Connecting Cataracts and Radioactivity

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. [...]

VSP and Crocker Art Museum: Taking it to the streets!

We know that VSP has an affinity for outreach programs. So, when we learned of the Crocker Museum’s Art Ark program, we knew it was a perfect fit! VSP embarked on a one-year sponsorship of the Art Ark program, a mobile art museum that travels to schools in the Sacramento region, giving students access to [...]

Seeing the Future: Retinal Implants to Provide Vision for the Blind

Yesterday, I came across a Wired article about a microchip in development at MIT that can be implanted in the eye, giving some vision to the blind.   What a truly beautiful use of technology. Using the hard tools of titanium and electrodes, science will be able to give the visually-impaired a chance to experience what most of us take for granted—being [...]

Rob Lynch discusses the importance of vision benefits on healthnewsdigest.com.

VSP Global CEO Rob Lynch co-authored an opinion piece for healthnewsdigest.com discussing how stand-alone ancillary benefits, such as vision and dental, provide an essential component of healthcare that should be included in any comprehensive healthcare reform efforts. Here is an excerpt from the article: “The current proposal could have significant cost consequences for the medical delivery system. [...]

VSP’s Al Schubert on the Tom Sullivan Radio Show

Al Schubert, VSP’s Vice President of Managed Care and Health Policy, was on the air with Tom Sullivan last week, discussing vision care’s place in healthcare reform. Listen to the interview, and let us know what you think.

Your Child’s First Eye Exam: Six Easy Steps to Prepare for the Eye Doctor

 We welcome Dr. David Kisling back to the VSP Blog. Dr. Kisling is a VSP network doctor and guest blogger. Today’s post helps parents take the anxiety out of a child’s pre-school eye examination. Is your preschooler or kindergartner ready for their first eye exam? There are critical times to have eye check ups, and this is when [...]

Glasses too cool for school? Not if you need to learn.

I was seven. Holding the book inches from the end of my nose, I was reading the newest Encyclopedia Brown. My parents witnessed my peculiar reading posture, and took me to an optometrist, where we found it was time for vision correction. All through elementary school, I wore glasses (bad ones), and survived the kind [...]

Avocados: Good for your eyes; good in your belly.

Every day, we hear about the latest “super food” that does everything from promoting weight loss to honing your memory. While nutritional fads may come and go, some foods do contain specific vitamins and antioxidants that help prevent eye diseases and promote overall eye health. One of my favorites: the avocado. Beyond its inherently delicious flavor [...]

Eyes bigger than your stomach? Maybe they’ve just been dilated.

Dr. David Kisling, a VSP network doctor, returns for his second guest blog. Today’s post addresses one of the most challenging portions of an eye exam—dilation of your eyes. Does an hour appointment with your optometrist turn into a full day of discomfort due to the pupil dilation? Have you wondered why you have to endure [...]

What’s in a puff? The eye-puff test demystified.

We welcome Dr. David Kisling, a VSP network doctor and guest blogger, as he demystifies parts of an eye exam. Today’s post addresses the unsettling eye-puff test; stay tuned next week as he discusses dilation. Why do some people procrastinate on scheduling regular eye exams? That dreaded puff of air that makes you cringe in anticipation could be [...]