Thursday, December 1, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Part-time Medical Receptionist/Assistant Wanted
Here's a copy of the craigslist ad posted this evening:
Front desk staff person needed for medical office in Bernville, PA. A positive and friendly attitude towards patients in order to provide excellent customer service is a must. Duties also include check-in/check-out patients, scheduling appointments, answering phones, verifying medical insurance, using electronic medical records, etc. Also, computer and typing experience is mandatory. Looking for intelligent, hard working and dedicated individuals looking for a long-term position.
This is a growth position into more hours and benefits for the right candidates. Will train the right individual. Pay is based on experience. Hours are afternoons and early evenings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with possible more days and hours depending on candidate availability and training. Please email resumes and minimum hourly wage to wecajobs@gmail.com, or fax to 610-488-5296. This is an exciting opportunity in a great working environment.
More information about the practice at => www.weavereyecare.com
Front desk staff person needed for medical office in Bernville, PA. A positive and friendly attitude towards patients in order to provide excellent customer service is a must. Duties also include check-in/check-out patients, scheduling appointments, answering phones, verifying medical insurance, using electronic medical records, etc. Also, computer and typing experience is mandatory. Looking for intelligent, hard working and dedicated individuals looking for a long-term position.
This is a growth position into more hours and benefits for the right candidates. Will train the right individual. Pay is based on experience. Hours are afternoons and early evenings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with possible more days and hours depending on candidate availability and training. Please email resumes and minimum hourly wage to wecajobs@gmail.com, or fax to 610-488-5296. This is an exciting opportunity in a great working environment.
More information about the practice at => www.weavereyecare.com
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Children and Eye Exams
Hello,
Here's a question: when should you bring your child in for an eye exam?
It's a very good question because the answer is not known by many. Eye exams check for vision problems AND eye disease. You'd be surprised how many patients that I see who are in their 40's...who come in for their FIRST EVER eye exam. Many people think that if they can see fine, then their eyes are fine, too.
The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends that asymptomatic children get checked at 6 months, 3 years AND before the First Grade. That's three different eye exams BEFORE a child starts school.
The reason for this to to prevent amblyopia. Amblyopia is a fancy name for "lazy eye," which can happen for a variety of reasons. Amblyopia is a term used for an eye that is not seeing it's full potential, which is weaker than the better-seeing eye.
Did you ever hear the phrase, "Use it or lose it?" Well, that's the rule when it comes to amblyopia. An amblyopic eye is at risk for not developing the proper neuronal connections that allows the eye to see properly. If you have an eye that sees great and an eye that sees not-so-great, the eye that sees great will do all of the work. This causes neuronal connections of the not-so-great eye to NOT develop properly.
Sometimes the amblyopia is caused from an actual and physical eye turn. The turned eye is caused from an eye muscle imbalance. This causes double vision, so for the brain to compensate, it learns to turn off one of the images. It get rids of the double vision, but now the brain is refusing to use the turned eye. This is bad.
Amblyopia can also be caused by an eye that has a much higher prescription than the other eye. Since the two eyes are never in focus equally, the brain chooses to favor the eye that's more in focus and ignores the more out-of-focus other eye. This is also bad.
Finally, amblyopia can also be caused by ocular disease, such as congenital cataracts, corneal opacities, problems with the retina, and a variety of other ocular conditions. This is very bad!
Amblyopia doesn't just cause one eye to see poorly. It causes problems with depth perception, reading, learning and behavioral difficulties.
The good news is that amblyopia is correctable. If it's something like a cataract, surgery is required. If it's a turned eye or weaker eye, eyeglasses, patching an eye and/or eye exercises (vision therapy) allow the amblyopic eye to see better, which forces the brain to start using it. Surgery can also be a form of treatment when it comes to eye muscle imbalances.
Many kids aren't brought in for an eye exam until AFTER they begin school when they're in the 5-7 year old range, and some wait to come in until much later. The brain and the neuronal connections in a child are very flexible. Meaning, that if amblyopia is found, the EARLIER the treatment, the BETTER! As a child gets older, those neuronal connections get "hard-wired" into place, so that treatments such as eye exercises (vision therapy), eyeglasses and surgery won't correct the vision as well (if at all).
Many pre-schools and schools have vision screenings, which are extremely helpful to "catch" children who have an eye problem that may not have been detected until they were much older. However, vision screenings are not a substitute for an eye exam. Also, vision screenings do not "catch" all children with vision problems. Also, not all kids found to have a problem at a vision screening get that problem checked by an eye doctor.
So, here are just some of the things to look out for in a infant/child: does not recognize faces, a physically turned eye, a white pupil, avoids reading, frequent headaches (especially with near work), covers or closes one eye for certain tasks, bumping into walls, holds reading material extremely close, squinting, trouble seeing the television or board in school, etc.
Lazyeyetest.org has an online test as a screening tool (remember the difference between screening and exam) for children, which also has more information about amblyopia as well.
So, if you ever form the question in your mind, (When should I bring my child in for an eye exam?) you probably already know the answer.
Sincerely,
Dr. Weaver
Here's a question: when should you bring your child in for an eye exam?
It's a very good question because the answer is not known by many. Eye exams check for vision problems AND eye disease. You'd be surprised how many patients that I see who are in their 40's...who come in for their FIRST EVER eye exam. Many people think that if they can see fine, then their eyes are fine, too.
The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends that asymptomatic children get checked at 6 months, 3 years AND before the First Grade. That's three different eye exams BEFORE a child starts school.
The reason for this to to prevent amblyopia. Amblyopia is a fancy name for "lazy eye," which can happen for a variety of reasons. Amblyopia is a term used for an eye that is not seeing it's full potential, which is weaker than the better-seeing eye.
Did you ever hear the phrase, "Use it or lose it?" Well, that's the rule when it comes to amblyopia. An amblyopic eye is at risk for not developing the proper neuronal connections that allows the eye to see properly. If you have an eye that sees great and an eye that sees not-so-great, the eye that sees great will do all of the work. This causes neuronal connections of the not-so-great eye to NOT develop properly.
Sometimes the amblyopia is caused from an actual and physical eye turn. The turned eye is caused from an eye muscle imbalance. This causes double vision, so for the brain to compensate, it learns to turn off one of the images. It get rids of the double vision, but now the brain is refusing to use the turned eye. This is bad.
Amblyopia can also be caused by an eye that has a much higher prescription than the other eye. Since the two eyes are never in focus equally, the brain chooses to favor the eye that's more in focus and ignores the more out-of-focus other eye. This is also bad.
Finally, amblyopia can also be caused by ocular disease, such as congenital cataracts, corneal opacities, problems with the retina, and a variety of other ocular conditions. This is very bad!
Amblyopia doesn't just cause one eye to see poorly. It causes problems with depth perception, reading, learning and behavioral difficulties.
The good news is that amblyopia is correctable. If it's something like a cataract, surgery is required. If it's a turned eye or weaker eye, eyeglasses, patching an eye and/or eye exercises (vision therapy) allow the amblyopic eye to see better, which forces the brain to start using it. Surgery can also be a form of treatment when it comes to eye muscle imbalances.
Many kids aren't brought in for an eye exam until AFTER they begin school when they're in the 5-7 year old range, and some wait to come in until much later. The brain and the neuronal connections in a child are very flexible. Meaning, that if amblyopia is found, the EARLIER the treatment, the BETTER! As a child gets older, those neuronal connections get "hard-wired" into place, so that treatments such as eye exercises (vision therapy), eyeglasses and surgery won't correct the vision as well (if at all).
Many pre-schools and schools have vision screenings, which are extremely helpful to "catch" children who have an eye problem that may not have been detected until they were much older. However, vision screenings are not a substitute for an eye exam. Also, vision screenings do not "catch" all children with vision problems. Also, not all kids found to have a problem at a vision screening get that problem checked by an eye doctor.
So, here are just some of the things to look out for in a infant/child: does not recognize faces, a physically turned eye, a white pupil, avoids reading, frequent headaches (especially with near work), covers or closes one eye for certain tasks, bumping into walls, holds reading material extremely close, squinting, trouble seeing the television or board in school, etc.
Lazyeyetest.org has an online test as a screening tool (remember the difference between screening and exam) for children, which also has more information about amblyopia as well.
So, if you ever form the question in your mind, (When should I bring my child in for an eye exam?) you probably already know the answer.
Sincerely,
Dr. Weaver
Monday, October 10, 2011
My vision is excellent...was that a STOP sign?
Hello everyone,
You may have read the recent New York Times article about how the New York state Department of Motor Vehicles considered dropping the eye exam requirement for driver's license renewals. Well, it only took a week for the New York state Department of Motor Vehicles to reinstate that briefly dropped requirement. Evidently, vision is important while driving. Who knew?
Well, in Pennsylvania, if a person can see at least 20/40 vision combined with both eyes together without glasses, that person is legal to drive without any optical correction. If the vision is worse than 20/40, then it must be corrected by glasses and/or contacts to the best vision possible. If a person has an eye condition that limits the best corrected vision to only 20/40 or 20/70, restrictions are imposed on the driver (ie. driving only during the day and more timely vision evaluations). If a person cannot see better than 20/100 with both eyes, it is illegal for them to drive, for their own safety and the safety of other drivers and pedestrians.
In addition, a person's horizontal peripheral vision must be intact, at least 120 degrees. Someone with sight in only one eye may still meet the vision requirements, having a restriction that requires additional mirrors while driving.
The vision can change from one year to the next. With conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration, sometimes the vision change is so gradual, that no decrease in visual acuity is perceived by the patient until they get their eyes examined. I have personally had patients that claim to see just fine, and then when it's time to read the vision chart, they struggle to see the "Big E." The "Big E" is 20/400 vision...not legal to drive in any state.
This is why the vision requirement for driver's licenses is important: it keeps the drivers honest about their vision. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation randomly sends out a vision examination form to be filled out by an eye doctor to ensure the driver's vision is where it should be. Some people don't get their eyes examined every 1-2 years like they should; to check for vision changes and ocular diseases such as glaucoma.
I also have patients that have a complaint of glare and light sensitivity when driving at night or when it is raining. Many times, it is because they are "only" seeing 20/40. Even though they are legal to drive without glasses, and 20/40 is decent vision, getting a mild eyeglasses prescription to clear the vision to 20/20 or better eliminates that glare and light sensitivity complaint. Seeing more clearly would also allow that person to see signs further down the road than what they are used to, and possibly improve their reaction time as well.
I'm due for my driver's license renewal this November, and just checked each eye on the vision chart (20/15 in each eye with glasses...excellent). I know that I need glasses or contact in order to see when I drive, and I don't try to "just get by." If you think you should be seeing better when you drive, get your eyes checked out. You may be surprised to see what you've been missing.
Sincerely,
Dr. Weaver
You may have read the recent New York Times article about how the New York state Department of Motor Vehicles considered dropping the eye exam requirement for driver's license renewals. Well, it only took a week for the New York state Department of Motor Vehicles to reinstate that briefly dropped requirement. Evidently, vision is important while driving. Who knew?
(Ah...the DMV!)
Well, in Pennsylvania, if a person can see at least 20/40 vision combined with both eyes together without glasses, that person is legal to drive without any optical correction. If the vision is worse than 20/40, then it must be corrected by glasses and/or contacts to the best vision possible. If a person has an eye condition that limits the best corrected vision to only 20/40 or 20/70, restrictions are imposed on the driver (ie. driving only during the day and more timely vision evaluations). If a person cannot see better than 20/100 with both eyes, it is illegal for them to drive, for their own safety and the safety of other drivers and pedestrians.
In addition, a person's horizontal peripheral vision must be intact, at least 120 degrees. Someone with sight in only one eye may still meet the vision requirements, having a restriction that requires additional mirrors while driving.
The vision can change from one year to the next. With conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration, sometimes the vision change is so gradual, that no decrease in visual acuity is perceived by the patient until they get their eyes examined. I have personally had patients that claim to see just fine, and then when it's time to read the vision chart, they struggle to see the "Big E." The "Big E" is 20/400 vision...not legal to drive in any state.
This is why the vision requirement for driver's licenses is important: it keeps the drivers honest about their vision. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation randomly sends out a vision examination form to be filled out by an eye doctor to ensure the driver's vision is where it should be. Some people don't get their eyes examined every 1-2 years like they should; to check for vision changes and ocular diseases such as glaucoma.
I also have patients that have a complaint of glare and light sensitivity when driving at night or when it is raining. Many times, it is because they are "only" seeing 20/40. Even though they are legal to drive without glasses, and 20/40 is decent vision, getting a mild eyeglasses prescription to clear the vision to 20/20 or better eliminates that glare and light sensitivity complaint. Seeing more clearly would also allow that person to see signs further down the road than what they are used to, and possibly improve their reaction time as well.
(The above is NOT likely to occur with excellent vision and improved reaction time)
I'm due for my driver's license renewal this November, and just checked each eye on the vision chart (20/15 in each eye with glasses...excellent). I know that I need glasses or contact in order to see when I drive, and I don't try to "just get by." If you think you should be seeing better when you drive, get your eyes checked out. You may be surprised to see what you've been missing.
Sincerely,
Dr. Weaver
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Health Fair Updates!
Hello everyone,
Weaver Eye Care Associates is on a health fair kick! We wrapped up the CEFC 2nd Annual Health Fair on September 24th in Strausstown with great reception! Now, this Saturday, October 8th from 10am-4pm, Dr. Weaver will be at the Renew, Transform, Take Charge! Health Fair at Glad Tidings Church at 1110 Snyder Road, West Lawn.
Dr. Weaver will be having a drawing at the Weaver Eye Care Associates booth for a Complimentary Free Eye Exam plus $100 credit towards new glasses (frames and lenses). A similar door prize will also be donated.
The winner of the Complimentary Eye Exam and $100 credit towards new glasses from the CEFC Health Fair was Nancy M. Congratulations, Nancy!
For directions to the event, please click on the Google Maps link => http://g.co/maps/jxdh5
For more information about the event, please visit the church website => http://www.gtaog.org/ministries/support-ministries/gt-health-ministry/
The event is free to attend! So, if you're not doing anything this Saturday, please come on out and join the fun.
Sincerely,
Dr. Weaver
Weaver Eye Care Associates is on a health fair kick! We wrapped up the CEFC 2nd Annual Health Fair on September 24th in Strausstown with great reception! Now, this Saturday, October 8th from 10am-4pm, Dr. Weaver will be at the Renew, Transform, Take Charge! Health Fair at Glad Tidings Church at 1110 Snyder Road, West Lawn.
Dr. Weaver will be having a drawing at the Weaver Eye Care Associates booth for a Complimentary Free Eye Exam plus $100 credit towards new glasses (frames and lenses). A similar door prize will also be donated.
The winner of the Complimentary Eye Exam and $100 credit towards new glasses from the CEFC Health Fair was Nancy M. Congratulations, Nancy!
For directions to the event, please click on the Google Maps link => http://g.co/maps/jxdh5
For more information about the event, please visit the church website => http://www.gtaog.org/ministries/support-ministries/gt-health-ministry/
The event is free to attend! So, if you're not doing anything this Saturday, please come on out and join the fun.
Sincerely,
Dr. Weaver
Sunday, September 11, 2011
"I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a BIG DEAL."
The Reading Eagle Big Deal sneak peak from Weaver Eye Care Associates, for all of you loyal blog, Facebook and Twitter followers:
Once you buy the deal, if you refer 3 friends that also buy the deal, you end up getting yours for FREE! For more information and sign up, go to www.readingeagle.com/bigdeals
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Those eyelids have a lot of work to do...
Hello everyone,
I just posted a fun fact on the WECA Facebook page about Pharaohs and ancient Egyptians. In summary, ancient Egyptians wore black eye makeup, not only to look good, but to also help fight ocular infection. The black makeup contained two non-natural lead chlorides--laurionite and phosgenite--that boosted levels of nitric oxide in the skin. Nitric oxide is a key signaling agent to stimulate the immune system to fight infection. If you're really curious about this, check out the Review of Optometry excerpt as well.
I also had a recent WECA Facebook post in early August about how hard the eyelids work for you. Basically, the eyelids of each eye covers the distance of a marathon from blinking in one year's time.
Well...these recent posts got me thinking about how important the eyelids are, what can happen when eyelid hygiene suffers and how you can keep your eyelids (and your eyes) happy all day long.
When reading, using a computer, playing video games, or anything else that requires reading and/or concentration
Everyone has a normal blinking rate that's involuntary. This is done to coat the surface of the eye with your natural tears so that your eyes do not become dry. When you concentrate or perform extensive reading tasks, you tend to blink less than normal, which then causes dryness symptoms such as irritation, excessive reflex tearing (to combat the dryness), redness and blurred/fluctuating vision.
Lots of bad things can happen to those eyelids and eyelashes
A stye can develop due to a clogged oil gland at the base of an eyelash. This creates a hardened bump that's cosmetically unappealing that can eventually become infected, causing redness, pain and swelling of the eyelid.
Those eyelashes should always turn outwards. However, sometimes an eyelash may decide to become a non-conformist and turn inwards and poke you in the eye instead, causing irritation and discomfort every time you blink (and you blink many, many times a day).
A piece of debris (dirt, a small fuzzy, mascara) may get trapped underneath the eyelid (usually the upper eyelid). Similarly to the inward-pointing eyelash, an eyelid foreign body may cause irritation and discomfort eye time you blink, as well.
During allergy season, or from an allergy reaction, the eyelids may become red, puffy and itchy.
Eyelashes can become crusty with yellow matter, due to the presence of normal bacteria around the eyelash/eyelid region. This, in turn, can cause inflammation of the eyelids to create problems with redness, dryness and itchiness as well.
What you can do to help your eyelids
I have to be honest...when I wash my face in the morning and at night, I typically don't like to wash my eyes too well because if I got soap in there, it would sting like crazy. And I'm sure many other people wash their faces and ears and necks...but forget about the eyes.
It's very important to maintain excellent eyelid hygiene. The easiest way to do this is to make sure to use hot compresses (not so hot to burn the skin), and to feel that heat on the upper and lower eyelids. This heat stimulates tear production, and with styes, it melts the hardened material stuck in the gland...like melting butter. If you're afraid to get soap in your eyes, a gentle over-the-counter eyelid scrub in a pad or foam format will clean your eyelids and eyelashes well. Also, a less costlier way would be to use Johnson's Baby Shampoo by applying the shampoo to the hot washcloth, getting it nice and soapy/sudsy, and massage the eyelids while your eyes are closed to clean them...and then just rinse them. Doing this morning and night (just like brushing your teeth) will minimize the chances of blepharitis and styes.
When it comes to allergies, the main symptom is the itching. In this case, cold compresses are what works best. Sometimes an eyelid allergy (dermatitis) can be so bad that cold compresses may not be enough, and getting professional help from your eye doctor would be the way to go. Also, any symptoms of redness, decreased vision or pain that doesn't go away or worsens, should be checked out immediately by an eye doctor to figure out exactly what's wrong.
So, don't take your eyelids for granted. They do a lot of work. Keep them healthy and they'll treat you good.
Sincerely,
Dr. Weaver
Ps. This is the photo from the Reading Eagle article written about the practice in January. If you're nostalgic, you can check out the original article here.
I also had a recent WECA Facebook post in early August about how hard the eyelids work for you. Basically, the eyelids of each eye covers the distance of a marathon from blinking in one year's time.
Well...these recent posts got me thinking about how important the eyelids are, what can happen when eyelid hygiene suffers and how you can keep your eyelids (and your eyes) happy all day long.
When reading, using a computer, playing video games, or anything else that requires reading and/or concentration
Everyone has a normal blinking rate that's involuntary. This is done to coat the surface of the eye with your natural tears so that your eyes do not become dry. When you concentrate or perform extensive reading tasks, you tend to blink less than normal, which then causes dryness symptoms such as irritation, excessive reflex tearing (to combat the dryness), redness and blurred/fluctuating vision.
Lots of bad things can happen to those eyelids and eyelashes
A stye can develop due to a clogged oil gland at the base of an eyelash. This creates a hardened bump that's cosmetically unappealing that can eventually become infected, causing redness, pain and swelling of the eyelid.
Those eyelashes should always turn outwards. However, sometimes an eyelash may decide to become a non-conformist and turn inwards and poke you in the eye instead, causing irritation and discomfort every time you blink (and you blink many, many times a day).
A piece of debris (dirt, a small fuzzy, mascara) may get trapped underneath the eyelid (usually the upper eyelid). Similarly to the inward-pointing eyelash, an eyelid foreign body may cause irritation and discomfort eye time you blink, as well.
During allergy season, or from an allergy reaction, the eyelids may become red, puffy and itchy.
Eyelashes can become crusty with yellow matter, due to the presence of normal bacteria around the eyelash/eyelid region. This, in turn, can cause inflammation of the eyelids to create problems with redness, dryness and itchiness as well.
What you can do to help your eyelids
I have to be honest...when I wash my face in the morning and at night, I typically don't like to wash my eyes too well because if I got soap in there, it would sting like crazy. And I'm sure many other people wash their faces and ears and necks...but forget about the eyes.
It's very important to maintain excellent eyelid hygiene. The easiest way to do this is to make sure to use hot compresses (not so hot to burn the skin), and to feel that heat on the upper and lower eyelids. This heat stimulates tear production, and with styes, it melts the hardened material stuck in the gland...like melting butter. If you're afraid to get soap in your eyes, a gentle over-the-counter eyelid scrub in a pad or foam format will clean your eyelids and eyelashes well. Also, a less costlier way would be to use Johnson's Baby Shampoo by applying the shampoo to the hot washcloth, getting it nice and soapy/sudsy, and massage the eyelids while your eyes are closed to clean them...and then just rinse them. Doing this morning and night (just like brushing your teeth) will minimize the chances of blepharitis and styes.
When it comes to allergies, the main symptom is the itching. In this case, cold compresses are what works best. Sometimes an eyelid allergy (dermatitis) can be so bad that cold compresses may not be enough, and getting professional help from your eye doctor would be the way to go. Also, any symptoms of redness, decreased vision or pain that doesn't go away or worsens, should be checked out immediately by an eye doctor to figure out exactly what's wrong.
So, don't take your eyelids for granted. They do a lot of work. Keep them healthy and they'll treat you good.
Sincerely,
Dr. Weaver
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