Spring into Allergy Eye Relief

Beautiful springtime weather inevitably brings scratchy eyes, swollen eyes and itchy eyes in Richmond, Virginia. If you wear contact lenses, it’s virtually impossible to keep them in your eyes when you are constantly rubbing them.

Here are a couple of tips to help you through the allergy season:

• If you’re using eye drops to relieve the discomfort, make sure you take your lenses out first and leave them out for at least ten minutes or you’ll just aggravate the condition.
• If you’re taking antihistamine that can cause dry eye you should check with your ophthalmologist who may advise switching back to glasses for the duration.

If wearing your glasses for the entire springtime season doesn't sound appealing, another option is to have LASIK vision correction in Richmond. While LASIK won’t prevent you from having eye irritation during the spring, it may allow you to enjoy this season without the need for corrective lenses.

At Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center, our advanced LASIK lasers may help to alter the shape of your cornea to correct your nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Many patients can even achieve 20/20 vision after LASIK, allowing them to live life without glasses or contacts.

The only way to know for sure if you are a good candidate for LASIK is by scheduling a free LASIK Consultation. Contact Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center today to schedule your Consultation at 804-288-1543 or lipstocklaser.com. 

Save Your Vision Month

March is Save Your Vision Month. Sponsored by the American Optometric Association, this observance is to remind Americans about the importance of having regular eye exams to help preserve and maintain their eye health. The following is a general eye exam schedule for people with normal eye health and good overall health:

• Infants: Pediatrician screening at 6 months
• Preschool children: Pediatrician screenings from age 3 to 6
• School-age children: Regular vision screenings at school
• Adults: Every 2 years
• Adults over 60: Annually

If your child’s pediatrician or school suspects a vision problem, or if you have a history of eye disease or eye problems in your family, a full eye exam by an optometrist or ophthalmologist will be recommended. Children and adults who wear glasses or contacts should have an eye exam every year.

Even if you’ve had LASIK vision correction in Richmond and no longer need glasses or contacts, it’s important to maintain contact with your eye doctor in Richmond to preserve your eye health. You probably know that regular eye exams can identify common eye diseases, even those that have no outward symptoms, such as diabetic retinopathy. Even if you are not experiencing any vision changes, certain conditions like glaucoma or cataracts can be “silently” stealing your vision – even if you’ve had Ricmond LASIK. Early detection will help protect and preserve your vision.

Eye exams not only protect your eyes…they can also protect your overall health! By looking at the blood vessels in the eyes, your eye doctor can also identify chronic systemic diseases, such as diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

March is definitely the month to focus on your eye health; it’s also National Eye Donor Month (to promote cornea transplant awareness) and Workplace Eye Wellness Month (to promote reducing eye injuries while on the job).

Richmond eye exams are typically quick and painless, so there’s no excuse to put this health maintenance appointment on the back-burner. Schedule your eye exam today! Call Dr. Lipstock at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center to schedule an eye exam in Richmond. 

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. 

Olympic Medalist Bode Miller Regrets Not Having LASIK

The 2014 Olympics are over, but many of the athletes are still feeling the pain of disappointing losses. One such athlete is alpine ski racer, Bode Miller. After failing to reach all of his goals in Sochi, he revealed to the media that he would have changed the skis he used for one of the races, would have changed his skiing style and would have had LASIK vision correction surgery before the Olympics as he had planned.

"I was supposed to get an eye surgery earlier this year," Miller said. "We just never found a time to do it because the race schedule was so tight. We were pretty [upset] looking back that we hadn't found a time to do that. For me, my vision is critical. When the light's perfect, I can ski with any of the best guys in the world. When it goes out, my particular style suffers more than the guys who are more stable and don't do as much in the middle of the turn."

Miller’s comments drive home the fact that waiting for the ‘perfect’ time to have LASIK simply doesn't pay. So many people fret over the idea for years before having a LASIK evaluation…only to find out that they were never a good candidate for LASIK in the first place because of their eye condition or health condition.

At Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center, many of the patients we perform successful LASIK procedures on remark that they “Wish they had done it sooner” because of the level of visual freedom they experience after LASIK in Richmond, Virginia.

Even if you’re not an Olympic athlete, having better vision can not only improve your game…it can improve your life. Don’t regret not having LASIK. With the amazing LASIK technology in Richmond available today, the perfect time to have LASIK is right now. Contact Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center at 804-288-1543 or lipstocklaser.com to schedule your free LASIK Consultation. 

LASIK & Large Pupils

If you have large pupils, you may have heard that having LASIK vision correction in Richmond, Virginia might increase your risk of certain side effects, such as halos/glare around lights at night.

There have been numerous studies over the past 10+ years about the effect of pupil size on LASIK outcomes. While there is no conclusive evidence, researchers have found some correlations in the size of the surgical ablation zone (the section of the cornea that is reshaped by the laser), the follow-up period and night vision problems.  

No Night Vision Problems

• Ablation zone 6.0 mm in diameter or larger
• Follow-up period at least three months

Some Night Vision Problems

• Ablation zone smaller than 6.0 mm in diameter
• No ablation size specified
• Less than three months follow-up

The advanced LASIK technologies we use at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center in Richmond may reduce the chance of night vision problems for many patients. However, if you are considering LASIK and are concerned about night vision problems, it’s best to schedule a free LASIK Consultation to first find out if your eyes are right for LASIK. During the Consultation you can ask the doctor specific questions about LASIK side effects and inquire about the results of past LASIK patients.

Call 804-288-1543 or visit lipstocklaser.com today to schedule your LASIK Consultation. You can also take our free online LASIK Self-Evaluation prior to your appointment. 

Five Unusual Benefits of LASIK

Most people know that LASIK can potentially free them from the hassles of glasses and contact lenses. Of course that’s a great benefit, but we've come up with five more unusual benefits of LASIK that may persuade you to seriously consider this popular procedure.

#1 – Freedom to buy cool, but cheap, sunglasses to fit your every mood or fashion statement.

#2 – Ability to wander around the house at night without stubbing your toe on furniture.

#3 – Connection with your “inner dolphin” as you can see when swimming underwater with goggles.

#4 – Expanded Halloween costume options (think full face masks, costume make-up without glasses or novelty contacts)! 

#5 – Fewer “crow’s feet” wrinkles around your eyes because you won’t have to squint to see.

Ok, we admit these are silly reasons to have LASIK. But many people who have had successful LASIK do discover some unexpected benefits of their improved vision. Wouldn't you love to see how your life might be improved with LASIK?

If you've been considering LASIK, call Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center to schedule your free LASIK Consultation. There’s no obligation, and you can learn if your eyes are right for the procedure. Call our Richmond, Virginia office today at 804-288-1543 or visit us online at lipstocklaser.com. 

Tackle 2014 with Improved Self-Esteem

Most people associate the month of February with Valentine’s Day, love, romance, roses and chocolate. But did you know that February is also International Boost Self-Esteem Month? This is a great time to take a moment to think about how you feel about yourself. If you feel negative thoughts creeping in, stop those toxic thoughts and focus on something that is positive in your life. Or you can also take action to improve your current situation.

Sometimes a negative self-image can stem from a physical trait that causes you either physical or mental discomfort. Take, for example, bad vision. Some of the Richmond vision correction patients we see at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center are simply fed up with not being able to see clearly when they wake up in the morning. Some become frustrated because they can’t excel in sports (like water or snow skiing, basketball or football) because their glasses make it too difficult. Others find that the hassles of keeping track of glasses and contacts make their lives too stressful. And some just don’t like the way they look in glasses.

If your poor vision is lowering your self-esteem, LASIK eye surgery in Richmond, VA may be the magic boost you need. LASIK corrects the refractive errors that cause nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Of course, not everyone’s vision problems can be corrected with LASIK. A specially-trained ophthalmologist must examine your eyes to determine if your corneas are thick enough, if you have the right medical history to support LASIK, and more.

LASIK Financing

If this type of self-esteem boost sounds too expensive, research your Richmond LASIK financing options. At Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center we help make LASIK affordable for a variety of budgets.

Don’t let poor vision bring down your self-image. Take the first step in the LASIK process by completing our free online LASIK Self-Evaluation. If you are ready to start the process, contact us at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center today to schedule your free LASIK Consultation. Call 804-288-1543 or visit lipstocklaser.com to schedule an appointment online.