Donna, the winner of the summer sunglass contest, came in and picked out some fabulous, FREE Linea Roma sunglasses today!

She was also our 100th foursquare check-in! And she won a gift certificate last year from the Tiffany & Co. contest.  What a big winner she is! And it couldn’t happen to a nicer person! She’s been one of our biggest fans for a long time!

Stay tuned for your chance to win our next big contest! And in the meantime, don’t forget the sunglass sale we have going on: 20% to 40% on all sunglasses!

-Dr. Nate
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Connect: Facebook Twitter Foursquare LS1 Yelp



Boy, the Social Media Day Meetup last night at Tampa Bay Brewing Company was great. Tampa really rocked it last night like I knew we would. It was fun to see lots of friends and patients there. We were happy to give away two Bright Eyes gift certificates. I don’t know who the lucky winners were, but if it was you, let me know. We’d like to give you a shout out!

If you’ve been a patient of Bright Eyes for a while, you know that we love to give away stuff! We’ve  given away books,  a pair of Tiffany and Co. sunglasses, Prada frames, Nike frames, multiple Coach frames, and more gift certificates than we can count!

And we are at it again starting today! It is summertime and that means it is time to give away some new sunglasses!

Here is how to win:  Just go to the starfish picture on our Facebook page by clicking here. We have picked a pre-determined “winning point” on the picture. Tag yourself anywhere in the photo. That’s it. It is so easy!

On the morning of July 9th, whoever tagged closest to the winning point will be able to choose, in person, from our entire collection of Linea Roma sunglasses! (That’s the kind that I wear.)

But there is one catch: The picture must have 50 tags, or else there will not be a winner. Tag your friends and family or whoever else might want free sunglasses to make sure there are 50 people tagged before July 9th!

But wait, there’s more! Not only are we giving away sunglasses, but during the month of July every pair of shades is on sale. That’s right. Save between 10% and 40% on every line of sunglasses we carry: Linea Roma, Kate Spade, Costa Del Mar, Bulgari, Coach, Tiffany & Co, and more!

So tag the photo and stop by to check out the sale. If you have any questions, let us know. Good luck!

-Dr. Nate
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Connect: Facebook Twitter Foursquare LS1 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.

If you really want to get our attention, write a blog entry about why you want – or need – these Coach frames. The bigger and better your campaign, the more likely you are to take home some  shades or have some nice frames for the next time you need to update your glasses!

And although it will not be counted towards your entry for the Coach eyewear, keep in mind, we are looking for more Yelp reviews, too!

So, go nuts! And let the games begin!!

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Connect with Us: Facebook Twitter Foursquare Yelp

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!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Westchase, Tampa, FL
Connect with Us:  YelpFacebookTwitter

Get ready for the most exciting Bright Eyes event of the year! We will have a Coach representative on-site.  All Coach frames, in every style and color, will be on sale. Not only that, this is the biggest sale we have ever had. 50% off on all Coach sunglasses, just in time for summer.

This one-time event will be on Saturday, May 9th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Discounts may not apply with vision plan and insurance plans. Stop by the office to learn more.

Hope to see you there!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Westchase, Tampa, FL
Connect with Us:  YelpFacebookTwitter

Summer is here and that means that it is time to protect your eyes and look good doing it! Come in on July 26 and check out the complete line of Coach, Calvin Klein, and ck sunglasses.

For this day only, we’ll have every style in every color. You can get them with or without prescription.

During the event, all Coach, Calvin Klein and ck sunglasses will be 25% off and for every adult pair purchase, receive a free pair of child’s sunglasses. (Discount cannot be combined with other discount, coupon, or vision plan).

We hope to see you! Call for more information or click here for directions.

We love to take part in local activities, especially when it benefits a good cause.

The Spring Fling is coming April 5th! The benefit is being hosted by the Westchase YMCA, but many West Park Village merchants will be participating. From 10 am to 6 pm, Village stores will be hosting special events and promotions. From 3 to 9 pm, Reeves Import Motorcars will showcase luxury cars near the fountain past West Park Village. And from 7 to 9 pm, the YMCA will host the dinner and silent auction at Bellisimo Ristorante. Featuring live music and a wine tasting, the Spring Fling promises to be loads of fun.

Bright Eyes will be donating a pair of Tiffany & Co. sunglasses for the silent auction. All proceeds from the dinner and auction benefit the YMCA’s 2008 Building Strong Kids Campaign.

If you have questions about the Spring Fling, contact the Westchase YMCA at 792-7838.

Be Well!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care

You may have heard the rumors, and they are true!

We are excited to announce our newest offering of luxurious and exclusive eyewear, Tiffany & Co. These sunglasses and ophthalmic frames are beautiful to view and fun to wear. Most frames are adorned with Swarovski crystals or sterling silver Tiffany & Co. logos, that truly make them stand out. All Tiffany & Co. frames come with a signature little blue box, an authentic Tiffany & Co. case, and a cleaning cloth. As with all of our frames, they come with a two-year unconditional breakage warranty, which includes the crystals.

Many of our patients want eyeglasses that are beautiful and unique – after all, what other necessary “accessory” do you wear every day? This is the first time that Tiffany & Co. has produced eyewear, and we are happy to be among the first to offer these frames to our patients. If you would like to try on something special, please stop by. No appointment is needed.

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Westchase, Tampa, FL
Connect with Us: Facebook Twitter Foursquare

Most of my patients live in Florida at least in part because the weather is sunny and pleasant. I talk to many people who grew up in the Midwest or New England and lots of them remark about the how the sun makes them feel good. And this can be true. Lack of exposure to sunlight can result in, among other things, mood changes from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

But according to a new survey by the New England Eye Institute and Transitions Optical, the vast majority of people do not know that sunlight can also harm the eyes. According to the survey, while 3 out of 4 people know that ultraviolet (UV) light can cause skin cancer, only 1 in 20 knew that it can do damage to the eyes.

Living in Florida, this is important and something that I talk about all day with my patients. All sunlight contains UV light, and we Floridians get more UV than other parts of the country. So we need to be especially educated on this topic.

Exposure to UV light can increase the risk of several eye diseases such as:

• Development of cataracts
• Development of macular degeneration
• pterygia (deposits between the whites of the eyes and the cornea)
• skin cancer of the eyelids
• photokeratitis

What you should do to protect yourself:

• Educate yourself. Learn about UV light and your level of risk. You can check the current UV index in Tampa here.
• Have regularly scheduled eye exams to check for signs of eye disease. Many of these conditions start off with no symptoms and can only be detected by a skilled doctor.
• Ensure that your sunglasses are UV rated for protection. Just because they are dark does not mean that they have proper protection. Look for glasses with “UV 400″ or “99% UV A, UV B” on the sticker, rather than just “block UV light.”
• Ensure that your sunglasses wrap around your face to provide the fullest protection possible.
• Order lenses for your non-sunglasses that block UV light. Even clear lenses for everyday wear should protect your eyes, and modern lens materials can provide this.
• If you wear contact lenses outside, consider lenses that offer UV protection. This does not replace sunglasses, which protect your eyelids as well as your eyes, but it is one additional level of protection.

For additional detailed information, see the American Optometric Association’s Statement on Ocular Ultraviolet Radiation Hazards in Sunlight.

Be Well!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care