Contact Lenses Indianapolis

Dr. Tavel's Vision Blog would like to clear up a confusing eye health myth once and for all.
Eye Health Myth #2 from EyeCare America is something I again have been told growing up by my parents and this time grandparent’s too-eating carrots help your vision and eye sight.  This is TRUE!

My parents and grandparents were right with this myth as carrots do help maintain good sight.  Being rich in Vitamin A and beta-carotene, carrots help our eyes adjust to light from outside conditions to inside conditions as well as keep eye membranes moist for the best eye sight.  Vitamin A is commonly called retinol.

Not a carrot fan?  Nutritionists, Indianapolis optometrists, and eye care doctors across the state agree that there are plenty of other foods rich in both Vitamin A and beta-carotene to help your eye sight.  Other top sources of Vitamin A are egg yolk, cheddar cheese, and fortified milk.  Beta-carotene can be found in other fruits and vegetables with deep orange or yellow colors like cantaloupe, mangos, peaches, sweet potatoes, and apricots.  Pumpkins too have beta-carotene so as we enter into fall enjoy some pumpkin treats common this season to help your eyes.

Help dispel this myth and eat carrots!  Carrots may not completely be the answer though and you may need to buy eye glasses or contact lenses in Indianapolis or your home city to see clearly.  Carrots tend to be the best food though to help maintain good vision simply because they have both Vitamin A and beta-carotene.

Myth #2 is dispelled!

Blog by: Lauren Tavel

Your eyesight is vital. As one of the five senses we value, it is important to care for your eye health and prevent any vision loss. The first step in doing so is choosing an eye doctor that’s best suited for your needs. Whether it’s simply scheduling annual eye exams to check for diseases and infections, or getting glasses and lenses or premium contact lenses, you want an eye doctor that is qualified, has the right training and experience, and offers the services you need.  An eye care doctor should be knowledgeable, and show genuine care for his or her patients’ health.

Either your optometrist (OD) or ophthalmologist (DO or MD) should be certified through an accredited medical institution and should be licensed to practice through the state board of optometry or state medical board. Out of Dr. Tavel’s twenty-two eye care doctors, we have twenty one certified optometrists and one ophthalmologist that are licensed to practice. Our Columbus eye doctors are optometrists as well as our Bloomington, Indianapolis and Anderson eye doctors.  Our ophthalmologist, Dr. Regenstreif, works at our Kokomo location.

But which one is right for you; an optometrist or an ophthalmologist?  Both kinds of doctors can help you take care of your vision and protect your sight for the future.  Optometrists specialize in vision services such as eye examinations, treatment of conditions like amblyopia and strabismus, and diagnose conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and conjunctivitis. Optometrists can prescribe medications for specific eye conditions, prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses and can aid in diagnosing eye diseases and injury prevention services.  An ophthalmologist provides complete vision care including eye exams, medical and surgical eye care for instances such as glaucoma, iritis, chemical burns, cataracts, crossed eyes, tumors, trauma and more. They can diagnose and treat eye conditions related to diseases like diabetes, arthritis or brain conditions, offer eye disease preventative services and some offer plastic surgery.

So which eye care doctor is right for you? Come in to any of our Indiana vision centers and talk to our doctors for more information on eye health. At Dr. Tavel we aim to do much more than correct your vision; we also help you protect your vision. We go beyond the standard eye exam because we care about your health.  Choose one of our many qualified eye doctors today!

I want your love, and I want your revenge; You and me could write a bad romance.  Infamous song lyrics by pop-music artist Lady Gaga to the global chart topping hit song “Bad Romance;” a song that has helped make Lady Gaga one of the most popular artists today all over the world. 

Tonight at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Gaga fans will get to see the American star perform in a show that according to the star’s website will still have the disco balls, hot pants, sequins, and stilettos, known favorites of Gaga, but with a more fine tuned approach and a fierce structure. 

Hoosiers are bound to hear the hit, “Bad Romance” tonight, a song that has many young fans risking their eye sight to mimic the star’s music video cartoon eyes.  Gaga’s eyes in the song’s music video appear to be large and circular, inspired from Japanese cartoons “Anime” and young girls everywhere are buying illegal contacts to make this fashion statement.

Called “Circle Contact Lenses,” these contacts cover a portion of the whites of the eye making the eye appear large and round like a cartoon’s.  According to an ABC News report, these lenses are not FDA approved which has many eye care doctors concerned about their popularity and usage, especially among young Gaga fans who are illegally buying the colored lenses online for $20 and changing them in and out like earrings.

Wearers of these illegal contacts run the risk of potentially losing their eye sight if worn for extended amounts of time or if fitted improperly which could scratch the cornea damaging vision. It is impossible to have these “Circle Contact Lenses” fitted properly as they are bought online and not prescribed through an optometrist.  Quite the risk for making a fashion statement, but one that many are making as they sing along Rah, rah ah, ah, ah; Roma, roma, ma; Gaga, ooh, la, la; Want your bad romance.

Blindness or low vision affects 3.3 million Americans over the age of 40, or 1 in 28. This figure is projected to reach 5.5 million by the year 2020. The study identifies age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, cataract and diabetic retinopathy as the most common eye diseases in Americans age 40 and over.

Worse yet, another study shows that most Americans don’t know the risks and warning signs of diseases that could cause blindness. In the "Survey of Public Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to Eye Health and Disease," sponsored by the National Eye Institute and the Lions Clubs International Foundation, 71 percent of respondents said that eye sight loss would have the greatest impact on their day-to-day lives, but only eight percent knew that there are few early warning signs of glaucoma.

The answer is pretty simple, get in to see your Indianapolis or Indiana eye doctor and follow the mantra of "check yearly, see clearly."

To celebrate Dr. Tavel's newest Indiana Vision Center, we are offering a Grand Opening Contact Lens Sale at all Indianapolis Optical locations as well as all Vision Eye Centers across Indiana.  This sale is spectacular for anyone who currently wears premium contact lenses or for anyone who is interested in wearing contacts for the first time.  For $99.98, we are offering the following:

• Comprehensive Eye Examination
• Contact Lens Fitting Exam
• 2 boxes of Acuvue Oasys premium contact lenses
• One month supply of contact lens solution
• Fashion Sunglasses

Recently, one of my good friends came down with Pink Eye.  When most people think of Pink Eye, they think of young children at school, spreading this contagious disease to one another as they don't wash their hands often enough.  The reality is that adults can contract this as well and some of the most likely adult candidates are contact lens wearers.

Why are contact lens wearers more vulnerable to pink eye and what was likely the primary cause of my friend getting pink eye?  Poor hygiene in the handling of contact lenses and contact lens cases can contribute mightily to infections of this sort.  My friend has a very bad habit of not changing or cleaning her premium contact lenses for months at a time. 

So, when she went to get an eye examination with one of our Indianapolis eye doctors, she was told to throw away her contacts, replace her contact lens case and wear her eyeglasses for a few days to help alleviate the symptoms.  The problem was that when she put her glasses on, they had a 3 year old prescription in them that was off substantially and her vision was impaired.  Since she wears contact lenses all the time, she saw very little need to have an updated pair of glasses.  Needless to say, she came back in to one of our Indianapolis locations and ordered a new pair of glasses.

Two morals to this story: (1) contact lens wearers need to follow the guidelines of their wear schedule so as to have the best eye health and (2) even those patients who wear contacts 24/7 have a need to have a back-up pair of glasses.

In considering the elements of eye care, terms can get a little confusing. Fear not! Dr. Tavel is here to help.

The Ophthalmologist: This individual is a medical doctor who specializes vision care. What differentiants this individual from regular vision providers is that he or she may perform eye surgery.

The Optometrist: This is the professional who specializes in eye examinations. During this exam the doctor will test for diseases, visual acuity, and prescribe premium contact lenses or glasses. (Dr. Tavel and his associates are Indiana eye dcotors aka "optometrists")

The Optician: These are the men and women that fill the doctor's prescription, fit glasses and lenses, and train the patient to use contact lenses. (In all of our Indianapolis Optical locations (You can find Dr. Tavel opticians smiling and ready to help in all of our state-wide and Indianapolis optical locations.)

 

The other night, I went down to Conseco Fieldhouse to check out the WNBA Indiana Fever game and support the local team.  As a self-proclaimed basketball junkie, I love watching these women play and I truly enjoy seeing how passionate the fans in Indianapolis are about their basketball teams. 

While at the game, I was talking to another fan and he informed me that he has been a patient of Dr. Tavel for over 20 years.  He informed me that he has been going to the Greenwood Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care for a long time to get his eyes examined and to buy eyeglasses.  My first question when I talk to a Dr. Tavel patient is always "How was the service?"  The reason is that I know patients can get glasses and lenses anywhere and with on-line options for contact lenses, they can go even more places for that.  If we aren't providing excellent customer service, we aren't doing our job and we are going to lose our patients to a competitor.

The good news is that he was very happy with the service provided.  As tends to happen, he accidentally sat on his glasses and needed them to be adjusted.  He explained what happened to one of our opticians and she quickly fixed the glasses so they fit right again.  He told me that it was done as a complimentary service at no charge.  It is always good to hear from Dr. Tavel's patients, especially when they see the vision values that our eye doctors and staff provide. 

The key to this experience is that people talk and they are more than willing to tell others about their experience, whether it be positive or negative.  To have been in business as long as we have at Dr. Tavel, we know that our success as Indiana Eye Doctors lies in our ability to provide eye examinations and customer service that far exceeds our customers expectations.

I have officially justified the fact that I devoured a huge serving of strawberry shortcake for lunch on Friday at the Indianapolis 43^rd Annual Strawberry Festival. Research shows that fruits rich in Vitamin C (like strawberries) are essential to good nutrition which is directly related to the functionality of your eyesight as you age.

Wouldn't it be nice to come out of an eye examination with a prescription for strawberries? I think we should get this trend started with Indiana eye doctors and just pass it along. Forget glasses and lenses, forget premium contact lenses, you need to eat more strawberries! Sounds good to me.