Author: Envision Eyecare

Step into an optical illusion!

Written by Envision Eyecare on November 30, 2012. Posted in Uncategorized. No Comments on Step into an optical illusion!

Step Into An Optical Illusion!

As part of NPR’s ‘Talk of the nation’ programming, Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcasted all over public radio stations. The show focuses on science topics in the news and brings an educated, balanced discussion about the current scientific issues at hand.

In a recent broadcast, Los Angeles artist Julian Hoeber’s “Demon Hill,” optical illusion room was discussed. The room is on display at the Harris Lieberman Gallery in New York. The room is tilted on a compound angle resulting in disorienting the viewer’s sight and creates an optical illusion where the rules of gravity don’t apply as you expect them to.

Take a look at this video to see how the room works and why it drew 20,000 individuals when it first appeared in Los Angeles.

Staff Performance Booster Shots: Continuously Evaluate Progress and Review Annually

Written by Envision Eyecare on October 18, 2012. Posted in Uncategorized. No Comments on Staff Performance Booster Shots: Continuously Evaluate Progress and Review Annually

September 6, 2012
By Dr. Larry Golson

Boost employment performance to greatness–with the help of employee reviews. Performance improves when you appreciate staff–and also let them know where improvement is needed.

I believe in the importance of good communication with my employees, or “team members,” as we call staff in my practice. It is essential to ensure that team members have the same understanding of their roles and the practice goals as I have. Further, they must be able to each carry out our mission: to provide the best vision and maintain the best eye health for our patients.. Conducting regular staff evaluations helps to make that happen.

Doctor Saves Child’s Life Through Comprehensive Youth Exam

Written by Envision Eyecare on October 5, 2012. Posted in Uncategorized. No Comments on Doctor Saves Child’s Life Through Comprehensive Youth Exam

I have worked with children for as long as I can remember. From babysitting, to teaching, to Nanning for three; when it comes to kids, you name it, I’ve done it!

Children are a huge responsibility, and even though I have never had any of my own, I know how hard it can be to keep up with all of the appointments a child needs. From the point a baby is born you are constantly going to the pediatrician every few months for checkups, followups, or shots. Many of my friends have children, and not one of them have ever thought to add the eye doctor to their list of routine doctor visits for their infant. With everything else a mother needs to remember, the normal doctor visits ( pediatrician, ear, nose and throat doctor, etc) are really the ones most people cover. Even with my work in childcare, I never thought about taking a baby to the eye doctor. “If they can’t talk to tell you what their seeing, how can we know that there is a problem with their vision,” is what I always thought; and that was the majority of the responses I got from my friends when talking to them about taking their babies to the optometrist. Truth be told, many eye problems can occur without noticeable symptoms.

After being educated by the Envision Eyecare team about the importance of taking your infant to the optometrist, I knew I needed to spread the word about early preventative eye care for infants to all of my friends. The team at Envision shared with me the amazing benefits of a program called InfantSee. The InfantSee program was developed to provide a one-time, no cost eye and vision assessment for babies six to twelve months old. This early preventative care is to evaluate the overall health of the eye and detect any discrepancies a child may have, early on. It was shortly after learning about the InfantSee program that I read an amazing article about Dr. Golson’s college classmate, Dr. Jerry Gerdes, OD, who was just recognized for saving a child’s life through this phenomenal eye health benefit.

Dr. Gerdes detected a cancerous tumor behind a little girls eye that was life threatening. She had, had no warning signs that her parents noticed and acted like a perfectly normal baby. After discovering the BB sized tumor, the little girl was taken to surgery where it was removed. She received treatment but unfortunatley lost the eye after about three months. If she had not been evaluated by Dr. Gerdes the day of her appointment, she may have lost more than her eye; she could have lost her life.

Visit the Oakdale Journal’s website (link below) and take a look at the article about Dr. Gerdes and read this breathe taking story about how preventative care really does make a difference. Envision Eyecare is a participant in the InfantSee program, and we would love to evaluate your child at your earliest convenience. Come by our office to learn more about this program and pick up a pamphlet of information. Dr. Golson and the team are ready to serve your child’s eye health needs, and we are always looking for kids to spoil with hugs and stickers! Bring your infant by today, and let us take care of you!

Visit http://www.etypeservices.com/SWF/LocalUser/oakdale1//Magazine14399/Full/index.aspx?id=14399 to view the article about Dr. Gerdes.

Envision Eyecare: Making My Career Vision Come True!

Written by Envision Eyecare on September 28, 2012. Posted in Uncategorized. No Comments on Envision Eyecare: Making My Career Vision Come True!

I’ve always wanted to live in the mountains of North Carolina. I became obsessed with the town of Banner Elk years ago when I visited the area to go skiing. It was a small town with lots of art and recreation. Being a lover of the outdoors and an artist, I knew that if I ever moved to North Carolina, Banner Elk was where I wanted to be. Although Banner Elk was a great little town, when I started my job hunting it did not seem to provide the amount of career opportunity that I found in its distant, neighboring town: Asheville.

When I started considering the town of Asheville as a place of new residence, it seemed just like Banner Elk; only bigger. Asheville was known for its amazing outdoor recreation opportunities. The mountains were tall with crisp views of the horizon that seemed to go on for miles. The food was raved about as being some of the best on the east coast. The art and culture that the town possessed was creatively abundant, and the overall quality of life was like nothing I had ever seen. Asheville blew Banner Elk out of the water and I knew it was where I wanted to be.

Orientation for New Personnel Hires

Written by Envision Eyecare on July 30, 2012. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, In the Media. No Comments on Orientation for New Personnel Hires

The following article was originally published in Review of Optometric Business June 14th, 2012

By Larry Golson, OD

Offer a thorough orientation for new hires. When your entire staff focuses on educating a new employee, it pays off long-term in service excellence.

When a new employee, or team member, joins our practice, it is an event–literally. This makes the critical difference in communicating our office’s culture to the new employee and delivering the best service to patients. Rather than just presenting the new team member with a binder and walking away, or asking the new hire to shadow an employee, we close down the office for a half-day and cater lunch for the entire team. During that time our six team members meet as a group to educate the new team member about our organizational culture and tell stories about positive (and negative) experiences with patients. We want this person to have an intimate knowledge of who Envision Eyecare is so that when he/she begins interacting with patients, he/she knows our culture and what is expected. Here is a summary of our typical new hire orientation program:

Introduction to Orientation Process–Why It is Important

With our front doors locked and phones forwarded to voicemail, we meet in one of the office’s back rooms, with the new employee first introduced to the concept of a new hire orientation. Many have never experienced a structured job orientation, so we feel it is important to explain not only what we are doing, but why it is important to us that the new team member understands our office thoroughly. He/she is about to join a team of experts that delivers top tier care and service, and it’s important that they own that even if they are new to the industry. Helping the new employee understand the new hire program prepares him/her for what lies ahead and is a sign that we are willing to devote the time to properly welcome the new hire into our practice.

Dr. Larry Golson is Chamber’s Small Business Leader of the Year

Written by Envision Eyecare on July 25, 2012. Posted in In the Media. No Comments on Dr. Larry Golson is Chamber’s Small Business Leader of the Year

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (June 2012) – Dr. Larry Golson, OD, owner of Envision Eyecare here, has been chosen Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Leader of the Year. Golson, who was honored in the category of 15 or fewer employees, received his award at the Chamber’s recent annual meeting.

The Chamber award recognized Golson’s leadership in business and community affairs and service, along with Envision’s significant growth in revenue and staff since it opened in 2008. Additionally, Envision has been the recipient of numerous national optometric awards, including a 2011 Optometric Innovator award from Vision Monday magazine and three national growth awards from the Cleinman Performance Network. Golson was recently honored with a “40 Under 40” Award by the Young Professionals of Asheville.

Dr. Golson receives 40 Under 40’s Award!

Written by Envision Eyecare on June 18, 2012. Posted in In the Media, Uncategorized. No Comments on Dr. Golson receives 40 Under 40’s Award!

The Biltmore Beacon, a local publication in the Asheville area teamed up with the Young Professionals of Asheville to recognize 40 rising stars in the business community under the age of 40. The recipients of this designation were recoginzed at a gala at the Grove Park Inn on May 10th, 2012. We are proud to announce that Dr. Larry Golson, OD was honored as one of the 40 Under 40 for the Class of 2012! The following excerpt was taken from the Biltmore Beacon’s publication.

“Larry Golson tells budding entrepreneurs, “Put yourself out there and know at some level you are going to be successful. You have to want it.” Larry is a living example of that philosophy. His Envision Eyecare office can be likened to a Starbucks- ethically pleasing, good music, coffee, water and tea. Larry wants clients to feel like they are at a spa and, when they leave, feel like they’ve had the best experience they’ve ever had in health care –probably why 2,500 clients make the trip to Asheville from a 2 hour radius. Larry matriculated to the University of Georgia and Southern College of Optometry in Memphis. Born and raised in Atlanta, his love of the mountains made Asheville a natural when he was ready to have his own practice. His business has won countless awards for innovation. But Larry says his team of employees is what sets him apart. He has given back to the community through the downtown Rotary Club, Asheville Area Arts council, Big Brother, Asheville Green Works and Executive Associates of Greater Asheville.”

Congratulations to Dr. Golson for an amazing 4 years of excellent eye health care in Asheville!

New Team Member Sees Envision – From The Inside

Written by Envision Eyecare on June 4, 2012. Posted in Uncategorized. No Comments on New Team Member Sees Envision – From The Inside

As the newest Team member at Envision Eyecare I would like to share my Envision experience. From the moment I walked into the office I was desirous to become part of this great team. Every day is an exciting new challenge with so much to learn. I had no idea how encompassing and involved eye health care really is. From the initial appointment forward it is a detailed step by step walk we are happy to accompany each patient on.

Dr. Golson and the entire team are genuine, real, compassionate, patient, very knowledgeable and professional. As a patient you could not be in better hands for your eye health care and I could not be more proud! I am truly blessed!

-Teri McKinney joined the Envision Team in April of 2012 and she is already well on her way to becoming another Envison Rockstar!

Finding Your Perfect Frame

Written by Envision Eyecare on May 29, 2012. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Education, Eyewear. No Comments on Finding Your Perfect Frame

Summer has sprung! It’s time for cleaning, pulling out the warm weather clothes, and finding a fresh new pair of frames! Just like a great pair of shoes, a pair of glasses can be an accessory that is not only functional but also fashionable! You know that you can trust the Optical experts at Envision to create a pair of spectacle lenses that are going to help you see the world as crisp and clearly as possible, but did you know that they are also trained to help you pick a pair of frames that fit you well, are stylish and comfortable, and that work well with your prescription needs? What goes in to finding a frame that looks like it was made for you? Read on to find out why one frame can look great on one person but not so good on someone else, learn why your prescription can determine what frame will work best for you, and get an idea of what color frames work best for your skin tones!

An Eye on Nutrition

Written by Envision Eyecare on April 27, 2012. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Eye Care & Eye Health, Food. No Comments on An Eye on Nutrition

Ironic, isn’t it? The more we learn about health and nutrition, the less healthy our country has become. Diabetes and hypertension are on the rise and obesity has outpaced smoking as the #1 cause of preventable death in the US. With a 33% obesity rate which will, if the trend continues, become 43% by 2020, it has never been more important for us to become proactive about our health rather than reactive; to focus on disease prevention rather than disease treatment.

So why is there disconnect between our understanding of nutrition and an increasingly sick country? Maybe we can blame it on our industrial food system or our fast food culture. Perhaps we can point fingers at the ever rising level of processed foods in our grocer’s aisles. Regardless of who or what is to blame, at the end of the day it is our responsibility to care for our own health. The good news is that it is never too late to adopt healthier eating habits for improved wellbeing–our bodies are incredibly malleable!