Yesterday, the New York Times Magazine published a lengthy article online about vision therapy (VT). It presents some very compelling cases of patients who have received vision therapy and observed the changes it can produce when needed. Many of the comments are also from parents who have children who have lives changed from VT.

It also delves into the controversy. As a provider of VT, I feel that this article fairly characterizes how the multiple sides involved view this issue. It is accurate to say that most pediatricians and ophthalmologists are opposed to vision therapy and the parents who have experienced it often become very supportive. There is often very little middle ground.

I believe very much that patients can have vision problems that interfere with various aspects of their life and VT is the appropriate treatment. However, when I am making recommendations to patients, it can be difficult to find the line between over-promising potential results from vision therapy  and failing to provide a valuable and needed service for a diagnosable  problem. Often, even with the best available data, we may not know just how well a patient will respond. After all, there are no guarantees with any medical intervention; we can only do our best with the information we have.

I encourage all who are interested in vision and vision therapy to visit the website of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development to learn more about what is known about vision and vision therapy. Of course, you can always call our office or Ask  Dr. Nate.

See Well!

-Dr. Nate
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Connect: Facebook Twitter Foursquare LocalShops1.com

At Bright Eyes, we believe in strong relationships with the community. In addition to providing eye care for those in need, we have been longstanding supporters of  the YMCA.

I routinely work out at the Y and since this year has been quite cold, I’ve especially enjoyed the spin classes, also called studio cycling.  So I was excited to see that there was going to be a spin fundraiser: The Spinathon on Saturday, March 20th at the New Tampa YMCA!

The idea is simple: A person or team of people will do four consecutive hours of spin class. They take donations to raise money for the YMCA Building Strong Kids Campaign. The Building Strong Kids Campaign is a nation-wide campaign to raise money for after-school care, swim lesson, camps, leadership training, and other programs for kids not just in Hillsborough County, but around the country.

Why donations? (Get it? “Y Donations!”, lol ) From the YMCA webpage: “Simply put, your gift changes lives. Every dollar given to the YMCA goes directly to help children and families participate in YMCA memberships and programs, regardless of their financial circumstances. Through YMCA involvement, families become closer, children grow and blossom, seniors discover new energy, and those with disabilities find new abilities and new hope.”

Check out this wonderful video about  Building  Strong Kids, click here.

And if you like to read some wonderful testimonials, click here.

The entire staff of Bright Eyes will be taking turns spinning away for four hours straight. We are planning on getting team shirts and everything. You won’t miss us. It will be a blast!

There are three ways to support us in the Spinathon:

1) Drop a donation in the Spinathon box at Bright Eyes: check or cash is fine.

2) Use this handy Chipin widget via Paypal. (It is SO easy!)

3) You can donate directly to YMCA: Just click here and then tell us how much you donated for our team!

Look forward to photos and results! Let us know if you’d rather your gift be anonymous. Or consider forming a team of you own!!

UPDATE:  To ensure that we reach our goal, we will be donating 5% of all sales on glasses to the Spin-a-thon between now and March 20th. If you’d like to match our donation, then let us know!

GO TEAM BRIGHT EYES!

-Dr. Nate
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Connect: Facebook Twitter Foursquare LocalShops1.com

Thank you so much to all those who entered our FREE Coach contest! It was very fun. We had so many great entries via text, tweet, blog, and Facebook.

I know there is much anticipation to find out the winners. And I will reveal them….. soon. But while I’ve got your attention: You can still text “Brighteyes” to 74700 to be put on our texting list for specials and events. And don’t forget to check in on Foursquare and add reviews about us on LocalShops1.com!

Now, on to the winners:

Our category one (blog comment) winner: Joysunshine.

She really out did herself with creative and honestly desperate pleading for Coach sunglasses. Here is one sample:

(In the tune of “If I Only Had a Brain”)

I will savor every hour
While lookin at the flowers
And not have any strain
And my face would be so dreamy
While the sun’s so hot and steamy
If I only had COACH Frames

I’d be cute, not just a little
As any individ’le
I hope I’m not too vain

(Dorothy–a.k.a. Dr. Bonilla-Warford)
In the sun you’d be winkin’
While your shades would hide your blinkin’
If you only had COACH frames.

(Scarecrow–aka ME)
Oh, I would watch the sky
As the sunset on the shore
I could look at things I never saw before
And then I’d sit and look some more

I would not be missin’ nuffin’
I’d sing till I was huffin’
I’d play out in the rain
I would dance and be merry
Life would be a ding-a-derry
If I only had COACH frames!!!!

Winner from Category Two (Twitter/Facebook): @KrystalS

Krystal not only had numerous funny Facebook and Twitter pleas for the glasses, she was the only one who actual wrote a blog post about our contest.  Kudos to her for going the extra mile.

Winner from Category Three (Text): Melanie Alvarez

Like most people who entered by text, Melanie also entered via the other ways.  But she was the luckiest texter.

Congrats to all three winners! All you have to do is stop by Bright Eyes and pick out some shades or frames. We’ll take care of the rest.

Thanks to all who entered. I hope everyone had a good time. But, hang on, there is more.  We had so many great entries that we decided to give out some honorable mention prizes!!!!

First, we have @IslandGirlCakes! She makes specialty cakes and said that she’d make a special Bright Eyes cake if she won. So we will take her up on her offer and will trade one pair of Coach sunglasses/frames for said cake. It better be amazing!

Second,we have @EllenatVistra who did submit some creative poems and haikus! She wins a $100 gift certificate!

And finally, Amanda, Amy, Michele,  Danielle and Shelley all win $50 gift certificates for sheer determination!

This contest was very fun. Maybe we’ll do it again. We’ve already done Tiffany and Coach. Maybe Kate Spade next time?

Thanks everyone!

Dr. Nate
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Connect: Facebook Twitter Foursquare LocalShops1.com

Today, I was fortunate enough to featured by the wonderfully talented Kim Randall on her Not Just Another Blog. Throughout the year she is running a very creative series called Rockin’ It In 2010 that profiles people that are having a good time and successfully applying what they’ve learned about social media.It is an honor to be selected!

To qualify to be “Rockin’ ” you have to be nominated by someone. I was nominated by my good friend Michele Northrup, owner of the Intensity Academy hotsauce company and maker of the sauces that we GIVE AWAY FOR FREE to patients at Bright Eyes.

A big thanks to Kim!

See well!

Dr. Nate
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Connect with Us: Facebook Twitter Foursquare Yelp

To help educate patients and parents about visual problems and treatments, we have been giving out online references for the last few years. Well, I was looking at it the other day while handing it to a patient and I was shocked at how out of date it was! I am happy to report that the amount of information on children’s vision and vision therapy has absolutely EXPLODED on line.

I hope that you find the references below useful in learning about vision and finding others with similar questions and experiences. And, of course, do not hesitate to Ask Dr. Nate. You may also want to share your experience online via one of the below, or email me at doc@brighteyestampa.com.

I am intentionally leaving in the full links so that if you want to print and share this information with a friend or a family member you can do so without having to Google or Bing any of them.

Also, understand that this is not a comprehensive list. I have not included every possible online resource – the list would be too long! If I have left any out that you think should belong, please let me know!

See well!

Dr. Nate
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Connect with Us: Facebook Twitter Foursquare Yelp

Read the rest of this entry »

Note – There are lots of great bloggers in Tampa and we’re going to begin showcasing their talents with periodic guest posts. This is a great way to further strengthen ties with the community. This first guest post is by Laura Petrolino of Flying Pig Communications. – Dr. Nate.

You visit the grocery store to find the cashier remembers your name and asks about the sick child you had come in last week to buy cough syrup for….

What do you do?

The manager at your favorite restaurant surprises you by giving you a complimentary lunch, for no reason other than as a thank you for your continued business…..

What do you do?

You go to have your hair cut by a new stylist, who not only takes you late and treats you rudely, but also leaves you with a Beatles inspired mop-top……..

What do you do?

Read the rest of this entry »

I hope no one minds if I take a quick moment to highlight some of the things have have been written about me and Bright Eyes Family Vision Care recently. I’d like to add that not only would this aggregation of links not be possible, but none of the individual articles, blogs and comments would have been written if it were not for social media. This is just one more  example of how cool social media is for small business.

See well!

-Dr. Nate
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Connect: Facebook Twitter Foursquare LocalShops1.com

Interviews with Dr. Bonilla-Warford about Social Media & Business

Inside the Marketer’s Studio: Fresh Eyes on Social Media

Sticks of Fire: Bright Eyes Sees Social Media Work

Local Shops1.com:  Dr. Nate Bonilla-Warford, Bright Eyes Family Vision Care

Articles mentioning Bright Eyes and Social Media

Dominick Maino, OD – Digital Social Networking & Health Care Education

Blogs about Dr. Bonilla-Warford and Bright Eyes:

Kim Randall’s Not Just Another Blog: Rockin’ 2010 with Dr. Nate

Krystal’s Kitsch: I officially have four eyes now

The Wine Whore: Sight for Sore Eyes

This is an Guest Post by  Stephanie  Leary, who is training to be a Vision Therapist. Although her story is long, I encourage you to read it because it is not written by a doctor or by a newspaper reporter, but from a mother how has experienced how vision therapy can change lives. – Dr. Nate

I cannot thank my eye doctor enough for all that his vision therapy program has done for both my son and me.  The transformation that has taken place in both of us is profound and absolutely life changing!  I am writing our story in hopes that it will be given to any person diagnosed as needing vision therapy.  I hope that our story will help them decide to pursue the treatment.  I know that they are skeptical and I thought that hearing our story from the perspective of a college educated mother who herself experienced vision therapy with her son might shed some light on very unfamiliar territory.  I want them to understand the varying degrees of these vision problems and their implications behaviorally.  I want them to know that no matter what the severity, pursuing vision therapy treatment will help.  Unlike psychology, which is subjective, vision therapy is measured and you will see the results, in black and white, printed out for you from the Visagraph.   The computer will show you what your eyes are doing while you read and evaluate your comprehension.  The Gardner Test will further evaluate your visual abilities, including things like visual memory and visual discrimination. Read the rest of this entry »

As I have explained in this post, I have an extremely long, poly-ethnic last name. During my residency, optometry students started calling me “Dr. B”, because there were many doctors to refer to and Dr. Bonilla-Warford just takes too much time to say.

I have kept up “Dr. B.” out of convenience. But have noticed something: Nobody really spontaneously calls me “Dr. B.” any more. They will if I ask them to, but they don’t do it on their own. Instead,  they call me “Dr. Nate.” In fact,  I now have more people that call me “Dr. Nate” than “Dr. B.”

So I am formally announcing that my new nickname is “Dr. Nate.” Accordingly, I’ll be changing the Ask B. category to “Ask Dr. Nate.”

I hope every is sufficiently confused now.

See Well!!

-Dr. Nate

Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Connect with Us: Facebook Twitter Foursquare Yelp

This year it will be three years that we’ve had this blog up and running and we’ve had over 50,000 page views.  And to celebrate those three years,  we are giving away 3 Coach frames! You could win FREE Coach sunglasses or Coach frames!

There are three ways you can enter, and no purchase is necessary. There will be one winner from each category.

1) Write a comment here on this post and tell us what you think of this blog. All comments welcome!

2) Become our Facebook fan and/or follower on Twitter. Then post a comment on Facebook Wall or mention @BrightEyesTampa in a tweet. UPDATE: You can enter via Twitter with our one-click contest entry!

3) Text the word “BrightEyes” to  74700. This will sign you up to receive occasional special announcements and deals from Bright Eyes and enter you to win the Coach eyewear.

On February 28, 2010, we will announce the winners on this blog. There will be one winner from each of the categories above and you can enter by any and all of the methods as many times as you want.

But take note.  We are not going to pick the winners at random. From each group above, we will pick a winner that is compelling.  The funnier or more interesting, the better. The more attention you draw to yourself (and Bright Eyes),  the more likely you are to win. You could win by entering many times or one exquisitely-crafted entry. Read the rest of this entry »