes into full operation in 2013.
But even now, this shot of the Antennae Galaxies is astonishing - showing off the telescope's exceptional power at detecting 'cold' matter using radio waves. The combined image shown would not be visible at all to visible-light and infrared telescopes.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

The ALMA radio telescope has taken its first photograph of the Antennae Galaxies from the observatory in Chile (pictured)

The radio telescope is the most expensive ground-based telescope ever built - and the highest-altitude, at 16,000ft. Chile's Atacama desert was chosen as its location for its dryness and clarity.
American projeect manager Mark McKinnon said, 'Alma's test views show us star-forming regions on a level of detail that no other telescope on Earth or in space has attained.' It operates at higher sensititivity and higher resolution than any previous 'sub-millimetre' radio telescope - and should allow us to see the formation of new solar systems.
ALMA, as it is known, can see through cold clouds of dust that 'block the view' of traditional infrared/visible light telescopes.
As more of ALMA's antennae come online, its images will get sharper.

More...

Telescope to spot aliens: World's largest eye on the sky to join quest for signs of ET

North American ALMA project manager at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, Virginia, Mark McKinnon said: We went to one of the most extreme locations on Earth to build the world’s largest array of millimetre/submillimeter telescopes, having a level of technical sophistication that was merely a dream only a decade ago.’

Desert location: ALMA radio telescope sits in the Chajnantor plateau, in Chile's Atacama desert, some 1500 km north of Santiago

ALMA's antennas: Each of its 66 antennas will be used to detect extremely cold objects, such as gas clouds formed by stars and planets

Joint project: ALMA is an international partnership project of Europe, North America and East Asia, with the cooperation of Chile

The amazing shot of the Antennae Galaxies (otherwise known as NGC 4038 and 4039) shows the pair of interacting galaxies in the constellation Corvus.

The galaxies are around 70 million light-years away and were captured by ALMA using two different wavelength ranges.
The 40ft radio telescope sits on the Chajnator plateau in the Atacama desert, some 1500 km north of Santiago, at an elevation of 16,500 ft.

ALMA’s deputy project scientist during construction, Alison Peck, told the science site: ‘With millimetre and submillimeter waves, we can watch planet formation, investigate astrochemistry and detect the light that is finally reaching us from the universe’s earliest galaxies.’
ALMA is an international partnership project of Europe, North America and East Asia, with the cooperation of Chile, and is presently the largest astronomical project in the world.

October Special Offers!

2011-10-03T10:01:00.000-04:00

Once again we are having our $49 eye exam special. This only happens a few times a year so don't forget to take advantage of this!

Click To Enlarge

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Seeing Stars?

2011-09-29T14:51:00.000-04:00

(By Rachel Swaby - Gizmodo.com)

Seeing stars when you're bonked on the head isn't just for cartoon characters. That phantom astrological event happens in real life, too. It's pretty weird.
One moment you see Manny Pacquiao's handsome mug in front of you; a second later, the honorable representative from Sarangani's face is dappled with what appears to be the Milky Way. What is it about getting smacked on the dome gives us such strange reactions?

Naturally, it starts with your brain.

A little set up: The part of the brain that handles what you see is called the occipital lobe,; it's located at the back of your head. Its job is to take the information sent from the retina and turn it into something that makes sense to you. So before you know that the thing in front of you is actually your cat chewing on a power cord, your retina has to take the observable light, convert it first into a chemical signal, and then into an electrical impulse, before sending back to you brain for interpretation. The occipital lobe will then say, yup, based on this information, that's your cat trying to off himself. You get the idea: Your eyes and your brain work together to understand what's in front of you.

Your brain reads other types of stimulation, too. Robert Wade Crow, an assistant clinical professor of neuro-ophthalmology at UC Irvine explains, "If you irritate the brain, it may create a response like it's normally used to creating, which is, in this case, a visual response." Poking the occipital lobe can make it cry vision. The thing is, the response is not anchored to anything, so instead of seeing floating suicidal cats or baseballs speckling your vision when the occipital lobe is bumped, you just see light.

Now this doesn't happen all that often. When you hit your head on a counter while bending down to tie your shoes, for instance, your head stops suddenly, but your brain keeps moving. But because your brain is surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid, it's cushioned from running into your skull. This fluid is what makes head banging and football possible without immediate brain injury. But when you or the thing hitting you moves at a high velocity, the situation changes.

It takes a pretty serious bump for the fluid cushioning system to fail to protect our brains. That baseball that zoomed through your hands and slammed into your forehead forces your skull to snap back, which can cause it to smack against the front part of the brain. Then, when you fall and hit the back of your head against the ground, your occipital lobe continues downward and can hit your skull. Voila: stars.

But no worries, there are less dramatic ways to get this effect. When you rub your eyes in the morning, you can see stars, too. "You can activate the retina just like you would when it sees light," Crow explains. This is because the retina only really knows how to do one thing; it either sees light or it doesn't. So when you apply pressure, you can basically make it think that that switch has been flipped. The duped retina will then send your brain something like an email with the subject line "light!" with no text in the body. So that's what you get: flecks of uninformed light on top of the landscape that your brain can make sense of.

In any case, next time you see stars, let's hope they're the ones in the sky.

If you haven't heard we are having a "Kinect" With Wing Eyecare Facebook Giveaway. One lucky person will win an Xbox 360 Kinect bundle. Perfect for Christmas! Please click the link for complete details.

Also, don't forget to click the "Like Us" button below

Patient Favorites - Sunglasses!

2011-09-26T16:24:00.000-04:00

One of the most popular questions patients ask our opticians is "What is popular right now?". We've went ahead and taken it upon ourselves to provide you with some of that information.

On Friday we introduced our patient favorite frames catalog and after much positive feedback we have created a catalog for patient favorite sunglasses.

Now you can take a look at some of our patients most popular sunglass choices by clicking here.

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Facebook Giveaway!

2011-09-23T12:37:00.002-04:00

Visit our Facebook Page by clicking here

New Frame Catalog!

2011-09-21T09:04:00.000-04:00

Simple. Clean. Informative.

Don't forget to "Like Us" on Facebook by clicking the like button below or visiting our Facebook Page. We update our page frequently with the latest news, special offers, and even giveaways! Our last giveaway featured Coach sunglasses!

The History of Glasses (Infographic)

2011-09-20T09:31:00.008-04:00

This is a pretty neat infographic. Much thanks to The Optical Vision Site via Bright Eyes Family Vision Care News in Tampa for sharing!

Don't forget to "Like Us" on Facebook by clicking the like button below or visiting our Facebook Page. We update our page frequently with the latest news, special offers, and even giveaways! Our last giveaway featured Coach sunglasses!

Protect Your Eyes While Playing Sports

2011-09-14T10:18:00.000-04:00

By Prevent Blindness America - HealthNewsDigest.com) - CHICAGO (Aug. 23, 2011) – Every year, more than 40,000 athletes suffer an eye injury while playing sports. And, every 13 minutes, an emergency room in the United States treats a sports-related eye injury. Adults and children can protect their vision while playing sports by wearing the proper eye protection. Prevent Blindness America has dedicated September as Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month to encourage everyone to make eye safety part of the game plan.

Polycarbonate lenses must be used with protectors that meet or exceed the requirements of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Each sport has a specific ASTM code. Polycarbonate eyewear is 10 times more impact resistant than other plastics, according to the National Eye Institute. There is no evidence that wearing eye protection hampers athletic performance.

Eye injuries can include painful corneal abrasions, blunt trauma and penetrating injuries, inflamed iris, fracture of the eye socket, swollen or detached retinas, traumatic cataract and blood spilling into the eye's anterior chamber. The consequences of eye injury can range from temporary to permanent vision loss and even blindness.

Any athletes who have poor vision or blindness in one eye should take particular care to protect their remaining vision. Yet, many forgo eye protection. According to a recent survey conducted by researchers at the Ohio State University, only 21 percent of college football programs required the use of a faceshield in players with poor vision in one eye, while a mere 20 percent recommended faceshields.

“Whether it be goggles for basketball or faceshields for football players, everyone must make eye protection part of their uniform,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness America. “And we can’t stress enough how important it is for those who have diminished or no vision in one eye to protect their healthy eye while playing sports. An eye accident can happen in a split second yet impact the rest of your life.”

Prevent Blindness America provides the following guidelines for purchasing the best eye protection:

· If you wear prescription glasses, ask your eye doctor to fit you for prescription protective sports eyewear.

· If you're a monocular athlete, ask your eye doctor what sports you can safely participate in. Monocular athletes should always wear sports eye protectors.

· Fogging of the lenses can be a problem. Some eye protectors are available with anti-fog coating. Others have side vents for additional ventilation. Try on different types to determine which is most comfortable.

· Check the packaging to see if the eye protector has been tested for sports use. Also check to see that the eye protector is made of polycarbonate material. Polycarbonate eyeguards are the most impact resistant.

· Sports eye protectors should be padded or cushioned along the brow and bridge of the nose. Padding will prevent them from cutting the skin.

· Try on the eye protector to determine if it's the right size. Adjust the strap and make sure it's not too tight or too loose.

· For outdoor sports, look for eye protection that blocks harmful UV rays.

In an ongoing effort to educate children and their parents on the importance of sports eye injury protection, Prevent Blindness America, The Coalition to Prevent Sports Eye Injuries and Liberty Sport, Inc., have embarked on the second year of the “September is Sports Eye Injury Prevention Awareness Month” campaign. The program provides free educational materials to eye care professionals, specifically those who are Sports Eye Injury Prevention Centers.

For more information on the type of sports eyewear Wing Eyecare carries please click on the link: Sports Eyewear

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Where were you on 9/11?

2011-09-10T22:04:00.001-04:00

10 years ago on September 11th, 2001 shortly after 8:46am, I recieved a phone call from my grandmother "Brett, wake up a plane (Flight 11) just hit the World Trade Center." Puzzled, I turned on the television and sure enough one of the North Tower of the World Trade Center was consumed in fire and smoke. A few minutes later I watched as the second plane, Flight 175 hit the South Tower on live television. I couldn't believe my eyes, never have I seen anything like it. Instantly like many others I knew this wasn't an accident, we were being attacked.

What you don't know is I was 18 years old and getting ready to move into a dorm that week at the University of Cincinnati. That Tuesday, September 11th, I had planned to spend with my grandmother getting bedroom sheets and blankets. Eventually we did go to the mall, but not before I saw Flight 77 fly into the Pentagon, the South Tower collapse, Flight 93 crash into Shanksville, PA, and the North Tower Collapse. Quite the series of events. Sometime that afternoon we eventually made it to the mall. The thing I remember most was going to a restaurant at the food court and talking to the young lady behind the register. Talking about the events caused her to break down in tears. It was then at that moment when it really hit me, it really showed me the magnitude of the incident, how big of an event this really was. The United States was forever changed.

A year later some friends and I took a baseball stadium road trip and had the chance to stop by Ground Zero. It was one of the most jaw dropping experiences I've ever had. It looked like one gigantic hole in the ground.

In May and early June of this year my wife and I were fortunate enough to get the chance to visit Shanksville, Washington D.C., and New York. We made it a priority to visit all the memorials (Flight 93 Memorial, Pentagon Memorial, and Ground Zero). Unfortunately all the exhibits at all the locations (with the exception of the Pentagon) were still being built, but most importantly we were still able to pay our respects to the lives lost on that day. I highly recommend visiting those sites the next time you are thinking about taking a road trip or vacation. It is truly an experience.

Not counting the hijackers, 2,977 brave civilians, firefighters, police officers, and military personnel lost their lives that day. On Sunday, the 10th anniversary of 9/11 be sure to take a few moments to not only think about where you were, but to recognize those brave lives lost.

We'd love to hear your story. Feel free to visit our Facebook Page and tell us where you were on 9/11/2001.

Below are some pictures from my trip. Click on them to enlarge.

Perhaps my favorite picture from the Ground Zero Workshop Museum.
It says it all doesn't it?

Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville. The plane crashed in the
grass at the center of the picture.

Pentagon Memorial in Washington D.C.

Ground Zero Memorial. To the Left the Freedom Tower begins to rise.

Glass from the World Trade Center viewed
at the Ground Zero Museum Workshop.

Living Social Deal!

2011-09-08T09:33:00.000-04:00

Below is an exclusive look for our Facebook followers and readers of our blog.

Click To Enlarge

Some of the details:
$59 will get you an eye glasses exam as well as $150 towards prescription glasses.

Deal runs from Friday, September 9th to Sunday, September 11th, 2011.

Limit one per person, up to ten additional as gifts
• Limit one per person per visit
• Appointments are required and subject to availability
• Merchant cancellation/re-scheduling policy of 24 hours applies; voucher subject to forfeiture
• Entire value must be used in a single visit.
• All services must be redeemed during one visit and used by same customer; cannot be shared
• Not valid with insurance benefits or other coupons or discounts, including seasonal offers
• Excludes Oakley sunglasses and Maui Jim sunglasses

Expiration date:

September 12, 2012

Other deal conditions:

Except where noted in the fine print:
• Cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion
• LivingSocial Terms and Conditions - livingsocial.com/terms

Don't forget to "Like Us" on Facebook by clicking the like button below or visiting our Facebook Page. We update our page frequently with the latest news, special offers, and even giveaways! Our last giveaway featured Coach sunglasses!

September Special Offers!

2011-09-01T09:33:00.000-04:00

Our Cold Spring Office Has A New Doctor!

2011-08-29T12:04:00.000-04:00

Please welcome Dr. Scott Baker. Below is an open letter to all current and future patients of our Cold Spring Practice.

Dear Valued Patient,

We are pleased to announce the addition of our newest optometrist to the Wing Eyecare family. Dr. Scott Baker comes to Wing Eyecare at Cold Spring with 3 years of experience in the Dayton, Ohio area.

Effective August 13, 2011, Dr. Scott Baker will assume full-time management of the Cold Spring Wing Eyecare practice. Dr. Baker is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Optometry. He completed externships at the VA Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona and Commonwealth Eye Surgery in Lexington, Kentucky.

We are confident that the quality of care that is so important to you will continue under Dr. Baker’s leadership. Please join me in welcoming our new doctor to the Wing Eyecare family on your next visit.

Sincerely,

Dr. Thomas F. Nagy

Director of Professional Services
Wing Eyecare, Inc

Below is a little bit about Dr. Baker that you can also find on our website:

Dr. Scott Baker

Dr. Baker joined the Wing Eye Care team in August 2011 and currently practices in our Cold Spring, Kentucky office. He graduated from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio with BS in Biology in 2005. He then earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from The Ohio State University in 2009. During his optometry studies, Dr. Baker completed externships at the VA Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona and Commonwealth Eye Surgery in Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. Baker is a member of the American Optometric Association. His specialties include contact lenses, ocular diseases, and primary care.