About Envision Eyecare Archives - Page 3 of 6

CONGRATULATIONS Dr. Melanie Denton

Written by Envision Eyecare on May 23, 2015. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Featured, the team. No Comments on CONGRATULATIONS Dr. Melanie Denton

As with all things in life, great things come to transition; not necessarily an end. On that note join us in saying…

CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Denton!

It is with great pride we announce Dr. Melanie Denton will be leaving Envision Eyecare. Dr. Denton’s excellent care over the past three years at our office has touched many in our community and helped to make a difference in providing you with excellent patient care.

Please join us as we wish her the best as she begins the next phase of her journey at her new practice outside of Charlotte, NC. She will be missed.

Dr. Denton’s departure will be followed by the arrival of Dr. Sarah Arnette, OD, who comes to us from Virginia with five years’ experience. Dr. Arnette’s arrival ensures the continuity of Envision Eyecare’s commitment to community, connection and care.

Your SPRING SURVIVAL GUIDE For Allergy Season.

Written by Envision Eyecare on March 31, 2015. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, Education, Eye Care & Eye Health, Featured. No Comments on Your SPRING SURVIVAL GUIDE For Allergy Season.

It’s that time of the year again: SPRING ALLERGY SEASON! There’s nothing more frustrating and confusing than getting a handle on your allergies. If it’s not the itchy eyes, it’s the running nose and even red dry eyes. What’s an individual to do, right? Introducing your spring survival guide for this season!

Well, stick with us and we’ll make certain you’ll go places; albeit only those of your choosing with as little pollen as possible. Here are a few tips, tools and information to help you manage this year’s allergy season. As we all know, allergy season affects each person differently. What works for some, won’t necessarily work for all. So, take what applies or what you are comfortable with and leave the rest.

IS IT BEST TO MANAGE MY ALLERGIES WITH OVER THE COUNTER DRUGS OR HOMEOPATHIC?

The truth is you can do either. This is an issue of preference and not just personal preference but body wisdom preference. If something along a homeopathic remedy is much more effective in providing you relief and comfort, then stick with that by all means. However, always make certain you are consulting with your primary healthcare doctor as well as your eye doctor. Certain medications and/or homeopathic remedies do effect your blood pressure as well as your overall body health. And, as we all know your overall body health affects your vision at times.

ASIDE FROM MEDICATIONS OR HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I CAN DO?

There’s always plenty you can do to alleviate allergies during the spring season. For starters, begin at home where you spend a good portion of your time. Sticking to regular cleaning/dusting, around the house, will help to reduce triggers such as dust build up or even pollen that accumulates over time. Consistency is the name of the game.

Also, daily monitoring of the pollen count is always a good method to follow. There is nothing like driving around town with your eyes streaming water or your noses dripping, while you attempt to make your way to your next meeting, to make this a hard lesson to learn. Each day is a different day during allergy season, so keep track of pollen counts to keep a firm handle on your allergies. It goes without saying, when the pollen count spikes, it best to stay indoors.

HOW DO I KNOW IF OR WHEN I NEED PRESCRIPTED MEDICATION FOR MY ALLERGIES?

Chance are if you’ve spent the last few allergy season bending over backwards [sometimes literally], trying every homemade remedy under the sun or you’ve gone through just about all of the strongest over the counter remedy’s from the drugstore, it’s time to consult your doctor.

A great place to start is to get an allergy test to know exactly what it is that triggers an allergic response. Once you have taken your test, consult with your physician about what your options are moving forward. Combined with your personal medical history, it will be much easier for you to design an all around health plan that will enhance your quality of life and allow you to enjoy springtime as much as possible.

Remember, a great health plan for the allergy season will always incorporate a plan for your eye health as well. Given the fact we experience our strongest allergy symptoms in our eyes and nose, be sure not to leave them out of your plan!

4 Tips For A Cool, Fresh & Fun Spring Fever!

Written by Envision Eyecare on March 24, 2015. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, Education, Eye Care & Eye Health, Eyewear, Featured. No Comments on 4 Tips For A Cool, Fresh & Fun Spring Fever!

Finally after a long and wet winter season, Spring has arrived! We’re just as excited as you are to leave the wintry clothing at the bottom of the closet and give the heater a rest in the car. Who’s ready for a little spring break, a few road trips and a handful of adventure? Hands down one of the prettiest times of the year in Asheville, here are a few friendly reminders to ensure your spring fever stays cool, fresh and fun!

DON’T FORGET TO BE MINDFUL OF…

SRING ALLERIES. Pay extra attention to what triggers your seasonal allergies so you know what to avoid. See an eye doctor if your eyes become itchy, red, watery and swollen. You’ll want to make certain you have your cupboards stocked of all your favorite and necessary eye relief remedies. Placing extra bottles or container or remedies in your car is also a useful tip.

SPORTS EYEWEAR. Almost 90 percent of sports related eye injuries are preventable with protective eyewear. Normally, this is the season the kiddies are rearing to get back out a hit a homer or get those cleats in the dirt for some real spring sporty action. It’s also a good time to investigate sport eye wear for both you and the kids. You know the old adage: “Better to be safe than sorry.”

EYE SAFETY AT HOME. Are you planning on spring cleaning, thinking of a few home-improvement projects or backyard gardening? IF so, then don’t forget to wear safety glasses or goggles to help avoid eye injuries. If you have experience with dry eye or any other eye health discomforts that cause dis-ease, be careful of what you’re spraying around the house and be mindful of what you’re using in your gardening. Check the labels, read the ingredients and stock up on your favorite protective eye wear. There’s nothing that can spoil a beautiful day in the garden like itchy, watery eyes or an accidental poke when you’re not looking.

SUN PROTECTION. The truth is everyone in the family should wear sunglasses while outdoors, even on cloudy days. Believe it or not, the sun’s harmful UV rays can cause cataracts, eyelid cancer and more. Easily the number one underestimated tip for healthy eyes all around, regardless having protecting sun wear is a must. How do you know if you’re at risk? Here is how: If you have fair skin, are greater in age, and/or have light eyes, the higher your long-term risk, especially if your work or recreation involves prolonged sunlight exposure. Light eyes are at risk certain eye diseases because they contain less of the protective pigment melanin.

So, before we’re in a rush to grab our hiking boots and get out in the warm sunshine and air, let’s first remember to give thought to how we’re protecting our precious sense of sight. HAPPY SPRING!!

To Be Or Not To Be Lazy…

Written by Envision Eyecare on March 4, 2015. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, Education, Eye Care & Eye Health, Featured, Personal Development. No Comments on To Be Or Not To Be Lazy…

The truth about that “lazy eye.”

There is so much conversation that happens around the topic of “lazy eye,” also known as amblyopia, we thought we should take a little time to clarify some points and highlight a few others. Despite popular belief, for starters, ‘lazy eye’ can happen in both eyes and not just one. In truth of the matter is the term lazy eye is inaccurate as the condition is caused by a development problem in the brain and not the eye.

The truth is amblyopia is a brain thing and not a ‘lazy eye’ issue at all. For instance, if one eye hasn’t had the opportunity to develop fully or as well as its counterpart, the brain will ultimately work harder [over compensation] to use the ‘good eye’ over the ‘lazy eye.’ When detected in early childhood, often times wearing a patch solves the problem straight away. However, it is not the only means of treating ‘lazy eye.’ Consulting with your eye doctor is always the best route to take when you have questions or notice early signs of this condition in your child.

Nevertheless, it’s always good to have a little information in your back pocket when you begin researching and delving into this process of uncovering “the truth about lazy eye” and all the ways it may or may not affect your child’s life. We thought we’d help by give you a little head start.

A few things to keep in mind when discussing ‘lazy eye’:

it is a condition that develops from an early childhood when one eye does not develop properly
‘lazy eye’ can actually happen in both eyes though one will be weaker than the other
wearing an eye patch alone is not the only form of rehabilitating the eye
blurred vision, double vision and lack of eye coordination are signs of ‘lazy eye’
a combined effort of vision therapy and wearing a patch is an optimal form of treatment
amblyopia and strabismus [crossed eyed] are not the same thing
it is not true that once a child reaches adulthood ‘lazy eye’ is untreatable

Remember, making sure your child’s annual eye exam is a regular occurrence is one way to keep an eye out for an early warning signs. As with most things in life, knowledge is power and empowering your child’s precious sense of sight is priority! At least that’s what we think here at Envision.

Why Healthy Eyes = A Happy Heart

Written by Envision Eyecare on February 12, 2015. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, Education, Eye Care & Eye Health, Featured. No Comments on Why Healthy Eyes = A Happy Heart

So, because we love you, we wanted to fill you in on a little secret. Okay, maybe it’s not a huge little secret and maybe there are several we’ll reveal, but there is something we thought you should know. For starters and officially speaking February is Heart Month and we’re completely on board!

Of course we could probably do with a little less papier mache hearts, candied heart, cards filled with hearts, signs designed with hearts but do keep the chocolate covered hearts. Don’t you agree? And let’s not forget the most important kind of heart of all — the happy heart. With all the holiday decor, talk about special date nights and weekend, and the words ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ everywhere y

ou look, I bet you didn’t know you had a valentine all along already?

Secret #1: You Have A Secret Valentine Already!

That’s right. Secretly, albeit not in the romantic sense, your eye doctor has had love for you all along. And your eye doctor’s care for your precious sense of sight has indirectly helped to save your life! Yes, we realize this is huge and we wouldn’t be in the least surprised if you needed a minute to digest this all. But, while you’re still digesting, allow us to let you in on another little secret.

When your visit your eye doctor, regularly we hope, there are several things he or she is hoping to accomplish. Of course, making sure you can see 20/20 is always right up there on their list. However, there are a few other things they’re looking for as well. As would be expected by any serious admirer, your eye doctor is looking for culprits that would impede your quality of life. Anything that would hinder your happiness or your ability to have a happy heart.

Secret #2: Why A Healthy Eyes = Happy Hearts

Believe it or not, there is one culprit that attempts to threaten the quality of life for many of us and our loved ones. That culprit is hypertension. As serious as this sounds [and it is] there is one quick and simple way to monitor your blood pressure and that would be keep your date with your eye doctor!

When your eye doctor exams the health of your eyes, they are also checking, inadvertently, the health of your heart. Since, one of the very first telltale signs of a heart condition is little hemorrhages in the tiny blood vessels at the back of your eyes, your routine eye exams become something rather special. An eye doctor can spot this right away and confirm that your blood pressure is not just a transient glitch. In fact, eye doctors are trained to look for a distinctive picture that indicates extreme hypertension, the kind that would require immediate hospitalization.

Though there are several ways to take good care of your heart, we thought you appreciate knowing someone in your life has been looking after your happy heart all along. So this Valentine’s Day share the love and encourage family, friends and neighbors to get a ‘happy heart check’ soon.

For more information on maintaining a happy and healthy heart, click this link to read more!

The Important Thing About Change…and your vision.

Written by Envision Eyecare on February 3, 2015. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, Education, Eye Care & Eye Health, Featured. No Comments on The Important Thing About Change…and your vision.

If there is one thing in life that we can always count on it is the experience of change we’re all liable to visit at one time or another. Life is all about change. And, depending on your disposition, experience and belief system, you’ll either experience change with some degree of apprehension or pure delight. Either way, we all agree, change will happen.

Take it from us! Change is inevitable. We feel akin to experts in this matter. Have you noticed our recent location change, team dynamics change, and even our “look” has changed? Exactly. We’re pros at this…or not.

Nevertheless, the question remains: “What is the best way to navigate one of life’s more challenging changes we may all experience at some point or another? What is that change you may ask? How about the change in our vision. This can be a very scary experience for some and for others, it can go unnoticed resulting in new experiences we would rather not have.

To help you navigate an otherwise intimidating landscape, here are a few tips to keep you balanced, clear and happy — if and when a change in vision becomes your experience.

SIGNS YOUR VISION MIGHT HAVE CHANGED:

Losing Focus: The most common age-related vision change — presbyopia — happens to almost everyone beginning between the ages of 40 and 50. A natural result of aging, the lens begins to lose elasticity, making it harder to focus vision up close for such activities as reading. But presbyopia can be corrected easily with reading glasses or glasses with bifocal, trifocal or progressive (“no-line”) lenses.
Declining Sensitivity: The lens of the eye also becomes increasingly dense and more yellow with age. These changes may affect color perception and contrast sensitivity. For instance, the color blue may appear darker and harder to distinguish from black. And it may become difficult to tell where an object ends and its background begins, making it difficult to see curbs or steps, for example.
Needing More Light: As the eye ages, the pupil gets smaller, resulting in the need for more light to see well, along with more time to adjust to changing levels of illumination (going from daylight into a dark theater or dimly lit restaurant, for example).

The good news is if you experience any of the following symptoms rest assured it’s normal. The most important thing to remember is a change in vision does not mean nor does it indicate an end result of a loss of sight. A great way of intentionally working towards keeping your sight and promoting optimal eye health is:

Schedule And Keep Routine Eye Appointments. Just like most of our healthcare concerns, our precious sense of sight is equally as important as visiting our family doctor, dentist or OB GYN.
Exercise Daily and Monitor Blood Pressure. For many of us a daily routine or even weekly habit for exercise does the body good. One early sign of vision change is our blood pressure and a great way of maintaining optimal health is to exercise regularly.
Guard Your Eyes From The Sun. Yes, believe it or not, it’s normally not a good idea to gaze directly at the sun and given the effects of UV rays, our eyes are sensitive creatures and require our attention to detail. That detail can be as simple as grabbing those shades on the way out the door.
Protect Your Eyes. In the event of any injury, whether you deem it big or not, be sure to wear protective eye gear when you are at higher risk for eye injury. So, if you’re an active sports player or you’ve experienced a cornea scratch or abrasion, protect your eyes from further injury. It’s always better to be safe, than sorry.
Consult Your Doctor When Taking Supplements. As healthy as we all want to be, we also want to be smart. When taking supplements, be sure to consult your family doctor and to know of any and all side-effects that may occur to your body system

In the end, no matter the change, it’s important we exercise caution, wisdom and care when protecting our vision. And remember, when in doubt, consult your Optometrist or Ophthalmologist!

My First Eye Exam

Written by Envision Eyecare on July 13, 2014. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, Education, Eye Care & Eye Health, Eyewear, Featured.

I have to admit when I moved to Asheville I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was happy enough there was at least more than a dozen places I could eat given my dietary restrictions. The fact I woke up every morning to the majesty of the Blue Ridge Mountains was more than I could expect. So, image my utter surprise when I learned that I would not only revel in these pleasures but also be provided with exceptional eye care to boot! Hey, I’m from New York City and “exceptional eye care,” unfortunately is not top of the list.

I guess to appreciate my delirious state of happiness is to know a little of my story. For starters, by the age of 9, I was wearing glasses. Of course, unlike most kids, I thought wearing glasses would allow me to stand out in the crowd and be cool. A daily habit of wearing them, the exact opposite of what I was told to do, ensured I’d wear them for the rest of my life. Of course, I had no clue how important my eye health really meant until I moved to Asheville, North Carolina.

As a native New Yorker, I was accustomed to the typical “hurry up and wait” kind of patient care where you picked your frames from a selection of crappy glasses unless you wanted to pay out of the nose for some designer frames that typically were no better than the run of the mill selection up front near the cash register. Of course, I had no idea that the normal “cattle call” that had become the norm in New York City [walk in, sit down, shut up, what can you see?, wait some more, come back in a week, don’t call us we’ll call you, here are your frames, NEXT!!!!!] left very little to be desired in terms of patient care much less education on eye health.

THIS LITTLE FACT COULD HAVE COST ME MY EYESIGHT AND HERE IS WHY.

When I finally made the decision to have my eyes checked at Envision Eyecare (mainly due to the fact how friendly the staff) I was flabbergasted how attentive and patient my eye doctor. My eye doctor that day, Dr. Melanie Denton, spent time talking me through each step she took to examine my eyes. Her knowledge of the eye and her ability to share that knowledge with me was extremely helpful in helping me understand the state of my eye healthy. You see, what I didn’t know was my family history put me in a category for some serious eye disease I had no clue about. Despite the fact I wore glasses nearly all my life and all my eye appointments, a thorough and comprehensive eye examine was never my experience.

ENTER DR. GOLSON AND HIS TEAM OF SUPERSTARS!

The time taken to question thoroughly my family history, my experience with contact lenses and eye wear unearthed a few surprises for me. One of my surprises was to learn I suffered from “dry eye syndrome” all my life. You mean to tell me it wasn’t allergies or windy weather that made me miserable? I had never even heard of “dry eye syndrome” until I walked into Envision Eyecare. Personally, I found that rather scary given I’ve been wearing glasses for over 30 years? My next surprise was to learn that my family history made me susceptible to glaucoma.

To be honest, I was terrified when I learned this news.

However, again, the tender care that Dr. Denton offered me helped me to assuage my fears and know that I could take preventative measures to not fall prey to this eye disease. All in all, I was so grateful to have finally had my very first eye examined ever in my life.

And who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

By Michele Ashley

What is Macular Degeneration

Written by Envision Eyecare on July 10, 2014. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Eye Care & Eye Health, Featured, Food.

Macular Degeneration, also known as ARMD (or Age Related Macular Degeneration), is the leading cause of vision loss in individuals over the age of 55 in America. This disease causes damage to the tissue of the macula, or the small portion of the retina responsible for central and detail vision. Symptoms often develop over time, sometimes causing gradual and irreversible vision loss. While ARMD is more commonly seen in elderly patients, there are many ways people of all ages can help reduce their risk of developing the disease.

The primary non-controllable risk factors of macular degeneration include age, a family history of macular degeneration, and fair-pigmentation, and this disease more commonly affects females and Caucasians. These are the risk factors we cannot control.

The great news is that there are many risk factors we can control! Smoking, inactivity, and prolonged sun exposure play a part in the development of ARMD. Through smoking cessation, increased activity and exercise, and the proper UV-blocking sun-wear, patients can reduce their likelihood of developing this disease.

Similarly, diet and nutrition play a huge role in the prevention of ARMD. Our eyes require certain antioxidant nutrients, (also called caratenoids), to maintain a healthy macula. These include lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin, and can only come from the foods we eat, and supplementation.

Consuming a diet rich in green leafy vegetables, vitamins B and C, zinc, and omega-3’s, while avoiding fat, sugar and cholesterol, can help prevent macular degeneration. Choosing a diet like this can also help with managing high blood pressure and obesity, which not only improves the health of our bodies, but more specifically our maculas!

Summer is the perfect time to go on a long adventurous hike with your friends, then grill some caratenoid-packed veggies, all while sporting your awesome macula-protecting sunglasses! Who knew that helping reduce our chances of developing ARMD could be so easy and fun!

What You Need To Know Before You Purchase Your Next Pair Of Frames…

Written by Envision Eyecare on January 7, 2014. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Education, Eyewear, Featured. No Comments on What You Need To Know Before You Purchase Your Next Pair Of Frames…

As an expert optician for Envision Eyecare it’s really important to me that you leave with glasses that are perfect for you! There are a lot of different factors that go into this. It starts with the shape of your face, your skin tones, how you use your glasses, your personality and some other factors. From what I’ve seen being in this industry, when new patients come to us, their frames are just not right for their face shape. Let’s explore the different shapes!

There are four main face shapes; oval, round, heart and square. When your face is oval your chin is slightly slimmer than your forehead and your features are well balanced. The shapes that would work best for this shape would be a rectangle or butterfly frame. The rectangle frame will help the narrower chin appear to be as wide as the forehead. Don’t forget also that a “cat eye” frame will accentuate your high cheek bones and you will find the “cat eye” looks great on every face shape!

Round faces are the same width and length with round contours resulting in soft features. Some of the best frames for this shape would be frames with straight lines. Rectangle frames look great and will help all of your features appear a little stronger. The “cat eye” frame will give a lift to the round face shape and I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t want that extra lift without having to have surgery!

Heart shaped faces have a narrow chin and jaw line. With a broad forehead this appears to be a heart. Round frames will take away from the broader forehead. Frames with a wider bottom will also make the narrower chin appear wider. Butterfly frames for women and those “cat eye” frames are going to accentuate your strongest features.

Faces that have the shape of a square have very well defined angles. They will have strong jawlines, foreheads and cheeks. An oval frame will help lengthen your face. While a round frame will help bring softness to your strongest features. Again, that “cat eye” frame is going to lift all of your strongest features and help tone down the strong angles.

As you can see it’s is really important that a frame match your face shape! As an optician we strive hard to help educate you on the frames that will work best for you! Come get to know one of our opticians and let us help guide you to the frame choice that will work best for you and your lifestyle.

by Ashley Glass

POWER.

Written by Envision Eyecare on November 26, 2013. Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, In the Media, Personal Development, Uncategorized. No Comments on POWER.

POWER: Such a simple word and yet a word that many of us struggle with constantly. Heaven forbid or help the person who attempts to render us powerless. And let’s not begin the debate of when family, friends and colleagues deem us far too powerful leading to conflict, competition and just a whole lot of crazy. We live in a world of inner turmoil always wondering if we’re coming across too strong (powerful) or not strong enough?

Real power comes from a strong inner strength, an indomitable spirit and unshakeable awareness of one’s own truth and the truth of the rest of the world devoid of judgment or discrimination. For many of us our first impression, experience or example of any kind of power was abusive, destructive or controlling. For you to really take grasp of your own personal power you will need to redefine it what this means to you first and foremost.

You’ll want to ask yourself what it means to have power, to be powerful and to show up powerfully for myself in my life.

Remember, the most powerful thing anyone could accomplish is to convince you you have no power over your life or circumstance. In this manner and many others, we are constantly giving our power away in big and small ways. We give our power away in our decision to remain quite, in our thinking to defer to others for the answers believing ourselves lacking and in expecting very little of our very self.

Your awareness of the fact that only you have the power to decide who you will be is a powerful truth that is waiting your embrace. So the next time you have a minute, ask yourself this question and be honest: Why are YOU afraid to accept you are much more powerful than you are willing to believe? What is it that you are afraid of? And, why are you afraid of it?

It is often said when you know the questions to ask, you will be led to the right answers: your truth.