What is a Flex Spending Account?

A Flexible Spending Account, also known as a flexible spending arrangement, is a tax-free way to pay for medical and health related expenses not covered by your health or vision insurance. FSAs allow you to set aside a portion of earnings to pay for qualified expenses. These accounts are great for lowering your taxable income and in turn saving you money, but if you don’t use your FSA dollars by the deadline you will lose them for good. Some employers do have a grace period, but it is best not to wait. As the year comes to an end, time is running out to use your FSA dollars before they expire, so don’t forget to use some of that flex money to care for your eyes. We have very few openings left for this year, so make an appointment now with one of our amazing eye doctors to put your FSA dollars to work.

Frames and Lenses – You need your glasses to see, but they can also be fashion accessories, or a type of jewelry for your eyes. If you already have a “safe” pair for everyday use, now may be a good time to pick a more daring pair of designer frames to add to your collection, or a back up pair to use in case of miss-placement or damage.

Prescription and Non-Prescription Sunglasses – Protect your eyes against harmful UV rays by wearing sunglasses year round. Some people don’t know that even non-prescription sunglasses qualify for flex spending, so now is the time to get those designer sunglasses you have been eyeing.

A Year’s Supply of Contact Lenses – Whether you wear daily or extended-wear disposable contact lenses, they typically have a shelf life of up to four years as long as they are stored properly. So it is a great idea to use your FSA to buy a year’s supply of contacts, which enables you to save even more with manufacture rebates and/or bulk discounts.  If you’re concerned about your prescription changing during the year, don’t be – we will let you return your unused/unopened contact lenses for a new prescription, if it changes.

Contact Lens Solutions and Eye Drops – Although we don’t think about it as a big expense the small things can add up over the course of a year. If you have a few dollars left in your FSA, why not stock up on products like solution, enzyme cleaners and dry eye drops? Your eyes will thank you for it later.

Children’s Eyewear – If your child wears prescription eyewear getting them another pair could help avoid an unexpected expense or trip to the doctor in the event they lose or break their current pair. And even if your child doesn’t need glasses to see it is extremely important to protect children’s eyes with sunglasses. We have a great selection of eyewear for children, which are affordable, durable, and stylish.

Computer Lenses – Suffering from eyestrain, headaches or blurry vision after a long day on the computer? Computer lenses could help. Even if you don’t normally need eyeglasses, your eyes could benefit from the protection and functionality that these specialty lenses have to offer. Benefits include better focus; reduced eye fatigue, and protection against harmful blue light. These lens options will help you maintain your eye health when your work just won’t let up.

Change is in the air!

Autumn usually brings to mind pleasing thoughts of football, pumpkin spice lattes, leaves changing colors, and cooler weather. For our contact lens wearers, there is another thing to look forward to as we head into this Fall season.

Crozet Eye Care is offering 20% off on non-prescription sunglasses PLUS free shipping to your home if you order a 12-month supply of contact lenses- this applies to any brand. More good news for those of you who wear Acuvue® Oasys® lenses: Acuvue is now offering these contacts in six- and 12 month packages. No longer do you have to remember to order new lenses every three months (this option will no longer be available). Save 20% by ordering a 12-month supply, and also enjoy the Crozet Eye Care benefits mentioned above. 

Start the season off right by ordering your contacts now! 

If you redeem the discount for the non-prescription sunglasses, we would love to see your new Fall eyewear, so please tag us on your Facebook pages in your new shades!

Hope to see you soon! 

Crozet Eye Care recently started carrying Dailies Total 1 contacts, which are the world’s first and only water gradient contact lenses and are considered the best lenses on the market. As the name suggests, these are a disposable daily contact lens, so you discard the old and replace it with a new contact each day.

What makes Dailies Total 1 lenses so amazing?

The lenses combine two materials so that oxygen permeates while the outer surface of the lenses is nearly 100% water, which makes them great for wearers with dry eyes. The contacts are exceptionally comfortable — 9 out of 10 patients say that they feel nothing when wearing them.

We think they are so great for our patients that we will be giving away a FREE iPod Shuffle with the purchase of a 12-month supply of Dailies Total 1 contacts through the end of September.

Dailies Total 1 are only available in certain prescriptions. We do have samples available; however, Dr. Franklin or Dr. Rosinski will need to check them on your eyes before you leave the office, so it’s best to call us before you come.

If you need or currently wear contacts, something to consider is monthly vs. daily lenses. While some patients prefer monthly contacts – mainly due to the perceived costs associated with dailies – there are several reasons why daily contacts are the better choice.

With daily contacts, you get fresh, clean lenses every day. The more frequently you replace your contacts, the healthier and more comfortable your eyes will be – especially those of you with dry eyes. Clean, new contacts feel better in your eyes because there’s no build up of residue – protein, calcium, lipids, and other substances found in your tears can build up on your lenses. These deposits will make your contacts less comfortable and can make your eyes prone to infection.

Since daily contacts are thrown away each day, they do not have to be cleaned each night or carefully stored in a safe container. This makes them an especially good option for teenagers who might not have quite gotten the hang of contacts and who might not be scrupulous with their care and handling.

Daily contacts are also an excellent choice for people who don’t want to wear contacts every day, but do want them for special events or sports.

Of course, monthly lenses can be cleaned, so if you choose that route, make sure you talk to your optometrist or contact lens technician about the proper cleaning methods and products.

If you are interested in getting contacts, give our office a call and schedule and appointment to talk with us. We’ll take you through the pros and cons and see if contacts are the right choice for you.

Disposable contacts have become a mainstay in the contact lens world.  They are convenient and, for the most part, much healthier for our eyes.  If you are a contact lens wearer you know how great that fresh pair of contacts feels, but do you really need to change as frequently as we recommend?

In short, YES!

Although comfortable lenses are important, changing your lenses out regularly is imperative for health reasons. Consider the contact lens like a filter with air travelling through it to supply the front of the eye with oxygen.  When lenses are worn for a prolonged period of time, protein, calcium, bacteria and oils accumulate on the lens. These substances clog the filter of the lenses thus decreasing the oxygen supply to the cornea (front of eye). Although the lens may feel comfortable, decreased oxygen leads to inflammation and infection of the cornea. It may also lead to a patient no longer being able to wear contact lens. No one wants that!

If you have trouble remembering to change out your lenses on a regular basis Acuvue® has a great tool called the ACUMINDER® that will send you alerts to remind you not only when to do it, but how to do it properly, as well. Setting up an account is easy and you can do it right from the  Acuvue website .  If you prefer to use your smart phone OPTI-FREE® has a free app that will not only help you manage when to toss out your lenses, but provide you with information to keep your eyes safe, track how your lenses feel over time, and store your doctor’s contact information, just in case you need us! 

Disposable contacts are a great way to keep our eyes happy and healthy, but contact lens wearers need to make sure they are keeping up their end of the bargain by cleaning and disposing of them on a regular basis. If you have any questions about when to dispose of or how to take care of your lenses just contact me anytime!

In just a few weeks ghosts, goblins, vampires and princesses will be showing up at your front door hoping for treats instead of tricks.  Halloween can be a really fun time for both children and adults to don costumes and transform themselves into something different for a day. One costume trend you may have seen in recent years is decorative or “cosmetic” contact lenses.  These lenses come in many styles – from zombies and vampires to sports team logos and animal prints.  They can be pretty cool to look at, but are they safe?

Wearing decorative contacts can be a scary choice at Halloween and any time of the year.  Federal law requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate decorative lenses as medical devices.  Decorative lenses, on the other hand, are often illegally marketed and distributed directly to consumers through places like flea markets, the Internet, beauty salons and other retail outlets.  Don’t assume that because they are sold in a reputable store they are safe. 

Historically, however, the biggest problems associated with decorative contacts have not been the contact themselves, but rather from poor hygiene, improper lens care and sharing of lenses by the wearer. Improper care of contacts can put you at risk for eye problems such as conjunctivitis, swelling, allergic reaction and even corneal abrasion.  Decorative contacts need to be treated with the same level of care as regular contact lenses, so if you do decide to use them follow the basic care instructions outlined below:

1. NEVER share lenses with anyone else. Doing this allows microscopic organisms to transfer between wearers and can result in serious eye problems.
2. Never buy your color contacts from flea markets or beauty salons. The lenses you obtain from these places may be of questionable quality and can be made from materials that are dangerous to your eyes.
3. Always wash your hands before handling contact lenses.
4. Carefully clean contact lenses using only products recommended by your optometrist.
5. If you have 20/20 vision and want to wear color contacts just for fun, visit an eye doctor. Most colored lenses offer two or more options for a base curve, a parameter that needs to be established by a doctor to ensure a proper, comfortable and safe fit.

You knew the day was coming. After years of happily wearing contacts it’s time for bifocals. You’re not old enough for that, are you?  Of course not! Lucky for you Proclear® now offers a 1 day Multifocal lens that has all the comfort and convenience you expect from a daily disposable lens!

Proclear’s 1 day multifocal lens offers you crisp clear vision whether your reading a book, working on your computer or watching your child on the Little League field. With their unique PC Technology your lenses will stay hydrated throughout the day whether you wear them for just a few hours or all day long. Plus, like all daily lenses, you get the health benefits and great feeling of fresh new lenses every day. Your eyes will thank you!

At Crozet Eye Care we are proud to be able to offer this great new lens from Proclear®, as well as many other options for contact lens wearers so that we can ensure your eyes are as healthy, comfortable and clear as they can be. Give us a call at (434) 823-4441 and let us make you and your eyes happy today!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since the first disposable contact lens was released. Many advances have been made over the years and this spring is no exception. Acuvue® just unveiled their latest breakthrough with their 1-Day Moist® for Astigmatism contact lenses.

Now, contact lens wearers with astigmatism have the option of a daily disposable lens. No more solutions or lens cases to worry about!

Like all astigmatism Acuvue® lenses, these feature Blink Stabilized design which naturally re-aligns the lenses, keeping them in place when blinking and avoiding the distortion that sometimes occurs when a lens rotates or shifts. Additionally, these new lenses feature Laceron Technology, which locks in moisture until they are disposed of, meaning you are comfortable from the moment you pop them in until you toss them at the end of the day.

With summer upon us, these lenses are outfitted with the highest level of UV protection available in a contact lens, blocking out 82% of UV-A and 97% of UV-B radiation. This not only helps protect your eyes but can also assist in preventing excess glare. We do, however, recommend wearing quality sunglasses for complete protection from the sun’s harmful rays.

We’re thrilled to be able to offer our patients with astigmatism the low maintenance, high comfort of a daily disposable lens with this new 1-Day Acuvue® Moist for Astigmatism lenses. We invite you to come check them out yourself. Give us a call at (434) 823-4441 to set up an appointment today!

It is not a strange sight to see. In fact, it is becoming a trend for teens and young adults to have “wild eyes,” also known as decorative contact lenses. These contact lenses come in many styles – from cat eyes, sports team logos, and aliens, to what appears to be a spider in the middle of the eye. You probably saw quite a few of these at Halloween.

While it is true that there have been numerous cases of individuals contracting serious eye infections after having worn decorative contact lenses, the lenses themselves are not the cause. In most cases, the problems have been caused by poor hygiene, improper lens care and sharing lenses with friends. Decorative contacts have to be treated with the same level of care as regular contact lenses:

1. NEVER share lenses with anyone else. This allows microscopic organisms to transfer between the wearers and serious eye problems can result.

2. Never buy your color contacts from flea markets or beauty salons. The lenses you obtain from these places are of questionable quality and can be made from materials that are dangerous to your eyes. According to the FDA, contact lenses are medical devices and can only be sold by an optometrist or licensed contact lens retailer.

3. If you have 20/20 vision and want to wear color contacts just for fun, visiting a doctor is highly advisable. Most colored lenses offer two or more options for a base curve, a parameter that needs to be established by a doctor to ensure a proper fit.

You may have noticed that stores like your pharmacy and grocer sell store-branded contact lens care products, also known as “private label” products. Often they are considerably cheaper than name-brand products. Should you use them?

These products are safe and FDA-approved, or they couldn’t be sold. But there are potential problems. Sometimes private label products are made from older formulations, which don’t offer the same advantages as newer products.

But here’s a bigger problem: As you know, you shouldn’t switch products without consulting your doctor to make sure the new solution is compatible with your lenses. Let’s say that you buy a bottle of Store-brand X. You use the product, and everything is dandy. Next time you buy Store-brand X, it may not be the same product. That’s because the store doesn’t, of course, make its own solution. They buy it from a supplier. If a better deal comes along, they might switch suppliers – and even formulations – but still sell the revised product under the “Store-brand X” name. The revised formulation may or may not be right for your eyes or your particular contact lenses.

More information on picking the right contact lens solution in the next issue! As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time!