Archive for June, 2009

In order to get a nice-short vanity URL for Facebook, the Bright Eyes page needs more fans. If you are on Facebook go to our cumbersome current link to become a fan:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tampa-FL/Bright-Eyes-Family-Vision-Care/28366449976

After more people become fans, we can have a cool, short link like Facebook.com/brighteyestampa.  So if you are on Facebook, help us out!

Thanks in advance!

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

A friend and colleague, optometrist Jeffrey Anshel, appeared on television yesterday to discuss Computer Vision Syndrome.

It is a little light-hearted reminder to pay attention to your eyes when you are at the computer. And if you experience discomfort or fatigue at the computer, be sure to get your eyes examined.

See Well!

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

As readers of this blog and those that follow us on Twitter know, there is an exciting book was recently been published about a woman who achieved great success with vision therapy at age 48. It is called “Fixing My Gaze” by Susan Barry, Ph.D. It has been very popular and at one point was the 367th most sold book on Amazon.com

When the book was released, I pre-ordered copies for my office. I read it and had the staff read it. I loved the way Dr. Barry writes and her accessibility. In fact, I liked it so much that I recently held an online contest to give a copy away.

Well, the contest caught the attention  of  “Stereo Sue”, as she is nicknamed, and she graciously agreed to an online interview.

Dr. B: Dr. Barry, thank you so much for being participating in this interview. I know that vision therapy programs can vary tremendously from patient to patient. How long was your office therapy with Dr. Ruggiero?

Sue: I had about 12 months of office therapy spread over one and one-half years.

How long before you saw definitive progress?

I began to see progress within the first month. My gaze appeared more stable and I began to notice pockets of space between objects.

Regardless of whether a patient is 5, 45, or 95 years old, vision therapy can be a lot of work. Was it hard to stay motivated?

Yes and no. The changes in my vision encouraged me to continue. I also saw myself as my own experiment and liked thinking about how I was changing my vision and what changes were occurring in my brain. The most important thing I did to keep motivated was to keep a journal of how far I could go with each procedure. This taught me that I was making progress even during the weeks when I felt that nothing was happening. My vision therapists were extremely encouraging and fun to work with. My optometrist, Dr. Theresa Ruggiero, was always so positive that she made me feel like I was 10 feet tall.

In “Fixing My Gaze” you mention several vision therapy activities such as Marsden Ball, Brock String and  Vectograms. Is there one activity that was your favorite?

My favorite activity was the Brock string because it gave me the feedback to learn how to point my two eyes simultaneously at the same place in space. I could feel my eyes moving in concert and this was very exciting. The first time I saw stereo depth in the Polaroid vectograms – it was the clown vectogram – was also very special.

Now that you’ve had stereopsis for several years, do you find yourself at times taking it for granted as most people do?

No. My vision continues to improve and I have taken to walking everywhere just so I can feel myself moving through this three dimensional world. I am still surprised by what I can see. One advantage, I suppose, of not having stereovision for half a century is that I never take my vision for granted. I feel like I have been given a great gift.

You did such a marvelous job making the book accessible to many people from laypeople to doctors and scientists. Did you find that difficult to do, or did it come naturally?

I am a college biology professor and enjoy teaching, especially finding straightforward ways to explain complicated things. I learned this from my mother who was also a teacher. I also learned a great deal about vision from the many optometrists I spoke with.

Several people have commented on the readability of the book. What steps did you take to achieve this?

I made the decision about the font. I told the publisher that I wanted the book printed in Garamond font at the largest acceptable font size and spacing between letters, words, and lines. I was concerned that the people who might find the book interesting and beneficial are also the ones with difficulties tracking the letters on the page. The Harry
Potter books (which I loved) are printed in Garamond font, and one of the people I mention in my book had told me that he found Harry Potter easy to read because of the font and spacing. Also, my father, now 86, was a calligrapher and graphic designer and so I asked his advice about the fonts as well. He told me that the font should have some serifs (the little curley cues around the letters) as Sans Serif can be hard to read. However, the font should not be too complicated. We got out his old font books and looked over many different fonts and agreed that Garamond would work. I was very happy that the publisher honored my wishes here.

Thank you for writing “Fixing My Gaze.” My colleagues and I are very happy about it. Have you been surprised at its reception?

I never expected my book to be embraced so enthusiastically by so many people from people with binocular vision problems to scientists to optometrists.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else you’d like add before we go?

I hope my book will teach people that the brain is capable of rewiring at any age, will broadcast the importance and effectiveness of optometric vision therapy, and will help many children as they progress through school.

I encourage all my readers to read “Fixing My Gaze.” You can get it at any bookstore or on Amazon.com. Alternatively, we have office copies that we are lending to patients. If you’d like to borrow a copy, just stop by Bright Eyes and ask for one.

Happy Reading,

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

Update: Here are some links for more information:

Audio Podcast Interview with Susan Barry
http://www.perseuspodcasts.com/main/podcasts/book.php?
isbn=9780465009138

Print Q&A with Sue from the New Scientist, June 6, 2009
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227112.900-how-i-learned-to-
see-in-3d.html

Sue’s Psychology Today Blog, Eyes on the Brain
http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/eyes-the-brain

Los Angeles Times OpEd
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-barry22-
2009jun22,0,350826.story

Bright Eyes is happy to announce that we are 95% finished with the the new kids waiting area. You can get sneak peak  by checking out the picture on the right.

We’ve only had it for a few days, but kids of all ages are taking to it like mad. Believe me, that is good for everyone -  parents, patients, and staff!

Now the time comes to stock it with stuff for the kids to do.  This may sound easy, but we want to make sure these toys are age-appropriate, easy to clean, and will not interfere with the office.

So please take a moment to take our brief poll. If you have kids that go to other doctors of any kind, tell use what toys they like.

Thanks so much,

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

[polldaddy poll=1729511]

This time, I was the subject.

The interview lead goes like this:

If you think you’ve read everything you need to know about social media, maybe you should get your eyes checked. When you go, with any luck your optometrist will be Nathan Bonilla-Warford, O.D. in Tampa, Florida, as he can teach you a few things.

Nathan reached out following last week’s column about my optometrist uncle,  who said my article was posted on an optometrists’ forum. His email signature included links to his Web site, Yelp listing, Facebook page, and Twitter account, and he later revealed he’s a blogger too. I thought his practical experience as a business owner grappling with social media should be shared with others. Here’s an exclusive interview with Dr. Bonilla-Warford.

If you want to read the whole interview, click here.

Be Well!

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

There can be no doubt that all of us, especially children, are doing hand held work more frequently and more intently than ever before.   All you have to do is look around any restaurant, doctor’s waiting room, or mini-van, and you will see people of all ages do this.  They are reading, playing hand held video games such as the Nintendo 3DS or the PSP, or using their iPhone or Blackberry to watch videos and keep in touch with others.

All of this technology is great, but it can come with a cost – visual discomfort that can interfere with proper vision.

In addition to using proper posture and taking frequent visual breaks from intensely focusing up closely, another important element is how close  a person is to the object they are looking at in their hands.  A good way to tell if it is the right distance is by using the “Elbow Distance” rule.

Research on human ergonomics has determined that the optimal  visual distance for reading and other close work is the Harmon Distance or “Elbow Distance”.  This distance is measured by placing a closed fist at the eyes. The point at the end of the elbow represents the closest distance a person should be from their near work.

The beauty of applying Elbow Distance is that as we grow, so do our arms. You would expect a child to hold objects closer to his face than  an adult.  So instead of a “one size fits some” rule of a certain number of inches, the “Elbow Distance” can apply to almost everyone.  Go ahead and try it on yourself now and see if you hold a magazine or cellphone at your Elbow Distance or a little further.

Some people get so absorbed in their games or reading that when they get very close to their work, they are placing undue stress on their vision.  I am also very guilty of this.  When I get 4 to 5 inches from what I’m writing, my eyes have to work harder to keep the words clear because of the close distance.  But if I keep the right distance, the visual system relaxes and performs more efficiently – and I can really tell a difference.

If children or adults frequently get extremely close to their books or games, this may just be a bad habit.  But it can also be sign of a visual problem. Either way, it is best to get an exam performed by an eye doctor who specializes in visual efficiency.  They can determine if there is a problem and if glasses or vision therapy might be needed.

Be well!

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

OK, the “Fixing My Gaze” was a great warm up contest. Very fun. Congrats to @ParkSlopeEye, who won the book.

Now…. on to the big  summer Twitter milestone contest:

GRAND PRIZE:

Tiffany and Co. Sunglasses!

Additional Prizes:

Bright Eyes Gift Certificates

Bright Eyes has been been growing steadily on Twitter and it has been wonderful.  Now it is time super-charge our relationships with an exciting milestone contest. Every time we reach  the 300,400, & 500 milestone, there will be a winner:

300 followers =  $30 Gift Certificate (Winner @savingmycents)
400 followers =  $40 Gift Certificate (Winner @LoveBees)
500 followers = Free Tiffany & Co. Sunglasses. (Congrats winner @DolceDebbie) !

To enter:

The contest is now closed. Please enter next time.

Rules:

• There is no limit to the number of times you can enter.
• For the Grand Prize. all replies will count for one entry and all re-tweets will count for ten entries.
• All Tiffany and Co. Sunglasses we retail below $400 are eligible. (Sorry  – the ones with the diamonds don’t qualify.) You can pay the difference if you want a different frame, if you like.
• The choice of the sunglasses and receipt of the the gift certificates will be done in person at Bright Eyes.
• The selection of a winner will be selected at random from our follower entries  immediately after we reach Twitter milestone.
• If you have questions ask @BrightEyesTampa.

What if you want the sunglasses, but don’t Twitter? Simply go to Twitter.com and sign up, go to our page to and click “Follow” and then when it asks “What are you doing?” enter ” @BrightEyesTampa I want Free Tiffany & Co. sunglasses. ”

Have Fun and Good Luck!

This is a battle that optometrists face daily. Sometimes it seems as if every patient poses this challenge: Over-wearing  of contacts lenses.

According a recent study: “Overall, 40% kept their lenses beyond the maker’s recommended date. That includes 59% of patients with two-week silicone hydrogel lenses, 29% for one-month silicone hydrogel lenses, and 15% of daily disposable lenses.”

Sometimes patients simply do not know how long they are supposed to wear their contacts.  Usually, they do know, and openly admit that they abused their contacts and that it is not a good thing for their eyes.

You can read the whole article here: Wearing Contact Lenses Past Their Prime. If you have any questions about proper use of your contacts, please ask. We want you to be safe.

Be Well!

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

Because I was so lucky to win a book in a twitter contest that Tampa’s own @Steamykitchen held today, I am going to hold my own to celebrate.

I am so excited about “Fixing My Gaze” By Susan Barry.  It is an awesome book about vision development and human potential, written in an easy understand way.

I’d love to give everyone a copy, but I only have so many for the office. So during this contest, only one lucky person will get to win.

Here are the contest rules:

1. 50th re-tweet wins a free, new copy of “Fixing My Gaze” by Susan Barry.
2. Book can be picked up at Bright Eyes or will be mailed to the winner.
3. Only 2 re-tweets will be counted each hour.
4. No employee of Bright Eyes Family Vision care can win. (Just ask me for the book.)

If you have any question, ask @BrightEyesTampa.

Have Fun!

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