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The NFL Combine’s Blind Spot

Geno Smith, one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s NFL Draft, threw for more than 4,200 yards, heaved 42 touchdowns, and completed 72.1 percent of his passes during his senior year at West Virginia University.

At the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend, we’ll find out how many times the 22-year-old can bench press 225 pounds, how fast he can run 40 yards, and how high he can jump. But there’s one stat that won’t be measured, and it just might make or break Smith’s career: How well can he see?

In 2012, only 20 percent of professional football players on the field, compared to 54 percent of all American 18- to 24-year-olds,either needed glasses or contact lenses, or had LASIK performed to correct their vision, says Michael Peters, O.D., team optometrist for the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes and the author of See to Play. Peters worked with the NFL for two seasons to compile those numbers. “The amount of detail a player can see in front of him determines how quickly he reads a defensive formation, or where a pass is headed,” he says.

Even high draft picks can make it to their initial team medical exam with undiagnosed or poorly corrected vision problem, says Peter Kaiser, M.D., an opthamologist at the Cleveland Clinic who works with the Cleveland Browns. “If they’re not in a marquee position, it may not be a big deal, but for a wide receiver or a safety, it might factor into the team’s decision,” Kaiser says. If the eye problem can’t be fixed, the player’s career may be in jeopardy.

Even if you’re not being scouted by the NFL, you can still stand to strengthen your vision, whether it’s to improve your performance on the playing field or simply see what’s in front of you. While only corrective lenses or laser surgery can actually improve your visual acuity—the level of detail you can see 20 feet away—some simple exercises can help your brain process visual information more quickly, and hone your body’s movements in response.

Peters recommends performing these exercises for 3 to 5 minutes each, for a total of no more than 20 minutes a day, every other day:

1. Card Swing
What it does: Improves your peripheral awareness.
How to do it: Hold a playing card at arm’s length straight out to one side. While keeping your eyes fixed straight ahead, rotate your arm behind you until you can no longer see the card. Next, slowly bring the card forward until you can just see the edge. You can shake the card when you’re first starting out to help, because it’s easier for your eyes to notice movement. Repeat five to 10 times, then switch to the other side.

2. Card Read
What it does: Helps to identify detail in front of you.
How to do it: Similar to the card swing, hold a playing card at arm’s length, this time 45 degrees left or right from center. It’s better if you draw the card and put it in position without reading it first. Then, slowly rotate your arm to the center, keeping your eyes fixed directly ahead, until you can correctly identify the value and suit of the card. “Most people only have around 15 degrees right or left of detailed vision, but some elite quarterbacks can see up to 25 or maybe even 30 degrees on either side,” Peters says.

3. ESPN Double Take
What it does: Helps you focus on objects at different distances.
How to do it: Sit 15 feet from the TV with ESPN or a news channel on, holding a book, magazine, or playing card 6 to 8 inches from your face. Read one line of the book, then look up and read the news crawl at the bottom of your TV screen, then go back to the book. Repeat for up to 5 minutes.

4. Tennis Ball Bounce
What it does: Improves your hand-eye coordination.
How to do it: Have a partner stand a few feet behind you. Your partner then throws a tennis ball at a wall, and you try to catch the rebound on the first bounce. If you’re ready for a greater challenge—or can’t find a partner—keep your eyes closed during the throw, and open them only when you hear the ball hit the wall.

5. Tennis Ball Read
What it does: Increases the speed that you process visual information.
How to do it: Follow the procedure for the “tennis ball bounce,” except use a marker to write a different number on several different tennis balls. Again have your partner bounce a tennis ball against the wall for you to catch. Before you catch it, you have to read the number on the ball out loud.

Adapted from Men’s Health

Posted in: Eye Health, Optometry, Vision

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1-Day Contact Lenses For Comfort and Safety

I have a question for all of the contact lens wearers out there. When is your lens the most comfortable?

The answer is invariably the first day you open a brand new package and put in a fresh lens. Now imagine that everyday you can enjoy the feeling of having a new lens in your eye.

And in addition, a new contact lens is free from any bacteria or buildup – so you can be reap the health benefits as well.

Daily contact lenses are designed to be worn one time and then tossed out, opening a new one the next time you want to wear a lens and giving you the most comfortable, safest and healthiest way to wear contact lenses.

A recent study has compared the surface of patients eyes wearing 1•DAY ACUVUE TruEye Brand Contact Lenses to patients who don’t wear contacts at all.

The contact lens wearers were found to have no clinically significant health effects on the surface of their eye, in either blood vessel growth on the cornea or generalized eye-redness.

The study revealed the lenses provided high levels of comfort from morning to night, allowing more people than ever to wear lenses comfortably.

1-Day lenses are also a great choice for part-time contact lens wearers. Nothing scares me more than hearing someone leave an extended wear lens in the case with who-knows-what bacteria for weeks on end. I always feel better knowing that a lens can be discarded after one wearing and then three days or three weeks later a patient can open a brand new lens.

The benefits of 1-day contacts lenses are numerous, and there is no question why these lenses have grown in market share while the rest of the contact lens industry has been shrinking.

See your eye doctor to try this growing category of contact lenses – you will increase your health, safety and comfort all while enjoying being glasses-free.

Tags: 1-day contact lenses, Contact Lenses, daily disposables, eye doctor, optometrist, vision

Posted in: Eye Health, Optometry, Vision

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Video Games May Be Helpful in Treating ‘Lazy Eye’

Imagine if someone told you that researchers just found out a major cause of vision loss is treatable, and that the promising new treatment is — playing video games? It may sound far-fetched, but those are the conclusions of a special article, “Removing the Brakes on Plasticity in the Amblyopic Brain,” in the June issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

It’s long been thought that after childhood, it’s too late to treat “lazy eye” leading to permanent vision loss (amblyopia). But new research suggests that the visual cortex of the brain has enough “neural plasticity” to respond to treatment for amblyopia even in adulthood, according to the article by Dennis Michael Levi, OD, PhD, of UC Berkeley.

What’s more, initial studies suggest that specially designed video games may be effective in improving vision for adults or older children with amblyopia. For his work on neural plasticity in amblyopia, Dr Levi was named winner of the 2011 Charles F. Prentice Award.

Amblyopia is vision loss that occurs when one eye is weaker than the other — most often from a turned eye or unequal prescriptions in the eyes. Over time, the visual cortex ignores the information from the weaker eye. The main treatment is patching of the better eye, which makes the weaker eye work harder.

For almost a century, vision scientists and clinicians have thought that amblyopia can only be treated in young children, while the brain is still developing — up to about age twelve. As a result, conventional treatments like patching have rarely been used in older children and adults.

“However, new clinical and experimental studies in both animals and humans provide evidence for neural plasticity beyond the critical period,” according to Dr Levi. The research suggests that that the older brain is more adaptable, or “plastic,” than previously thought. Although plasticity is lower after early childhood, there are ways of enhancing it.
One potentially useful approach is “perceptual learning” — basically, improving various aspects of sensory function through repeated practice. Dr Levi explains, “Practicing visual tasks can lead to dramatic and long-lasting improvements in performing them, ie, practice makes perfect!” Researchers have developed perceptual learning approaches in which patients perform challenging visual tasks using only their amblyopic (weaker) eye.

However, these perceptual learning tasks have some important drawbacks — they produce improvement only in specifically targeted visual tasks. Another problem is “the rather dull nature of the training” — the visual tasks are boring and monotonous, which makes people not want to spend much time doing them!

In collaboration with Daphne Bavelier, PhD, of the University of Rochester and Jessica Bayliss, PhD, of Rochester Institute of Technology, Dr Levi has been working on a new approach using video games for visual training. The goal is develop a new type of action game that will combine the fun and excitement of video games while targeting the visual skills needed to improve visual performance in the weaker eye.

Link to Video

Initial clinical studies suggest that video games may improve several aspects of visual performance. In one recent study, this approach to perceptual learning led to recovery of three-dimensional stereo vision in adults with established amblyopia — even after decades without normal binocular vision.

“These findings, [including] the results of new clinical trials, suggest that it might be time to reconsider our notions about neural plasticity in amblyopia,” Dr. Levi concludes. He emphasizes that “careful controlled randomized clinical trials” will be needed to confirm the effectiveness of the new approaches.

“Our author’s studies of perceptual learning, and particularly using active video game play, provide evidence for neural plasticity and accompanying treatment success in adults with amblyopia,” comments Anthony Adams, OD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Optometry and Vision Science.

Posted in: Eye Health, Optometry, Technology

The Jittery Eye – Does Caffeine Increase Eye Pressure?

Caffeine has long been a staple of the American diet – from the first cup of joe in the morning to the midday pick-me-up. In fact, coffee is the number one source of antioxidants for Americans. But caffeine itself has been associated with negative health benefits including increasing pressure in the eyes, and therefore possibly contributing to glaucoma.

A new study has found a novel approach to answer the question of whether caffeine does indeed increase eye pressure. According to the journal Clinical Ophthalmology, researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine have teamed up with the Chandra Eye Research Institute in India to put caffeine directly on the eye and study its effects.

The researchers isolated the caffeine to make a ‘caffeine eye drop’ that they dropped in eyes of five glaucoma patients twice a day for one week. In the end, they concluded that caffeine had no effect on intraocular pressure in either the one-day follow up or the one-week follow up.

Incidentally, there were no reports of increased eyelid twitching or withdrawal symptoms.

This counteracts the finding from a 2005 study which said caffeine does in fact increase the pressure. However, that study used coffee as the source of caffeine, which has more variables than the pure caffeine eye drops. Therefore any effects reported in coffee drinkers may be related to other components in coffee which may come about while roasting coffee beans at high temperatures or possibly from milk and sugar that’s added to the drink.

All the experts agree that small amounts of caffeine won’t cause your eye pressure to increase or cause glaucoma. However, if you have concerns that you consume too much caffeine, you should talk with your doctor to determine your appropriate and healthy level of caffeine intake.

If you have risk factors for glaucoma, such as high pressure or a family history, your doctor may recommend that you decrease your overall caffeine intake or at least lower it to safe levels. Eye pressure can only be determined during eye exams and most glaucoma patients don’t feel their pressure increasing. That is why it’s so important to have your eyes check routinely, to detect and prevent problems early, before they become sight-threatening.

Tags: caffeine, coffee, Eye drop, eye pressure, glaucoma

Posted in: Eye Health, Optometry

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New Laser Surgery Promises To Make Brown Eyes Blue

When Crystal Gayle sang, “Don’t it Make Your Brown Eyes Blue,” she was lamenting a relationship gone south. Now, almost 35 years later, the song title can be used to describe a new form of laser surgery that permanently transforms one’s brown or hazel eyes blue.

“I’m incredibly excited about it,” Gregg Homer, Ph.D., chairman of the board and chief medical officer of the Stroma Medical told MSNBC. “I have light eyes, and I think brown eyes are just as beautiful as blue eyes. But I started doing this because I thought it was a cool technology, and I thought it would be nice for people to have a choice … ”

The laser procedure disrupts the brown layer of pigment in the iris, causing the body to initiate a natural tissue-removal process. The procedure is then repeated on the other eye. A small ring around the edge of the pupil remains untreated, as the laser does not enter the pupil for safety reasons.

Because the Stroma laser treats the iris alone, the company says it should have no effect on vision, and thus far, this has indeed been the case. In addition, Stroma Medical says no adverse events have been reported to date.

However, several ophthalmologists voiced concerns that burning large amounts of brown pigment may cause inflammation, damage the cornea, cataracts or even glaucoma. Others called for long-term studies to assess the safety of the procedure.

The company says it expects the procedure to be available to the general public outside the United States in about 18 months and inside the United States in about three years with a retail price of around $5,000.

Via Optometric Management

Tags: blue eyes, brown eyes, eye color, eye doctor, eye exam, laser eye, optometrist

Posted in: Optometry, Technology

Tips For Safe Night Driving

As the winter approaches and the days get shorter, more often we will find ourselves driving in the dark. It’s important to remember that after the sun sets, there are more challenges than driving during the daylight. Yet many people don’t realize the dangers that night driving presents, or safe and effective ways to handle them.

At night our vision is limited in many ways. Drivers have less contrast, and colors are more difficult to distinguish. Also, studies have shown that depth perception and peripheral vision are reduced as well.

Here are a few tips you can use to make sure you’re seeing your best, and therefore driving safely:

When approaching an oncoming car, don’t look directly into their headlights. Instead look at the road or the white lines in front or off to the side. Staring into the light may leave a temporary spot in your vision, obstructing what you see for a few seconds.
Another tip is to use antireflective (AR) treatments on your glasses. A high-quality AR lens increases the amount of light reaching your eye by 8% and reduces halos and glare from lights.
Contact lenses may increase the glare or blurriness after wearing your lenses late into the night. Using the right solution and following your doctor’s recommended wearing time will give you better visual performance with your lenses.
Adjust your vehicle’s interior lighting. Any source of light inside the car will seem extremely bright and will make it more difficult to see. You can also dim your dashboard lights to help with glare.

Obviously, safe driving starts with a thorough eye exam to make sure your eyes are healthy and there are no underlying conditions that may impact your vision. Make your next car ride a trip to the eye doctor!

Tags: antireflective, eye doctor, eye exam, glare, night driving, optometrist, vision

Posted in: Eye Health, Optometry

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Optometry Makes Top 10 List for Patient Satisfaction

A new survey of more than 3.1 million patients revealed that optometric practices rank fifth for patient satisfaction in 2010. The rankings were based on the evaluation of 99 different medical practice specialties and optometry scored 91.81 out of a 100-point scale.

“It’s clear that medical practices are working hard to improve the patient experience,” says Patty Riskind, senior vice president of medical services at Press Ganey Associates, Inc., the company that conducted the survey. “We’ve been pleased to see that our medical practice clients who have started measuring the patient experience are already making significant improvements.”

Our office sends out a survey to every patient we see and we welcome feedback, both good and bad. No matter how many pleased patients we have, we constantly look for ways to improve, and patient feedback is the best way to make our practice the best.

We believe that our office does the things that keep optometry in the top ten. Our practice is a strong advocate of exceptional customer service, starting from the first phone call all the way through to dispensing eyeglasses. We run on time, offering convenient hours and most importantly, we are honest and upfront about everything that happens during a visit.

The top 10 consists of Medical Oncology (92.76), Gynecological Oncology (92.39), Interventional Cardiology (92.01), Cardiovascular Disease (91.99), Optometry (91.81), Hematology (91.77), Geriatric Internal Medicine (91.37), Gynecology (91.32) Nephrology (91.29) and Family Medicine (90.76).

Press Ganey (www.pressganey.com) is a South Bend, Ind. company that specializes in healthcare performance improvement. It works with U.S. healthcare organizations to improve clinical and business results.

Tags: eye doctor, eyecare, optometrist, survey

Posted in: Optometry

The Best Ways To Use Your HSA Money Before The End of The Year

Many people these days opt for a Health Savings Account (HSA), allowing for pretax dollars to go toward health care spending. These accounts go by many names- cafeteria plans, health savings accounts or flexible spending accounts, to name a few. But most of these are ‘use them or lose them’ accounts where money not spent is lost. Your Optometrist‘s office is a great place to spend this money before the end of the year.

For a family in the 25% tax bracket, a $200 pair of glasses actually cost the equivalent of $150 by using pre-tax dollars, saving you $50 that would have gone to Uncle Sam.

Here are a few ideas of ways to use your money on eye care and eye wear before the end of the year:

1. A backup pair of glasses. Whether you wear glasses or contact lenses, everyone could use a just-in-case pair. Our office has great styles available starting at $80 for the frame and lenses. If you’ve been putting off that spare pair, now is the time to jump on it.

2. Computer glasses. With increased time spent on computers, Blackberrys and iPhones, eye strain is steadily increasing. For many people, computer glasses are a simple solution to increase comfort with digital devices.

3. Sunglasses. I have absolutely no problem touting UV-blocking sunglasses as a necessary medical expense. Your flex spending dollars can be spent at CVS for sunscreen, so why not for the eyes? Our office has plenty of sunglass options from the ultra-trendy RayBan Wayfarers to sporty Maui Jims.

4. Contact lenses. Manufacturers are always offering rebates through our office for quanitiy contact lens purchases, so now is the time to stock up on what you would buy anyway. And having more contacts available at home leads to better compliance. A great analogy is toothpaste, when the tube is new you probably squeeze it all over with no real concern for how much comes out. But by the end, you’re puting on as little as you can to conserve that last drop. It’s no wonder that people stretch their last pair of lenses for almost three times as long as the first pair in the box.

Plus, our office will take back any unopened and marked boxes for full credit, so if your prescription changes down the line, the exchange will allow you to update your vision without any additional money.

These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg of how our office can help you maximize your flex spending accounts before you lose this benefit for another year.

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care Center. Please call or contact our office for more information.

Connect with us:

Basics of Health Savings Accounts (turbotax.intuit.com)
FSA vs HSA (theinsurancebarn.wordpress.com)
Health Savings Accounts: A Tax-Savvy Way to Get Coverage (online.wsj.com)

Tags: contact lens, Flexible spending account, glasses, Health, Health savings account, High-deductible health plan, optometry

Posted in: Optometry

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Navigating the Insurance Maze

As an Optometrist, dealing with different medical insurance and vision plans can be very confusing. I can only imagine what it must be like from the consumer’s point of view – being that you may only use your benefits once or twice per year.

Often times a patient will come to our office with both a vision plan and a medical plan, and not know which insurance carrier will be responsible for the exam. In theory, it’s very simple. If your reason for coming to our office is for a routine check such as for glasses or contact lenses, then a vision plan is responsible. If you came in for a medical reason, such as dry eyes, a red eye or to follow your eyes for diabetic changes, then your medical coverage would be billed for the visit.

There is often a misconception that because we are Optometrists that we only file claims through vision plans. That is simply incorrect. We are contracted providers with most major medical plans and our training has allowed us to treat and manage complex medical conditions. We file your medical insurance just as a local Ophthalmologist or urgent care center would.

The problem with filing a medical visit through a vision plan is that they only reimburse for routine diagnoses (such as myopia, astigmatism, etc.) and will not pay us if you have a medical condition such as a red eye or an advanced cataract. Of course, even if we file your exam through your medical insurance, you can still use your vision benefits for glasses or contact lenses.

Our office does not make these rules– they are defined by the insurance carriers and vision plans themselves. We will do everything to work with our patients to help navigate through the maze the insurance system has set up. I hope this cleared up a little confusion regarding medical versus vision plans.

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care Center. Please call or contact our office for more information.

Tags: clarin, clarin eye care, clarineyecare, dr. clarin, eye, eye care, eye doctor, eye exam, eyecare, insurance, medical, medical billing, medical insurance, optometrist, vision, vision insurance, vision plan

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Monday	9:00am – 6:00pm
Tuesday	9:00am – 6:30pm
Wednesday	9:00am -5:30pm
Thursday	9:00am – 6:00pm
Friday	9:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday	By Appointment

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