New Year's Resolution? Christmas Gift? How about no Glasses?

Thinking about what to get a loved one for Christmas? How about those New Year's Resolutions that are coming up? We've been examining our results and outcomes since we made the switch to All Laser LASIK and we have just one thing to say:

WOW!!!

Laser Vision Correction has undergone many changes since Dr. Darrell White did the first VISX laser procedure in Cleveland in the early 1990's. The excimer lasers themselves, the lasers that actually put the prescription on your eye, are now able to correct very complex prescriptions, and they track your eyes during the procedure in every conceivable direction! The accuracy of the treatment is nothing short of amazing.

In the last several years a move has been underway to increast the amount of the procedure that can be performed using lasers, including the creation of the LASIK flap in your cornea (the "window" to the eye). Modern mechanical keratomes are excellent, and we should note that Dr. White's own LASIK was done using a mechanical keratome. We have made the move to using a Femptosecond laser, specifically the IntraLase, to make our flaps after Dr. White conferred with trusted colleagues like Dr. Stephan Coleman in New Mexico, one of the true LASIK pioneers.

And now? WOW!

Thinking about a Christmas gift or a New Year's Resolution? How about great vision without glasses or contact lenses? Come visit us here in Cleveland at Skyvision Centers. See What's Next (R) with Dr. White!

Thursday Is emPower Day!

Thursday is emPower day at Skyvision Centers! If you live in or around Cleveland there's only one place you can get the newest type of bifocals, the Piso-electric emPower from Pixel Optics, and that's Skyvision!

Dr. White Speaks At COS

Our Skyvision Centers eye surgeon, Dr. Darrell White, spoke at the quarterly meeting of the Cleveland Ophthalmological Society yesterday afternoon. The COS is the oldest regional ophthalmic group in the United States. Dr. White addressed the issue of treating Dry Eye and other ocular surface diseases as part of the Advanced Refractive Cataract Surgery process.

"We have been intensely interested in how the ocular surface, in particular the tears, affects the quality of vision following advanced eye surgeries," said Dr. White. "Many of our laser vision correction patients and our Advanced Near & Far Implant patients are treated to maximize the health of their tears to improve the quality of their post-op experience and vision."

Dr. White went on to say that each pre-op patient who shows any evidence of tear film abnormality undergoes a full work-up, including Tear Osmolarity. As part of their peri-operative treatment they may take either Restasis or Azasite in order to increase their comfort and speed their visual recovery*.

"It takes a little more time, for us and our patients, and sometimes costs a little more for the patients, but in the end their vision is SO much better that it's definitely worth it!" added Dr. White.

Our Beautiful World

Every now and again we come across something that is just so beautiful to behold with our eyes that we just have to share it. We found these photos on the website "Cool Hunting". Simply stunning photos from a warmer place than our Cleveland in December!

Humans are visual creatures. We have the most advanced visual system  of all living things.

In addition we have the unique ability to appreciate beauty, and even more so to communicate how something so beautiful makes us feel.

We hope these pictures make you a little warmer and a little happier on a Monday in Cleveland!

Fittest Eye Doc

Do you remember the "Fittest Eye Doc Challenge" from last year? Dr. White does! Not only is he still doing CrossFit, but his sons Randy and Dan (that's Dan with him flipping tires) have opened a CrossFit gym in Amherst, just west of Cleveland and Skyvision Centers.

"People don't think of eye surgery as physically taxing, but it is!" said Dr. White. "I've become a better surgeon by lifting heavy weights and doing the high intensity workouts in CrossFit. It's just a ton more fun now being able to do it with my boys at Comet CrossFit whenever I get the chance to get out there."

CrossFit is constantly varied full-body, functional exercises performed at relatively high intensity. Created by Greg Glassman, it has become the principal fitness program for many special forces groups, SWAT teams, and Firehouses. It first appeared on the internet in 2003 at CrossFit.com and CrossFit Santa Cruz, and there are now more than 3000 CrossFit gyms all over the world. There's even a Kid's program, CrossFit Kids, founded and headquartered by Jeff and Mikki Martin at CrossFit Brand X.

" I firmly believe that every doctor of every kind should do as much as they can to be as fit and healthy as possible!"

Side Effects From Your Medicines II: Topamax and Acute Glaucoma

Here is another medicine that is used for regular medical reasons that can have side effects on your eye: Topamax (topiramate). Topamax is a medicine that is used for epilepsy and some types of migraine headaches. It is sometimes used "off-label" as a treatment for depression and bipolar disease, and occasionally as a weight loss drug.

Topamax can cause shallowing of the front of the eye which can lead to a glaucoma attack. Pain, redness, blurry vision, and COLORED HALOES around lights are the symptoms They can occur in patients of any age, and they arise in the first 14 days after the first dose of the medicine. The most important thing to do is to see an eye doctor as soon as possible and to stop the medication.

If you are taking Topamax and have any of the above symptoms be sure to call your family doctor, and to call Skyvision Centers for an emergency visit.

Do You Follow Good Contact Lens Care?

Most contact lens users know about potential complications and believe they follow all the recommended wear and care guidelines, but few actually do, according to new research. The study included 281 patients who visited eye care practitioners in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas and 152 who went to a university eye clinic. Many patients could name a complication related to contact lens use -- 58 percent in the general community and 91 percent at the university clinic.

The most commonly named complications were related to lens comfort/handling and infections, said the researchers, Dr. Danielle Robertson and Dr. H. Dwight Cavanagh of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. The majority of patients also knew important risk factors for contact lens-related complications such as: topping off instead of replacing contact lens solution; exposing lenses to tap water, including wearing them while showering; and poor hygiene practice, according to the study published in the November issue of the journal Optometry and Vision Science.

Overall, 85 percent of the patients believed they followed recommended contact lens wear and care practices. However, the researchers found that the average patient only performed 50 percent of the recommended wear and care practices, and compliance was rated as good for only 2 percent of the patients.

Only one patient (0.4 percent) was fully compliant with all the recommended contact lens wear and care guidelines.

"It is unlikely that further education will change patient behavior,"  the study authors noted in a journal news release, "because most patients already know that failing to follow recommended guidelines can increase their risk of complications."

"New strategies and approaches to effectively modify inherent patient non-compliance are urgently needed," the researchers concluded in the release.

What do YOU think? How can we help contact lens patients to take care of their eyes? Let us know! Leave a comment here, or "Like" us on Facebook and leave your thoughts there. 

Eye Side Effects From Non-Eye Medicine I: Flomax (Prostatic Hypertrophy)

As medicine becomes more and more complex we are seeing new interactions between medicines you take for your general health and your eyes. At Skyvision we thought it would be helpful to do a series on the most common of these and what they mean for you and for us.

Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH) is a problem that is very common in older men. The prostate gland becomes larged enough to interfere in urination and complete emptying of the bladder. This can become a problem in middle-aged men, as well, and so you may actually have a discussions with your doctor at a younger age. Some urologists are prescribing medicines for BPH to ease the symptoms of kidney stones as well, even in women.

The most commonly prescribed medicine for BPH is Flomax (Tamsulosin). Other medicines in this class include alfuzosin, doxazosin, and terazosin, all of which are occasionally prescribed for high blood pressure as well. The side effect that most concerns us occurs during cataract surgery: Intraoperative Floppy Iris Syndrome (IFIS). During surgery the iris and the pupil become unstable. There can be billowing of the iris, the iris can bulge out through the cataract incisions, and the pupil can become very small. All of these make the surgery more challenging, and all of them can increase the chances of complications, especially if the cataract surgeon is not aware that you are taking them.

There are two very important take home messages for Flomax and the other medicines noted. First, ALWAYS tell your doctor what medicines you are taking so that we can be prepared. There are very cool, very special instruments that make the surgery much safer when we know! Second, the effect of these medicines is permanent after you have been on them for as little as a couple of weeks, so DON'T STOP YOUR MEDICINE unless your family doctor tells you to do so!

Stay tuned for more information about your medicines and your eyes!

Generic Eyedrops Aren't Always = Brands

At Skyvision Centers we are very aware of how expensive medicines can be. There are some instances where we can safely (and happily!) prescribe generics to replace your brand-name medicine and be confident that you will get the same effect and benefit. However, this is unfortunately not always the case.

The most common place where we run into this issue is around the time of cataract surgery. There's no other way to put it: the generic eyedrops that insurance companies want you to substitute are just NOT the same and NOT AS GOOD as the brand-name eyedrops they would replace.

We use the best, most modern, safest antibiotic drops around the time of cataract surgery. The older, generic antibiotic drops are simply not as strong. There is a special drop that we use to decrease swelling around the surgery, and there are three different brand-name eyedrops that work equally well. Unfortunately, ALL of the generic options cause stinging when you put them in, and they can even CAUSE swelling that decreases vision. They are NOT EQUAL to the brands they replace.

At Skyvision Centers we want what is best for you, our patient. We know that medicines can be expensive, but there is a real, medical reason why our doctors choose each medicine for you. Please talk to us before you let your pharmacy or your insurance company change you to a generic medicine.

The emPower Lenses Are Here!

Now you can adjust your vision just by living your life. With emPower!™, the first electronic-focusing eyewear. Skyvision Centers now has a full selection of emPower!(TM) frames in our Westlake, Ohio office. We will be taking appointments to fit you with this unbelievable new technology. 

A touch of the temple or tilt of the head activates a layer of liquid crystals in each lens, instantly creating a near-focus zone. emPower! not only gives you control over your vision, it also provides wider fields of view and less distortion than regular progressive bifocal lenses. 


Call us at the Skyvisioncenters Optical to make an appointment to be fit with this amazing new technology.  See why emPower! is the biggest optical advance in over 50 years

Nearsightedness: A New Risk For Glaucoma

Glaucoma is damage to the optic nerve, usually but not always associated with high pressure in the eye. Eye doctors first see Glaucoma in changes to the optic nerve, the fine nerve fibers that enter the nerve, or in tests of the side vision. Unfortunately, the damage to the eye from Glaucoma is permanent once it occurs. This is why prevention and early detection are so important.

There are a number of risk factors or associations for Glaucoma risk that have been known for a long time. The most important risk is having a family history of Glaucoma, especially if a family member has had a severe loss of vision from Glaucoma. Other known risks include diabetes and certain family heritages (African-Americans have a much higher risk to develop Glaucoma). Of course, the greatest risk factor is age, as the risk to develop Glaucoma goes up dramatically as we age.

A recent study has confirmed that MYOPIA, being nearsighted, is a risk for Glaucoma. People who have a nearsighted prescription of greater than -3.00 have TWICE the risk of developing Glaucoma as people with little or no myopia, or people with farsightedness or hyperopia. Simply being nearsighted does not mean you will get Glaucoma, but if you have any other risk factors and you are also nearsighted you should consider having your eye doctor do a complete evaluation to rule out this severe, potentially blinding disease.

Feel free to call us at Skyvision centers if you live in Cleveland and have any questions about Glaucoma.

Skyvision: An Educational Center

The doctors at Skyvision Centers recently hosted a Continuing Education seminar for local Cleveland area Optometrists. Nearly 50 optometrists gathered at The Surgery Center in Berea for a 2 hour educational session sponsored by Skyvision Centers. Dr. David Eldridge from the TearLab company was the guest speaker. An Italian dinner menu was prepared by Bucci's of Berea.

Dr. Schlegel was the official host for the evening. "We wanted to reach out to our colleagues in the Cleveland area and offer an addtional way for them to obtain CE credits without having to travel. I was particularly thrilled that Dr. Eldridge was able to join us and give his unique perspective on Tear Osmolarity since he was involved in the formation of the TearLab company. Tear Osmolarity has been an enormous help to us in taking care of Dry Eye patiens at Skyvision."

After Dr. Eldridge gave his talk on Tear Osmolarity Dr. White took the floor and discussed the pre-operative evaluation of cataract patients who have Astigmatism. He shared the great enthusiasm that all three Skyvision doctors have for the Alcon IQ Toric implant for cataract surgery when a patient wishes to see well for distance after surgery despite lots of Astigmatism. He noted that the implant was "great technology", and suggested that the patient's Personal Eye Doctor could help them make the right decision about whether or not to use the Toric implant.

Dr. Kaye has been very pleased by the feedback from his colleagues around Cleveland. "I've heard nothing but positive things! We are looking forward to our next meeting, and I think my fellow Optometrists are too!" Skyvision Centers is planning on another meeting in late Winter, and Dr. Kaye said "we hope to have at least three each year."

Why Does Dr. White Wear A Bowtie?

We recently asked Dr. White why he wears a bowtie. Here’s what he said (after he stopped laughing!):

“Why a bowtie? Wow...it’s been so long I haven’t given all that much thought to that. When I was in medical school my wife and I cleaned out the bargain tie bin at a local department store that was going out of business. Silk ties for 2 and 3 bucks! When we got home we noticed two bowties in the mix. I happened to be on call the next night so Beth tied one for me to wear—bowties stay out of the way of all kinds of icky stuff you encounter in a hospital.

Well, as luck would have it, the most popular show on TV was “Hill Street Blues”, and one of the detectives wore a bowtie. Whenever Henry Goldblum got stressed his bowtie came undone. Of course, my wiseguy fellow med students thought it would be fun to untie MINE...and I didn’t know how to tie it yet! Sooo, three hours in front of a mirror later and I was an expert on bowtie tying.

I must have gotten good feedback about the bowtie as a resident because I found myself wearing it more and more. Not everyone at NYU knew Dr. White the ophthalmology resident, but everyone knew Dr. Bowtie the eye doctor! Now if I go someplace without a bowtie I’m almost invisible.”

So there you have it, why Dr. White wears a bowtie. If you’re interested Dr. White gets his bowties from Beau Ties Ltd. in Vermont, and leeallison.com in Chicago.

Restasis and Tylenol

It's a very typical day at Skyvision Centers: we've written several new prescriptions for Restasis for people with dry eye. We know that they will start to feel better in a couple of weeks, and then we'll have to answer this question: "Do I have to keep taking my Restasis? Why? I feel great!" Happens every time!!


Well, that's the exact answer...you feel great! In fact, you feel great BECAUSE you are taking your Restasis. Dry eye is a chronic problem, one that needs to have on-going treatment. When Restasis is the right medicine to use it's important to understand just how and why Restasis works. It takes a while for Restasis to decrease the inflammation that causes lots of dry eye; that's why it can be several weeks before you feel better. Then, after the inflammation is controlled it's necessary to keep taking the Restasis in order to prevent the same inflammation from making your eyes hurt again!

Dr. White likes to say that Restasis is not a typical American medicine. It takes a while for it to kick in. Not like Tylenol for a headache. You have a headache, you take a Tylenol and you feel great. You don't have to keep taking the Tylenol to keep the headache away, but you DO have to keep taking your Restasis in order to keep comfortable eyes!

Dr. White's LASIK Anniversary

It's been 12 years since Dr. White had LASIK surgery on his eyes! Happy Anniversary, Dr. White!

"LASIK is one of the nicest things I've ever done for myself," he says. "My friend Dr. Dave Hardten (who taught me how to do LASIK!) did my surgery 12 years ago. What a difference!"

Dr. White had worn Gas Permeable (hard) contact lenses for almost 30 years before his LASIK. "I broke 12 pairs of glasses in 12 months playing basketball in Jr. High and my Dad, who made glasses for a living, strongly 'suggested' I try contacts. They got me through all of my sports, including playing football in college."

Like many people who have had LASIK, Dr. White is now wearing reading glasses. He had his surgery at age 39 so he knew that his years of no glasses at all would be short. "I only need to wear my reading glasses in the morning and at night, so I'm STILL glasses-free in the office every day!"

Did you know that the VISX laser is the most widely used LASIK laser in the U.S.? Dr. White actually performed the very first VISX laser LASIK in Cleveland all the way back in 1994!! Dr. White uses the  Intralase femto-second laser to creat the LASIK flap for a complete laser operation. Come visit us in Westlake and see if you are a candidate for LASIK. Talk to the doc who has been using the VISX laser longer than anyone else in Cleveland and ask him how HIS eyes are doing!!

Let's Talk About Tears!

Before we get to the topic of how to treat Dry Eye let's take a couple of minutes to learn about tears. We have two kinds of tears lubricating the front of our eyes. We have our reflex, or emotional tears. These tears are created by the lacrimal gland that sits up and above our eyes. The lacrimal gland  makes the tears that we cry when we watch a sad movie, or if something gets in our eye.

It's the tears that lubricate our eyes from minute to minute that we are more interested in when we are talking about dry eye. These tears are made by different types of microscopic glands on the surface of our eyes, as well as deep within our eyelids. These tiny glands can be affected by all kinds of medical problems like arthritis, lupus, and the hormonal changes that come with getting older.

Normal tears consist of three different, separate substances. We  have mucin which is created by the goblet cells on the front surface of our eyes. We also have a salt water or aqueous component created by the glands of moll and zeiss. Lastly, we have an oily substance called meibum which is created by the tiny glands that sit just inside our eyelashes on the upper and lower eyelids. These three substances are mixed together, kind of like Italian salad dressing, to form a lubricating layer between our eye and the air.

Shake up a bottle of salad dressing and let it sit for a minute or two. Notice how there is a little bit more oil on the top surface, a thicker middle layer that is a mixture of everything in the salad dressing, and then a layer on the bottom that is really thick. This is a good way to visualize our tears. We have more mucin close to the eye, a mixture or emulsion of mucin and aqueous in the thicker middle, and then a layer which is mostly oil sitting on the surface and preventing evaporation of our tears.

When our tears are healthy we have just the right amount, and we have just the right proportion of the three different components. We start to have problems with dry eye when we either have too few tears, or when the three components do not mix well. Next, we'll talk about the different types of dry. See you soon!

Dry Eye 101

" My eyes hurt!"
 "My eyes feel like they're burning up!"
 "It seems like my eyes are always red."
 "When I'm reading at night or working on the computer my eyes get really tired. My vision starts to get blurry."
 "I tear all the time. My friends always want to know what's wrong."
 "It feels like there's something in my eye all the time."

 And of course, the obvious, "my eyes are dry!"

 These are the kinds of things that patients say when they come to the eye doctor and have a problem with dry eye. Sometimes it's hard for your eye doctor or the staff in the office to figure out that what you are really complaining about is that your eyes are dry. This really isn't as much of a problem Skyvision because we have become experts at treating dry!  In fact, Dr. White lectures all over the country, teaching other eye doctors how to diagnose and treat dry eye.

 Your tears are actually an emulsion, a complex mixture of three different parts: salt water, mucin, and oil. Tears are actually like the vinaigrette you put on your salad. Your tears work best when the three parts are mixed just right, just like salad dressing! You need just enough of the three parts, and the proportions of the ingredients have to be just right, too.

 In general there are two types of tear problems that can lead to the symptoms of dry eye. We call them "quantity" and "quality". If the microscopic glands in your eyes are not producing enough tears, if your tear "quantity" is too low, you can have any of the symptoms above caused by dryness. This is actually pretty easy to understand -- not enough tears equals a dry eye.

 The "quality" part of dry eye is a little more difficult to get a handle on. If you have too little of any of the components that make up your tears, your tears just may not work well enough. In addition, even if you have the right amount of each component, if any of the three parts (mucin, salt water, and oil) is not working well enough, the entire mix may be ineffective. In other words, you may have plenty of tears, but they may just do not work well enough. Kind of like trying to put out a fire with kerosene-- its wet, but it won't put out the fire. Sometimes it even makes the fire worse. You, too, have a dry eye.

 So if any of the statements at the top sound like you, perhaps it's time to come visit us at Skyvision Centers. We are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of all kinds of dry eye!

Skyvision Centers Interview EMR

EMR Daily News

How They Did it – One Ophthalmologist’s Experience with ePrescribing


August 25, 2011


Did you hear the one about the ophthalmology practice that was forced to use ePrescribing to achieve meaningful use? The one where the doctors in the practice as well as the technicians and office folks were certain the entire process of ePrescribing would be a productivity sinkhole leading to little more than lost time? Whether you’ve heard this story or not please read on because this is the story of such a practice but the results were not at all what they expected.

Dr. Darrell White and his partners started Skyvision Center of Westlake® ,an ophthalmology and optometry practice in Westlake Ohio about six and a half years ago. From the point when they launched they knew they wanted to use an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system and their research showed that there were only two available at that time that would meet their specific needs.

After carefully considering both options they chose the SRS EHR from SRSsoft, primarily because they saw it as a product created by ophthalmologists for eye care practices. It was also the best fit that they were going to be able to get for their practice in 2005. Skyvision Centers has been using the SRS EHR since then.

Dr. White and his partners at Skyvision Centers didn’t buy an Electronic Health Record system so they would receive the HITECH Act EHR incentive money – there was no incentive money available when they made the decision to go electronic. But now things have changed and the incentive money is available, if they can demonstrate meaningful use. However, that wasn’t their only reason for moving forward. According to Dr. White “there is that nasty little penalty out there if we didn’t start ePrescribing, so we had to commit to moving forward with at least an ePrescribing system.”

In talking with Dr. White it’s clear that Skyvision Center is an extremely well run and productive practice. They’re able to help a large number of people in their area and they do it by being a patient centered high volume and high efficiency practice. They didn’t want to introduce anything that would negatively impact that productivity or their interaction with patients.

Dr. White said that while they were committed to putting the ePrescription system in place the expectations were quite low, with some referring to the process “as a boondoggle that would have a significant negative impact on productivity.”

They looked around and fairly quickly decided that since they were already using the SRS EHR the SRS ePrescribing system, Rx Workflow Manager™ would have the least negative impact on their existing workflow patterns.

After overcoming some of the initial issues that crop up in any new software installation Dr. White and his partners noticed that their front desk people actual found that the ePrescribing process worked “pretty well”. Even more surprising, the technicians discovered that they actually liked working with it – saying that ePrescribing was actually becoming a time saver, in some cases saving as much as 50% over the manual prescribing process.

Well, this is not at all what they expected. In a fairly short period of time Skyvision Center went from being a practice that tolerated the idea of using ePrescribing to one that embraced the idea to the point where they are activity encouraging all of their patients to allow them to ePrescribe.

In the past few months Dr. White has personally gone from hand signing about 150 prescriptions a week to signing only around one a day, helping to make an incredibly productive guy even more productive.

The HITECH Act is causing a lot of health care professionals to consider changes that they’re not comfortable making. While we should note that Skyvision Centers has found fully embracing the chase for “meaningful use” incentives is not cost effective, the experience that Dr. White, his partners and their team at Skyvision Center had can serve as an example of how some times, those changes can increase productivity and patient satisfaction







Read more: http://emrdailynews.com/2011/08/25/how-they-did-it-one-opthamologists-experience-with-eprescribing/#ixzz1XIpgL37s

Skyvision Center's Electronic Medical Record is Approved!

Congratulations to the executives and staff of SRS Software  on achieving the milestone of "Meaningful Use" from the U.S. Government. Here is a part of their press release:

MONTVALE, NJ – July 14, 2011 – SRS, the leader in productivity-enhancing EHR technology and services for high-performance specialty practices, today announced that its EHR has received certification as a complete EHR by the Drummond Group, an Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ATCB) of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The SRS EHR is now certified for use by physicians to demonstrate meaningful use and to qualify for the EHR incentives offered under ARRA.


"Government certification provides confirmation of the superior data management and reporting capabilities inherent in the SRS EHR," says Evan Steele, CEO of SRSsoft. "What differentiates SRS is the delivery of these capabilities in a productivity-driven, specialty-specific manner. An extremely talented and devoted development team has enabled SRS—once again—to demonstrate its ongoing and unwavering commitment to the needs and interests of physicians. We look forward to enhancing the SRS data platform as we advance toward Stages 2 and 3 of meaningful use."


Skyvision Centers installed SRS in the Fall of 2004. We have been using this fantastic software as an integral part of our patient-centered showcase eyecare practice. All of the doctors and staff offer their heartfelt congratulations and thanks to SRS for their hard work and dedication!

Skyvision Smarphone App!

Did you read the latest statistics about smartphones? some 40% of American adults now have some kind of smartphone, a cell phone that does more than just make calls or text messages. Now you can reach us at skyvision through your smartphone! We have an app that works on both iPhones and any Android phone, no matter which provider you might have.

The Skyvision Centers App is like a "mini-website". You can be in contact directly with the Skyvision department you need. Want to know if we are open? Contact the "Front Desk"! Checking on your glasses or contacts? Send off a note to our "Optical" address.

We are trying to make it as easy as possible to stay in touch with your eye doctor! If you are in the Cleveland area and you have a smartphone check us out in the App Store or the Android Market. Just search for "Skyvision"!

Smartphone App to Detect Cataracts!

Researchers at MIT have developed a cheap and easy to use system, called Catra, that uses a cameraphone clip-on device to map out cataracts.


The technology functions by sweeping the eye with a beam of light and using the phone’s camera to detect fuzzy spots. It can provide both a map of the cataracts and maybe help make an overall assessment of whether surgery might be necessary.

From MIT News:

While the standard test for cataracts in an ophthalmologist’s office assigns a score on a scale of 1 to 4 — from no cataracts to completely blocked vision — the new, inexpensive test actually provides much more information. Media Lab graduate student Vitor Pamplona, a member of the team developing Catra, explains that it “scans the lens of the eye and creates a map showing position, size, shape and density of cataracts.”

At the moment, that’s more information than doctors need, Raskar acknowledges, since they’re essentially faced with a binary decision: whether or not to surgically remove the lens. But he notes a possible similarity to the evolution of devices to measure the eye’s refractive errors — the information needed for a prescription for corrective lenses. Decades ago, a new test was developed that could map local variations in the eye’s refraction, giving far more information than the three numbers needed for a simple prescription. Initially, there was no therapeutic value in the added information, but with the advent of Lasik laser eye surgery, the detailed refraction map of the lens later became important."

What do we think at Skyvision? The most important part of the story is that our patients and our doctors work as a team to decide when the vision has gotten bad enough from the cataract to have surgery. We'd LOVE to know that you have a cataract before you come to the office, though!!

The Skyvision Centers Macular Degeneration Vitamin Program

So, what are we doing at Skyvision Centers with all of the Macular Degeneration (AMD) research on anti-oxidant vitamins? We have found it very difficult over the years to give vitamin advice that we felt was good enough. Either the commercial vitamin brands were too confusing, or the best vitamins available were too expensive, or it was just too complicated to figure out how to combine the AREDS anti-oxidant vitamins with our patients regular multi-vitamins (and we are BIG fans of a multi-vit!).

After years of struggling  with this we have decided to offer what we feel is the best available vitamins at this time, both in terms of quality and value. We have arranged to provide AMD vitamins from DOCTOR'S ADVANTAGE, a specialty vitamin producer dedicated to serving the needs of eye patients and eye doctors. There are some very strong advantages to you and to your Skyvision Centers doctors to using these vitamins.

First, "Macular Shield" vitamins provide the exact AREDS1 vitamins along with Lutein and Zeaxanthin. "Macular Shield" is also a complete multi-vitamin as well; this removes all of the difficulty in trying to decide what, and how much, you should take of a regular vitamin. All of your vitamin needs are in the one pill. If you are a smoker (or qualify as a smoker by AREDS criteria) there is a "Macular Shield-S" which does not have beta-carotene. People with other reasons not to take high doses of beta-carotene can take this as well.

We think that the AREDS2 trial is going to find that Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil are helpful. Doctor's Advantage has the highest quality, mercury-free fish oil possible in "Omega Shield" that can be added to your "Macular Shield". All of these products are similar in price to store-bought brands, and much less expensive than other specialty vitamins.

If you live in the Cleveland area and visit us at Skyvision Centers be sure to ask us about the advantages of having your vitamins shipped right to your door!

Preventing Vision Loss In Macular Degeneration, Part 2

As the Baby Boom generation ages we anticipate more and more people will be diagnosed with Macular Degeneration (AMD). Estimates run as high as 6.5 million Baby Boomers with some degree of AMD over the course of their lifetimes. One of our Skyvision Facebook friends, a Baby Boomer herself, asked us how to treat early AMD.

Research in the late 1980's suggested that oxidative stress was involved in AMD and vision loss. Equally compelling evidence suggested that anti-oxidative vitamins in high doses reduced that risk. The National Eye Institute supported the AREDS1 study to evaluate this, and is finishing up the AREDS2  right now.

The AREDS1 showed that a combination of Vitamen C 500mg, Vitamin E 400IU, Vitamin A in beta-carotene form 15mg, Zinc 80 mg, and Copper 2 mg reduced  the risk of vision loss by 25% in so-called "high-risk" macular degeneration. Further research showed that using this formula in moderate risk AMD was also reasonable, but that the full AREDS1  formula should NOT be used in smokers because of an increased risk for lung cancer from the beta-carotene.

The AREDS2 study has added Lutein 10mg, and zeaxanthin 2mg to the mix, as well as high-grade fish oil (DHA/EPA: 350mg/650mg). Some minor alterations in zinc have also been made in AREDS2. We have been recommending AREDS1 vitamins for essentially all AMD patients who are non-smokers. Formulations without beta-carotene are available for smokers. With a few exceptions for very specialized medical conditions or drug interactions, the doctors at Skyvision Centers simply see no reason NOT to take high quality fish oil supplements!

In an upcoming post we'll try to answer some questions that come up frequently when we talk about vitamins and macular degeneration.

Preventing Vision Loss In Macular Degeneration Part 1

One of our Skyvision Centers Facebook Friends asked a question about how we treat early Macular Degeneraton (AMD). AMD is an aging change in the center of the retina, the area we call the MACULA. This is the part of the eye that controls our central vision, the part of our vision we use to read, drive, recognize faces, and stuff like that. AMD destroys the center of the macula and therefore the center of the vision.

There are two general types of AMD, wet (or bleeding) and dry (or non-bleeding). We'll talk more about the direct treatment of wet AMD another time. Let's concentrate on what we can do to prevent AMD from getting worse whether it's dry, or dry with a risk to become wet.

There are four traditional risk factors for developing AMD. Age is the first, of course. The older we get the greater the risk we have of developing AMD and vision loss. Family history is the next most important. If you have a parent, brother, or sister you have a much higher risk of getting AMD. Gender (women more than men) and eye color (blue more than brown) are mild risk factors. Some newer data shows that obesity and lack of exercise are also associated with AMD and visual loss.

So right off the bat we have a couple of things we can do to prevent AMD, or if we have it to prevent or slow vision loss. STOP SMOKING! We can't emphasize this enough. The most important thing you can do if you smoke is STOP. A healthier diet, losing weight, and increasing exercise will all lower your risk as well. Eating healthy carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables, and making sure to eat only beneficial fats like nuts, olive oil, and avacado to fuel your new exercise program is the way to go.

In an upcoming post we'll talk specifically about nutritional supplements to prevent vision loss.

e-Prescribing Comes to Skyvision Centers

Did you know that Skyvision Centers has had an Electronic Medical Records system since we opened our Westlake office? That's right, from the very beginning all of your records are securely stored electronically as soon as you leave our office. Even your pictures and test results!

Medicare and the government have declared that medical practices of all kinds must now begin to send your prescriptions electronically to the pharmacy or to your "mail-away" pharmacy. Skyvision Centers has been doing this for 2 weeks now, and it's working very well!

In order for us to send your prescriptions, new or renewed, we have to have your permission. When you come to see us our reception staff will ask you to sign a form that allows us to send your prescriptions electronically. If you don't sign we cannot send them. Most pharmacies, both big chains and local, and most send-away pharmacies are participating in this plan.

Why do it? Why have us send your prescriptions by e-Rx? Well, they get there right away. They are more accurate. There is no confusion at the pharmacy about what we ordered. No one has to read the doctors' handwriting. You don't have to carry a piece of paper!

Welcome to e-Rx, the next step in our EMR at Skyvision Centers, added to our services to better care for you and your eyes.

M3D Glasses: 3D Glasses That Double As Sunglasses!

Here's one of the newest, latest, greatest things in eyewear, and of course your friendly Cleveland neighborhood Skyvision Centers is right on top of it! Marchon has introduced 3D Photochromic glasses called "M3D" that you can use in a theatre, playing 3D video games, or when you are outside and you need a high quality pair of sunglasses.

M3D lenses are custom fit to a fully functional opthalmic frame that YOU pick out. The lenses  are curved to provide excellent High-Def 3D optics and eliniate light contamination, distortion, and haze. They have advanced coatings to make them especially scratch-resistant.

Here's the cool part: you can use your M3D glasses as a super pair of polarized sunglasses! M3D lenses react extrememly fast to light conditions, darkening to a sunglass in 30 secons or less, and then returning to their original tint in just minutes when you go indoors. And they protect yoru eyes from UVA and UVB light!

When you visit our Skyvision Optical ask Lisa about the new M3D lenses for HD 3D!!

A New Tear Drop For Dry Eye

There are two general types of Dry Eye: decreased tear volume (quantity) and decreased tear function (quality). Sometimes decreased tear quality is called "evaporative dry eye" because the tears that cover the front of the eye evaporate more quickly, and this causes the dry eye symptoms.


What your eye doctor sees when he or she looks at the front of your eye and you have poor quality tears is an early break-up of your tear film. Your tears should be smooth across the front of your eye for at least 8-10 seconds. When they break up sooner you often have symptoms like blurring, aching, or a feeling like there's something in your eye. Your Tear Osmolarity will often be normal.

A new type of artificial tear, Systane Balance, is specifically designed to stabilize your tear film. One of the early studies of this drop showed that it increases the amount of time your tears remain smooth 2.5X!! That means that you will have longer coverage from your own tears after using Systane Balance.

If you have a tear quality problem and this causes you to have Dry Eye symptoms, Systane Balance may be a part of the treatment that you get from your Skyvision Centers doctors.

Generic Drugs Might NOT Be The Same As Your Brand!

At Skyvision Centers we are very aware of how expensive medicines can be. There are some instances where we can safely (and happily!) prescribe generics to replace your brand-name medicine and be confident that you will get the same effect and benefit. However, this is unfortunately not always the case.

The most common place where we run into this issue is around the time of cataract surgery. There's no other way to put it: the generic eyedrops that insurance companies want you to substitute are just NOT the same and NOT AS GOOD as the brand-name eyedrops they would replace.

We use the best, most modern, safest antibiotic drops around the time of cataract surgery. The older, generic antibiotic drops are simply not as strong. There is a special drop that we use to decrease swelling around the surgery, and there are three different brand-name eyedrops that work equally well. Unfortunately, ALL of the generic options cause stinging when you put them in, and they can even CAUSE swelling that decreases vision. They are NOT EQUAL to the brands they replace.

At Skyvision Centers we want what is best for you, our patient. We know that medicines can be expensive, but there is a real, medical reason why our doctors choose each medicine for you. Please talk to us before you let your pharmacy or your insurance company change you to a generic medicine.

Cataract Safety Improved Over 10 Years Studied

Cataract surgery performed in the United States is one of the safest, most effective surgeries there could be, and it has been like this for a very long time. A recent study looked at the safety of cataract surgery and compared surgeries performed in 1994-1995 with those done in 2005-2006 and here are the highlights!

Really bad complications like infection and bleeding following cataract surgery were very rare in 1994-95, but they were 21% more common back then in comparison with 2005-06. One of the most significant risk factor for complications in 1994-95 was a history of severe diabetic retinopathy, but even with this risk the frequency of complications was dramatically lower in 2005-06.

As cataract surgery has evolved in the U.S. other studies have also shown a decreased risk of complications. For example, serious infections have been rare since at least the 1980's, but the risk of having a serious eye infection following cataract surgery is now about 10 times LESS in 2011 than it was in 1990!

Cataract surgery is one of the biggest success stories in all of medicine and Dr. White is one of the best cataract surgeons in the country! We can improve your vision using one of the safest and most effective surgical procedures known to man. If you have been told that you, or a family member, has a cataract give us a call at Skyvision Centers!


(Note: cataract surgery, like all surgical procedures, does have the possibility of complications which may affect the outcome of the surgery. Bleeding and infection are only two of the complications possible. For more information about this ask your surgeon.)

Updated FREE Smartphone App!

So you have an iPhone or a smartphone with the Android operating system? We have an app for that! Not only that but the app has been upgraded.

We want to make it as easy and convenient as possible to be in contact with our Skyvision Centers staff. You can make an appointment, talk to our billing office, or ask on of our staff members a technical question. So if you remember to make an appointment at 11:00 at night...no problem! Just use your App.

All you have to do is go to the iStore of the Android Market and search for "Skyvision" or "Skyvision Centers". Download the app, and away you go!

We are constantly trying to improve your experience at Skyvision. Let us know what you think about the App.

25 Years As A Doctor!

Dr. White is off to his 25th Reunion at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Wow...25 years! He looks pretty good for an old guy, huh?! Here's what he once wrote about why he became an ophthalmologist:


“What made you want to be an ophthalmologist, Dr. White?”


Not a day goes by that at least one of my patients doesn’t ask me this question. Today it was a new patient, 75 years old or so, and a young man in for his first glasses at age 12. Sometimes it’s “why did you want to become an eye doctor?” I have a quick answer for the office of course, but I thought I’d use this as an opportunity to go back in time and “watch” myself make the decision all over again. It was a good decision then, and it’s been a good decision ever since.

I originally thought I would be an orthopedic surgeon. After all, I’m a washed up, blockhead, brain-damaged ex-football player. Orthopedic surgery just seemed to be a really good fit. I loved my Ortho rotation during my 3rd year rotations at UVM. Loved everything about it. The work, the patients, the clinical problems we encountered. I loved the surgeons–heck, they were all basically ME 10 or 15 years older. Loved it all.

Then I met Peter Linton, Chairman of the Division of Plastic Surgery at UVM, and Peter very quickly became my mentor. He and his wife Pam “adopted” my wife-to-be and me, feeding us and giving us a safe place to bring the problems that arise in a young physician and in a young marriage. And what cool surgery! Putting broken pieces/parts back together. Rebuilding a self-image through a combination of technical skill, vision, and artistry. I was smitten, and Peter lobbied day and night, enthusiastically pushing me to follow his career path.

There were a couple of problems, though, with each of these specialties. In the first place people die, and the broken patients in these two surgical specialties are no exceptions. I struggle with death; always have. How would I handle this? Also, I was deeply in love with my bride-to-be and committed to doing whatever it might take to be the very best husband and eventually father I could be. We talked for hours about the impact of residency on our new family, about the killer hours in Ortho and about the 7-9 YEARS of training that most Plastic Surgeons undergo. I can still remember, as if it was last night: “I love you dearly, but I’m not sure if I can love you 9 years of residency.”

My Dad spent his entire working career in ophthalmic manufacturing, running companies that made all kinds of things associated with eye care and vision. At about this time I took a “flier” on an elective in Ophthalmology to see what the medical part of Dad’s world was like. Two weeks of cataract surgery, glaucoma checks and new glasses for nearsighted kids. I followed this up with rotations visiting the academic programs at Georgetown, Wills in Philadephia, and Pacific in San Francisco. A local surgeon in Burlington took me in for a month and showed me what the real life of an Ophthalmologist felt like. What a cool world! What cool gadgets! High frequency ultrasound to dissolve cataracts. Lasers–all kinds of lasers that did all kinds of cool stuff. This was it!

To top it off the residency programs were a total of 4 years long, and most of the Ophthalmologists I met were home for dinner with their families. Score! Although my choice DID come as somewhat of a surprise to the rest of the faculty. When the residency Match results were published the Chair of the Department of Family Medicine cornered me, a concerned and sympathetic look on her face. “What happened, Darrell? You matched in Ophthalmology?” To which I replied “I know, Marga, isn’t it great?” “Hmm…we were all sure that you would be an Orthopedic Surgeon; you were just the right amount of malignant!”

Well, Marga, this Ophthalmology thing has turned out pretty well for me so far. I married that girl, My Beautiful Bride and Better 95%, and we are married to this day. I’ve been home for dinner most nights with her and the kids since then. For the most part my patients don’t die, at least not from anything that I’M treating. Ophthalmology patients get better, and because vision is such an integral part of the human experience, both physically and emotionally, the gratification that one gets from returning someone to the sighted world is simply immeasurable. Oh yeah, we still have the coolest gadgets in all of medicine, and we get new ones to play with every year! And for whatever it’s worth, most of my best friends in medicine are also washed up blockhead ex-jocks, most of whom are slightly less brain-damaged than I.

Except, that is, my Orthopedic Surgery buddies…"


Congratulations from all of us at Skyvision Centers to Dr. White and all of his UVM classmates on 25 years of being doctors!

Vision Redesigned! This Is Why We Care

The American visual artist James Turrell is why we work so hard at Skyvision to maximize every last bit or your vision! He has created works of art that are beyond description.

Turrell is best known for site-specific installations—all of which are programmed according to their locations in the world and proximity to the atmosphere, light and climate. Each of these works is undeniable proof not only of Turrell's artistic acumen but of the potential of color and light to inform and baffle the mind.

Why do we use only the latest, best LASIK technology in Cleveland? Why are we always on the lookout for things like the very best sunglasses with the very best optics possible? It's so you can enjoy extraordinary vision to see extraordinary sites, like the art of James Turrell!

3 Pillars of Sports Vision

Skyvision Centers is committed to improving the on-field performance of all of our Cleveland athletes. Sports vision involves 3 separate but integrated factors.

The first part of vision performance in sports is FOCUS: how sharp the images are that your eyes get. It's vitally important that an athlete have the sharpest vision possible. If you have even the smallest prescription your game will improve if you can focus just a little bit better. Finding your best glasses or contact lens prescription, and then fitting you with the best version to improve your vision is the first step in Sports Vision and we are experts at Skyvision.

After your eyes have focused an image on your retina that image is sent back to your brain where you actually "see" it. Our vision center is in the back of our brains, and the development of the nerve pathways here determines how SHARP your vision is. Maximizing your contrast sensitivity, your visual sharpness, is step two in seeing as well as you possible can on the playing field or on the court. Skyvision Centers uses the RevitalVision Sports program, a computer training program that actually trains your brain to see better!

And finally, you need to use that unbelievably FOCUSED and SHARP vision as well as you can by training your body to REACT to what you see. The third pillar of Sports Vision is training your body to react as quickly as possible to what you see. Coming soon to Skyvision is the revolutionary Nike Sparq Sports Sensory Training program to help you use your vision in the game!

Kaenon Sunglasses and the Hottest Hitter in Baseball!

The hottest player in Baseball today, and through the first month of the season, is the LA Dodgers right fielder, Andre Ethier.


Ethier worked on many things in the off-season, one being his ability to see the ball in day games, better. He began hitting in Kaenon Polarized which, he says, has provided him an uncanny ability to see the release point quicker, the ball sharper and with more contrast to pick up the seams, spin and velocity quicker. He’s been tuning his vision by alternating between the darker G12 lens for the outfield – where seeing the ball off the hitter’s bat, about 250 feet away, and tracking it through the stands, fans, and up into the bright sky allows him to get an extra jump on the ball. He then switches to the G28 lens, in his favorite Matte Black Beacons, when cloudy or less than bright conditions prevail.

Many are touting Ethier as one of the best outfielders in the game – a true Gold Glove candidate this year.

But hitting is where Ethier really shines. Is it coincidence that Ethier is on top of the league in hitting stats, broke records in April and just wrapped up a 30 game hitting streak – in the first season he has dedicated himself to hitting in his Kaenon’s during every day game at bat? He throws on his Matte Black Beacon’s in G28 lenses when hitting – every time – allowing him to receive more light to the eye, to process more detailed information, quicker. Some quick, current facts on Ethier:

-He broke the record for longest hitting streak in the month of April – held by last year’s Dodger manager Joe Torre.
-He now holds the Dodgers 2nd longest hitting streak in franchise history – dating back to the 1800’s.

It’s great to see some of Ethier wearing Kaenon Polarized this season, not to mention some of the managers and coaches who are some of the most respected people in the game. We’re excited to see how the Ethier fares during the rest of the season in Kaenon’s. From all of us at Skyvision Centers in Cleveland, congratulations on an incredible hitting streak!

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Dry Eye

Skyvision Centers was the first eyecare center in Cleveland to have a primary concentration in the treatment of Dry Eye. It's quite possible that we were the first such center in all of the United States! We are always on the lookout of the latest, newest developments in treating Dry Eye as well as other Ocular Surface Diseases, but sometimes the "newest" treatment is actually a kind of back to the future experience. So it is with Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Dry eye.

We have come to the conclusion that EVERY patient who suffers from Dry Eye should be on a significant dose of Omega-3 Fatty Acid supplement unless they have a sensitivity to these or if their family doctor says they can't. Not only that but we have made some very important discoveries about the various supplements that are available over the counter.

There are two types of Omega-3 Fatty acids that are helpful when they are taken as supplements: DHA and EPA. They are found in highest doses in fish oil and to some degree in flax seed oil. It's important to read the label on your supplements; Dr. White just discovered that the 1000mg fish oil pills he's been taking only have 250 mg of DHA/EPA in them, so he's been getting 1/4 the amount he thought!

We've come to believe that it's so important for people with Dry Eye to take Omega-3 Fatty Acid supplements that we will be putting EVERY Skyvision Center patient with this diagnosis on some form of this. In order to make it easier to our patients (and our doctors!) we will have two very high quality supplements from the Doctors' Advantage company available for you to order: "EyeRelief" with both fish oil and flax seed oil (as well as other dry eye treatments) and "Omega Shield", an extremely high quality, potent fish oil.

Stay tuned for lots more information about Omega-3 supplements for Dry Eye, as well as a new program of vitamins for Macular Degeneration from Skyvision Centers!

Daily Disposable Contact Lenses

Dr. Kaye is one of Cleveland's contact lens experts and we have him at Skyvision Centers! We asked him about contact lens trends, both for comfort and safety as well as KICKIN' vision. Here's what he had to say:

"The big news is all about daily wear, one-day disposable contact lenses. I'm finding that the comfort level our patients are experiencing is fantastic. I really like the safety and convenience you get from simply pitching the lenses at the end of the day. There are none of the problems that we all see from sleeping in the lens, and the contacts never get a chance to build up deposits or other things that can make you allergic. On top of that they cost less than a dollar a day!

We've had good luck with a number of brands. Recently I've been fitting lots of patients with the Pro-Clear Dailies. Great vision results! At this time of year we have lots of athletes coming in to prepare for the summer and everyone who is a candidate for these lenses is just seeing GREAT!"

Do you wear soft contact lenses? Visit Skyvision Centers and let our expert, Dr. Kaye, fit you with the latest Daily Disposable soft contact lenses!

Cleveland "Spring" and the Rhythm of Life

Wow! We know it's a cliche, but how about our Cleveland weather?! Have you ever seen so much rain? Have you ever gone that long in Cleveland with that little sunshine? We laughed when we saw a Tweet from a patient who thanked Seatle for visiting, but could they please take their lousy weather back to the Pacific Northwest! (Look for us on Twitter @drdarrellwhite and @Skyvisioncenter).

It seemed like everyone around Skyvision Centers was a little down and blue in March and April so we got to wondering how the eye is involved in our daily rhythm (Circadian Rhythm), and how our eyes are part of the light cycle that can cause Seasonal Affective Disorder--the blues from the blizzards and the gray skies.

The retina contains the photoreceptors we all learned about in high school, the Rods and the Cones. These are the cells that react to light and send information to the back of our brain where we actually "see". Think of the eye as the "image collector", kind of like a digital camera or the Hubble Space Telescope. The light information collected by the Rods and the Cones goes directly to the vision center of the brain.

There is a third light sensitive cell or photoreceptor in the retina, the Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells (pRGC). These were just discovered in the 1990's! Kind of unreal to think we are still making such fundamental discoveries about anatomy of the eye. These pRGC's also react to light, but they do NOT send information to the vision center of the brain. Instead, these cells are responsible for the reaction of our pupils to light (the pupil gets SMALLER in bright light). They also send information to the part of the brain called the Hypothalmus which is responsible for our daily light/dark rhythm. The pRGC's respond most vigorously to light in the blue/violet color range, and if they don't "see" enough WE can get the blues!

So there's the science behind light and mood. Check back and we'll tell you how some people use this information to fight the blahs and the blues.

Vision ReDesigned: Vision Rehab

We are approaching the dawn of a new era in healthcare in the United States as the first of the Baby Boom generation turns 65. There are some 65 Million Americans entering older adulthood, and we can expect that they will have many of the same issues and problems we've seen in prior generations. Thankfully our technology advances will help us guide them through this stage with as little difficulty as possible.

Skyvision Centers is the premier "patient-centered" medical center in Cleveland, Ohio. It is arguably the first of its kind anywhere in the U.S. We are constantly seeking to provide whatever is necessary to enhance the vision and protect the eye health of our patients. We expect that the Baby Boom generation will be very interested in maximizing their visual lives for as long as possible, despite any diseases that may get in the way.

As part of our "Vision ReDesigned(R)" prgrams we will be adding a Vision Rehabilitation service later this year. One of our core offerings will be RevitalVision to improve your ability to use every last bit of vision your eyes can provide. In addition, we will have a full offering of visual assistance tools, and we will have caring, experience professionals to guide you through the learning process.

You can look to Skyvision to See What's Next!

The Kaenons Have Arrived!

Hooray! On the first sunny Cleveland day in about 4 months (just kidding!) we are announcing the arrivial of Kaenon Sunglasses at Skyvision Centers! Kaenon is a new, high tech company started by two former Oakley execs and they have some FANTASTIC stuff.

The doctors at Skyvision are all about VISION. First and foremost Drs. White, Schlegel, and Kaye want to know how well any lens will let you see. The optics and optical quality of any lens is the primary thing we look at when we decide to carry any type of eyewear. Then we look at function: how will these sunglasses work when our patients use them for everyday wear or for special purposes?

Kaenon passes ALL of our tests!

So come on in to Skyvision Centers flagship office in Westlake, just across from Crocker Park, and check out our selection of Kaenon sunglasses. See why Dr. White is adding them to his "quiver" and why his son, Randy White the Crossfit Kids trainer, is negotiating a sponsorship deal.

Kaenon Sunwear is part of our "Vision ReDesigned" program!

A Note of Thanks

The doctors and staff at Skyvision Centers would like to offer our sincere thanks and congratulations to the brave American servicemen who ended the scourge that was Osam bin Laden. Oorah to the men of Seal Team 6! Oorah to the pilots and crew in the Nightstalkers who flew them in and out! Oorah to the members of the CIA and the intelligence community at large for tracking down this villain!

We commend President Obama and former President Bush for their tireless efforts to avenge our loss and to keep all Americans safe.

God Bless America!

RevitalVision and Macular Degeneration: How Does It Work?

We are always trying to find new and better ways to help our patients see. Our goal is to provide the best experience you can possibly have while achieving the best vision you can attain. We strive every day to be the best place in all of Cleveland to receive your eyecare.

As part of our quest we are not only constantly on the search for new programs and products, but we are also continuously testing existing things to see if they can help MORE people in MORE ways. An example is RevitalVision. Dr. White had a meeting with some of the executives and scientists at RevitalVision last year and shared his opinion that their program would help people with early stages of macular degeneration. A recent study report from Israel confirms Dr. White's prediction!

How would this work? Well, we know that RevitalVision's programs produce an improvement in vision of around 1.5-2 lines lower, or better, on an eye chart. We also know that it will improve contrast sensitivity, how sharp and crisp your vision is, by a factor of at least 2 -- a doubling of sharpness. This change is permanent and will always allow an individual with decreasing eye health to see better than they would have otherwise. Think just for a minute how huge it would  be if you had slipped to 20/50 and couldn't get a license, but after RevitalVision training your were back to 20/30 or so?!

Look to us at Skyvision to not only bring the latest developments in vision and eyecare to Cleveland, but also to make them better!