Pro to Pro

June 2018 Lenses

A Little Girl’s Glasses

There have been several times when working as a scribe, I have seen some very interesting cases. One in particular stands out in my mind. We had a young patient come in for her eye exam; she was about 7 years old. Her mother said she was a good student for the most part, but had some trouble with reading and was in Title 1 reading assistance. She was a very sweet and curious girl who had abundant questions about all the equipment and all the staff. The young girl did not seem to have issues with distance because her mom said she could see signs farther away than mom could, but she was not reading well and was behind in school. After the doctor’s exam, she was prescribed reading glasses. The doctor prescribed a pediatric bifocal so the child would wear them all the time and not have to remember to take them on and off for reading. The girl was excited! She really wanted glasses just like her friends in school, which is actually quite common among the kids in the area.

June 2018 Eyes/Optics

Vacation Preparation—Protect Your Eyes from Sunburn

It’s that time of year for a huge increase in vacationers. Many people will be heading to the beach and to other outdoor activities. One of the biggest concerns while enjoying the outdoors is preventing sunburn. The first thought is protecting your skin with diverse types of sunscreen, but not many people realize that your eyes can get sunburn just like your skin. This is a temporary, but painful condition that can be prevented with a little preparation.

June 2018 Frames

Adventures in Eavesdropping: Frame Selection

I’m technically cheating with this entry in “Adventures in Eavesdropping,” since there technically wasn’t any eavesdropping involved, but it’s a continuation of the observations I’ve made in that miniseries. I recently discovered an absolutely charming little street near where I live in Texas that used to be a residential neighborhood, but whose houses have been converted into small businesses.

June 2018 Doing Good

No One Is an Island

Our digitally-amped world is shrinking. Events far beyond traditional borders are touching people and companies, and a courageous few are tackling the causes and effects of those events. They, in effect, have resurrected the John Donne missive (“No man is an island, entire of itself...Any man’s [loss] diminishes me because I am involved in mankind”) and transformed it into a 21st century mantra.

June 2018 Business

Making Networks Work For You

June 2018 Deborah Kotob

Make Eye Protection Essential Sports Gear

June 2018 Guest Editors

Sunsational Opportunity

May 2018 Education

Lens Design Computing at American Optical – a Personal Reflection, Part 1

I have been reflecting on how computing technology has changed during my 44 year career at American Optical / Sola / Zeiss. I serve as the Executive Director of the Zeiss sponsored Optical Heritage Museum in Southbridge, MA, where American Optical was founded, and recently worked on a display of computing devices commonly used in the 20th century at AO. During this time, I have gained a great appreciation for what was achieved in ophthalmic lens design prior to today’s computer age.

May 2018 Education

Universal Design of Learning

Most of you are probably looking at the title thinking, “What does this have to do with Opticianry?” Well, I will explain. Several years ago, I landed an amazing opportunity to teach Opticianry at Goodwin College. I still pinch myself every day and tell my students I am the lucky one to have to the opportunity to share what I know and have learned with them. That said, we don’t often think about the educational aspect of how many of us have become opticians. It is my job to teach students to become opticians, therefore, I must understand how students learn. Last year, I participated in the Goodwin College Universal Design for Learning project, funded through a grant from the Davis Educational Foundation which gave me an opportunity to improve our students’ learning.

May 2018 Sport Eyewear

What Sports Eyewear Can Tell You

The Kentucky Derby is one of my favorite spring events. It’s fun to learn how some of the horses got their unusual names and to hear the jockeys’ stories. The extravagant ladies’ hats and the pageantry add to the anticipation of what’s been called “the most exciting two minutes in sports,” when twenty horses thunder around a mile and a quarter track.