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
On top of this, we are offering 20% off all eyeglasses. This is an exceptional deal and when compared to other Indianapolis Eye Care Doctors, it can't be beat. When you see the best eye doctors at
Dr. Tavel and get a great deal on contact lenses, you will see why we have been able to continue our 70 years of successful eye care in Indiana.
On Monday, February 8th, Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care will open its 20th Indiana Vision Center in Zionsville, Indiana. The Zionsville Dr. Tavel will join the other vision eye centers in Indianapolis, Anderson, Bloomington, Columbus, Fishers, Greenwood, Kokomo, Muncie, New Castle, Shelbyville, Elkhart, South Bend, Richmond and Terre Haute. Three of the current optical locations are Vision Values by Dr. Tavel and the remaining 17 are Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care.
As with any of our Dr. Tavel stores, we will offer comprehensive eye examinations by a board certified Indiana eye doctor, premium contact lenses and eyeglasses. If you want to buy eye glasses or see the best eye doctor possible, come to our new location at 61 Boone Village in Zionsville or call 317-733-3344 for an appointment. Of course, you can also schedule on line at
www.drtavel.com. We look forward to serving the Zionsville community.
Thursday afternoon in my Astronomy course, I sat with a friend of mine who happens to be color blind. Now, if you know anything about astronomy you'll probably note that it has a lot to do with the visible light spectrum, the spectrum of colors that appears when white light is broken down by a prism (ROY G. BIV ring a bell?). Anyway, as we were viewing the array of colors produced by various elements, my friend turned to me and said "this would be so much easier if I had normal vision."
Normal vision? What does that even mean? Being able to see colors? Getting a regular eye examination? Not having to buy eyeglasses? There are so many dimensions to "normal vision" that it's hard to decide what exactly that constitutes.
The truth is, "normal vision" does not mean "perfect vision." According to the Vision Council of America, over 75% of the population wears some sort of corrective lenses. This means, the norm is not perfect vision, but corrected vision. However, normal vision can go awry relatively quickly without having regular eye exams. But, if you follow the simple rule "Check yearly. See Clearly." you can count on having true normal vision for a long time.
As I started wearing contact lenses in the past few years, I found out that I am one of the many people who has dry eyes, which ultimately leads to discomfort if I am not wearing the right contact lens. The good news is that I have found ways to combat this discomfort so I can continue to wear premium contact lenses.
Daily Disposables - These lenses are changed every day, which means that you get to put in a new pair each morning that is free from built-up deposits on the lens. People who suffer from allergies are also going to be more comfortable in these as any allergens that stick to the lens go away with a new pair.
FDA-indicated for dryness - CooperVision has a lens, Proclear, that is FDA approved for improving comfort due to dry eye.
Low Water Lenses - I used to think that I wanted a lens with a high water content to alleviate the dry eye issue. However, I found that lenses with high water content need to be in a moist environment so if your eyes are dry to begin with, these will essentially dehydrate.
As with any of this, I recommend you see your eye care doctor or Indiana optometrist for an eye examination and an accurate assessment of your eye health and vision needs. The best eye doctors (who can be found at Dr. Tavel, by the way) will provide you with an appropriate solution to your dry eyes.
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.
For years now, our country has been one that loves 2-week contact lenses. While other countries overseas are embracing daily disposable contact lenses, it is still a lens modality that has struggled to catch on here with any real success. For the life of me, I can't figure out why. The only guess I have is that we aren't as educated about this type of contact lens. With this, I urge you to take a look at Daily Disposables (
CooperVisions's ProClear 1 day &
ClearSight 1 day as well as
Ciba Vision's Focus Dailies) as on option for premium contact lenses.
The reasons are two-fold: better eye health and better comfort. The reasons it is better for eye health are simple:
- Since you have to change your lens on a daily basis, this promotes good ocular health. Daily Disposables have the highest compliance rate of any modality at 94%.
- Daily Replacement means less deposit build up, reducing problems associated with this, such as GPC
- Daily disposables have the lowest infection rate since you are putting in a new, fresh lens every day
The reasons for better comfort are obvious as well. Putting in a new lens every day means you are getting a fresh lens with no deposit build-up, allowing for a more comfortable wearing experience.
If you haven't tried daily disposable contact lenses, please take some time when you see your Indianapolis Optometrist or Indiana Eye Doctor to discuss this modality and the benefits it can provide.
What a game. Colts/Pats. Night game, national television and all the hype and hoopla. When it comes to big games, you are always hoping for a great one but never know if it is going to happen or not. Well, this one was great. We were down for a big part of the game and it seemed like there was no way we were going to win. A little bit of luck and a questionable decision led to the
Indianapolis Colts pulling out a win at the last second thanks to a touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne.
The game was great, the atmosphere was fantastic and the show of support from local Indianapolis and Indiana residents was phenomenal. I ran into several friends at the game and some old college friends from South Bend and Elkhart that I haven't seen in years. The interesting part about the night was that more than one of my buddies brought up their health savings plans or flex spending accounts and were asking about getting in to use that before the end of the year. We are at the biggest football game of the year and these guys want to talk about their health insurance plans!
It shows you how important it is to use health benefits before they expire. The great part about these plans is that you can use them for many health related reasons, specifically eye care. These plans can be used for eye examinations, contact lens fit examinations, purchasing frames and lenses and purchasing premium contact lenses. One of my friends from Columbus, Indiana was planning on using more of his health savings for the baby they had this year. When they didn't use as much as expected, he now has some funds that HE HAS TO USE. The great part is that now he can come to Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care and get the prescription sunglasses that he has wanted for some time.
This is a great opportunity for anyone with a plan like this. Go see your Indianapolis eye care doctor or come in to any of our Indiana Vision Centers before the end of the year and we will be sure to take care of you.
My 5 year old son had his final soccer game of the season last Saturday in Indianapolis. It was a great game and actually went to a shoot out at the end to decide the game. Okay, these are 5 and 6 year olds so there was no goalie and they basically had to kick the ball straight into the goal from 30 yards away, but nonetheless it was pretty exciting. Our team lost, but as with any youth soccer game the focus was more about getting their medals and what the snack of the week was.
It was a great fall day in Indiana and I got some sun, which is rare for early November. It got me thinking about how most people are unaware that extended exposure to the same harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays that affect their skin can also harm their eyes. While outside on Saturday, all of the children's eyes were exposed to the sun's rays. Some of the parents on the sidelines had sunglasses on, while others were wearing hats, which are both helpful in blocking UV rays from reaching the eyes. When I am outside, I typically wear contact lenses that block UV rays and I also wear polarized sunglasses, which are great for absorbing and blocking UV rays, while also reducing glare from the sun.
The next time you and your children are playing outside, stay focused on the health of your eyes by wearing sunglasses, brimmed hats or premium contact lenses with UV blocking. If you don't have these items available, make sure you go to your Indianapolis Optometrist, Eye Doctor or a local vision eye center.
This week was the start of the 2009-2010 NBA season. I am a hoops junkie so this makes me pretty excited. Watching the Pacers in their season opener, I definitely see some potential for them. Don't get me wrong, I am not expecting them to go deep in the playoffs, but I think they are heading in the right direction in terms of the guys they picked up in the off-season and the draft. All of the new acquisitions are tough, with a desire to play hard and intense on defense.
I have been in love with the game of basketball all my life, playing throughout high school and college. I still play in a morning game at the local YMCA, which is more about finding a fun way to stay in shape than anything else. What has been interesting for me is realizing how important my vision is when it comes to playing basketball. Up until I was 30, I had no need for vision correction and I took my sight for granted while playing sports. Then it hit me that I couldn't see the other end of the court all that well and I might have an actual reason for missing so many shots! Needless to say, contact lenses have made my life so much better when it comes to playing basketball because I finally have perfect vision again and I can focus on playing ball instead of how well I can see.
In recent years, I have discovered the benefits of daily disposable contact lenses. They are great because I can wake up, open a new lens and hit the gym. Since I wear a new pair every day, there is no deposit build up on the lens and my comfort level is at an all time high. Currently I am wearing CooperVision's Proclear 1-day daily disposable, which is a great contact lens.
I was reading the latest issue of Eyecare Business magazine and they had some great statistics regarding children's vision.
- 23 million children have vision problems
- 95% of vision issues can be corrected if detected and treated early
- 7 - 12% of children have eye problems that may lead to permanent loss of vision if not detected and treated in time
- 2.4 million (or 10.5% of) children between the ages of zero and four are affected
- 86% don't have eyes examined before first grade
- Only 14% have their eyes examined before age 18
-- Source: PediaVision
Of all the statistics, the last one was the most surprising. As a family eye care practice, Dr. Tavel sees thousands of children every year for eye examinations, glasses and lenses and contact lenses. One of our primary goals is to educate families that they need to see an eye care doctor on an annual basis, even if you do not need to buy eye glasses. Looks like we need to continue spreading the word based on that last statistic...
This past weekend I went on an annual camping trip with a group of friends down to Jasper, Indiana. We have gone for seven years now and the trip has become pretty standard in that we drive down on Friday night, eat at The Chicken Place in Ireland, IN, then camp out for the night. We wake up on Saturday, hang around the campsite for a while, then go play a round of golf at Sultan's Run (which is a PHENOMENAL course if you haven't played it yet. See the 18th Green below). After golf, we head over to the Schnitzelbank restaurant for the finest in German fare before retiring again to the campsite to sit around the fire.
The nice part of this trip is that I didn't have to worry about my contacts since I wore some daily disposable contact lenses. Daily-wear contact lenses are great because I didn't have to worry about solution, I didn't have to worry about taking my contact lenses out at night and putting them in a case, which is kind of tough to do when you are in the dark tent. I pop in a fresh pair of lenses in the morning, wear them all day and take them out at night when I am ready to go to sleep and throw them away. When I wake up the next day, I put in a fresh pair of daily-wear contact lenses and I am good to go. This is really nice when camping, by the way because there is nothing better than fresh contacts when you have been sitting by a camp fire all night!
Today being the first day of October, it hit me that fall is upon us and before we know it, winter will be as well. Now that we are in the fourth quarter of the year, it is a great time for people to start thinking about using their flexible spending accounts (FSA) before the end of the year. Most FSA's can be used to pay for vision expenses and many plans have an FSA debit card that make it very convenient to use your FSA funds for vision services and materials. The great part of this is that Dr. Tavel accepts all FSA debit cards and will be happy to provide you with the necessary invoices to help facilitate the claims process.
The advantage to using your FSA at Dr. Tavel is that you can use your pre-tax dollars on necessary vision services and materials, whether it be eyeglasses and lenses, premium contact lenses or an eye examination and a contact lens fit. The only potential disadvantage to an FSA plan is that you are typically going to face a 'use it or lose it' scenario whereby you have to use the funds in your account by the end of the plan period (in most cases the end of the calendar year). With Dr. Tavel, this is not a problem. We have 19 offices throughout the state of Indiana that are open on weekends and several late days throughout the week so you can be sure to find a convenient time for an appointment.
On Sunday, I was fortunate enough to attend the first
Colts game of the year (thank you to the fine attorneys at
Hall Render for the tickets!). What an incredible day. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky. Walking to the stadium was amazing; there were thousands of die-hard Colts fans in their blue and white jerseys yelling their support for the team. When I walked into
Lucas Oil Stadium, they had opened the roof and the north end wall so the sun was shining in and right before kick-off they had four fighter planes do a fly-over.
One of the reasons I enjoyed the day so much, besides obvious reasons, is that I have the benefit of wearing the best contact lenses available. Working for an eye care doctor, I get to try a wide variety of premium contact lenses. One of the most comfortable lenses for me is the
Air Optix Aqua contacts by
Ciba Vision. When I am out on the weekends, I prefer to wear contact lenses over glasses and lenses as they are a better fit for me when I am out and about in a more active manner. And trust me, I was very active in cheering for the Colts on Sunday! Seriously, though, the Air Optix Aqua contacts work for me because they wear well on my eyes and give me great vision, without the discomfort of having dry eyes. They were definitely a contributing factor to a very enjoyable day, along with a win for the
Colts. Go Horse!
Fall classes officially start tomorrow here in Bloomington! Summer has finally come to a close. Settling in this week has consisted of shoving tons of clothes in to a tiny closet, readjusting to shared bathrooms, and getting to know all the wonderful girls I'm living with this year.
A few nights ago, one of the girls came in with very red, swollen eyes. I asked her what was going on, and she informed me that she had slept in her contact lenses for three consecutive months and as a result had developed an allergy to the proteins her eyes make when she wears contacts.
This is a perfect example of why it is so important to listen to and comply with all the instructions eye care doctors give you after an eye examination.
Even premium contact lenses that have been designed for overnight wear are not made for literal constant wear for extended periods of time. It is very, very important to remove contact lenses at very least weekly and wash them thoroughly in solution to remove any protein buildup or other bacteria that may be growing on the lenses.
Wearing your contacts longer than the recommended period of time without removal can result in serious eye damage and in some cases, even blindness.
If you have any questions regarding contact lenses, feel free to contact us at any time.
www.drtavel.com/contact_us/
We recently modified and updated our website with a new version of our contact lens e-commerce site. This is a great benefit to our existing patients who want to order premium contact lenses on-line. When a Dr. Tavel contact lens patient comes in to see one of our Indianapolis Optometrists or an Optometrist at any of the other Dr. Tavel vision eye centers, you are going to not only get a comprehensive eye examination and a contact lens fit, but you will now be able to walk away with a user name and password to easily re-order your premium contact lenses through
www.drtavel.com.
Why is this important and how is it any different than ordering contact lenses through another on-line provider? When you go to
www.drtavel.com to order contact lenses on-line, you can be sure that the lenses you are ordering are for your exact prescription without the hassle of having to input the Rx from the side of their contact box. Your unique login will pull up the information and exact prescription given to you by your Indianapolis Eye Doctor or your Indiana Eye Doctor. It is as simple as logging in, plugging in how many boxes you would like and having them shipped directly to your home.
The biggest question is going to be how we compare to the other on-line providers on price. At Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care, we offer some of the best prices on contact lenses anywhere. We are incredibly price competitive so you can be sure to get the RIGHT contact lenses at the RIGHT price, every time with the convenience of having them shipped directly to your home. So whether you wear Acuvue Oasys, Air Optix Aqua, Purevision or another premium contact lens, feel free to come to us for your Indiana eye care needs.
I recently read an article by Science Daily that found that uncorrected vision costs billions of dollars in lost productivity annually. Their research estimated that there are 158 million people in the world that suffer from uncorrected refractive error and that the annual loss in productivity is around $269 Billion. Yes, that is Billion with a B.
Let's think about this for a moment because there are a few key words in this research that stick out. First of all, the billions of dollars sticks out. Then think about the fact that this is an ANNUAL amount of productivity loss. It doesn't take too many years to hit the Trillion dollar mark. The second key point is that this is due to refractive error, which means we are not talking about uncorrectable eye problems or major eye diseases. This has to do with vision impairment because people are not wearing glasses. In some cases, they haven't had it corrected because they may not feel as if they have trouble seeing or that "it isn't bad enough for me to go see a vision doctor".
This research makes a very compelling argument that everyone should have an annual eye examination with the best eye doctor possible. Seeing better and having great vision is imperative when it comes to being as productive as possible. Whether you need glasses and lenses or if you prefer to wear premium contact lenses, you should make a point to get an annual eye examination with your optometrist to ensure that you aren't one of the millions of people with uncorrected vision impairment.
Astigmatism is a very common eye problem in people of all ages. It is not an eye disease, but a refractive error (an error in the focusing of light). The refractive error of Astigmatism is related to the shape and size of the eye that causes blurred vision.
What causes Astigmatism?Astigmatism is generally the result of a misshapen cornea. Instead of being perfectly rounded (basketball shaped) the cornea more closely resembles a football or an egg shape. The misshapen cornea causes the eye to refract light in such a way that it produces 2 distorted images on the back of the eye, as opposed to one clear image.
How do I tell if I have Astigmatism?
An Eye examination is the best way to get an exact diagnosis. However, headaches, eyestrain and fatigue are very common symptoms as well. You may also notice blurred or distorted vision.
Can Astigmatism be treated?
Absolutely. With the corrective eyeglasses or premium contact lenses eye care doctors are able almost always to fully correct astigmatism.
Many people have a correctable vision problem known as
Myopia or "nearsightedness." This means that an individual is able to see things up close, like the newspaper or a book, while
distant objects appear to be blurred or out of focus.
Detection of this issue may seem to be pretty easy without having an eye examination, but to correct it will require glasses and lenses (or contact lenses) customized for your eyes specifically.
Living with an uncorrected problem like Myopia will prove itself to be quite uncomfortable.
Constantly squinting in an effort to see far objects causes eye strain and tired eyes which can lead to headaches. It's very important to pay close attention to your eye care.
What's even more important is to consider the whole family, children most particularly. Kids often are not aware that inability to see the chalkboard at school is a problem or that a headache can be a result of needing glasses. It has been proven by several institutions that
undetected vision problems in children can significantly hinder their performance in school.
At Dr. Tavel there are huge savings available this month applicable to your yearly check-up or for back to school check ups. ($100 off frames, Free kids Lenses, 30 pairs of premium contact lenses for only $15, and many more
www.drtavel.com/whats_hot.php)
Let our family serve your family. Come in today.
So I finally broke down and purchased some prescription sunglasses after a very frustrating drive to work with the sun blinding me. I own a pair of sunglasses, but I only wear them when I have my premium contact lenses in. When I go to work, I wear my eyeglasses, which has meant that I have to deal with sun and glare on my commute to the office. Well, no longer. I bought a pair of sunglasses that I had my prescription put into so I can swap out my eyeglasses when I get in the car for a pair of prescription sunglasses. The great part is that I didn't get just any sunglasses. I bought a pair of Columbia sunglasses, which are the most comfortable pair of eye wear that I have ever put on.
On top of buying a very comfortable pair of sunglasses, the prescription sun lens I put into these glasses was a polarized sun lens. Talk about reducing glare. Not only does it block the sun, but it blocks the glare from all objects and provides for excellent optics. I didn't realize this before because my basic pair of sunglasses are not polarized. The drive to work is now crisp and clear optically, which is critical when DRIVING!
Based on this, I highly recommend that the next time you buy eye glasses that you also consider a prescription pair that are polarized. You can thank me later.
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