Connecting Cataracts and Radioactivity

Damage at Fukushima power station; image by digitalglobe.com.

With the multi-layered disaster faced in Japan right now, it’s hard to look past the immediate needs and concerns to the future impacts of of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuculear reactor meltdowns.

There’s been much comparison of the dangers of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to the disaster at Chernobyl, which happened a quarter of a century ago. While the situation in Japan appears to be less dire (although much is still unknown), scientists were able to learn much from the longterm effects of the Chernobyl meltdown that may come into play as the recent crisis unfolds. 

Listening to NPR as I commuted home Monday night, I learned that a number of the Chernobyl emergency workers that were exposed to high doses of radiation developed cataracts. This connection was unknown prior to the Russian meltdown. There are mitigating factors for the Japanese: the exposure to radiation has thus far been relatively light, and there are treatments available to limit or slow the growth of cataracts.

To put it in perspective, an increased probability of developing cataracts in the future may be a minor concern to those struggling to make it through the crisis. But once the dust settles, long-term impacts will begin to reveal themselves. 

Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness—I encourage any reader to stay attuned to the common warning signs:

• Painless blurring of vision
• Frequent prescription changes for corrective lenses
• Glare and haloes
• Colors looking dull and brownish
• Poor night vision
• Both sensitivity to light and finding lighting too dim

My heart goes out to the people of Japan as they fight to stay safe and cope with the loss of loved ones. I’m making a donation to the Red Cross to help in any small way that I can. And as part of our commitment to the global community, VSP is helping double those dollars by matching up to $10,000 in employee contributions to relief funds.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Sara P. is a member of the Altair sales team.

I’ve recently gotten addicted to sunwear. I’ve got a full rainbow spectrum to choose from already and I have no intention of slowing down. It’s a recent obsession so I’m only at 8 pairs but the rate at which I’ve acquired them is getting a bit scary.

I have gone through accessory addictions in the past (shoes, purses, one weird phase of collecting argyle socks) but this one is turning into a dangerous one for me because a) I work in the industry so am constantly being exposed to the latest and greatest and b) I can make the argument that it’s actually for my own good: “Hellooo, the lenses are polarized, which means UV protection, which means I’m protecting my eyes…what, you don’t think my precious eyes need protection?!”

For my friends and family that mock my ever-expanding collection, I tell them it’s very simple-I have a compulsion to match my sunglasses to my clothing. But secretly, I match them to my moods too. There are just some moods and days that scream for that funky green pair, and others that demand the classic black.

While having the sunwear rainbow at your disposal seems somewhat reasonable if you argue the “But they need to match my outfit” point, I recently read about a technology that would actually give me zero reason to have more than one pair of sunglasses…if we’re talking sunwear as strictly a color coordination accessory versus a choice of mood. It’s actually a pair of sunglasses that will turn into any color you desire, which got me thinking-would I be able to give up all my different sunglasses and commit to just one pair if I could make them any color I wanted?

I’ll just say this-I’m very relieved that I won’t have to make this decision any time soon!

Win a Pair of Nike Sunglasses in the VSP SeeMuchMore Twitter Giveaway

Liz B. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.

Dear Readers:

Thank you for your support and comments to the VSP Blog!  In appreciation and to help bring attention to the importance of vision health and of protecting your eyes all year round (see UV Protection – Protect Your Eyes), we’re giving a way a pair of Nike sunglasses on Twitter to one winner. It’s super easy to enter:

From the Road – Incredible Kids

Kim R. is part of VSP's Mobile Clinics team.

Although I don’t have children, I am reminded in my job how incredible kids can be.  Take for example, Travis, a sweet young man I met in Tampa, FL last week while I was working on the mobile clinic at an elementary school.

Travis came on board for his eye exam and learned that he needed glasses.  While he was selecting his frames with one of his friends (who happened to be a little girl), I asked them “are you girls having fun selecting your frames?”

“I am a boy,” Travis said. I apologized to him and he replied “That’s OK, I get it all the time.”

Fall is here – Don’t forget about UV protection!

Make your own customized eyechart!

As the skies turn overcast and the air has a chilly bite to it, many people tuck their sunglasses away for the oncoming winter months.  Tsk, tsk, tsk!

Visit VSP Active to learn why UV protection is important – even on overcast and cloudy days.

Funnel vision

Andy G. is a member of VSP's Sales team.

Do you have problems applying eye drops? Do you tend to miss your eye and waste several drops down your cheek?
Then, you need the funnel vision frames.

OK, these frames aren’t really available under your VSP vision care benefits. They are just one of many Chindogu creations by Japanese inventor Kenji Kawakami.

The Japanese literal translation of Chindogu is “unusual tools.”

Preventing Blindness – All around the world

Today is World Sight Day 2009. World Sight Day is an international day of awareness, held every year on the second Thursday of October to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment.

A key partner is Optometry Giving Sight, who promotes the World Sight Day Challenge by encouraging the eyecare community to raise funds and awareness.

Find out more about the World Sight Day Challenge from Rachel R., a blogger from the Eyefinity/OfficeMate Blog!

From the road: Helping out in Florida & South Carolina

Tresa Dupray is a member of VSP Ophthalmic Services team.

Today we have a guest blog from Tresa Dupray, a VSP Mobile Response Team member.

I’ve worked for VSP for many years and have been proud of the efforts we have made to give back to our community.  I joined the Mobile Eyes program as a Mobile Response Team member so that I could become a part of VSP’s gift of giving.  I spent the past two weeks traveling with the Mobile Clinic providing free exams and glasses to children in Tampa, FL and to the homeless in Charleston, SC.   My experience with the program has far exceeded my expectation.

Lending a hand in South Carolina

Kim R. is on the VSP Mobile Clinic team.

Last week, the mobile clinic was in Charleston, SC at Crisis Ministries helping their clients.  We had patients scheduled, and we have been able to see all of them and take the walk up patients.  The word spread quickly through out the community and each day we had people lined up waiting for us when we arrived!  The people here are so gracious and thankful for the services being provided.  Some have walked miles and waited all day to be seen!  Each and everyone of the patients we have seen have required glasses!

VSP Customer Service Is Simply The Best

Brian B. is a member of VSP's Customer Service team.

In my experience, working in customer service can be a very rewarding career. Very successful companies know that customer service is the pulse of the company. We hear first hand what our customers think about our company. We have the power to change customers perception for good or bad. You know how a company feels about its employee by the tone of the voice that answers the phone.

VSP prides itself on hiring high performing employees. It’s the reason that I choose to apply and work here. I believe that I work for one of the best companies in the world and I believe that our Customer Service is bar none, the best! This was proven on Friday when our VP of customer service, Laura Costa, announced that SQM (Service Quality Measurement) named us the 2009 Call Center of the Year and rated highest in Employee Satisfaction for the second year in a row.