On day one, while I was relaxing at the swimming pool, I struck up a conversation with a Los Angeles couple whose five year old daughter was swimming with them.  I noticed that the parents were wearing prescription sunglasses but the child was not wearing sunglasses at all.  Our conversation led the parents to the realization that they needed to be more aware of their child’s visual well being.  They were unaware that 80% of learning was through the eyes.  They were unaware that 80% of a person’s lifetime visual exposure to ultraviolet light comes before the age of 18. They were unaware of the long term effects UV light has on eye health.  They were going home and would make an appointment for their child with an eye doctor, her first and most important appointment.

Day 2 was actually an eye opener for me.  Having left my prescription glasses in my hotel room, I left to do a day’s worth of shopping with my wife carrying only my polarized sunglasses.   Sunglasses are a necessity when you are in the desert.  But when you are going in and out of store after store after store you soon realize that having your transitions eyeglasses with you is just as important.  Transitions lenses change from light to dark depending on the amount of UV exposure.  Indoors they are clear and would have allowed me to see more efficiently while shopping.  Yes, even eye doctors forget to take their glasses with them on occasion.  And by the way, I really do not like shopping.

Traveling through the mountains and desert in New Mexico on Day 3, I truly appreciated my polarized sunglasses.   My preference is Maui Jim sunglasses because of the way this lens minimizes reflections coming from the lens itself.  Mine are prescription but they are available as non-prescription as well.  We arrived in Taos after a detour to Bandelier National Monument and Los Alamos, the home of the atom bomb.  The color and contours of the mountains can only be appreciated by those who have good visual quality.  Unfortunately, there are many travelers who don’t realize they are not seeing well because they have not had their eyes examined.  If you know one or more of these people, enlighten them about the importance of an eye examination.

This is what I do when I am not in the office.  I travel and I think eyes. I love my time off yet I am constantly reminded of why I became an optometrist.  That is, to directly or indirectly help people see their best so they can see the world too.  Enjoy your time off when you get some.   In the meantime, have your eyes and those of a loved one examined.

Perhaps we will see each other on our next vacation.

Joel Kestenbaum, OD

www.optixeyecare.com

image credit Kamal H

I learned years ago that a good pair of shoes helps me to feel sound all day.  When my feet hurt, it is hard for me to concentrate on my daily activities.  As a twenty five year old, I used to wear Thom McCann shoes.  They were cheap and looked ok.  One day I couldn’t stand the discomfort and decided to invest in a comfortable pair of shoes from an upscale shoe store.  The comfort was incredible.  From that day on, I have always invested in my feet.

In my opinion, the same concept that applies to shoes, applies to vision and eyewear.  As an optometrist married to an optician, I am intricately involved with my patient’s visual well being.  Over the years I have listened to my patients complaining about their eyes and vision and have seen many people wearing poor quality eyeglasses.  Headaches, eyestrain, tired and red eyes and marks on the nose are just a few of the complaints.

In my office, my staff and I work hard to educate our patients in the importance of maintaining not only clear, but comfortable vision.  We have come to the conclusion that people need to put their priorities in order.  Most people don’t understand that not all lenses are the same and frames are not just pieces of plastic or metal.  More importantly, the opticians that fabricate eyeglasses and the equipment they use can make an extreme difference in the visual outcome.

Think about these facts.

1. What is one of the first things that someone sees when he or she meets you?  The answer is your eyeglasses.
2. If you wear eyeglasses every day, should they be comfortable to wear?  I think so.  There are many eyeglass materials that are light weight and are guaranteed to hold up to perspiration without pitting.  If you can, choose quality over price…. Remember, you wear these eyeglasses every day.
3. Should eyeglasses provide clear vision?  The answer is definitely yes.  So why if non-glare or non-reflective lenses are available in every prescription, do 50% of patients choose older technology lenses that have less than perfect optical quality?  I have a hard time understanding this.
4. Since eyeglasses are both a visual aid and a cosmetic statement, why do people wear the same pair of eyeglasses every day?  I don’t wear the same shirt, shoes or pants every day.  So why should I wear the same eyeglasses every day?  Should a person have a wardrobe of these?  I think so.  Fashion eyewear, work glasses, sports glasses, computer glasses, sunglasses are all available.  Why wear the same eyewear every day?

At Optix, we invest in our staff as an investment to our patients.  We’ve invested thousands of dollars in sophisticated equipment to ensure that eyeglasses are fabricated to exact specifications.  We use only the finest quality lenses and recommend only high quality non-glare technology.  The frames we recommend are not only fashionable but also comfortable.  And they don’t have to be expensive.

In today’s battered economy, the best investment you can make is in something that makes you see well, look good and feel like a million bucks.  At Optix, it is our goal to give our patients the best eyewear they’ve ever had and support their purchase with excellent service.   Please come see us.

________________________________________
Dr. Joel Kestenbaum and the Optix staff.

There was an article recently in the US News and World Report entitled:
“Best Careers 2009: Optometrist” by Marty Nemko posted December 11, 2008.

The article got me thinking as to why I chose to become an optometrist.  First of all, and most importantly of course, my Jewish mother wanted me to become a doctor.  With that in mind and having had some of my own issues with my eyes as a child, my curiosity about the profession was piqued.  So while in college, I volunteered at the local association for the blind, meeting some very interesting people, many with multiple disabilities. This further enhanced my curiosity.

The fact is, I never wanted to go to medical school but for some reason, optometry school seemed interesting to me.  Optometry involves working with people.  It involves math, physics and biology, all of which I enjoyed and was good at.  And optometry provided an opportunity to make a good living without having to be on-call at all hours of the night.

I’m a practicing optometrist since 1980.  I run my own practice seeing about 20 patients a day whose visits range from pathology to laser vision correction (Lasik pre and post-op) to the routine primary eye health exam.  I meet all different types of people making for very interesting conversation.  I chose contact lens care as my specialty and have provided thousands of people, young and old, with the ability to see clearly without eyeglasses.  I have discovered and treat hundreds of patients with glaucoma.  I have discovered and referred to specialists, patients who unknowingly had diabetes, brain tumors, hypertension, high cholesterol and a plethora of other diseases.

I am a businessperson too, employing a second optometrist who also sees about 40 patients per week and 5 opticians who help people choose their eyeglasses.  We have a total staff of 9 full time equivalents.  And yes, eyeglasses and eyeglass fashion is a large part of our practice.  I am my own boss, take vacations when I choose… with no limits except for the ones I put on myself…get very few calls at 2AM for emergencies, and make a very nice living ….more than most optometrists or other medical professionals.

Why? Because we’re nice to the people we treat, we care about the people we treat, and we maintain good relationships with ophthalmologists and other doctors so that we may provide excellent patient care.  It was always my goal to become “the practice” in the area that patients will ask for… and we have far exceeded our goals.  We are a high technology office, constantly striving to be the best at what we do by providing excellent patient care and continuing education for our staff and for our patients.

And even though my mother wanted me to be a doctor, excellent patient care is the main reason to become an optometrist, isn’t it?
So did I choose my career properly and am I satisfied with my job as an optometrist?
The answer is a resounding YES.

Joel N. Kestenbaum, OD
Optix Family Eyecare Center
Plainview, NY
516-931-6330

As a matter of routine I always ask my patients, “How did you find my practice?”

As one might expect I get various answers.
-My friend or neighbor referred me.
-I found you on my vision or insurance plan.
-I shop in the area and saw your sign.
-You’ve been here a long time and I knew you were here.
-I searched the internet and you were the closest to my home or work.

Something that more and more patients are telling me is “I did my research, went to your website, and found out that your office has the latest technology to provide a thorough exam and quality eyeglasses and contact lenses for me and my family.”

Does technology always mean that you are getting an eye doctor with the best bedside manner?
The answer is no…… so ask to interview the doctor.

See if he or she will call you back in a timely manner and answer your important questions.  Usually the office with the latest technology has a doctor and staff that is the most educated and can provide a high quality of eyecare and eyewear.  Remember too, that the doctor and staff’s professional experience is very important when it comes to choosing your eyecare provider.

Has the staff been with the doctor a long time or is there large staff turnover? This alone can tell you about the care and experience you can expect to receive.

Call or visit the office……interview the staff…..get your answers……compare the cleanliness, mood, homey feeling and technology to where you’ve been before and then make an informed decision as to whether you want that office and staff to provide for your eyecare needs.

At Optix, our staff has a minimum of five to 24 years experience with us.

Come visit or call 516-931-6330.
Remember to visit our website at www.optixeyecare.com

We look forward to seeing you.
Joel N. Kestenbaum, OD

Being a Doctor of Optometry encompasses a never ending cycle of social interactions, whether in the exam room, on the phone, or out of the office. I’ve met so many interesting people over the 28 plus years that I have been in practice, and I have seen it all! The laws of statistics hold true in that over a period of time you will confront all possible outcomes, and when it comes to practicing optometry, you will see an array of both good and bad. I have learned to accept it and enjoy the constant social stimulation, but today I bestow upon you some of my experiences.

I’ve taken care of the some true geniuses, and some of the not so bright.
I’ve cared for the cleanest and the dirtiest.
I’ve endured the crazy and the sweet.
I’ve spoken to people who understand everything about eye health and to others who allow information to pass in one ear and out the other.

But what I really enjoy are those people who give the most bizarre answers to the most common of eye examination questions or who just say things that are so silly that I wonder how they even made it to the chair.

So here are some of them. I hope you get a chuckle too.

Q. “Which is better choice 1 or choice 2?”
A. “Yes”

Q. “While looking at the eye chart Mrs. Jones, how far down can you see?”
A. “Where the wall meets the floor.”

Q. “Is the image clearer on the left side or the right side?”
A. “Your left or mine?”

Q. “Do you take any medications?”
A. “No, but the drugs I take make me tired.”

As part of an eye exam we ask the patient to cover their right eye to read the chart….and they do.  Now we ask them to cover the other eye…and they do.  The problem lies with those patients that now have both eyes covered and claim they cannot read the chart.
While looking in my patients eyes with the brightest of lights I ask them to look at the light.  And what do they do?  They look up to the ceiling lighting fixture that is completely off.  What’s that about?

A contact lens wearer returns the day after being fit with the contact lens and claims the lenses are no good.  She cannot see with the lenses. Well of course not when you put two contacts in the same eye the vision is bound to be a little off.

I don’t know how I got on these various topics of conversation with patients but here are two of the bizarre things that people come up with:

We were speaking about the Dalai Lama and a patient says to me, “Wasn’t Dolly a sheep that was cloned?”
Another asked me if my grandparents had children?

Being an eyecare professional has its interesting moments, all of which I encourage and love regardless of good or bad.

I hope you’ve enjoyed some of mine and I’ve brought a smile to your face.  If you have any of your own funny moments to share, please add to our blog.

OPTIX- Serving Plainview, Woodbury, Old-Bethpage, Jericho, Melville, Roslyn, Hicksville, Syosset and the Long Island Community!

You may be wondering, “A blog? What for?”
Here at Optix Family Eyecare we are taking the initiative to provide not only our patients but millions of people with important knowledge about the WORLD of eye care.

We feel it is absolutely imperative that people understand how important their eye health is and what it means to have healthy vision. We understand that many individuals may neglect their eye health and therefore seriously put a damper on all areas of their life. The bottom line, Optix Family Eyecare of Long Island is here to step up to the plate and provide you with a constant feed of great knowledge, both fun and informative, about YOUR EYE HEALTH!

Most of all, the Optix Blog is here for you to enjoy yourself and relax.
We will provide you with great…

1. Success stories
2. Interviews with the Optometry Doctors
3. How to’s and tips
4. Pictures and details about Brand New fashion designer eyewear
5. Live video
6. News and Offers going on at Optix Family Eyecare in Plainview, NY

Plus so much more!!

So take a moment to bookmark the blog and check back when it is most convenient for you.
Dr. Joel Kestenbaum, Dr. Michelle Zalaznick and the entire Optix Eyecare team can’t wait to provide you with a plethora of enjoyable and informative knowledge on eyecare!

Check back soon!

-The Optix Team