ABC 7 - a TV station out of Chicago published a wonderful article titled "Detecting Disease Through the Eyes" on July 15th. This couldn't be any more relevant.
The introduction reads:
"July 15, 2009 (WLS) -- Most people think of their eye examination as time to update their lens prescription or catch the beginnings of eye disease like glaucoma, but few people know
an eye exam can catch early signs of diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and brain tumors."Absolutely right! Few people realize that an eye exam can quickly identify so many life threatening diseases without being invasive at all. There are no needles involved, we won't strip you down and put you on a scale, and we certainly won't sit you in the exam room and make you wait 20 minutes for the doctor to arrive.
As the most prominent Indianapolis Optometrist and most well known Indiana Vision Center, Dr. Tavel is proud to say that our staff is highly educated and thoroughly trained to be positioned as the medical expert when it comes to eye care.
Let our family serve your family. Trust your vision to Dr. Tavel.
For the full article:
abclocal.go.com/wls/story
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.)
This weekend brings the 16th running of the
Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. Having been to the race and to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a few other races, including the Indy 500, I have many fond memories of the Speedway and the event. One of my favorite memories is going there with a college friend of mine and selling earplugs. With the noise of the cars at such high decibels, most people attending the race need earplugs for protection. This was pretty obvious and we made quite a bit of money selling these (it seemed like a lot of money to a couple of broke college kids, anyway).
Between earplugs and suntan lotion, there is a lot of focus on protecting various body parts, such as the ears and the skin. What amazes me is that there isn't as much of a focus on protecting the eyes. Yes, there are plenty of sunglasses at the Speedway, but most people don't understand the need for UV protection as it relates to the eyes. UV radiation can damage the skin of the eyelids, the outer part of the eye and can also contribute to the development of certain types of cataracts. This can be very dangerous to your eye care so make sure when you purchase sunglasses that you purchase those with UV protection details on the label. The best eye glasses to wear in the sun are polarized sunglasses with UV protection. Not only are you protecting your eyes from dangerous UV rays, but you are reducing glare for better visual quality. Enjoy the race and keep in mind that you need to protect ALL parts of your body while out in the sun.
I was at the local grocery store today, picking up something from the pharmacy when I noticed a stand that was stocked with readers.
As you can see from the picture, there are several items of concern here. First, there is a "self test" on the right side where people can try on various pairs of eyeglasses and see if they work. Not exactly rocket science and more importantly, not exactly accurate. On the left hand side, there is a diopter strength scale that is more than generic. Ultimately, this is not the best way to buy eyeglasses and it is not a good way to treat your eyes (you only get one set of these, by the way).
The problem with buying readers in this manner is that readers that you buy from the local store have the same prescription in both eyes. Very few people actually have the same prescription in both of their eyes, so it is critical that you buy eyeglasses and readers from an optometrist who can put you in lenses that fit your exact prescription for BOTH eyes. Having the wrong prescription for an eye causes eye strain, which can lead to headaches.
So the next time you consider buying readers at a grocery store, please think again. Buy your milk and bread there, then go to an Indiana vision center (preferably Dr. Tavel!), get an eye examination from one of our eye care doctors, and treat your eyes to a great pair of glasses with your exact prescription.
My 5 year old son Christian is about to start kindergarten in the next month so I decided to have one of our eye care doctors give him an eye examination. Going by the American Optometric Associations guidelines, it was definitely time (they recommend a children's eye exam at 6 months, again at age 3 and then again at age 5 or 6 before kindergarten). The last time he had an exam, he was a bit apprehensive. Not this time; he loved it. It doesn't hurt that he was examined by one of the best eye doctors in Indianapolis who has a great knack for working with kids. The best part about the exam for Christian was when the doctor had him put on the 3 D glasses to test for depth perception. According to my son, that was "so awesome".
The biggest misconception among most parents is that the vision screening done at school is sufficient to determine if their child has vision problems. Vision screenings are great at detecting major vision deficiencies. However, a child can pass this test at school and still have vision problems that will impact their learning ability. In addition to this, vision screenings only test for visual acuity. The optometrists at Dr. Tavel perform a comprehensive children's eye exam that will evaluate eye health, which is equally important. So be sure to have an Indiana Eye Doctor examine your child's eyes at a qualified Vision Eye Center.
Greetings from the mountains of North Carolina! For the last couple days I've been waking up, looking out the window, and seeing the beautiful blue ridge mountains. Its gorgeous. But, like everyone else who goes on vacation, I forgot something during the packing process... my sunglasses.You could say the eyeglasses Indianapolis is keeping from me for the week are on vacation too!
You would think, that since I deal with glasses and lenses and Indianapolis eye care every day that it would be rather difficult to forget such an accessory. Guess not!
I ran into a gas station to buy eye glasses to tide me over until the end of the trip and its just not the same! I miss my polarized lenses! They're a necessity, really.
Let me remind you of the benefits of a polarized lens:
Polarized lenses contain a specific filter that redirects scattered light into straight lines that enter directly into the retina. The result? Brighter more vivid colors, crisp and clear images, and significant reduction of annoying glare.
Wouldn't want to miss any details in a place like this, would you?
On Friday, we had our official Grand Opening of the Muncie, Indiana Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care. It was a pretty informal gathering with store staff, our optometrist and the staff family members, as well as several of us from the corporate office. The Muncie Chamber of Commerce came to our vision eye center to have the official ribbon cutting ceremony. It was a lot of fun and I was even lucky enough to use those big scissors to cut the ribbon!
In addition to having some fun, we also saw quite a few patients. We offered free vision screens to anyone who stopped in, as well as free adjustments for glasses and lenses. After doing a vision screen on prospective patients, we had several realize that they needed to set up an eye examination to come back and see their local Indiana eye doctor. Overall, it was a great start to another long standing relationship between Dr. Tavel and an Indiana community.
After spending the morning at the Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care in Muncie, Indiana, I was heading back to Indianapolis when I decided to stop into our Anderson vision center at the Mounds Mall. While talking to our manager, a patient walked in and asked if she had an appointment at 2:30. She had scheduled an appointment over the phone with another doctor in the area and realized it wasn't with us when she showed up for her eye examination.
For some Indiana Eye Doctors, this might be a problem. Not so for Dr. Tavel. The beauty of our practice is that we staff eye care doctors regularly and we accept walk-ins. What this means is that when you are in need of eye care, we are ready and willing with the best eye doctors and the best eye glasses Indiana has to offer. In this instance, we were able to get her in for an eye examination and since we accept most major vision insurance plans she was able to use her insurance to purchase glasses and lenses.
Over the past year or so, Dr. Tavel has invested quite a bit of time and money into tools that will help enhance the patient experience. We have launched a new website with more information for our patients, we began blogging so we could communicate timely pieces of information to our patients on products, services and general optometry news and we starting sending out an e-newsletter that covers a wide variety of topics.
In addition to these tools that allow for communication of information, we added some tools that allow for more interaction between the patient and Dr. Tavel. A great example of this occurred today when I opened my in-box to see that a patient submitted a few questions via the "Contact Us" section of our website. She wanted to know if we in fact accepted EyeMed insurance for eye examinations (we do, along with a variety of others including Davis Vision, Spectera, Anthem Blue, Always Vision and others). She also wanted to know what our contact lens fitting fee was.
Within a minute I was able to respond to her questions and inform her that she could schedule an appointment on-line via our website to see one of our eye care doctors. A few moments later, I received a response stating she appreciated the timely response and that she had scheduled an appointment with our Bloomington Eye Doctor to get an Eye Examination as well as purchase some new contact lenses and buy eye glasses.
The speed with which I was able to provide her an excellent customer service experience is why Dr. Tavel has invested into technology so we can serve our patients at the highest level, whether it is in one of our Indiana Vision Centers or in the comfort of our patient's home.
If you're unfamiliar with it, I suggest checking out Conner Prairie's "Symphony on the Prairie" presented by Marsh and Clarian Health. I've gone several times this summer, but I must say; this past time was the most adventurous.
It started pouring rain in the middle of our lovely picnic so my 2 friends and I piled underneath our giant rainbow umbrella as the weather forced our citronella candle to retire for the evening. (I took this photo prior to the monsoon... it was only sprinkling at this point.)
Anyway, as we watched the orchestra play songs of composers from countries around the world,
I noticed my eyes becoming very strained and tired. The stage was well lit, but everything around it was so dark that I found it rather difficult to sit and focus on the stage.
This is not uncommon! People come in to have an eye examination and complain about experiencing this same problem when
driving at night or performing other tasks in the late evening. Lucky for you, I work in Indianapolis eye care, so I have the solution to this problem. :)
The reason my eyes were becoming strained was
a result of the "halo" of glare created by the stage. This is exactly what happens with street lamps on the highway, headlights from other cars, or even the computer screen at work.
The solution is to have an Anti-Reflective coating on your eyeglass lenses. This coating ensures relief from tired eyes, relief from dangerous night time reflections, and relief from any glare causing situation that compromises comfort. The Anti-Reflective (AR) coating will ensure the clearest vision possible.
Any vision doctor will likely prescribe an
AR coating as a standard to prevent discomfort from every day glare. Next time you go to purchase glasses and lenses ask about the AR coating options!
Or feel free to contact Dr. Tavel with any questions about our available AR options.
www.drtavel.com/contact_us/
M –
Myopia: Nearsightedness. Condition determined through eye examination, in which a patient’s distance vision is blurred.
O – Optometrist: A vision doctor specializing in the functioning of the visual system, vision problems, treating vision conditions with spectacles, contact lenses, low vision aids and vision therapy, and prescribing medications for certain eye diseases.
P – Presbyopia: A condition found through eye examination that generally becomes significant around the age of 45 as a result of the loss of elasticity of the crystalline lens. Characterized by difficulty reading fine print, and thus a need for bifocals.
R – Refractive Error: Inability of the eye to properly focus (refract) light on the retina casuing a blurred image. Such an error can be fixed with eyeglasses or premium contact lenses.
S – Slit Lamp – A special microscope used by Optometrists to examine the internal parts of the eye including the cornea, lens, fluids, and membranes.
T – Tonometry: The measurement of the intraocular pressure. (The infamous air puff test performed before an eye examination.)
U – UV Coat: This protective layer is inserted into lenses to protect the eyes from harmful Ultra Violet rays from the sun.
V – Visual Acuity: Sharpness of vision produced by the eye.
W – Wall Eyes: Also known as “exotropia.” A condition characterized by misalignment of the eyes in which one eye deviates outward while the other fixates normally.
Have any more questions regarding vision terms? Feel free to ask Dr. Tavel:
www.drtavel.com/eyecare/ask_dr_tavel.php
Last week, Dr. Tavel moved into our new location in Muncie, Indiana. For years, Dr. Tavel has been located in the Muncie Mall, however we made the decision to move down the street to 1511 W. McGalliard Rd at the Northwest Plaza. (Read the article from the Muncie Star Press)
Why the move after being in the same location for so long? We feel that this new location allows us to serve our patients better. We have moved from the center of a mall to an exterior location in Greenwood, Indiana and in Anderson, Indiana in the last few years with great success. What we found is that we have better visibility to our patients, they have an easier time accessing our location and ultimately it makes it that much easier for our patients to come in and get their eye examinations, their glasses and lenses or their premium contact lenses.
This Friday at noon we are having our official Grand Opening at the Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care in Muncie. Come join us for free vision screenings, a drawing for sunglasses, free adjustments and free screw driver kits!
Visiting a vision doctor? The following terms are helpful to know when dealing with glasses and lenses, an eye examination, premium contact lenses, and much more.
A - Astigmatism: a distortion of the shape of the eye where the eye appears more like a football than the normal basketball shape.
B – Bifocal: A type of lens that is separated into 2 viewing fields; one for distance and one for reading.
C – Cornea: the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber
D- Dilation: Drops are put into the eyes to allow the doctor to get a clear view of your retina, optic nerve, and vessels in the back of the eye.
E- Extraocular Muscles: six muscles that move the eyeball
F – Floaters: Particles that float in the vitreous and cast shadows on the retina; seen as spots, cobwebs, spiders, etc. Occurs normally with aging or with vitreous detachment, retinal tears, or inflammation.
G – Glaucoma: A disease of the eye having to do with offset pressure inside the eyes that damages the optic nerve. Known as the sneak thief of sight.
H-Hyperopia: Farsightedness. Farsighted people are able to see objects far away in focus but objects near are blurry.
I – Intraocular Pressure: The pressure inside the eyes.
K- Keratoconus: a disorder characterized by an irregular corneal surface resulting in blurred and distorted images.
L – Lazy Eye: Also known as Amblyopia. Decreased vision in one or both eyes without detectable anatomic damage in the eye or visual pathways. Usually uncorrectable by eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Its hard to believe, but summer is quickly passing! Next thing you know you'll be swamped with number 2 pencils, backpacks, and new khakis. While you're making the back to school "to-do" list, pencil in "Children's Eye Exam" at the top.
Nearly 1 in 4 children has an undetected eye problem that can hinder their performance in school and Dr. Tavel wants to ensure that its not your child. We understand that parents have a busy schedule even during the summer so our Indianapolis optical locations and 11 other locations across Indiana offer evening and weekend hours with our optometrists to ensure that you have time to come see us.
Schedule an appointment at
www.drtavel.com/schedule now to beat the back to school rush.
Kevin and I took a break from glasses and lenses and went downtown Friday to visit the American Dairy Association Ice Cream Social on Monument Circle in Indianapolis; lots of fun!
Not only did I get an awesome picture of Kevin with a cow from Purdue University's dairy farm, but I also got a really delicious ice cream sundae served to me by Marlin Jackson of the Indianapolis Colts! Talk about an awesome lunch...
Relevant to vision? Absolutely. There were tons of parents with their children running around in the summer sun, none of which had on any protective eye wear.
Think about this. More more than 75% of UVR passes through a child's crystalline lens, putting the retina at greater risk to adverse effects of UVR exposure... and less than one third of the children in the U.S are adequately protected against the sun. Is your child in the 2/3 being affected?
Any eye care doctors you speak with will tell you how important it is to ensure your child is wearing protective eye wear every time they go outside.
Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care has agreed to be the optometry sponsor for the WISH TV Health Link Section of their website. From the Health page of
www.wishtv.com, you can see the health sponsors on the right side of the page and link to a plethora of information. On the Dr. Tavel page, there is information about frames, lenses, contact lenses, eye examinations, as well as videos on certain products that we carry, such as Drivewear, Rudy Project and Air Optix Aqua premium contact lenses.
As an Indianapolis based eye care provider and Indiana eye doctors, this was a perfect match for Dr. Tavel. We strive to offer the best eye care to Indiana residents and part of this means providing information that helps our patients make informed decisions as it relates to the best products available for great eye health.
In addition to the massive amounts of educational material provided on the Dr. Tavel Health Link site, there is a link to schedule an appointment at one of the 19 Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care locations, a link to sign up for our e-newsletter and a chance to win an I-Pod Touch, courtesy of Dr. Tavel.
If you've been having trouble reading things up close, it may be time to consider first and foremost, an eye examination, and secondly, a pair of reading glasses.
Reading Glasses can be custom made and dispensed by Dr. Tavel or can be purchased in a "one size fits all" kind of way.
Whats wonderful about pre-made readers is that they are available in so many different styles, patterns, and colors, that you can comfortably go for a new look without risking a lot of money. Cheap readers allow you the freedom to buy eye glasses for every room in the house.
On the other hand, since they aren't custom made, pre-made "drugstore" readers can sometimes be more harmful than helpful. Many people need a different reading prescription in each eye, which means that you might only be helping one eye see more clearly. And, since the lenses are not made according to the measurements of the wearer's eyes, the optical center may be off center causing headaches and eye strain.
Your best bet is to visit your vision doctor and let him/her help you pick out the most appropriate readers for your eyes.
Do you ever get headaches or feel like your eyes are fatigued by the end of the day? If so, performing near-viewing tasks for extended periods of time may be causing excessive strain on your eyes. Its time to learn about Signet Armorlite’s brand new Kodak lenses with Anti-Fatigue Progressive Technology.
Working on tasks up-close causes a patient’s eyes to naturally drift outward, forcing the eyes to consistently work to turn the eyes back in. This process often leads to a number of symptoms including headaches, blurred vision, eye strain, double vision, burning and tearing, among others (all very valid reasons to see eye care doctors!).
Signet Armorlite has discovered a way to aid presbyopic patients (those patients who have trouble seeing near objects) who experience excessive eyestrain resulting from extended periods of near-viewing tasks by incorporating base-in prism into the reading area of a progressive lens. This addition assists the normal binocular function (the ability of the eyes to coordinate their activity) of a patient’s eye by naturally drawing the eyes inward which means that you can perform near-viewing tasks for longer durations and with less discomfort!
When it comes to Anti-Fatigue lenses, Dr. Tavel and his associates are the most well-trained and well-informed team in Indiana. Kodak Anti-Fatigue Lenses can only be prescribed by a vision doctor; if you have any of the symptoms, come in and see us for an eye examination. We’re happy to help.
**
The Importance of Children's Eye Exams: -1 in 4 children has an undetected vision problem that can interfere with learning.
-Simple eye screenings, like those performed at school, only identify 5% of vision problems in children.
www.drtavel.com/schedule/**
Eye Examinations and Disease Prevention:
-According to the World Health Organization, 75% of the world's blindness could be prevented by simply having routine eye exams.
-By just looking into your eyes, a vision doctor can predict whether you're at risk for serious diseases such as diabetes, stroke, and even heart disease (among many others).
www.drtavel.com/schedule/**Sunglasses for Everyone:
- Only 6% of Americans know that exposure to the sun's UV rays can do just as much damage to the eyes as it can to the skin.
- 80% of UV radiation from the sun can pass through clouds.
-The Average child today receives 3 times the annual UV exposure of an adult.
www.drtavel.com/glasses/sunglasses.php
The best compliment we can receive at Dr. Tavel is from our patients. It illustrates to us that we are the best eye doctor for these patients and that is our primary goal. We don't hear all the compliments we get from our patients, but when we do, it really hits home. Our store manager at the Fishers Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care received the following card from one of our patients:
Our manager helped her with a couple pairs of glasses and lenses, which meant so much more to her than simply filling an order. At Dr. Tavel, we pride ourselves on offering vision values and recommending the best glasses to our patients in terms of fashion eye care and affordable eye wear. When we receive letters like this from our patients, it shows us that we are fulfilling our promise to be the best eye care provider in the state of Indiana.
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