Have you ever thought about how to improve your quality of life with the proper eye wear? Think about all the things you do every day and how you can make your visual life easier.

• Everyday Living - Contact Lenses, Eyeglasses, Sunglasses
• Work Environment – Computer eyeglasses (Gunnar Eyewear), Safety Eyewear, Reading glasses
• Tennis- Sports protective eyeglasses, Sunglasses, Contact lenses
• Golf- Golf Glasses, Contact Lenses, Sunglasses
• Reading- Reading Glasses, Bifocals, Progressives
• Biking- Sun glass wraps for protection with interchangeable lenses, Contact Lenses
• Skiing- Ski Goggles with prescription eyeglass insert, Contact Lenses
• Fishing- Polarized Sunglasses
• Misc Sports- Contact Lenses, Sports safety eyewear
• TV- Single Vision TV Glasses, (in addition to progressives for everyday living)
• Computer- Computer Glasses, Progressives
• Driving- Clear non-glare eyeglasses for night driving, Polarized Sunglasses for daytime. (One for each car)

This is just a thought. What do you think? What special needs do you have that need vision correction. How have you helped your vision today?

Dr. Joel Kestenbaum

www.optixeyecare.com

It’s allergy season….as if you didn’t know already.  You and the masses are experiencing the symptoms of the season.  Every day my patients are calling for appointments due to eye discomfort.

The main symptoms of allergy eyes are red, itchy and watery eyes.  Fortunately, there are many remedies including prescription and over the counter.  For sudden swelling, ice is a good choice.  Antihistamines, like Benedryl, are often used for allergic reactions but one has to be careful of the side effect of drowsiness.  Zyrtec, once only available by prescription, is now available over-the-counter.

Todays over-the-counter topical remedies include Zaditor (twice a day), Naphcon A (up to 4 times per day), Opcon A, Visine A, and a host of others.  One must be careful though not to abuse these meds as they can cause a reaction if over used.

Prescription medications include once a day drops like Pataday, and twice a day drops like Patanol , Optivar, and Elestat.  Other topical eye drops include mild steroids and antihistamines.

Whatever your doctor recommends, it is a good idea to continue with these drops until allergy season is over.  The end of June is usually the time to stop unless you are still symptomatic.

So try to keep your hands to yourself and away from your eyes.   Enjoy the season.

Joel Kestenbaum, OD

Over two million Americans have glaucoma making it one of the most common causes of legal blindness in the United States. Glaucoma can rob people of their vision even though they don’t have any visual symptoms or pain.  In fact, half of those with glaucoma don’t even know it.  The disease is not easily diagnosed.  For example, the standard test, which measures eye pressure, fails to uncover glaucoma in one third of patients with the disease.  This is why glaucoma is called the “sneak thief of sight.”

A Better Glaucoma Detection Technology
Don’t worry, Optix has the revolutionary Zeiss GDx Nerve Fiber Analyzer.  This revolutionary new technology helps Drs Kestenbaum, Zalaznick and Lustig detect glaucoma earlier, so the disease can be treated before vision is lost.  The GDx is a tool that uses a scanning laser to determine the thickness of the nerve fiber layer of the retina. The nerve fiber layer is important because it is the tissue that the optic nerve is made of.  Damage to the nerve fiber layer could be a sign of glaucoma.  In theory, a thinning of the nerve fiber layer is bad.
The test is a quick and comfortable part of a complete eye exam.  Plus, you don’t have to have your pupils dilated. You simply look into the Zeiss GDx system while it safely scans the back of your eye.  Total exam time usually takes less than a minute, and the system creates easy-to-read images that the doctor can quickly analyze.  This computerized instrument can measure changes in retinal thickness that the eye doctors cannot with a routine exam.  This thinning would show up before loss is seen with a visual field or peripheral vision test in most cases.  Generally, until there is a field defect, patients are unaware of a problem.  The GDx offers important information that is not obvious on clinical examination.  It is most useful in following patients over time to see if they are losing tissue at a rate faster than they should.  The GDx is likely the earliest glaucoma detection device available.

Enhanced Patient Services
Including the ZEISS GDx screening and exam in our practice is another example of our commitment to provide the most advanced and comprehensive eyecare services. If you have any questions about your vision or the health of your eyes, please contact our office. We are more than happy to help with any of your eye care needs.

What makes me at risk?
•    A Family History of Glaucoma?
•    High or Borderline Eye Pressure?
•    Aging (Generally Over 35 But Could Be Younger)
•    Diabetes
•    Sleep Apnea (Breathing Disorders)
•    African-American or Latino Ancestry?
•    Hypertension
•    History of Steroid Use
•    History of Migraines
•    Thinning Corneas
•    Suspicious Looking Optic Nerves
•    High Myopia (Nearsightedness)

If it has been 18 months since you or a family member have had an eye examination, call Optix to schedule an appointment.  Saving your sight is worth an hour of your time.
Dr. Joel Kestenbaum

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.

Beginning March 15, 2009, if you schedule a Free Lasik Consultation with Dr. Kestenbaum or Dr. Zalaznick, you will receive a $500 gift card to be applied towards Bladeless Custom Lasik at TLC Laser Center. This is a limited time offer for patients who complete the laser procedure prior to June 9, 2009. Our patients have had tremendous success with lasik including Dr. Kestenbaum’s son who loves the results.

Remember, for good candidates, lasik is an excellent alternative to eyeglasses or contact lenses. Think about your lifestlye and ask Dr. Kestenbaum or Dr. Zalaznick if lasik is right for you.

Call OPTIX today to take advantage of the $500 gift card offer.

Okay…..It’s almost spring time.  It’s the time you’ve been waiting for.  It’s golf season.  The pro’s are on TV every weekend, Tiger is on the prowl, and now and you’re starting to get the itch. 

Who am I kidding?  I am starting to get the itch.  I love golf.  I take the game very seriously….. seriously enough to make sure I am seeing the ball as well as I can.  Within the past year, I started wearing contact lenses for golf.  Even though I see well enough in the office, I have found that I needed an extra edge for my passion.  And it really worked.  My putting improved because I can read the greens better.  My short game improved due to better depth perception.  And guess what?  My handicap improved too.

Is this all due to contact lenses?  Probably not.  But lenses did help improve my overall vision.  This was one less thing for me to think about so I was able to concentrate on my game.

So what contact lenses are best for your golf game?  It all depends on your individual needs.  For me, a single use or one day disposable was perfect.  I wear the lenses for about 5 to 8 hours and then I am done.  I remove the lens, throw it away, and take a fresh lens the next time I play.  I keep a few lenses in my golf bag, my car, my travel kit, my bowling bag, and my tennis bag.  Did I mention that contact lenses are great for other passions?

Call (516) 336-8787 if you would like a consultation.

Hit em straight.

Joel Kestenbaum, OD
Optix Family Eyecare Center

Sunglasses are the primary source of that eye protection.  Lenses must screen out UVA and UVB rays.  Lenses may be tinted or polarized but they all need UV protection.  It is also important to note that a child’s eyes need to be protected as well.  Statistics show that 80% of a person’s lifetime exposure to harmful ultraviolet light comes in their first 18 years. Parents must be educated so that they can offer eye protection to their children.

At Optix, we offer a wide selection of sunglasses, providing both protection and fashion.  What sets Optix apart from other eyecare providers is not the fact that we have styles from Gucci, Calvin Klein, Tiffany, Bvlgari and others.  What sets us apart is our staff.  Our licensed opticians have over 90 years of combined experience.  Add that to the almost 60 years experience of Dr. Joel Kestenbaum and Dr. Michelle Zalaznick, and you have experts that can act as both educators and patient advocates.  No eye care office on Long Island can boast this expertise.

So next time you’re relaxing on a snowy day, remember that sunny days will follow.  At Optix, we’ll look after your family, one sunny day at a time.

Enjoy your day.
Dr. Joel Kestenbaum

Well Optix is here to help you out and make sure this Valentine’s Day is a memorable one. Considering that the Spring is right around the corner and Valentine’s Day is this Saturday, why not buy your loved one a pair of beautiful and stylish sunglasses?

Optix carries the best brands like Prada, Prodesign, Versace, Marc Jacobs, Juicy, Coach, Ray Ban and Nike.  And considering that sunglasses are a bit out of season, prices could not be more affordable!

Now back to the Valentine’s gift ideas!

Coach and Juicy are two brands that have many styles of sunglasses with hearts and other symbols of love. What’s more is that these brands both come in a flashy pink color that is perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Now if pink frames and hearts are not what your loved one is looking for, then come on in and check out the rest of our EXTENSIVE sunglass collection. When you come to Optix you’ll leave seeing at your best.   Our trained expert eyewear technicians will help you make that perfect choice of eyewear.

So put down that box of chocolate in your hand and come in to Optix Family Eyecare in the Woodbury Plaza Shopping Center next to Trader Joes.

Your loved ones will be so thrilled with your thoughtful gift that keeps their eyes healthy and has them looking fantastic for the upcoming sunny weather!

From everyone here at Optix, have a wonderful Valentine’s Day! We love you all…

-Team Optix

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

Every day the doctors at Optix Family Eyecare Center see patients who complain of blurred vision and burning or itchy eyes. When these patients come in for eye exams, we find that more often than not, these people are spending overwhelming amounts of time sitting in front of the computer at work and at home.  They are developing computer vision syndrome (CVS).

The Optix team is here to let you know a little bit about how you can maintain healthy vision while still getting your work done in front of that screen.

We all are in the habit of brushing our teeth everyday and showering to maintain excellent hygiene. Yet practicing healthy computer vision hygiene is just as important, and its results can dramatically improve your comfort and productivity at work.

Now we are not saying get out the toothbrush and brush your eyes, but we are here to offer you a few simple steps to keep your vision healthy while using your computer.

Let’s use the “Optix Family Eyecare 20/20/20 Rule”
What’s with all the 20’s?

Well it goes a little something like this.

• 20 minutes using the computer- in which you focus intently upon the screen.
• 20 second break – take a 20 second break after you have focused on the screen for 20 minutes
• 20 feet away – focus your eyes upon something roughly 20 feet away for this 20 second break.

The Optix Family Eyecare 20/20/20 rule is one way to maintain healthy eyesight.

What happens if you use the computer for long periods of time without a break?

1. Headaches
2. Neck and upper back aches
3. Blurry vision during and after computer use
4. Eye strain, possibly causing changes in vision
5. Burning, itching and watery eyes
6. Overall loss of short-term focus until eyes adjust.

So how can you resolve these issues besides using the 20/20/20 rule?

1. Overall you want to minimize your eye, head and neck movements to prevent strain.
2. Angle your computer monitor so it is at the same angle as the material being typed. Ideally, the screen should be at a 15 degree angle down from your eyes.  Attach a paper holding device to your screen if you spend a lot of time in front of the screen.
3. Upgrade your monitor to an LCD screen. These screens usually have an anti-reflective surface. Older CRT screens have a noticeable flickering of images on the screen that may cause eyestrain.
4. Use comfortable furniture to maintain a very comfortable position, one in which you are not constantly shifting around to see the computer screen.
5. Glare screens not only filter UV radiation, they allow for a perfect focus situation where you are not bothered by the reflections around the work place.
6. A tint on your eyeglass lenses may reduce glare and reflections.

With the right habits and a quality computer setup you can increase your work efficiency and maintain excellent eye health.
We hope that you use these tips to improve your vision and keep your eyes healthy!

It’s no coincidence that

1. Eyeglass lens manufacturers are spending millions and millions of dollars researching and developing the “perfect” no-line bifocal or progressive lens.
2. Contact lens manufacturers are rushing to find that elusive “perfect” bifocal contact lens.
3. Researchers are attempting to find the “perfect” surgical cure or correction for what is commonly called presbyopia or “aging eyes.”

For people over forty, age hits like a ton of bricks.  One of the first signs of aging is eyestrain while reading. Even if you’ve never needed glasses for distance vision, decreasing comfort while reading is inevitable as you age.  When presbyopia is noticed once must take into consideration many factors.  Some of these are occupation, size of your pupils, length of your arms, whether you are nearsighted (myopic) or farsighted (hyperopic), and lighting issues.  But at one time or another after age forty, we will all need help with reading.

So what are our options?
They range from the simple to the more complex.  But all should involve an eye examination to determine if there are any eye health issues causing the decrease in vision.

The simple solution is reading glasses.
Since most of us do not have equal vision in our two eyes, I rarely recommend the over-the-counter (OTC) “drugstore” type for the bulk of your reading.  These drugstore magnifiers are OK as simple magnifiers to read maps or a menu but do not address the issues of astigmatism or balance between the eyes.  Quality issues are another reason not to buy OTC magnifiers.  Some are of acceptable quality but the general consumer has no way to tell the better magnifiers from the ones with distortion in the lenses.  The best lenses are those prescribed by your eye doctor.

Another solution is progressive lenses or bifocals.
These lenses provide excellent vision at distance and near and in the case of progressives, you get the mid range too.  Adaptation is easy for most people especially with the technologically advanced progressives that are available today.  I hear this every day.  “My husband couldn’t get use to his progressive glasses when he tried it five years ago so I don’t think I want to try them.” This is not acceptable to me in my practice.  First of all, saying progressive is like saying car.  All progressives are not alike.  There was a commercial on TV a few years back about a young man and women looking for a car.  The catch phrase for the commercial was “This is not your father’s Chevy.”  This is so true.  I use this statement every day in my office as it relates to progressives and even to contact lenses.  Today’s progressives are not the same as they were years ago.  In our office we only used advanced technology lenses and adaptation is around 99%. I could not say this five years ago.  Progressive lenses have improved tremendously.  I wear them myself and I know the difference.  But buyer beware.  There is still what I will call the generic or 1980 era progressives being sold to consumers who want to save a buck.  They are cheaper (sometimes) and they work (sometimes) but they do not provide the same visual comfort as the newer technology lenses.

At Optix, we will only provide for our patients the lenses that we will wear ourselves.

Solution three is contact lenses.
There are many possible ways that contact lenses can be fitted to provide for improved reading ability.  That’s the topic for another post.

And the solution that everyone is talking about is laser vision correction. At the present time, laser surgeons do not have an answer for presbyopia.  Other surgical procedures are being tested at this time.

Suffice it to say that there are more choices for vision correction than meets the eye.  So, you don’t have to feel old because you are having trouble reading.  Just join the millions of boomers and let your eye doctor help you choose the solution that’s best for you.

-Dr. Joel Kestenbaum

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