Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

Wow, with all the stress and confusion from moving our office to a BIGGER and BETTER location (here’s the skinny, more on that later!) the Bright Eyes staff and I sure would like to blow off some steam! And there is almost nothing better for a good night out than some laughter at live comedy. It has been one of my favorite night time outings for years – especially when we lived in Chicago.

But you don’t have to Chicago, NYC, or LA to see some wicked funny comedy. Thanks to our friends at Improv, you can get your laugh on right in Tampa, and in honor of National Eye Health Care Month (see related post), they’ve graciously given us FREE tickets to hand out! Free funny? What could be better?

January is officially Glaucoma Awareness Month. Educating ourselves on what glaucoma is and how it affects vision is the first step in preventing vision loss or blindness. This is because glaucoma does its damage in a slow and gradual manor often without showing signs or symptoms until permanent damage has already occurred. That is why routine vision exams are critical in catching this “silent sight killer.”

What is Glaucoma? Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve at the back of the eye. This is the part of the eye that transmits image signals to the brain. The most common form is called primary open angle glaucoma, in which the pressure in the eye increases and the fluids inside the eye do not drain properly. All other forms arise from this increase in pressure.

There is no cure for glaucoma but early detection and proper medication can slow or prevent vision loss. Because there are virtually no symptoms in its most common form, an annual eye exam is needed to detect the warning signs early on.

Happy Friday everyone! Just a quick note to share that my friend Dr. Carrie Oleston of Oleston Chiropractic is holding a Chiropractic and Acupuncture Opportunity Week at her office! From Monday, January 16th through Friday, January 20th. Tuesday, January 17th.

See her flier above for more details. You can also visit Dr. Oleston online at http://www.olestonchiropractic.com.

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

For the holiday season I thought I’d share this timely eye and vision gift list, written by my friend and colleague, Dr. K.W. Scarbrough. She practices in Woodinville, WA. Feel free to substitute ”beach” for “ferry” and “the gulf” for “Puget Sound”.  :)  You can find more about her at www.eevisioncare.com.

Small things can make life more enjoyable. Here are ten things for happier living.

• Backup glasses Even a few hours without good vision are frustrating. For instance, try driving off the ferry without glasses because they fell into Puget Sound. Your dog chews them. A presentation goes badly because a painful eye prohibits contact lens wear. Having current and comfortable spare glasses is such a relief. However, in case of emergency keep them in the glovebox—your car is usually where you are.
• Children’s eye examination Ninety-three percent of all learning comes through a child’s vision. An annual eye examination ensures the child is learning easily and at grade level. Once a child lags behind it is very hard to catch up. The examination also increases the child’s awareness of his body and comfort with the medical process.
• Contact lens case The number one point of contamination of contact lenses is the storage case. A clean case can save money, time, and pain from an eye infection. Rinse and allow to air dry.
• Prescription sunglasses Reading on the beach is so pleasant with polarized prescription lenses. Watch the children play, read a book, and protect your eyes all at once. Prescription suns are covered by most insurance plans.
• Silicone or Bohemian crystal nosepads Thicker frames are the height of fashion but they can weigh on sensitive skin. Silicone nosepads cushion frames and help them stay in place. Crystal nosepads are great for those allergic to plastic and silicone.
• Computer glasses Most of us spend hours each day on the computer, often resulting in eye, neck, and shoulder pain. Dedicated computer glasses with a wide viewing area relieve strain and increase productivity.
• Preservative-free liquids Multi-use eye drops and contact lens cleaners must contain preservatives to protect against bacterial contamination. Preservatives can sting and irritate chemically-sensitive eyes. Preservative-free liquids bring soothing relief. Contact lens wearers using preservative-free cleaners often attain longer wear times.
• One-use contact lenses There is no more convenient or safer contact lens than the one-use. Put them in, take them out, and toss them. Their liquid is chemical-free. Lenses are available in single, bifocal, and astigmatism styles.
• Reading lamp While reading in dim lighting is not bad for your eyes it does require a lot more effort. A good reading lamp, set over the shoulder, will make reading easier.
• Belly laugh The best medicine, a belly laugh in the company of good friends is free and available 24 hours a day. One each day will make life much more enjoyable.

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

That is right, we are celebrating the holidays by giving away 12 bottles of Intensity Academy hot sauce!  Entering to win is easy! Just answer the question on this blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube! We’ll pick the winner each day and post the winning answer.

The question of the Day is:

1. Congrats to Steven!
2. Congrats to Lauren!
3. Congrats to Char-Lynn!
4. Congrats to Colin!
5. Congrats to Caroline!
6. Congrats to Lisa!
7. Congrats to Allie!
8. Congrats to Char-Lynn! (again)
9. Congrats to Tom!
10. Congrats to Lisa!
11. Congrats to John!
12. Congrats to Kim!

I can’t wait to see some of the great answers! And, yes, you CAN win more than once, so you can answer more than one question.

We just wanted to spread the word about a recall issued recently by Cooper Vision. The affected lenses appear to be limited to the Avaira Toric and Avaira Sphere models. We do not fit these specific lenses frequently at our office but your eye doctor may. So if you wear contact lenses and are unsure of the brand you wear, please check your boxes or call your eye doctor to verify. Cooper’s recall page also has Lot Number verification function to see if your lenses are affected.

And as a reminder, remember to take proper care of your contacts by cleaning them daily, discarding them according to the wearing schedule your doctor prescribed, and replacing your lens case every couple of months. Your eyes will thank you!

All the best,

Justin Schoonover

Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

Holy moly! Lots of news coverage today about Bright Eyes Family Vision Care and emPower, the new electronic eyewear.

Check it out:

• This morning  TBO.com featured a story about one of our patients who wears emPower, that includes a quote from me.
• WUSF called and wanted an interview about emPower for today’s 5:30 pm news show, Florida Focus.
• Then I find out that WFLA (channel 8 ) is also airing their story on emPower and Bright Eyes today during the 5:30 news.

So tune in and check it out. We have no idea what the segments will be like, but we’ve got our fingers crossed that they’ll be good!

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

Also, If you still have vision benefits with your employer’s vision plan such as:

• Vision Service Plan- (VSP)
• CompBenefits- (VCP, HumanaVision)
• Eyemed
• SuperiorVision
• others

Your vision benefits for 2011 may go unused if you do not act now. Your vision insurance offers you quality healthcare at deep discounts.  We remind our patients each year so they may take advantage of the benefits before the end of the year. Your insurance entitles you to a comprehensive eye examination and either a pair of quality eyeglasses or a generous allowance towards contact lenses.  Co-pays do apply as well as upgrade options.

If you have questions, contact your employer’s HR department. You can also contact us to determine the last time you used your benefits. We look forward to seeing you soon.

For the announcement you’ve all been waiting for….

Bright Eyes is Moving! (but not far!)

In January 2012, Bright Eyes will be moving around the corner to a larger office space! As many of you know, we are a tiny office with just one exam room, which means it can be difficult to get an appointment sometimes. There is so much we want to do, but just didn’t have the space to do it. We love Westchase and didn’t want to go far!  So, we are staying in West Park Village – in the same “L-shaped” building – but moving to the Linebaugh Avenue side. The new address will be 9912 West Linebaugh Avenue, Tampa, FL 33626.  We will be in between the Sylvan Learning Center and West Park Dental Associates, just around the corner from the Starbucks.  Here is the foursquare venue.

Our new office will have 2 exam rooms and a much larger Vision Therapy room. We will have a greater variety of eyeglasses and sunglasses (including some new frame lines!), and we will have more places to sit comfortably. Our goal has always been to provide quality eye care and excellent customer service, but wait time for appointments can get long, especially if we have any eye care emergencies. I think this change will help us serve more patients with less wait time!

It is not much to look at now….

But the new Bright Eyes office will be bigger, bigger, and more organized than ever before. Stay tuned for pictures of our progress, and look for our Grand Opening in 2012!!

- Cristina Bonilla-Warford, Office Manager

Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.