Protect Your Eyes from Winter Rays

Your eyes don’t know what season it is.

Whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall, your eyes need protection from the sun’s harmful rays.

Most people recognize the need for sunglasses during warmer months and in warmer climates. However, when the temperature starts to dip, people often assume that eye protection is no longer necessary (or even silly).

Why Winter Shades are Important

• The sun is positioned at a lower angle in the sky during the winter, so the rays may affect the eyes more directly
• Fresh snow reflects 80% of the sun’s UV rays, causing extreme glare (dangerous when driving, skiing, etc.)
• Dry eye symptoms can worsen during dry winter months; wraparound sunglasses or sports goggles may help
• Overexposure to harmful UV rays can lead to cataracts and macular degeneration in Richmond
• Polarized, anti-reflective sunglasses can block 100% of UV radiation (ask your eye doctor for recommendations)

Another Reason for LASIK

If you are nearsighted or have astigmatism, you will need corrective lenses to see distant objects clearly; that means investing in a good pair of prescription sunglasses to wear all year long. The other option is to wear contact lenses with over-the-counter sunglasses. However, dry, cold winter air can cause eye irritations for contact wearers.

LASIK vision correction in Richmond can make wearing sunglasses in the winter:

• More cost effective (in the long run the one-time cost of LASIK is cheaper than the ongoing expense of replacing and maintaining glasses and contacts)
• More fashionable (because of the vast choices that exist)
• More comfortable (no trying to fit goggles over glasses)

Wear Sunglasses All Year

Back in 1984, Corey Hart hit the music charts with his hit, “Sunglasses at Night.”

While Mr. Hart may have worn his sunglasses in the evening hours, to stress the importance of protecting your eyes against daytime winter rays, we’d change the song to “I wear my sunglasses all year…”

Sport your cool sunglasses all year long. And if you don’t want to invest in prescription sunglasses, consider having LASIK at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center. Dr. Lipstock offers free LASIK Consultations to ensure you are a good candidate for the procedure and answer all questions you may have. Contact Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center today to arrange your appointment: 804-288-1543 or lipstocklaser.com. 

5 Reasons Your Dog Wants You to Have LASIK

Your “best friend” wants you to have LASIK in Richmond.

If you are nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism, here are the reasons why:

1. No waiting around to go on walks while you search for your glasses.
2. No tripping over him in the middle of the night because you can’t see without your glasses.
3. No dropping your contact lenses in his water dish.
4. No getting in trouble for chewing up your expensive prescription sunglasses.
5. No mistaking him for the cat because – well – they are the same size...

After a successful LASIK procedure, you might achieve 20/20 vision. That means vision without glasses to play, wrestle, cuddle and walk your dog...every day and every night.

Make your dog happy. Schedule a free LASIK Consultation at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center today to find out if your eye anatomy and eye health is right for LASIK. If Dr. Lipstock gives you the green light and you choose to proceed with the procedure, your pooch will be happier than a poodle in a peanut butter factory. 

Halloween without Glasses

Unless you want to dress up as Clark Kent, Austin Powers, Harry Potter or a hippie chick, there aren’t too many Halloween costumes that feature glasses. But if you…

• Are nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism…
• Can’t wear contact lenses…
• And actually want to see your friends at a Halloween party…

…you may have to be a football player, zombie, vampire or other character with spectacles. 

The other option: LASIK vision correction in Richmond.

We’re not suggesting that you enter into refractive surgery just to improve your chances at winning a costume contest. But if you are tired of wearing glasses and would like the opportunity to have 20/20 vision, you owe it to yourself to research your Richmond LASIK options.

Dr. Lipstock at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center offers free LASIK Consultations to help patients:

• Understand how LASIK works
• Determine if their unique eyes are right for the procedure
• Learn about different LASIK technologies
• Learn the risks and rewards of LASIK
• Meet our staff and learn our track record of success

Halloween will be here soon. If you want better vision before October 31, schedule your LASIK Consultation right away so you can find out if LASIK is right for you by calling 804-288-1543 or visiting lipstocklaser.com. If Dr. Lipstock gives you the green light, you could be rocking your Halloween costume lens-free! 

Pirates Don’t Wear Glasses

Blackbeard…Captain Kidd…Black Bart…Redbeard…even Jack Sparrow…

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a pirate who wore glasses (there were plenty of eye patches, though). Does that mean that all pirates had 20/20 vision? Probably not; but it’s safe to assume that pirates didn’t have access to good eye care.

Even if a pirate did manage to visit an eye doctor and find out his vision was less-than-perfect, the idea of wearing eye glasses wasn’t too appealing. (After all, a pirate had a reputation to uphold!) And LASIK vision correction wasn’t FDA-approved before the late 1990s, so all the gleamin’ booty in the world wouldn’t make that an option.  

Why are we talking about pirates? September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! It’s a day for you to connect with your inner pirate and toss about a few “Aarrs” and “Blimeys” with friends, family and co-workers. You may even want to don an eye patch for the occasion. But if you have to wear glasses to correct your nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, it will be almost impossible to look authentic with an eye patch over your glasses. 

Avast! If you want to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day by looking like a pirate (meaning, no glasses), find out if LASIK vision correction in Richmond or Henrico is right for you. Call 804-288-1543 or visit lipstocklaser.com to schedule your free LASIK Consultation at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center.

Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center won’t hornswaggle you with the cost of LASIK and they will even provide LASIK financing options to make better vision more affordable. 

Will Glasses Stand the Test of Time?

Popular Mechanics recently published an online article titled “10 Things That Will Disappear in the Next 110 Years.” We thought we would share that list with you:

1. Eyeglasses
2. Video game consoles
3. Postage stamps
4. C batteries
5. Keys
6. Snow tires
7. Telephone poles
8. Band-Aids
9. Wallets
10. Flathead screwdrivers

The article didn’t go into any specifics on why the publication’s editors felt these items would no longer be relevant. However, at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center we can take a guess at one reason why the #1 item on the list might phase out: LASIK vision correction. LASIK is already helping thousands of people in our area eliminate their need for glasses or contacts. It’s a laser procedure that corrects vision for people who are nearsighted, farsighted or who have astigmatism, but it’s not for everyone. If a patient’s corneas are too thin or if other eye problems exist, an alternative to LASIK may be recommended. The only way to know for sure if LASIK might reduce or eliminate your need for eyeglasses is to schedule a free LASIK Consultation at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center by calling 804-288-1543 or visiting lipstocklaser.com.

It’s possible that no one reading this blog will know for sure if all of these 10 things will be gone in 110 years. But it’s going to be interesting to see what the future holds for all types of technology, including vision correction.

Enjoy March Madness Even More

March Madness begins March 18! Whether you plan to root for your college alma mater in the NCAA tournament or just love any kind of college basketball, you are bound to see exciting wins and devastating upsets. The question is, will you be watching the action through a corrective lens?

If you are nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism, you probably have to wear glasses or contacts to see clearly. And, let’s face it; glasses and contacts can get in the way of your celebrations. Wouldn't it be much better to watch your favorite teams with your own lens-free eyes?

Richmond LASIK vision correction just might be the ticket to visual freedom. Of course, not everyone will see with 20/20 vision after LASIK, but when you choose an eye doctor who has a great track record of success, uses advanced LASIK technology and performs a thorough LASIK screening process to ensure you’re a good candidate, the odds are definitely in your favor. Dr. Lipstock is that surgeon and he’s ready to help you take those first steps.

Make a fast break to improve your vision. Call Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center today at 804-288-1543 or lipstocklaser.com to schedule a free LASIK Consultation. 

Take Steps to Achieve Your (Vision) Dreams

What are your dreams? Most of us have one or more personal aspirations. The Dream Come True Foundation has designated January 13, 2014 as National Make Your Dream Come True Day. So, rather than listing nebulous New Year’s resolutions this year, use January 13 to actually take steps to make those dreams a reality.

Improving vision is often a dream for individuals who have to wear glasses or contacts. When you are nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism, seeing the world clearly without the aid of vision correction devices may seem like an unobtainable goal.

However, at Lipstock Laser & Cataract Center, we have helped thousands of people achieve their dream of 20/20 vision and visual freedom through LASIK vision correction. The problem is that many people leave LASIK in the “dream” category, without ever truly investigating if they can afford LASIK and if the procedure will work for their eyes.

January 13 is the perfect day to schedule a free LASIK Consultation and really take that first step. Dr. Lipstock offers free LASIK Consultations to determine your LASIK candidacy, discuss LASIK financing options and answer all of your questions about LASIK.

Contact us today to make your vision dream a reality! Call 804-288-1543 or visit lipstocklaser.com. 

Do Starfish Have Eyes?

The next time you stumble across a starfish while swimming in the ocean, gaze into his arms to see if he notices you. That’s right…his arms!

Oddly enough, most starfish have primitive compound eyes on the tips of each of their arms. A recent study showed demonstrated that starfish use these eyes to process visual information, especially when there was a need to locate food sources. Two groups of starfish were studied: one group with eyes and one group without. The two groups were placed in a sandy area of the ocean and studied how they moved toward the coral reef, which was their food source. The group with eyes was able to navigate directly toward the reef, while the group without eyes wandered aimlessly.

Additional studies into starfish may help researchers learn more about eye evolution.

Researchers are also continually studying human eyes and devising new technologies to correct vision problems. For example, in the past if you were nearsighted, farsighted or had astigmatism, you were stuck wearing glasses or contact lenses for life. Today, people have options, such as LASIK laser vision correction, to potentially eliminate their need for corrective lenses.

That means swimming in the ocean (and checking out the starfish) with clear vision using just a regular snorkel/diving mask or goggles.

If seeing starfish and other sea creatures more clearly sounds attractive to you, contact Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center at 804-288-1543 or lipstocklaser.com today to schedule your free LASIK Consultation. Dr. Lipstock isn't an expert on starfish, but he has extensive experience in helping qualified candidates improve their vision. 

How Does LASIK Correct Myopia?

Myopia, also called nearsightedness, is a vision condition that affects approximately 30% of people in the United States. This condition makes it difficult to see objects that are far away, so corrective lenses are often prescribed to see things like white boards/SMART boards in school, televisions, movie screens or road conditions when driving.

Distant objects are difficult to see is because light is not focusing properly on the back of the eye (the retina); the cornea is too steep or the eye is too long. Light ends up focusing in front of the retina so distant objects appear blurry.

LASIK eye surgery corrects myopia by reshaping the inner layers of the cornea so light will focus on the right spot on the retina. Only a microscopic amount of tissue is reshaped using a laser, but the results can be amazing. In fact, many people achieve 20/20 vision (or better) after LASIK vision correction.

If you are nearsighted and are tired of wearing corrective lenses, look into LASIK today by scheduling a free LASIK Consultation at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center. This Consultation will tell you if your cornea is thick enough to support this procedure or if a different procedure would be more appropriate for your eye structure and still give you the results you want. Contact us today at lipstocklaser.com or 804-288-1543. 

In Music, the Eyes Have It

The eyes have been dubbed “the window to the soul.” Maybe that’s why so many eye make-up products are sold and why so many songwriters focus on this expressive facial feature in their music…songs like:

•     Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
•     Doctor My Eyes by Jackson Browne
•     Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol
•     Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue by Crystal Gayle
•     When You Close Your Eyes by Night Ranger
•     Betty Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes
•     Private Eyes by Hall and Oates
•     For Your Eyes Only by Sheena Easton
•     Angel Eyes by the Jeff Healey Band
•     Behind These Hazel Eyes by Kelly Clarkson
•     Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain by Willie Nelson

If you’re tired of hiding your eyes behind corrective lenses, you should consider laser vision correction. LASIK eye surgery has allowed millions of Americans to showcase their “baby blues” (and other eye colors, of course) for the world to see.

LASIK eye surgery is performed on people who are nearsighted, farsighted and who have astigmatism. No LASIK surgeon can absolutely guarantee that LASIK will free you from corrective lenses forever, but this popular procedure is very effective for most patients…especially when they choose a surgeon who has extensive experience and a proven track record of success…a surgeon like Dr. Lipstock at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center in Richmond.

If you can think of other “eye” songs, share them with us on our Facebook page facebook.com/LipstockLasik  And be sure to contact us soon at 804-288-1543 or on lipstocklaser.com to schedule your free LASIK Consultation.