|
Dr. Pham passed her boards!
November 19, 2011
BIG NEWS! Dr. Pham passed her boards! She is completely board certified in ophthalmology now. Premier Eye Care Group hopes you will join us in wishing a grand CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Thu T. Pham.
PREMIER Eye Care Group awarded ‘Simply the Best for Optometrist’ by Harrisburg Magazine
August 25, 2011
 |
 |
 |
|
PREMIER Eye Care Group is honored to be awarded Simply the Best for Optometrist by Harrisburg Magazine. We are also proud to be recognized as Reader’s Choice for LASIK Surgeon and Reader’s Choice for Ophthalmologist. The doctors and staff at Premier Eye Care Group appreciate all our patients who have voted us in these categories during the past four years.
Is LASIK surgery worth it?
August 4, 2011
How does the cost compare with a lifetime of contact lenses?
By MSN Money partner on Tue, Aug 2, 2011 11:47 AM
This post comes from Jim Wang at Bargaineering.
Nearly five years ago, I considered LASIK eye surgery but I never pulled the trigger. It wasn’t that I was afraid or concerned, I was just used to contact lenses, they didn’t bother me, and I felt that I didn’t need to fix something that wasn’t broken.
Fast-forward to this year and my contacts are becoming less and less comfortable. On several occasions my eyes have been really bothered by them to the point I keep them out most of the day when I’m working from home. The only times I put them in are when I play sports and when we go out. It’s just more convenient.
The most common concern when it comes to LASIKis the price. It’s a several-thousand-dollar procedure and, as is the case with anything like that, not something you decide on without some deliberation. Fortunately, a quick analysis shows it’s actually not as expensive as you might think.Post continues after video.
Cost benefit analysis
Let’s say the typical LASIK procedure costs about $4,500, including all expenses related to the procedure and recovery. That $4,500 sounds like a lot, but when you compare it with the cost of glasses and contacts for the rest of your life, it’s actually pretty cheap.
Note: I’m going to exclude the use of a flexible spending account for the purposes of this analysis because you can use an FSA for both the LASIK procedure and for glasses and contacts. I figure it’s pretty much even for our purposes.
Cost of contact lenses. I’m 30 years old and if I didn’t do LASIK, I’d probably wear contacts for at least another 20 years. I use the Air Optix Night & Day Aqua, which goes for $70 a box retail. One box contains a six-month supply of contacts, so a full year’s supply for both eyes is going to cost $280. You can probably find them cheaper, about $50 a box, so the actual price is closer to $200 a year.
Vision insurance. Typical vision insurance through an employer is about $5 to $12 a month for one person, which is balanced out by a $120 contact lens or glasses benefit. In other words, you pay for the insurance and make it back on contacts or glasses. The regular checkups are essentially free. That drops the actual cost of contacts to about $80 a year after insurance.
Glasses. Glasses are a little trickier to calculate because most people don’t get new glasses every year. Let’s say you get a new pair every three years, and those new glasses cost you $150. Over 20 years, that’s about seven pairs of glasses. That’s $1,050 in glasses, assuming you don’t need replacements sooner.
Contact lens solution and supplies. I used to use Opti-Free Replenish solution, $15 for two 10-ounce bottles. I’d conservatively use one bottle a month, so you’d need about $90 for solution each year. Now I use Clear Care No Rub Cleaning & Disinfecting Solution ($16) and then rinse with Bausch & Lomb’s Sensitive Eyes Plus Saline ($5). It adds maybe another $20 (for the saline) to the annual budget.
To recap:
- Contact lenses — $80 a year.
- Contact lens solution — $110 a year.
- Glasses — $150 every three years.
For simplicity, ignore the time value of money and let’s just sum up the total cost for contacts over 20 years: $4,850.
OK, let’s not ignore simplicity and factor in the time value of money with an interest rate of 3%. Twenty equal payments of $242.50 (that’s $4,850 divided by 20) has a present-day value of $3,607.78. In essence, if you were to do LASIK for $4,500, it really only “costs” you $892.21 — less than $500 an eye.
I made an appointment to have the procedure done.
Swimming and Contact Lenses
May 12, 2011
As summer approaches, I get many requests from people desiring to wear contact lenses in order to be able to wear stylish sunglasses. This is usually easy to do and it is fun to change up our appearances. But while you may be looking forward to sitting around the pool or on the beach with your new eyewear, you need to be aware of some potential hazards.
Contact lenses should not be worn when swimming. Bathing beauties that simply like to soak up the sun are fine to wear the lenses, just be sure to avoid getting sunblock in your eyes. But the real swimmers who turn into fish in the water should think twice. Wearing contacts while you swimming can greatly increase your risk of nasty eye infections.
Here are the reasons why you may be at risk swimming with contacts. One, swimming waters (pools, oceans or lakes) are not sanitized. I’m sure you are all aware of this fact. In addition to viruses and bacteria, it is also possible to get an amoeba infection in some instances. Two, the water causes the lenses to actually stick to your eyes more. Due to the chemistry of osmolarity, the water is more dense with particles than your tears are, therefore, the H2O atoms in the tears are more attracted to the particles than to stay on your eyes. This causes the stickiness of the lenses to increase and tighten to your eyes. Three, when the amount of tears on your eyes decreases, the tears are unable to flush/wash the contact lenses with normal blinking. This also increases the infection factor.
These dynamics are all in play even if you keep your eyes closed underwater. Enough water continues to drip into the eyes from your eyebrows, skin and hair that the risk continues to be high. “But what if I wear goggles?” you ask? Goggles help but they are not seal proof. If you can put a million bacteria on the head of a pin, just imagine how many there may be in an entire drop of water!
If you have every intention to keep your contacts in the case on a swimming day, but simply forget - take heart. Remove your contact lenses as soon as possible after you’re done in the surf. Be sure to lubricate your eyes first with one or two drops of a rewetting solution to get the lenses unstuck. Then disinfect your lenses in fresh contact lens solution for the required amount of time. Even if you put your contacts back in after disinfecting them, clean your case and change your solution again when you take them out at night. You never want to reuse used contact lens solution. With this information in mind you will have a happier and healthier summer.
How can I get rid of floaters?
April 15, 2011
The American Academy of Ophthalmology sponsors eyeSmart, a section of the Academy’s website used to educate the public about eye diseases and how to care for your eyes. The following question and answer is about floaters some patients may notice in their vision:
Question: How can I get rid of floaters?
Answer: You don’t! These annoying black spots in our vision develop for many different reasons. Some floaters will go away by themselves and others will be there forever. A person’s awareness of the floaters will change from time to time based on lighting conditions and usually become less noticeable as the years pass as the brain adjusts to this bothersome development. It is most important to note that the onset of new vitreous floaters with or without flashes of light is a potentially serious event and should be seen by your ophthalmologist, Eye M.D. quickly, as it can be a sign of a retinal tear or serious retinal detachment.
Wayne Bizer, MD
American Academy of Ophthalmology
Thu T. Pham, MD Joins Premier Eye Care Group
August 15, 2010
Premier Eye Care Group is pleased to announce its association with Thu T. Pham, MD. Dr. Pham is accepting new patients at our 2745 North Front St. office in Harrisburg. She offers general ophthalmology care such as comprehensive eye exams, treatment for glaucoma, and cataract surgery. You can read about her impressive education on our website - under MEET THE DOCTORS
Andrew L. Leitzel, OD Inducted as Chairman of the Board for the Tri-County Association for the Blind
June 8, 2010
Andrew L. Leitzel, OD was inducted as Chairman of the Board for the Tri-County Association for the Blind today. Premier Eye Care Group wishes to congratulate him with his new leadership role. We support his efforts serving with such an outstanding organization.
Premier Eye Care Group Awarded Who’s Who in Business for LASIK surgery in Harrisburg for 2010
January 15, 2010
Once again, Premier Eye Care Group was awarded Who’s Who in Business for LASIK surgery in Harrisburg for 2010. Premier Eye Care Group won this category in 2009 also. Susquehanna Style Magazine contracts with Polk-Lepson Research Group, and independent market research firm, to conduct an objective telephone survey.
Dr. Brent’s Healthy Eyes Salad
June 11, 2009
Fill a large bowl with spinach and other dark leafy greens. Pour the following on top of the greens:
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup green onions
1/2 cup craisins
1/2 cup blue cheese
sprinkle w/ lots of sliced almonds and serve with your favorite salad dressing.
For the Puppy Chow recipe click on the following link: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1710,158182-234196,00.html
Congratulations to Andrew Leitzel, OD
June 2, 2009
Premier Eye Care Group wishes CONGRATULATIONS to Andrew Leitzel, OD for being awarded YOUNG OPTOMETRIST OF THE YEAR - 2009 by the Central Pennsylvania Optometric Society. His outstanding leadership and service to his profession and the visual welfare of the public was recognized at the annual awards ceremony on Sunday, May 31st, 2009.
