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We Value Our Patient’s Health; Envision Eyecare’s Response to COVID-19

Dear Patients,

The health and safety of our patients and our team is the number one priority here at Envision Eyecare.

We are monitoring the status of COVID-19 carefully, staying informed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as State and Federal agencies regarding gatherings/events recommendations. We would like to let our patients know the steps we are taking to minimize your risk and ensure the safest and healthiest environment for everyone. 

The Envision Eyecare Team is sanitizing all patient care areas before and after each patient, using sanitizer and washing our hands for 20 seconds or more, and staying home if we feel ill. We are disinfecting and sanitizing the lobby and common areas; wiping down chairs, tables, displays and restrooms. We are also disinfecting frames, measuring instruments, and desk before and after each patient.

We have a temporal artery scanning thermometer on order. Once in the office mandatory temperature testing for all team members and patients will begin. Any with a fever will be asking kindly to leave and return when they no longer have a fever. The definition of a “FEVER”:  Medically, a person is not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 F (38.0 C).

We are monitoring our patient care schedule based on the published guidelines. Currently we are running our normal business hours, but we will notify you immediately if there are any changes.

At this time we encourage everyone to stay alert and be diligent. Please follow all recommended sanitary and hygienic guidelines. We encourage any patient who is not feeling well to reschedule their appointments as soon as they are aware of symptoms in order to make room for other patients that need care.

The CDC has provided resources on what you need to know regarding COVID-19. Please take a moment to review for further information.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html

Thank you for your continued support and let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Your Envision Eyecare Team

828-254-6757

The importance of eating green, leafy and brightly colored vegetables for your eyes!

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Happy National Nutrition Month! 

Since we were children, we’ve been taught to eat our vegetables at every meal to keep us healthy, but did you know what you eat can also help protect your eyesight and eye health too? Green, leafy and brightly colored vegetables are packed with carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin that help protect against eye-related diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts.

What is the macula? 

The macula is located in the back of the eye and is part of the retina. The macula is about 5mm and has high concentrations of photoreceptor cells that detect light and send signals to the brain. It is obvious that the macula is tiny, but a mighty part of our eyes! 

Anatomy of the Human Eye

What is macular degeneration?

There are two types of macular degeneration; dry and wet. Dry macular degeneration is the most common. Dry macular degeneration is when the macula becomes thinner overtime. Wet macular degeneration is when abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina. Both cause loss of vision, but wet macular degeneration is much more serious.

What are cataracts? 

Cataracts are when the lens in our eyes become clouded or foggy with age. The protein in our eyes start to break down around the age of 40, but can be unnoticed until a few years later. Blurry vision, bothersome night vision, and double vision are some of the symptoms of cataracts.

Here are foods that are rich with lutein and zeaxanthin:

  • Kale
  • Spinach
  • Collard greens
  • Turnip greens
  • Chard
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Broccoli 

Have a hard time eating your vegetables? 

We have a supplement in our office that is rich in these carotenoids! Vision Essence is recommended by both Dr. Golson and Dr. Bryant. This bottle contains 90 capsules with 10 mg of lutein, 2mg of zeaxanthin, and 10mg of meso-zeaxanthin.The capsules do not contain any gelatin product, so this product is vegan friendly! 

How do I protect against macular degeneration and cataracts?

Along with fueling your body with the right nutrition and scheduling yearly eye health exams, protection is the key to prevention! Wearing sunglasses everyday can protect from the toxic rays from the sun and damaging HEV light! All of our Optical Experts can assist in finding the sunglasses that are right for you!

Sources: 

https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/high-lutein-and-zeaxanthin-foods.php

https://www.macularsociety.org/what-macula
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What is an OCT anyway??

Hello Asheville! We have exciting news for you and the health of your eyes: we recently updated our technology and couldn’t wait to let you know!

The What: Optical Coherence Tomograghy (OCT) is an in-office instrument that generates high resolution, cross sectional and 3-dimensional images of the retina and optic nerve in the back of your eyes.

The Why: The retina and optic nerve are essential to our vision and the OCT gives crucial information in the early diagnosis and management of many ocular diseases, including, but not limited to, glaucoma and macular degeneration.  

The How: In only a few seconds, this painless and non-invasive technology can give us a high-resolution comprehensive analysis of the retinal and optic nerve health. It provides similar information to an MRI through different technology at a significantly reduced cost and convenience to our patients.

The When: Although we’ve had an older version of this technology available to our community of patients for over 8 years, we’ve recently upgraded our instrument from a technology called Time Domain to Spectral Domain resolution. Think of regular TV versus the a High Definition (HD) TV. We are now able to more comprehensively diagnose and manage conditions that may have an impact on your precious sense of sight.  

The Who: Our team is excited to provide this advanced service for our patients to live out our mission: to protect, preserve and enhance their precious eyesight.

We look forward to continuing to provide our patients with state-of-the-art care now and into the future!

Mission: Vision

Honduras Vision Brigade 2018

In late February, the Rotary Club of Asheville sponsored a vision and dental mission to Copan Ruinas, Honduras.  I have been a member of this club since moving to Asheville in 2016 and it was my honor to join the brigade. We had been planning for this trip all year with fundraisers, medical supply collections, and re-purposed eyeglasses donated from many sources, including Envision Eyecare’s community of patients. Thank you for that!

The trip to get there was not easy enduring a 5-6 hour bus ride through rugged terrain after a long flight.  The days were exhaustingly long and hot, but extremely rewarding to give back the precious sense of sight to those in need. Before our visit, many of these poverty stricken individuals were unable to effectively cook, sew, weave, read, and provide for their families due to poor eyesight.  To broaden our reach, we bussed people to our clinic from other remote areas that did not have access to transportation. These people waited all year for our brigade and were immensely grateful to receive our services.

It’s amazing what we take for granted and how easily we lose focus on what is important.  I saw a variety of eye diseases not prevalent in the United States. In our country, typically they are caught and treated through newborn screenings. When undiagnosed, as in the cases we treated, these diseases are devastating to vision.

We served over 1000 people in need and a few stories that stand out are: Carlos, a 9 year old, whom I removed a metal foreign body from his eye. If left untreated,  a scar would have formed due to infection and eventually would cause a permanent loss of his vision. Second, a severely nearsighted little girl, Josefina, was never able to see well due to her uncorrected vision.  Once I placed the correct prescription glasses over her eyes, she wept because she was finally able to see her mother clearly for the first time.

I will be returning next year with more awareness of the materials needed to provide eye care to even more people.  The humble living conditions and non-existent healthcare system really brings perspective on what is truly important in life.  It’s unclear who received more out of this experience; us for helping them, or the Hondurans for receiving our care. Thank you so much for donating your eyeglasses to help our cause and for reading my account of this meaningful experience.

Envision Eyecare Receives Outstanding Dry Eye Practice Award

At Eye Eco we are dedicated to finding solutions that provide relief from dry eyes, and we’re not the only ones.

Dry eyes affect more than 40 million Americans, but less than 5% of people have been properly diagnosed with Dry Eye Disease. Dry Eye Disorder can cause many health issues including obscured vision, dry skin, and even blindness. It can be caused by many things – including time looking at screens. For most of us that activity isn’t going away anytime soon.

At Eye Eco, we believe the best thing that can be done to keep eyes healthy and comfortable is regular visits to an eye care professional.

Because dry eye can have several causes, figuring out the cause is an important step in finding the best treatment option. Optometrists and Ophthalmologists do incredible work to make sure we can clearly and comfortably see everything in our lives.

Envision Eyecare receives the Outstanding Dry Eye Practice Award

From left to right: Suzanne Paulson of Eye Eco, Dr. Larry Golson

We want to highlight some of the doctors who are as committed as we are to helping dry eye patients find relief. That is why we are starting a new campaign to acknowledge doctors by presenting them with Eye Eco‘s Outstanding Dry Eye Practice Award.

Envision Eyecare in Asheville, North Carolina, is one of our first recipients of the award. Here’s what Dr. Larry Golson had to say about receiving the award and about treating patients with dry eye.

What were your thoughts when Envision Eyecare received the Eye Eco Outstanding Dry Eye Practice Award?
We were really excited to get the award. We devote a good deal of our resources into treating dry eye. The Envision Eyecare team is trained on the condition as well as the many different treatments available. Then, after a comprehensive eye health evaluation, we design treatment plans for our patients individual needs. Finally, we spend adequate time educating out patients on his/her treatment plans and the products we are prescribing. We find our patients “buy in” and are more likely to be compliant when they understand their condition and why they’d benefit from the treatment. We have dry eye products on display in our reception area so patients are aware of the level of care we provide in this area. Our doctors research new technologies and then invest in the ones which will have the most benefit to our community of patients. We were surprised and honored when we received Eye Eco‘s Outstanding Dry Eye Practice Award, as we are grateful to receive recognition for our care in this area.

Please tell us a little about Envision Eyecare:
Envision Eyecare opened in 2008 with two employees in Asheville, North Carolina. We understand the difference between eye care which is executed as a transaction, versus personalized eye care. Therefore, the focus is on personal eye care because we believe in living life to the fullest through the best eyesight and health. We take the time to educate our patients to ensure they leave with an in depth understanding about their eyes and the condition of their eyes. The Envision Eyecare Experience is provided in a beautiful space with well trained team members so our patients can gain a sense of what sets us apart from conventional eye care.

Do you have a story you can share about how your practice helped a patient(s) find relief from dry eyes? Please share.
We had a patient who had been suffering for years from debilitating dry eye. She was a local acupuncturist who had rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren’s syndrome, which she was treating holistically with acupuncture. Since she wasn’t getting her dry eye symptoms under control, she was willing to try anything to get relief from her dry eyes.

After trying several treatment modalities, a huge improvement was derived from the Lid Pro and Meibo Pro devices in conjunction with lid scrubs, artificial tears, and warm compress goggles. We were able to get her dry eye symptoms under control for the first time in over a decade. At one point, she actually texted me personally and said, “This is the best my eyes have felt, ever!”

What advice or tip do you have about treating patients with dry eye?
Many of our patients have become accustomed to having dry eye and don’t realize there’s an issue. Every person’s dry eye symptoms are different and there are many causes. It could be environmental, medication use, associated with a systemic condition or due to lifestyle habits. For instance, do they get enough sleep; do they drink enough water? Could the problem stem from too much caffeine or alcohol intake. Ask how often and for how long are they using devices on a daily basis. Look at their medications and consider medical conditions. Also age and gender demographics plays a role in who’s at risk for dry eye syndrome. Good dry eye care starts with asking enough questions and asking the right questions. Then really take time to develop a customized plan for the individual. Some patients just want to do the minimum and other patients will want to try everything. Compliance is key to success, so make sure the patient understands how important it is to follow the prescribed treatment plan.

Lastly, invest in products to help your patients, both retail and treatment devices. If you have the retail products on-hand (instead of sending them to the pharmacy) there is a higher chance of compliance using the highest quality products. It’s also convenient for the patient and adds to the practice’s revenue. Show them how to use the products and make sure they leave with a firm understanding on how to achieve relief. It’s amazing how grateful these patients become once relief is achieved.

What advice do you have for someone who is experiencing dry eye?
So many patients think their eyes are normal and don’t realize they are suffering from dry eye. It’s not until a doctor asks the right questions or has the right clinical assessment for the diagnosis to be made. Find a practice that takes the time to sit down with the patient to get the right info. So often the exam is rushed, which doesn’t allow time to assess the condition and adequately explain a treatment plan.

Is there anything else you’d like to say about Envision Eyecare, this award, or dry eye and treatment?
Dry eye treatment is a dynamic field and advances in treatment protocols are constantly being developed. It’s easy for eye doctors to get in a place in their head where they think, ‘I am so tired of hearing about this.’ Could I possible sit through another dry eye lecture or article? It is important to look at dry eye treatment with a ‘beginner’s mind.’ Look at it as though it’s something you’ve never seen before. Educate yourself on the new products and technologies. It is an opportunity to help a huge patient population and differentiate yourself from the competition.

At Eye Eco, we are very fortunate to be able to work with some of these passionate helpful people who are improving the lives of others. We plan to highlight more of these practices that are dedicated to providing relief. If you have a recommendation for a recipient of the Outstanding Dry Eye Practice Award, please send us an email at [email protected].

TOP reasons to buy your next pair of glasses with Envision Eyecare

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TOP REASONS TO BUY YOUR NEXT PAIR OF GLASSES WITH ENVISION EYECARE!

  • QUALITY- Unlike items purchased throughout the year, it can be difficult for you to judge quality in a pair of glasses. That’s why it’s important to purchase your eye wear through a doctor’s office you can trust. At Envision Eye Care, we use only the finest materials, so your glasses will be dependable and attractive long after they’ve been purchased. We also work with one of the finest, state-of-the-art optical labs in the nation. We have chosen to partner with this lab to custom craft your eye wear because of their quality workmanship and our access to the very best advancements in lens designs.
  • SELECTION- Regardless of your budget or insurance allowance, everyone deserves to look fabulous! That’s why our optical boutiques offer a wide range of eye wear options and styles at various price points – from exclusive, high-end designer frames to fashionable values for the entire family.
  • VALUE PROMISE- We promise to provide you the best value – quality eye wear at a fair price. We do not carry cheaply made frames that easily break, outdated designer styles, and inferior lens products that can distort vision so we can offer you a cheap price. Nor do we advertise low prices so we can “up sell” you once you arrive at our optical boutique. Our fees reflect the quality of our workmanship – and when comparing glasses of similar quality – are often lower than many “one-hour” stores and  (online) optical chains.
  • TEAM OF EXPERTS- Our knowledgeable and courteous optical team will expertly help you select the frame and lens package that’s right for your lifestyle and budget, and support you to understand your lens options, frame materials, warranties, etc. We want to ensure you are completely happy with your new pair of glasses.
  • SATISFACTION GUARANTEE- When you purchase a pair of frames and lenses from the optical boutique at Envision Eyecare, you have our commitment to your satisfaction. We guarantee our workmanship and the accuracy of your prescription lenses, and offer free adjustments, minor repairs, and cleanings for the life of your eye wear.

What 30,000 Consumer Reports’- survey respondents had to say. A recent Consumer Reports study confirms independent eye care practices score higher for quality, frame selection, care taken to fit glasses, staff expertise, and follow-up service.

“ … you might do better getting your specs at a doctor’s office or independent optical boutique; those typically scored high marks across the board, particularly when it came to employee know-how, service, and the quality of the finished glasses. You might even spend less than you would at some high-profile chains.” Consumer Reports, December 2010

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESS!
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Headed Back to School

Four Reasons Why Your Child Should Have an Eye Exam

A vision screening at school, church or even a pediatrician is not a substitute for a comprehensive eye exam. Serious eye health and vision concerns can be missed at a screening, certain states are mandating children have a comprehensive exam before entering school. The doctors at Envision Eyecare advise yearly eye health exams for children for the following important reasons:

  1. 80% of learning occurs through the visual system, and in order for your child to reach his/her full potential in school, it is critical that eye tracking, acuity, and focusing are functioning properly. 
  2. Most ultraviolet radiation damage to the eyes occurs in the first 2 decades of life, so it’s important your child’s eyes are protected with the sunglasses that protect against Ultraviolet and Blue light filters.
  3. Long term exposure to blue light emitted from the sun and digital devices is harmful to the eye. This may also affect sleep patterns and cause eyestrain.
  4. Vision screenings only test eye sight, not eye health, and it’s important your child’s eye health is evaluated as well.  

Unfortunately, studies show that only 31% of children, ages 6-16 have an annual eye exam, and 70% of children under the age of 6 have never had an eye exam.

As a result, 1 in 4 children will go back to school this year with an undiagnosed vision problem that could interfere with learning.

The following is a true story about a pediatric patient who would have passed a vision screening: Dr. Bryant examined a child with no complaints and 20/20 vision. The child had swollen optic nerves indicating a potential brain tumor. Fortunately, the child was quickly diagnosed and underwent urgent surgical intervention to save his life. This is an extreme example, and rare, however it illustrates why a comprehensive eye health exam is so important for all children.

!URGENT! Recall on solar eclipse glasses!

URGENT RECALL OF SOLAR GLASSES!

We are sorry to inform you that due to new information provided by Amazon the eclipse viewing glasses we purchased may not be certified for viewing the eclipse. We were told these glasses were certified but over the weekend we were informed the certification may not be legitimate. We ask that you do not use these eclipse glasses, we can not guarantee that they will properly protect your eyes. We will gladly refund anyone who purchased these glasses through us. Below is the information provided by amazon:

“To protect your eyes when viewing the sun or an eclipse, NASA and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) advise you to use solar eclipse glasses or other solar filters from recommended manufacturers.  Viewing the sun or an eclipse using any other glasses or filters could result in loss of vision or permanent blindness.  

Amazon has not received confirmation from the supplier of your order that they sourced the item from a recommended manufacturer.  We recommend that you DO NOT use this product to view the sun or the eclipse.”

Our office is so sorry for this inconvenience. Located below is a list given to us from the American Astronomical Society as recommendations on where to get your approved eclipse glasses. Please enjoy the eclipse safely!

  Solar Viewer Brands

Innovations in Contact Lens Technology

Innovations in Contact Lens Technology

 

Contact lenses are medical devices that can improve vision, add convenience to activities, and bandage an injury to improve comfort and aid healing.  It is very important to have a contact lens evaluation to make sure your eyes are healthy enough to wear them comfortably without damaging the ocular surface, and to ensure the contact fits your eye properly.  There have been many advances in contact lens technology over the last decade to enhance comfort, breathability and vision demands.  We will discuss the different types and modalities of contact lens, wear time schedules, and the benefits of utilizing new technology to expand the demographic of eligible contact lens candidates.

The majority of contact lens wearers are in soft contact lenses.  These lenses are available in daily disposable, 2 week disposable, and 1 month
disposable wear schedule regimens.  Daily disposables are the healthiest option with improved convenience and comfort.  The cost difference is negligible when the consideration of solution cost is no longer needed with daily disposables.  Also, the packaging is recyclable, except the foil.

When the eye is not completely round and has an oval curvature, it is termed astigmatism.  In order to correct astigmatism with contacts, we must use a toric contact that is larger in diameter and must be orientated properly to provide adequate vision.  Different designs of toric lenses are available for different shapes of the eye to provide the best vision and comfort.   

Hard contacts are usually indicated for irregular corneal shapes and can be initially uncomfortable.  For those who find hard lenses unbearable, a blended(soft and hard) contact or scleral contact lens can be a valuable alternative to treat corneal diseases that cause irregularity.  

As we age, the ability to see up close slowly diminishes and a different modality of contact lenses are necessary.  Three main choices are multifocals, monovision and distance vision only with readers over the contacts as needed for near vision tasks.  Multifocals are the best option to try first because it provides seamless vision from distance to near, but is pupil size dependent so these do not work perfectly for everyone.  Monovision is when we fit the dominant eye for distance and the non-dominant eye for reading.  This seems like it would create imbalance or eye strain, but works very well for the majority of people who are not comfortable with multifocals.  These two modalities can be modified and used in combination dependent on patient visual demand.  If neither of these options is adequate, correcting the distance vision with the use of readers
over the contacts is a last resort.

Ortho-keratology is the science of using hard contacts during sleeping hours to gently change the curvature of the eye overnight, so no correction is needed during the day.  The initial comfort is sometimes an issue, but improves over time.  This has been implicated in reducing the progression of nearsightedness in the adolescence.   

Newer innovations in contacts have become exciting for other demographics as well.  A brand new lenses has been released specifically geared for the avid device user to reduce computer fatigue and enhance performance.  Also, bluetooth technology incorporated in the contact is on the horizon to monitor eye pressure and blood glucose, in order to better manage glaucoma and diabetes.

“Why are my glasses so expensive?!”

You may be asking yourself this question after seeing online and commercial advertising. Our objective at Envision Eyecare is to educate our patients on the difference in quality and craftsmanship between our glasses and those purchased online or through a commercial vendor.  It is through education that we can convey why all glasses are not created equal.  The Envision Eyecare team takes a great deal of pride in the services and products we offer as well as the information we provide to our community.  We are unique from other providers, so we hope you find this information helpful as you decide what’s important for your best sight and eye health.

First, why wouldn’t you purchase your eyewear online or from a commercial, corporate vendor if you could save on cost?  Research shows that over 50% of online eyeglasses are returned to the consumer with incorrect prescriptions and/or materials not delivered as ordered.  Plus important measurements that ensure your best vision are generated haphazardly, which can have detrimental effects on your best vision and comfort.  Most online and commercial vendors promote cheap prices which leads to a diminished sense of sight and performance. While the immediate benefit may be cost saving, you’ll often sacrificing your visual clarity, comfort, protection and, most importantly, preservation of your sight. As with other consumer purchases, the adage “you get what you pay for” certainly holds true with eyewear.

Read on to learn how our Optical Experts use their hard-earned skills and knowledge to craft the best eye wear possible for your lifestyle, fashion, fit and protection.

Top 5 things we consider when ordering your great spectacle lenses:

  1. Lens material- (plastic vs. polycarbonate)-polycarbonate is thinner/lighter and impact resistant for improved comfort, safety and aesthetics
  2. Premium anti-reflective treatments (or AR)- this treatment reduces glare and reduces fatigue with computer use; cheaper coatings typically peel or chip after a short time.
  3. Lens surfacing (Digital vs traditional)- digital surfacing enhances visual clarity by reducing peripheral distortion and improving range of vision in progressive lenses
  4. Blue light and Ultraviolet radiation filters- protect against macular degeneration, the #1 cause of blindness over 55, as well as Cataracts and eyelid skin cancer (which accounts for 8% of all skin cancers.)  Other benefits include improved sleep and reduced eye strain from devices.
  5. No-line bifocals/progressives (premium vs standard)- premium progressives provide a wider area for reading and intermediate vision with reduced peripheral distortion leading to easier adjustment and everyday use.

Top 3 things we consider when ordering your fabulous new frame:

  1. Your exact spectacle prescription- matching your Rx to a specific frame is a critical first step in making your glasses accurately.
  2. Frame Material- hand-selecting frames that are made from quality metals, such as titanium or are hand-made (see STATE OPTICAL CO.) make for a more durable frame over time. Cheaper frames are made from poorer quality metals and injection mold plastics which lose their adjustment and break easily.
  3. Comfort and Fit- Your face and fashion sense means a lot to you! Cheaper frames are heavier, leading to daily discomfort, and can be more difficult to adjust and hold their shape. Our patients feel more confident and attractive, leading to a superior user experience for the life of their eyewear.

We stand behind what our Doctor’s prescribe for you and are able to guarantee the quality of your eye wear if they are made in our office. We ensure quality control for all glasses orders, checking that they were made properly and that frame adjustments are accurate for you, making sure you have the best for your eyes.

The list above is a guide to educate you on products that will enhance and protect your vision. We believe your eyes and your vision are worth it and we hope you do too!

Our optical team is committed to excellence and quality.  We are here to partner with you to find best fit eyewear for the demands of your everyday life. We offer a wide range of products for all budgets, plus we want you to SEE and be SEEN wonderfully!