Roberts Eyecare Associates Newest Optometry Interns
Roberts Eyecare Associates is please to continue its tradition of supporting higher education through an internship program. Since the programs inception, more than 40 students have become Doctors of Optometry. The students above (left to right) Raj Singh, Kathleen May, Samantha House, and Derek Edwards will be entering Optometry school in August 2008.
Roberts Eyecare Associates is the exclusive local supplier of Oakley Major League Baseball® Sunglasses.
Roberts Eyecare Associates now carries the full line of Oakley Major League Baseball® Sunglasses. The new sunglasses are now available in the colors of your favorite Major League Baseball® team, complete with laser-etched team logo at the corner of the lens.
Click here to more about these new sunglasses.
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Computer Vision Syndrome Related to Improper Work Habits.
Computer Vision Syndrome is a condition often experienced by people who use computer terminals frequently. This condition can lead to light sensitivity, eyestrain, fatigue and neck and back strain. The condition can be related to poor workstation conditions, prior vision problems, and improper work habits. To learn more about this condition and options available , please click on the link below.
Click here to learn more about eyestrain and proper workstation ergonomics.
Roberts Eyecare Associates Gives Back to the Profession
Roberts Eyecare Associates is pleased to "graduate" 4 new students who are pursuing studies in Optometry. The students (left to right) Kim Rosati, Eileen Howard, Julie Ingolia, and Matt Della Bell, will be attending Pennsylvania College of Optometry or SUNY College of Optometry in the fall. We wish them success in their studies, as they become assets to the profession.
Roberts Eyecare Associates has a tradition of supporting higher education through its internship program. Since its inception, more than 40 students have completed our program and have become Doctors of Optometry.
Sports Related Eye Injuries
At least 42,000 sports related eye injuries occur each year requiring a visit to an emergency room. Many of these injuries can be avoided with the proper sports eyewear.
Click on this link to learn more about proper sports eyewear protection.
May is UV Awareness Month
Prevent Blindness America has dedicated May as UV Awareness Month in an effort to educate the public on the best ways to protect their eyes from UV damage. The national non-profit group has established a web resource, "Prevent Blindness America UV Learning Center," sponsored by Transitions Optical, Inc.. The web site provides free information on UV exposure, purchasing the best eye protection and a quiz to test your UV knowledge.
Click here to learn more about UV exposure.
Aloha - Maui Jim Eye Wear is here!
March is Save Your Vision Month
"Each year the American Optometric Association (AOA) dedicates the month of March to raising Americans’ awareness of the importance of regular eye care. Optometrists encourage individuals to consider eye and vision care an integral part of their regular health care routines before print gets blurry or a problem develops.
AOA created the American Eye-Q™ survey to determine how informed Americans were on a range of eye care topics. Survey results revealed that while Americans are most worried about losing their sense of sight, their knowledge about ways to preserve eyesight is in need of improvement."
Click here to take the interactive 'American Eye-Q' survey from the American Optometric Association!
Checklist for Healthy Vision
An eye examination provides doctors of optometry with information about the health of the eyes, and also offers indications about an individual’s overall health. In some cases, diseases that affect the whole body, like diabetes and hypertension, can be detected with an eye exam. In the case of glaucoma, vision damage and blindness may occur without ever experiencing any symptoms.
Transition Lenses VI
Because you only have one pair of eyes...Transitions lenses, the most convenient way to see better today and tomorrow!
Transitions® lenses are clear indoors and at night but automatically adjust their level of tint to changing light conditions outdoors. They provide visual comfort and quality at any and every moment, helping you to see better today. And just like sunblock protects your skin, Transitions lenses help preserve the health and wellness of your eyes for the future by blocking 100% of harmful UV rays, so you can see better tomorrow too.
Transitions VI lenses offer several improvements over the previous generation of technology. They are darker outdoors, are clearer indoors, and are faster to transition. The new lenses also block 100% of UVA and UVB radiation, provide UV 400 protection, and are compatible with anti-reflective (AR) coatings from all major manufacturers.
To learn more about Tranistions lenses, please click here.
Staffing: Roberts Eyecare Associates is pleased to welcome Todd Strignano who has recently joined the staff of our Optical department. Todd, a life-ling resident of the area, lives in Sidney with his wife and three children. Todd brings over five years experience as a New York State licensed optician and looks forward to working with you for your vision needs.
Staffing: Roberts Eyecare Associates is pleased to welcome James Conklin who has recently joined the staff of our Optical department. James resides in Endwell and brings Roberts Eyecare Associates over thirteen years experience as a licensed optician in New York and North Carolina.
Staffing: Roberts Eyecare Associates is pleased to welcome Tammy Krise who has recently joined the staff of our Optical department. Tammy, who lives in Port Crane with her husband and three children, brings over ten years experience as a New York State licensed optician. She is looking forward to providing patients of Roberts Eyecare Associates with outstanding service for your vision needs.
Featured Eye Wear: Roberts Eyecare Associates works closely with many of the top eye wear manufacturers in the world. Each month we will feature some of the newest eye wear fashions. Starting in March, frames from Luxottica will be featured. Luxottica frames include Adrienne Vittadini, Anne Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, DKNY, Polo, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Ray-Ban, and Vogue. Please be sure to stop back each month to see our featured eye wear.
Technology: Roberts Eyecare Associates again offers a highly advanced technology to diagnose a wide range of eye diseases. The breakthrough imaging of scanning laser tomography provides detailed x-ray like images of the structures affected by glaucoma and other abnormalities of the retina, including detached retina and macular degeneration. This scan system is the first and only instrument that can see below the surface of the retina to examine retinal layers. Early detection will assist our doctors to diagnose and control retinal problems.
High Definition Contact Lenses: This new, innovative contact lens design not only delivers high oxygen transmissibility for exceptional comfort and ocular health, but also it's optical design offers 20/20 enhanced visual quality especially in low light situations.
Allergies: Allergy season has arrived. Our doctors are utilizing the most recent advances in prescription allergy eye drops to aid in the treatment of red, watery, itchy eyes. With this new technology, we can reduce the symptoms caused by ocular allergies and improve your quality of life. Your major medical insurance or Medicare usually covers these office visits.
Dry Eye Syndrome: Millions of us over the age of 40 suffer from this disorder that is characterized by blurry, red, watery, burning eyes especially after prolonged reading or computer use. If left untreated, this condition may cause permanent ocular damage. We have improved the vision and comfort of thousands of our patients suffering from this condition using the most advanced techniques and medications.
OPTOMAP: Roberts Eyecare Associates was the first practice in Upstate New York to acquire the OPTOMAP 200. This instrument, in most cases eliminates the need for the discomfort associated with pupil dilation. This technology has revealed on a daily basis, countless retinal disorders that may otherwise have gone undetected, including four cases of malignant eye cancer. This amazing technology is very affordable at only $25. This maintains a computerized analysis for year-to-year comparison.
Optical Dispensary: Our twelve licensed and board certified opticians look forward to serving you and your family. They are proud to have available several new frame lines and styles with the latest technology (titanium, light weight, with magnetic or custom sun glass clips). In addition, they can assist you in determining the correct lens style(s) to meet your visual needs from work to play to sports to computers. You name it, we can provide it!
Online Patient Education: With the release of our revamped website, Roberts Eyecare Associates is pleased to announce the addition of the EyeMotion Education Center. This patient resource offers a series of animations for better understanding how the eye works and the different conditions and diseases that affect how we see. It also explains common eye procedures such as LASIK and cataract surgery. Please click on the EyeMotion icon at the top-right of your screen to view the animations!
SAME DAY EMERGENCY MEDICAL EYE APPOINTMENTS are usually available. Such as red eyes, flashes and floaters, eye pain, conjunctivitis, ocular migraines, temporary blindness, abrasions, foreign bodies, red eye due to over wear of contacts. THESE VISITS ARE USUALLY BILLED TO YOUR MAJOR MEDICAL INSURANCE. These visits are not covered by your routine eye care insurance (exam, glasses and/or contacts).
We look forward to seeing you. Call today for your eye health examination!
Sincerely,
Dr. George T. Roberts
Dr. Wade E. Fiegl
Dr. Edward G. Bryant IV, Chief of Glaucoma Services
Dr. Brian J. Sirgany
Dr. Tammy L. Carlson
Dr. Raymond J. Mint
The Baby Boomer’s Checklist for Healthy Vision offers a variety of visual symptoms and scenarios when being able to see well is especially important.
Click here for more information and to view the checklist!
Lens Colors Recommendations: Selecting the Best Lenses for Sports.
Reprinted from the July 2008 Eyefinity Advisor Newsletter.
The eyewear you recommend for your patients can affect their performance in various sports. It doesn't matter if it's a child engaged in organized sports, a weekend warrior or a daily athlete - if they are participating in sports, you should know that the color of lenses you recommend can impact the athlete's visual acuity.
Sports are not just a summertime activity. In fact, as your patients are getting their children ready for the new school year - both academic and intramural, you have a great opportunity to learn more about the sports the children are playing year-round, and what sort of protective eyewear is appropriate.
Many sports activities involve a ball moving at speeds from moderate to very fast, depending on the age and skill of your children, their teammates and their opponents. And quite a few sports such as soccer, basketball and field hockey, also involve physical contact between opposing players. Balls traveling at fast speeds and with lots of force - combined with physical contact - creates situations where a player can get hit in the eye and/or suffer blunt force trauma. Whether children wear prescription eyewear or not, you should be discuss eyewear protection with their parents.
When choosing colors for sunglass lenses, the key factors involve the need for seeing true colors versus enhancing depth perception and contrast. Because gray lenses maintain color integrity more than any other color, they are the best all around choice for any outdoor activity. Gray lenses also flatten light, which helps the wearer maintain normal depth perception. They are the best choice when true color perception is most important.
Green lenses have very similar qualities to gray lenses, in that colors remain true.
Brown lenses will heighten depth and contrast in variable light conditions. (This could be very helpful to soccer players who generally play on grassy fields.)
Amber or yellow colors are intended for use in flat to hazy light conditions, and offer the high contrast necessary for high-speed, high-altitude sports such as skiing, by filtering out blue light which makes focusing difficult. They provide greater clarity in low light or foggy conditions. Yellow lenses are known to cause color distortion, so make sure your patients are aware of that issue when discussing lens colors.
Blue and purple lenses are not recommended for any use, other than as a fashion accessory. The blue/purple colors increase the contrast-destroying characteristics of blue light.
Preventing Children's Eye Damage While Promoting the "Cool Factor".
Reprinted from the July 2008 Eyefinity Advisor Newsletter. A Message from Eyefinity's President, Steve Baker
We’ve all heard that for children under 10, the eye lens absorbs more ultraviolet light than the adult lens at age 30.
It's true and it's cause for concern. As long as they pass their eye exams, we don't always think about their need for eyewear. We take them to the park, to the State Fair, to the rodeo, and we let them rip and run, often without protective eyewear. Are you discussing this with your patients?
More than 43% of ball sports-related injuries occur under age 15. Statistics show that 90% of our children's ocular injuries can be avoided with the use of protective sports eyewear. These are well-documented statistics and we should all pay attention to what these numbers mean for our children. It's that time of year when parents bring their children into your practice for their annual exams. It is imperative to ensure that your patients are well-educated on how to protect their children's eyes from not only sun damage, but also from sports-related injuries. Their kids may reject the whole idea of protective eyewear because it just doesn't sound cool. The term "protective" leads the kids to picture those vintage plastic glasses that covered half of your face - cool factor zero! That's not the case with today's protective eyewear. Eyefinity's frame partners are generations ahead of the old technology. The protection is in the impact resistance of the lenses and the frames, and they have excellent cool factors!
Take the time to educate parents. There is no one more qualified than a private eyecare doctor to explain these issues and options to parents. Use a Lifestyle Form to learn about the activities the children are involved in. If your younger patients are pursuing "lighter" outdoor sports activities, consider demonstrating the value of photo chromic lenses to their parents.
You also have many options for the more aggressive sports! Protective eyewear for athletes no longer resembles a welder's safety glasses. You can get cool safety lenses in just about any frame or style; just make sure they are ANSI certified and impact-resistant; the cool factor comes with it.
With smaller children it is difficult enough for them to keep track of one pair of lenses, let alone two. The Cool Factor comes in with a pair of photo chromic lenses. Kids love the fact that the lenses get darker when outside and lighter when inside and their friends will think their glasses are cool!
It's fairly easy to pinpoint the cool factor with teenagers. They like trendy. It's easier to sell TWO pairs of eyewear here. They want to wear the same frames that Madonna or Jonas Brothers wears. Get that Lifestyle Form completed for the teenagers! Find out what their interests and activities are and then match the frames to their needs! The introduction of a pair of hot sunglasses is much easier when you know what their cool factor is.
