Vision Doctor

Annual eye exams are very important for everyone and they are especially important for those with diabetes to monitor for any visual signs of diabetic retinopathy.

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?
This is the end result of diabetic damage to the eye.  Diabetes can cause damage to blood vessels throughout the body, with blood vessels in the eye being especially vulnerable.  When the blood vessels in the retina become damaged, they leak and bleed and cause fluid to build up within the eye.

How Do I Know if I have Diabetic Retinopathy?
The early stages of Diabetic Retinopathy have very few symptoms.  As the condition gets worse, you may experience floaters, blurry vision or sudden loss of vision.  This is why annual eye examinations by your vision doctor are so important.  You may not even know you have early signs of this because you don't feel any different.  It is only when you have the symptoms that you notice there is a problem and then it is much more difficult to treat.

How is Diabetic Retinopathy Treated?
When monitored and spotted by an eye care doctor, diabetic retinopathy can be treated with laser therapy at the early stages by a qualified vision doctor.  When this gets to the stage where symptoms are noticeable and it is much more advanced, surgical intervention is typically required.  Annual eye examinations for those with diabetes are a perfect example where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. 
 

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.
 

Last Saturday, Team Tavel spent an amazing day down on Mass Ave in downtown Indianapolis doing a combination of promoting Rudy Project performance athletic eye wear and supporting the athletes riding in the 2009 Mass Ave Criterium.  The weather was perfect and the attendance for the event was at record levels.  For those that are unaware of the event, it was a bike race on the streets of downtown Indianapolis, going from Mass Ave to Vermont St to East St and north on East to Mass Ave.  These men and women were MOVING!  The Dr. Tavel/Rudy Project tent was at the start/finish line and when the racers went by in a big pack you could feel a big gust of wind following them as they rode by. 

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.

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.)

 

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.

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.