"Caps for Good" donation

WOW!  Employees, family and patients at D'Ambrosio Eye Care knitted and crocheted 118 caps to donate to CAPS FOR GOOD.

Great job everyone!

There are going to be a lot of lucky little babies out there receiving them!

By George, it's George Washington's Birthday!

Happy Birthday to President George Washington!  This is an official federal holiday with government offices and many other institutions and businesses closed.

Our Lancaster office will be open to see patients today, Acton and Gardner are closed.  The Lancaster Optical Department will not be open today, but we'll be glad to see you tomorrow!

Here's a little bit of George Washington trivia for you:  George Washington was born in Virginia on February 11, 1731, according to the then-used Julian calendar. In 1752, however, Britain and all its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar, which placed Washington's birth on February 22, 1732.

And a little chuckle... One of the provisions of the Monday holiday act changed the observance of Washington's Birthday from February 22nd to the third Monday in February. Ironically, this guaranteed that the holiday would never be celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, as the third Monday in February cannot fall any later than February 21.

Calling all knitters and crotcheters....

Calling all knitters and crocheters! We've selected "Caps for Good" to make caps for infants in Africa, Asia and Latin America.  As part of the mission to help keep these babies healthy, keeping them warm is critical and the goal of this program is to help.

Directions for knitting and crocheting are available online at Warm Up America.  We're accepting donations until the end of February.

Winter and Dry Eyes

Dry Eye Syndrome is common in winter because of cold, dry outdoor air and dry indoor heat.  "Symptoms include pain, blurred vision, a scratchy or burning sensation or even watery eyes as the eyes try to compensate for the dryness, explains Francis A. D'Ambrosio, Jr., M.D., Medical Director of D'Ambrosio Eye Care.

JoAnn C. Chang, M.D.

Dry eye can occur at any age, but is more common among older adults, especially post-menopausal women.  In some people, dry eye syndrome may be related to systemic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and collagen vascular diseases such as lupus, certain medications such as diuretics for high blood pressure, antihistamines for allergies and beta blockers for hpertension or heart conditions.

"Simple dry eye may require only some artificial tears and a furnace humidifier or room humidifier.  Today we have treatments for dry eye at include oral doxycycline to improve tear quality, punctal plugs (stoppers inserted into the tear tuct), topical steroids or typical cyclosporine (Restasis)", said D'Ambrosio Eye Care corneal specialist JoAnn C. Chang, M.D.  For most people, dry eye is simply a nuisance, but for some, severe dry eye can make you vulnerable to corneal infections, which can permanently affect your vision.  If you are bothered by dry eyes, please let us know so we can schedule a dry eye examination and consultation.

Valentine's coloring contest winner

Congratulations to the winner, Noah, of Sterling.  Noah is 9 years old and did a great job coloring his "Mr. Potato Head" Valentine.  He even added a thought bubble and was very creative.

Great job, Noah! Enjoy your prize!

D'Ambrosio Eye Care flowers to Life Care Center of Leominster

Employees of D'Ambrosio Eye Care, Inc. brought  flowers and smiles to the 133 residents of the Life Care Center of America in Leominster, MA today.

Coordinated with Director of Admissions, Marilyn Mauro, the group had fun handing out the flowers and visting with the residents.

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Happy Valentine's Day

Enjoy your day, but remember to exercise caution when popping that champagne cork!  Aim the cork away from yourself and others.  Cheers!

Don't POP That Cork - yet!

If you're opening a bottle of champagne for Valentine's Day, use caution with the cork.  It can become a small missile and can cause an eye injury or more.  Simply twist the cork out while tilton at a 45-degree angle away from yourself and others. As an added benefit, this method saves some of the champagne's sparkle, as well!

Sahana Vyas, M.D. to speak at Concord, MA Council on Aging

Sahana Vyas, M.D.

On Thursday, Dr. Sahana Vyas, Retina Specialist at D'Ambrosio Eye Care will speak, Thursday, February 17, at the Concord MA Council on Aging "Lunch & Learn" on  "Why Do I Need A Dilated Eye Exam?"  This is a great topic and I'm sure the attendees will learn quite a bit on this subject from her.

This is a great segue to the vision screening we'll be holding there the following week!  While we won't be dilating eyes, it will explain to folks why it's so important.

The speaking series and vision screenings are one way for us to give a little TLC to the communities we service!

We're heading to Eagle House in Lunenburg for a vision screening

Next Wednesday, 2/16, we'll be offering a free vision screening for seniors at Eagle House in Lunenburg.  Our Optometrist, Khyla Lance, O.D., and technicians will check vision, pressure for glaucoma and check for cataracts.  This is one way we provide some TLC to the communities we service!

Screening at the Shirley Senior Center



Khyla Lance, O.D.



Recently we were at the Senior Center in Shirley to provide a free vision, glaucoma and cataract screening to their members.  Despite over a foot of snow the day before, quite a few hearty folks ventured out to the Center. 

Following their yoga class, several of the members stopped in.  It was nice to see some familiar faces from our last screening there.
Khaya Lance, O.D. was our Optometrist for the screening.

Statement on use of 3-D digital products by children

Recently, Nintendo issued a warning about their new 3-D handheld game device that urged parents to prevent children under age 6 years from prolonged viewing of the device's digital images in order to avoid possible damage to visual development.  Other 3-D decive companies have issued similar warnings with their new products.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology provides the following information and recommendations regarding use of 3-D digital products by children and adults.  The Academy's statement is based on accepted medical knowledge and currently available research regarding visual development and function in children and adults.

At this time there are no conclusive studies on the short-and/or long-term effects of 3-D digital products on eye and visual development, health or function in chldren, nor are there persuasive, conclusive theories on how 3-D digital products could cause damage in children with healthy eyes.  The development of normal 3-D vision in children is stimulated as they use their eyes in day-to-day social and natural environments and this development is largely complete by age three years.

Children who have eye conditions such as amylyopia (an imbalance in visual strength between the two eyes), strabismus (misaligned eyes), or other conditions that persistently inhibit focusing, depth perception or normal 3-D vision, would hav e difficulty seeing digital 3-D images.  That does not mean that vision disorders can be caused by 3-D digital products.  However, children (or adults) who have these vision disorders may be more likely to experience headaches and/or eye fatigue when viewing 3-D digital images.

If a healthy child consistently develops headaches or tired eyes, or cannot clearly see the images when using 3-D products, this may indicate a vision or eye disorder.  If such problems occur, the Academy recommends that the child be given a comprehensive exam by an ophthalmologist (and Eye M.D.).

D'Ambrosio Eye Care is pleased to have Oren L. Weisberg, M.D. a pediatric ophthalmologist on it's staff.  Dr. Weisberg sees children to age 18 with eye vision problems. 

Coloring contest winner

Congratulations to Sophia R., winner of our winter optical coloring contest!

Great job!

With all this snow, he'll be around a while longer, I think!

Sunglass frames

We carry a great selection of frames for all your sunwear!  Whether it's winter or summer or inbetween, it's important to protect your eyes from the harmful rays of the sun.  Check out the brand names:

Banana Republic
Calvin Klein
Carrera
Coach
Dior
Emporio Armani
Fossil
Giorgio Armani
Gucci
Julbo for Kids
Kate Spade
Liz Claiborne
Maui Jim
Nautica
Nike
Nine West
Saks Fifth Avenue
Valentino
Vera Bradley

American Cancer Society Relay for Life

The kick-off meeting for the 2011 American Cancer Society Relay for Life Gardner was last week.  This year the Relay will be June 10 - 11; it's approaching fast - it's hard to believe it's just four months away. 

Team D'Ambrosio Eye Care was proud to donate $6,139 in 2010 from employee, patient and office donations!  We exceeded our goal of $5,000 by 22%!

This year, our goal is $5,000 and we are hoping to surpass last year's results!  We currently have donation containers in each office and will be running fundraising events over the coming months.  Depending on which of our offices you may be in, we have book sales, greeting cards and candy bars for sale, all proceeds to benefit the Relay.

If you would like to join our team or make a donations, please let us know!

More snow!

Another large storm is scheduled to hit our area on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.  Remember to wear your polarized sun glasses to combat the glare from the sun whether you're driving or playing.

For anyone enjoying the snow and skiing, snowboarding or even snowshoeing, don't forget those sunglasses!

If you don't have the proper sunwear, stop by any of our three optical departments for assistance.  Treat your eyes to a little TLC - you'll be glad you did!

JoAnn C. Chang presents at Health Alliance Grand Rounds

JoAnn C. Chang, M.D.

Dr. JoAnn C. Chang is presenting "Red Eye" today at at Health Alliance Hospital in Leominster Grand Rounds . 

Dr. Chang specializes in Diseases and Surgery of the Cornea, Cataract Surgery and Lens Implantation (IOLs) and Laser Vision Correction (LASIK).