This is just a reminder that this Saturday, April 15th, we will be open normal business hours, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.!

We now have the Kate Spade frame collection for you to choose from! This brand is popular for women's fashion sunglasses, and we also have the optical/clear version as well.  Come check out our new selection!

Hello, if you are coming over from the Facebook site, welcome to the Dr. B. blog!   I will be getting to the answers in just a minute.  For those of you who came here directly from the website home page, I recently posted some Gwen Stefani trivia on the Facebook page and have directed those who want to see the answers to this blog.  For those of you who arrived here from the main page of the website, I will re-post the questions again here, followed by the answers.   Here are the questions:

1.  Gwen Stefani currently has two collections of eyewear. One of them is called L.A.M.B. What does L.A.M.B. stand for?


2. Her second collection is called gx. What does gx stand for?



Scroll down for the answers.













1.  L.A.M.B. stands for Love Angel Music Baby



2.  gx--the g represents Gwen and the x represents sending out her love.   She signs all her emails with "gx."    I've never personally received an email from Gwen, I'm simply relaying the information that I was given.

Have you ever wondered which sports cause the most eye injuries?   Look no further!   Here are the top 10 Sports that cause eye injuries.  We'll start from the bottom and work our way up:

10.  Table or air hockey   1,180 estimated injuries
Having played air hockey and having been a fan of the sport for years, I can understand how this happens--the puck is elevated off the table and it hits somebody in the eye.  This does not happen very often.  It's still a great table sport.

9.  Fishing  1.183 estimated injuries
I'm hoping some of these are from casting and not from getting a fish hook caught in the eye.

8. Health Club (exercise/weightlifting)  1,325 estimated injuries
Be smart and don't over-do it.  Lift a reasonable weight.   When lifting free weights, don't forget to breathe properly.

7. Soccer   1,338 estimated injuries

6. Bicycles   1,483 estimated injuries

5. Football  1,726 estimated injuries

4. Baseball/softball   2,100 estimated injuries

3. Guns (air, gas, spring and BB)   2,397 estimated injuries

2. Water and pool activities  5,505 estimated injuries
This is technically not a sport.  I don't think they are referring to water polo, I think this is in reference to recreational pool activities.  They must have included it because there are so many of them, it's good to be aware of it.

And the number 1 sport, by far, in which eye injuries occur....






1.  Basketball   6,307 estimated injuries

The topic of racial discrimination has been in the news recently.  In society, discrimination can take many forms.  For example, until 1990, those with physical disabilities were discriminated against.  Many public buildings were inaccessible to those in wheelchairs or other physical handicaps that prevented them from climbing stairs.  The American Disabilities Act of 1990 now requires accessibility on public accommodations.  Discrimination has also occurred in the optical world.  Unless you're Asian, you are probably not aware of this.   Many Asians have unique facial features that require specific accommodations in their glasses to account for this.  Most of the major frame brands are designed in Europe, and have been produced for that population.  For years, they ignored the Asian population's unique ophthalmic demands and many times forced them to wear glasses that were not well suited for them.  Frame selection was limited--Asians were told they would have to wear metal frames and could not wear plastic frames.   Fortunately, the optical world is now finally addressing this discriminatory oversight.  In the last few years, frame manufacturers are now putting out frames addressing the Asian customer's unique ophthalmic demands.  It was initially referred to as Asian Fit Eyewear; however, some people felt the term was inappropriate, and have since renamed it Alternative Fit Eyewear.  I see nothing offensive with the term Asian Fit Eyewear, and so therefore I shall use that.

Asian fit eyewear consists of three components, depending on which is suited to your case:  1.  a thicker nosepiece, to prevent the frames from slipping down the nose, 2. a wider front, for those who have a wide face, 3. higher lenses, for higher cheekbones.

Our office now carries Asian Fit Eyewear.  Here are the brands that we have in stock, both in clear and in sunwear with Asian/Alternative fit:

Oakley
Gucci
Dolce & Gabbana
Christian Dior
Prada
Coach
Versace
Ray Ban

Come check out our large selection!

Over the past several months, I have run into a few of you around town.   Don't be offended if I don't remember your name!   Keep in mind I see a lot of patients every year.  In 2016, I saw over 1,500 patients in one year.  I tend to remember faces better than names, so even though I may recognize you, I may not recall your name.   I purchased this practice not too long ago, so it will still take some time to get to know everybody's names to the point where I remember them on a moment's notice.   Also keep in mind that I do live in this area like yourselves, so you will probably eventually see me around town somewhere.  Just keep the above facts in mind if you run into me!

I just want to wish a Happy New Year to everybody!  2017!  It's unbelievable how fast time goes.  It doesn't seem that long ago that the new century began, and now we are 2/3s of the way through its second decade!   It seems like just yesterday 2016 started, and now it's 2017!   It is true that time goes by faster as we get older.

Wishing everybody a happy and safe Thanksgiving 2016!

It has been roughly one year since I purchased the retinal camera for the practice!  Many of you have chosen to have retinal photos taken, some of you have not.   Probably the most common question asked about them is how necessary is it to have them taken?  After having taken photos for the past year, here is my professional answer to that question:  I feel that everybody should have photos taken once, for baseline documentation.   This will allow us to use them as a reference point in the future in case there are changes in the back of your eyes.  
Once you have baseline photos, then how often you should have them taken after that depends on if you fall into any of the high risk categories.  If you have any of the risk factors, then I recommend that photos be taken on a yearly basis.  The risk factors include:  diabetes, either yourself or a family member;  glaucoma, either yourself or a family member;  macular degeneration, either yourself or a family member;  any existing retinal condition.  If you fall into any of these categories, then I recommend retinal photos every year.  If you do not fall into any of these categories, then a rough guideline that I recommend is retinal photos every two to three years.   Another factor when considering the importance of retinal photos is age.  As we get older, more things break down in the body.  So for example, if you're over the age of 65, and you don't have any of the risk factors, I would still recommend retinal photos every 1 to 2 years;  conversely, if you're 10 years old, every 3 years should be fine.
One other very important point to mention about why I recommend photos for everyone:   retinal photos are an advancement in 21st century health care record documentation.  You've heard the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words."  This adequately describes retinal photos.    When a doctor does not take photos of the back of your eye, how the back of your eye is described in your medical record is based on what he/she writes/types into your record, which always contains less information than can be gotten from a photo image.  So above all else, retinal photos are a significant improvement in the quality of medical health care record documentation when dealing with the back of your eye.

This past Saturday, October 1st, was the 3 year anniversary of my acquiring the practice from Dr. Blake!  It's hard to believe that it has been 3 years!  It has been a pleasure getting to know all of you.  I have come to learn that many of you are very loyal, as you have been coming to this practice for years, even decades!  Over the past few years, our number one source for new patients have been referrals from our current patients!   Thank you for those referrals.   I want you to know that we appreciate your loyalty, and I intend to reward your loyalty by giving you a first class optometry/optical experience.  Since I took over this practice, it has been my goal to provide a first class experience for my patients.   In 2014, I upgraded the visual acuity system that we use to the same system that is used by NASA on the international space station.  In 2015, I implemented a retinal camera that allows us to more accurately document the findings in the back of your eye.  More improvements are on the way.  Very soon in the near future, we plan to remodel the optical and the office in general into a more modern design.  More professional and medical services will be offered for some of the more common ocular problems encountered--such as dry eye and color vision deficiency--that will give you, our patients, the latest technology and treatment options available in the rapidly changing landscape of vision care.  Check back here often, as you can be assured I will keep you updated when we have added these services.

Thank you for your loyalty for all of these years!  It is appreciated and I intend to reward your loyalty with even more improvements that will make your time with us an even more positive experience!

Dr. David Butchert, O.D.