Month: October 2018

taiwan

Taiwan: Back to the roots of love and family

I looked behind me, my sister was already deep asleep.

The airplane air was dry, so dry that I couldn’t tolerate wearing contact lenses. I turned around. My fiancee, Elaine, was wearing her glasses too.

She smiled at me and asked, “Are you ready to be 25% married?” I gave her a gentle nod and said “Yes, of course.” 

14 hours later, we landed in Taiwan.

Taiwan has a special place in my heart.

When my dad passed away, my sister and I were shipped to Tainan (a city on the southwest coast of Taiwan) to live with my grandparents.

This gave my mom the opportunity to go back to school without the burden of dealing with her 2 annoying, bratty kids.

We lived in Taiwan for a total of 4 years before coming back to the States.

Being in Taiwan always gave me a feeling of nostalgia.

The food, family, the culture. Sporadic childhood memories of my sister and I returned.

Like the time when we were suspended upside down on the apex of a ghetto roller coaster for 2 hours.

It’s probably the reason we are both deathly afraid of heights.

Taiwan has it all.

Night markets. 7-Elevens. Lakes. MRT. Mopeds. Boba milk tea. Monuments. Night clubs. Endless shopping. Bullet trains. Mountains.

The food, oh my goodness, the food.

Above all, Taiwan is home to some of the friendliest people in the world.

Humble, old-school, empathetic and sincere.

On the same weekend, we witnessed our good friends Johnathan and his seraphic wife Emily tie the knot.

With the distant mountains as their backdrop, they celebrated love and life. A surprise firework show capped off their special night.

Taiwan was a part of their story too.


We decided on a wedding banquet in Taiwan because of family.

With so many important family members living in Taiwan, it just made sense.

My mom was smiling the whole night. Perhaps it was because she was surrounded by her closest childhood friends.Or maybe it was because she was happy for me. I don’t know.

But I smiled through the whole night too.

On our last day, Elaine and I went to Ximending, a popular shopping area in Taipei.

This was where I randomly ran into her in 2005. We often reminisced about that day. I would always remind her that was the day I knew I was going to marry her.

The streets of Ximending were crowded with people but we spotted a small opening. We stopped, we smiled and took a polaroid together.

Our Taiwan tradition continues.

Through her thick lenses, I saw the focus in her eyes. She was already tackling her work emails that had piled up.

I poked her stomach with my index finger, breaking her concentration. I asked her, “Are you ready to be 100% married next month?”

She gave me a gentle smile and said “Yes, of course.” Then I took off my contact lenses and closed my eyes.

12 hours later, we were back in California.

vision insurance benefits

5 ways to maximize your vision insurance benefits before 2019

Not taking advantage of your yearly vision insurance benefits is like flushing money down the toilet. Remember, use it or lose it (flush it works here too).

With the end of the year fast approaching, do you still have vision insurance benefits left for the year? If so, here are 5 ways you can maximize your vision insurance benefits before 2019.

(Still got FSA dollars left to spend? Learn 5 ways to use your end of the year FSA money: CLICK HERE)

1. Computer glasses
It’s true, the digital age is here. About 75% of my patients are using a computer on a daily basis at work. This number is staggering and it’s also increasing.

computer glasses

Heavy computer or phone use can increase risk for eye problems. Like your smartphone, computer screens emit harmful blue-light which can increase risk for macular degeneration and contribute to digital eye strain. Protection with blue-light filters are certainly necessary.

Prescription computer glasses is not the same as your everyday prescription glasses. The prescription powers are usually different and made specifically for your computer working distance.

Pro-tip: Add a blue-light filter to your lenses if you use the computer or look at your phone for more than 6 hours a day.

2. Prescription or non-prescription sunglasses
It’s a little known fact that vision insurance benefits can be used towards sunglasses, even designer sunglasses. Yes, summer may be over but here in sunny Southern California, sun protection a year round thing.

prescription or non-prescription sunglasses

Keep those eyes protected in style with a pair of designer sunglasses from brands such as Tom Ford, Gucci, Tiffany & Co, Prada or Celine. Or consider popular sunglasses brand such as Ray-bans, Oakleys and Oliver Peoples. Just like your collection of shoes, you can never have enough sunglasses.

Pro-tip: If you had LASIK eye surgery, you can still use your vision insurance benefits towards a new pair of sunglasses.

3. Back-up glasses
Using vision insurance towards new prescription glasses may sound obvious. However, using vision insurance for a back-up pair of glasses is an unfamiliar but great idea.

back-up glasses

If you are like me and are constantly forgetting and losing things in life, consider a back-up pair of glasses. For those that dependent heavily on their glasses to see, just imagine a day without your glasses. Imagine trying to drive at night. Sounds terrible and scary right?

So if you still have vision insurance left, why not get some back-up glasses for those unexpected moments in life.

Pro-tip: A solid pair of back-up glasses won’t break the bank. Most vision insurance will cover the basics: frame, lenses and some insurance will even cover anti-reflective coatings too.

4. Prescription contact lenses
If you are a contact lens wearer and still have vision insurance left for the year, it’s a no-brainer to use that benefit to buy more contact lenses.

contact lenses with vision insurance

Most vision insurance will have an allowance of $130-$200 to be used towards buying contact lenses. If you don’t use that money, you simply lose it.

Pro-tip: All contact lens wearers should have a pair of back-up glasses. Use your insurance benefits towards back-up glasses if you don’t owe a pair.

5. Eye health exam
When was your last eye health exam? For a healthy individual, the American Optometric Association recommends an eye exam every 2 years.

eye exams with vision insurance

Eye exams are especially important for children, because 80% of what they learn is through their vision. Remember, vision screenings at school is not a comprehensive eye exam.

Pro-tip: Most vision insurance fully cover basic vision and eye health exam. Co-pays for eye exams can range from $0 – $25 depending on your insurance coverage.

As I am writing this, the weather is starting to cool, kids are fully back to school and more importantly the NBA season has started for my Lakers. Soon the holiday season will be upon us.

Your calendar will start to stack with Thanksgiving and Christmas events. So don’t forget to mark down a day to use your vision insurance benefits before the year is over.

Remember, you either use it or you lose it. Don’t let money flush down the toilet.


Do you still have vision insurance benefits left over for the year?

Text to us find out: (909)627-1111
Schedule your eye exam online today: CLICK HERE

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions

Bright Vision Optometry is a family-owned & operated optometry office located in Chino Hills, CA 91709


 

4 tips to help you take care of your new glasses

Now that you have your new glasses, do you know how to properly take of them? Other than storing your glasses in its protective case when you’re not using them, there are actually some additional small, but important details to do to prolong the life of your new glasses.

4 tips for your new glasses

They only take a couple of seconds to practice, and the only difficult part is to make them a habit.

From my personal experience of following only these 4 tips, I was able to prolong the life of my glasses from four years ago to use them as a current backup pair of glasses now that I got a new pair.

Here are 4 tips you can do to take care of your new glasses.

Tip #1: Use proper cleaning cloth
I know that it may be tempting to use the end of your shirt sleeve to clean your lenses, but this unfortunately puts your lenses at risk for minor scratches from particles that might have gotten stuck on your sleeve.

Your cleaning cloth provides a softer medium when cleaning your lenses, decreasing the chances of scratching your new lenses.

With every new glasses purchases from Bright Vision Optometry, we make sure that your glasses case is properly equipped with its own cleaning cloth.

Pro-tip: If your cleaning cloth becomes dirty, simply hand wash the cloth and reuse!

Tip #2: Use proper cleaning solution
Glasses lens that have an anti-reflective coating on them, we also give you an additional lens spray to protect the coating of your new lenses. This protective layer helps to repel dust and water, and if improperly cared for, can result in peeling, streaking or crazing.

Yup anti-reflective coating crazing is a real term. You want to make sure that your anti-reflective coating is protected by spraying it with the proper lens spray before wiping it down with your lens cloth.

Pro-tip: Do not use commercial glass or household cleaners like Windex. They are not chemically compatible with lenses treated with anti-reflective coating.

Tip #3: Use both hands
When taking your new glasses off your face, it is best to hold your frames on both sides of the temples before putting them back in its case.  Avoid taking off your glasses with only one hand, this will increase stress on that side of the glasses and eventually that side will become loose.

If a case is unavailable, placing them upside down with the top of the frame resting on the counter top will minimize the chances of scuffing the lenses. Just remember, use both hands!

Pro-tip: It sounds obvious but take off your glasses before going to bed. Sleeping in glasses can result in misalignment and bent glasses in the morning or even worse your glasses temple breaking off. This is the most common reason for broken glasses frames we see at Bright Vision Optometry.

Tip #4: Don’t leave glasses in car
For those who use your glasses only for driving, be sure to take them out of your car when you’re not using them! We have noticed many incidences where glasses have been left in the glove compartment of the car in the hot summer weather, which has a detrimental effect on the anti-reflective coating, causing it to peel and streak.

The weather may be cooling down in Southern California now, but the SoCal sun is still strong and can heat up the inside of your car to extreme temperatures. High heat will soften the plastic material on glasses frames. This can alter the fit, loosen the hinges and even expand the frame causing the lenses to become loose or even pop out.

Pro-tip: If you purchased your glasses at Bright Vision Optometry, we’ll be more than happy to use our special ultrasonic cleaner to deep clean your glasses. Or if you feel like your glasses are not sitting on your face correctly, stop by and let our trained optician help you with your glasses adjustment. 


Are you due for a new eye exam? Schedule online today: clicking here

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions


 

How to win Halloween this year with colored contact lenses

It’s scary but Halloween is around the corner. Are you looking for something extra to enhance your Halloween outfit this year? Add eye-popping Halloween colored contact lenses to your costume!

halloween colored contact lenses

See below for more pictures of how I used Halloween colored contact lenses to perfect my costume

To me, Halloween is the most fun holiday of the year. Although leftover candies can be dangerous, traditions like watching scary movies, trick-or-treating, pumpkin carvings and Halloween costumes are what makes this holiday so special. 

Whether you enjoy Halloween or not, adding Halloween colored contact lenses is one way to perfect your Halloween outfit. Gothika decorative contact lenses is a popular brand for all your Halloween eye enhancement needs. Gothika Halloween contact lenses have been used in the movie, television and theater industry for decades now.  Their industry leading contact lenses come in a wide variety of special colors and designs while providing good comfort for the eyes. Stand out this year as a zombie with green eyes or shine in the dark with glow-in-the-dark contact lenses!

Each year I look for something special to wear for Halloween. I always get excited dressing up and going to work because no one expects their optometrist to be in a full on Halloween costume. Most of my patients are happily surprised, especially the kids! 


Inspired by the Marvel movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, I was Dr. Peter Parker last year. When was the last time you saw Spider-Man performing eye exams? (click the link for a video)

Continuing my Halloween tradition, this year I am doing something special. Something unique that requires the help of special Halloween colored contact lenses.

Inspired by the most popular Japanese anime, Naruto, this year I will dress up as Kakashi Hatake! He is my favorite character on Naruto because of  his low-key demeanor, elite ninja abilities and of course his powerful special “Sharingan” eye

Because all contact lenses are a medical device that can potentially cause permanent damage to your eyes and vision, it is important to see your optometrist to be fitted with proper Halloween colored contact lenses. Just like clear contact lenses that corrects nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, a prescription is required. Remember, buying contact lenses without a prescription is dangerous and could cause potential damage to your eyes. Protect the health of your eyes by having an eye exam, getting a contact lens prescription and buying contact lenses from a legit source.

Halloween this year at Bright Vision Optometry is going to be fun. You can expect Dr. Kakashi Hatake to be in the office and seeing patients. If you are looking for decorative Halloween contact lenses this year, be sure to be properly fitted and evaluated by our eye doctors.


To ensure your decorative contact lenses arrive before Halloween, be sure to come in and place your orders before October 22nd.

Are you due for an eye exam? Schedule your appointment online: CLICK HERE

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions


*In case you were wondering where I bought my Kakashi Hatake Halloween costume:

Kakashi costume set
https://www.amazon.com/Miccostumes-Naruto-Kakashi-Cosplay-Costume/dp/B01H5IIBJG

Ninja shoes
https://www.amazon.com/DAZCOS-Unisex-Black-Shippuden-Ninja/dp/B078BLTMT2

White wig
https://www.amazon.com/COSPLAZA-Cosplay-Silvery-Resistant-Synthetic/dp/B00MDN10DI

Gothika Decorative Colored Contact Lenses “Hatake” 
Bright Vision Optometry in Chino Hills, CA (of course =P)


 

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