You love Bright Eyes, right? And you may be one of the half a billion (yes, with a “B”) people who have a Facebook account. So now that Facebook Places is up and running, you can combine Bright Eyes and Facebook by checking in at the NEW Bright Eyes Facebook Place Page!

So…. If you are thinking, “What the heck is he talking about?” Here is a quick primer:

In the social media world, location-based services are hot! Location based services (LBSs) are applications that work on your smartphone, like an iPhone, Android, or Blackberry. Because these apps know where you are via GPS, it allows you to interact with other people in specific ways: location friends, see who’s in the area, and other game-like activities.

For the last year, foursquare has been my favorite, because it is the most fun. Gowalla, Yelp and other LBS applications have been competing for interest. All of these apps let you “check in” somewhere. This usually let’s friends know that you are at that location, but also gets you discounts at certain businesses. For example, showing your check in to Bright Eyes on any of the services gets you a discount on purchased items and services.

But the big game changer was that Facebook rolled out is own LBS, totally integrated with all other aspects of Facebook. So now, even if you didn’t have a foursquare or Gowalla account, you can still check in at Bright Eyes for your discount with Facebook. You can check in two ways: the iPhone Facebook app, or using http://touch.facebook.com. (Feel free to use one of the computers if you want to check in!)

So next time you stop by Bright Eyes for an exam, to pick up contacts, or just to say, “Hi” be sure to check in!

-Dr. Nate
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.
Connect: Facebook Twitter Foursquare LS1 Yelp

This is a new video that the folks at VSP produced about the massive amount of time we spend on computers and electronic devices how how it can affect our vision. It is very well done and has some great stats. You can find out more about computer vision syndrome here.

(Click here to open video at Youtube.)

-Dr. Nate
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.
Connect: Facebook Twitter Foursquare LS1 Yelp

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

Check to watch on Youtube

Hi all!

This is just a quick note. You may know that I was recently featured in the St. Pete Times.  You can read it here and a similar story on TBO.com here about how a quirky idea of celebrating social media on April 16 has become a giant party all over the world!

Seriously, we now have people in the US, India, China, England, Malaysia, and many other places celebrating. They will be joining us, virtually, at the Hyatt Regency on Friday for a giant party!! I hope you can come, because it will be a very unique event for Tampa! BBC America is coming to film the event, as well as many local news organizations.

So, a few quick updates. First, Mayor Pam Iorio will officially proclaim April 16 to be Foursquare Day. This is very cool.

Second, I will be on Fox 13 live between noon and 1pm discussing Foursquare Day. You can tune in or watch live on Myfoxtampabay.com.

Finally, it is NOT too late for you to get involved! We are looking for sponsors for the big event and this is an exciting, inexpensive way for your business to get involved. Not sure where to start? Check out our Resources Page for a look at what other Tampa Bay Business are doing here, including our 50% sale!

Have any questions, just let me know!

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

So not only did my staff call in sick today but they also did this:

April Fools!

This is the cleanest my desk has been in years!

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

Here at Bright Eyes, we are very supportive of Foursquare. We think it is -  not literally  – the cat’s pajamas. So after a lot of thought and consideration, we have decided to offer our biggest and best discount ever on Foursquare Day:

That is right. All you have to do is show your Foursquare check-in and you will save 50% on glasses, including all frames, lenses, and lens treatments! There is no limit to how many you can buy, but the the offer is not valid with vision plan discounts.

So support Foursquare Day! Support us! Support your wife who is enamored with Tiffany & Co. or the husband who needs a new pair of prescription sunglasses. If you need to learn how to use foursquare to get the deal, then click here. If you are already know, then make your plans now!

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

Macular degeneration is a leading cause blindness.  It is a disease that is usually diagnosed in those over 55, affects both eyes and is slowly progressive. Macular degeneration is also known as ARMD (Age Related Macular Degeneration).

Macular degeneration can cause significant loss of central vision, but will not cause complete blindness as it does not affect the side, or peripheral, vision.

Thus, ARMD affects only central vision and may cause blurriness, distortion and non-moving black/grey spots in our vision.  Legal blindness is possible.

The macula is a small area of the retina.  It measures about 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm and gives us our central vision, including reading, our best color vision and is the only place sensitive enough to give us “20/20″ vision.  When we stare at something small, we are moving our eyes so that the image of interest falls on our macula.

The two forms are differentiated by the presence of abnormal blood vessels underneath the retina.  The abnormal blood vessels are called neovascularization.

The dry form does not have neovascularization and is usually more slowly progressive than its counterpart.  Most patients have the dry form, but it is possible for the “dry” to become “wet.”

Both forms involve degeneration of the different layers of the macula.

There are lots and lots of vitamins claiming to be good for macular degeneration, but only one formulation has ever been proven to have an effect.  An NIH based study concluded that the so-called AREDS formula of vitamin reduced the risk of severe vision due to wet ARMD by 25% in those patients.  Only those patients that were of medium to high risk derived any benefit.

Patients with dry macular degeneration or patients with low risk ARMD do not have any reason for taking the vitamins.

Supplements such as lutein, omega 3 fatty acids, Beta-carotene, etc. have never been truly proven to be effective and are presently under study by NIH.  This study, the AREDS 2 Study, will be concluding in a few years.

Symptoms of ARMD include blurry vision, distortion and dark/grey spots in your central vision.  The dark/grey spots correspond to areas of the macula that have significant degeneration and are called “scotomas.”  Scotomas are basically small blind spots.

For those of you already diagnosed, self-monitoring of your vision may be helpful by use of an Amsler grid.  This is an inexpensive, yet sensitive method, for tracking any changes.

Treatments are available for the wet form of the disease and include laser treatment, Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) and intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF medications.  The earlier a problem is diagnosed, the better the outcome.  Currently, anti-VEGF medications are a common way to treat wet ARMD.

There are presently no treatments for dry ARMD.

In general, if you experience any sudden, persistent, changes in your vision, including distortion, please inform your eye doctor.

Any changes in your vision should be reported to your doctor.  If a retina problem is suspected, a thorough, dilated exam of your pupils will allow the best view of the retina.

Further testing may be warranted to confirm the diagnosis.

It isn’t necessary to see a retina specialist, but more important that you be examined.  If needed, your eye doctor may refer you to a specialist.

Randall V. Wong, M.D. is a retina specialist practicing in Virginia.  Get the latest health info on diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration.

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

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Just a brief note. If you live in the Tampa Bay area are interested in social media, check out Social Fresh. On January February 8th, there will be day packet with interactive discussion and lectures on social media.

As my friend @missdestructo says, “This will probably be the biggest social media event in Tampa Bay this year.”

If you want to go, there are still some tickets left. You can get them here.

See Well!

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