Archive for May, 2010

I just got back from a trip to Orlando for the annual Florida Parent Educators Association (FPEA) Convention and it was great! If you are not aware,  FPEA supports the vibrant homeschooling community in the state of Florida. Many of our patients homeschool so I had heard about this convention for the last couple of years. Last year my colleague, Jenna Williams-McDermed, O.D. (Dr. Jenna), exhibited at the convention and lectured about how vision affects learning. I was excited about her experience and decided this year to join her.

Edna, our vision therapist, and I attended the conference and it was great. It was held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, which essentially contains a conference center. There were several huge lectures and many smaller ones on all kinds of subjects related to learning and homeschooling.

I was able to answer a lot of questions about vision and learning and what vision therapy is like, which I always enjoy. It was especially nice to see many patients as well as other professionals I know.  I bought a few activity books for Nora and a neat book called “Kids Love Florida.”

Overall, the FPEA conference was a great experience. We plan on making it an annual visit for Bright Eyes! Maybe we will see you there!

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

We all know that sometimes smart people do dumb things. This can be especially true for college students who have a lot of time and new-found freedom.

I recently read about a trend in the US and England among college students: putting a corrosive solvent in their eye. Why? To get drunk? What is the solvent? Alcohol, specifically vodka. This is called Vodka Eyeballing and is more common than you might think.

image via Flickr

I can understand why college students want to find a way to get drunk even faster than doing shots. I can understand that exposing the tissues of your eye to vodka can allow this by absorbing the alcohol straight into your you bloodstream, bypassing the stomach.

But I also know the lethal effect that alcohol has on human cells and that the eye is among the most delicate and IMPORTANT parts of the body.

Do not put Vodka in your eye. It is just as stupid as it sounds.

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

This video is EXACTLY the way I remember optometry school in Chicago.

Check to watch on Youtube