Save Money On Eye Care With Vision Insurance

Vision insurance is a form of coverage that is often not included in many insurance plans offered by employers, although it is becoming more common today. Some plans, if they do have vision coverage, may just be for the eye exam. With the costs of glasses, contact lens and the various forms of laser surgery today, many people desire and require vision insurance. Some employers will offer vision insurance at an additional cost. These are the cafeteria style benefit programs where the employee selects the coverage level desired and pays the additional premiums.

There are various vision plans available independent of employer-provided insurance.

Purchased vision insurance programs differ in the kinds of coverage included and also in the amount of covered expenses. Most plans provide the minimum coverage, eye exam, glasses and contacts and glaucoma testing with the amount paid depending on the terms of the policy. The cost to consumer is approximately $50 per year. The cost is lower if it is an add-on to an employer provided policy or HMO. However, the HMO will restrict the selection of the provider to one within their network.

Some vision insurance plans, like other forms of insurance, will let you select the level of coverage that you desire. The better the coverage is, the higher the cost is. Some even provide partial coverage for laser correction surgery, although this is not included in many plans. Avesis is one such provider of vision plans. Their plan covers glasses and contact lens and a small portion of the costs of LASIK procedures. Their plan does not cover treatment of eye diseases. The insured has to stay within their provider network to obtain the maximum benefits. If they go outside the network, they have to pay the bill in full and submit a claim for reimbursement of the portion of the benefits covered. VSP is another provider of individual vision care plans. Their plans are similar to the one described for Avesis, with some variations. Since VSP is in the process of developing programs in various states, the individual has to check their website to see if coverage is available in their state yet. Eyemed, and Spectera are other vision care providers. All of them make a distinction between network providers and out-of-network providers.

Many employers, realizing the cost of eye care especially with the advances made, like LASIK surgery, make some form of coverage available and many times at an additional cost to the employee. Those without employer provided coverage can look on the internet for available vision insurance plans. Avesis, VSP, Eyemed and Spectera are the vision care providers. The costs and the level of coverage depend on the plan the individual selects but most plans just cover lenses and exams.

For more vision insurance information, visit http://www.1st-insurance-shop.com

Vision Health And Vitamins - Vitamins And Eye Exercises Really Can Help Improve Your Vision

It is well known that the consumption of vitamins can contribute to a healthy body and lifestyle although most people are not aware that vitamins and minerals are also necessary to maintain vision health. The cells in the body, eyes included, are dependant on the type of diet and environment that they are exposed to. A poor diet will lead to cell reconstruction becoming below par which in turn can result in diseases. Our diet can dictate how our cells restructure and a diet full of nutritious foods can ensure that our cells are constantly replaced with healthy cells. For the eyes, healthy cells mean good vision health.

Vitamins can be a source of prevention for many ocular diseases. Cataracts can cause blindness and results from gradual clouding the eye lens. It can be prevented by the use of antioxidant vitamins C and E which can defend the eye from free radicals that injure the cells in the eye. Vitamin B or Thiamin can also help vision health by maintaining the wellbeing of the optic nerve. Cataracts can also develop because of damage from ultraviolet light but this can also be prevented by the consumption of Carotenoids which are found in dark green, leafy vegetables such as spinach. Studies have shown that the chances of age related eye diseases can be lowered by up to 25% by adding high levels of antioxidant vitamins such as vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and zinc to the diet. Riboflavin and Vitamin A are also excellent aids to good eyesight.

Macular degeneration can also be eliminated or at least eased when enough antioxidants are consumed as caroenoids can protect the eye and slow down the condition. A healthy diet full of vitamin enriched foods such as green, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables is essential for vision health. Other excellent sources of necessary nutrients include blueberries, milk, poultry, eggs, beets and beef amongst many more. Improving the vision can be aided significantly by adding certain fruits and vegetables to the diet. Increasing the daily intake of such vitamins and minerals may require the use of additional nutritional supplements. It is advisable to consult a professional before adding supplements to the diet while cutting down on fat, alcohol and smoking may also help as can drinking enough fluids. There are many vitamin filled supplements that are designed to help improve vision on the market at the moment but again it is advisable to discuss these options with a doctor beforehand.

Medical Disclaimer: This article is designed for educational purposes only and should not be used in any other manner. This information is not intended to substitute for informed medical advice.

Ruth is actively involved with the internet and she finds it very exciting. Her passions are people and pet health. She is a wife, a stepmom a dog owner and a business person. She is married for almost 30 years to Chris who has been, and still is, battling the monster MS. Naturally Rebuilding Vision is a new interest Ruth has delved into.

Her About Page http://www.mimfreedom.com/aboutus.htm

Her Vision Page: http://www.rebuild-your-vision.com

Another Vision Site: http://www.mimfreedom.com/2006/Vision/

Rebuild Your Vision - With Eye Care You Can Strengthen And Improve Your Vision

Poor eyesight is a common problem that effect people in all areas of their lives, in severe cases it can dramatically decrease their quality of life so it is no wonder that people are constantly looking for ways to rebuild their vision. Eye disorders such as myopia and hyperopia (nearsightedness and farsightedness) can require the use of contact lenses or glasses but these simply aid the eyesight. They do not rebuild vision and can in fact cause the eyes to become entirely dependant on their use leading to the eyesight becoming weaker. There are various natural vision exercises that are said to improve vision such as wearing an eye patch to straighten eyes that are misaligned.

Eyes can become stressed and strained, needing natural exercises that improve tension in this area. Adults and children alike can benefit from improving the health of their vision. Orthoptics in particular is the use of eye exercises and vision therapy to improve the vision of children. These are individualized per child and can prevent a child from the necessity of glasses or eye surgery. An example being covering one eye to look at a certain object with the other, hopefully forcing this eye to focus and strengthen. These types of exercises are often made into a game to keep the child entertained and attentive. Other such treatments can include the use of patches and eye drops. Syntonics is another type of vision therapy that involves colored lights being directed into the eyes. The color is dependent on the type of eye disorder experienced.

It is growing increasingly popular to correct refractive errors such as astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness with eye exercises. Although doctors generally do not endorse them, there are many kits and books on the market aimed at people with poor eyesight who wish to rebuild their vision in the comfort of their own without having to resort to more serious and long-term measures.

The Bates Method is a program that aims to correct bad vision habits using relaxation techniques, games and other exercises. This program was created by the ophthalmologist William Bates, M.D., who claimed that it could improve eye sight, reverse ocular disorders and rebuild the vision by decreasing strain and restoring good habits within the eye. Many people claim to have been aided by the aforementioned methods but there are still controversial due to an absence of proven facts. The theories of the Bates method have been frequently contradicted however his exercises included covering the eyes with the palms so that the eye would see total black and be relieved of excess strain. Exposing the closed eyes to sunlight and avoiding staring were also advocated by Bates methods and claimed to increase vision health.

Ruth is actively involved with the internet and she finds it very exciting. Her passions are people and pet health. She is a wife, a stepmom a dog owner and a business person. She is married for almost 30 years to Chris who has been, and still is, battling the monster MS. Naturally Rebuilding Vision is a new interest Ruth has delved into.

Her About Page http://www.mimfreedom.com/aboutus.htm

Her Vision Page: http://www.rebuild-your-vision.com

Another Vision Site: http://www.mimfreedom.com/2006/Vision/

Eyesight After 40 - The Truth About Your Eyes and Near Vision

Do you have trouble seeing up close? you may have hyperopia. But it could also be presbyopia. Truth be told, they are both similar, but have different causes. As such, they have different treatments as well.

Hyperopia, or farsightedness, occurs when the light rays that enter the eye do not focus directly on the retina, but in fact, they focus behind it. This is caused when the eyeball is shorter than it should be. People can be affected by hyperopia at any age. Children sometimes outgrow this condition because their eyes grow as they do. But if they do not, hyperopia can be treated with corrective lenses, either glasses or contact lenses. Laser surgery, such as LASIK, is also an option.

Presbyopia, on the other hand, also causes one to have difficulty reading close up, but it is age-related, and affects people over 40. It is caused by the hardening of the lens inside the eye. The result is the same as hyperopia: poor near vision. Generally, this is treated with corrective lenses. Reading glasses, worn only when viewing things close up, are the most common treatment. Another choice is contact lenses to produce monovision, when one lens corrects the distance vision, if needed, and the other lens corrects the near vision. Wearers then train themselves to use one eye for reading and the other eye for seeing things in the distance. Contact lenses can also be fit as progressive multifocals, similar to progressive channel eyeglasses.

Hyperopia is not inevitable, and it can be treated surgically. Presbyopia is inevitable, and until recently, was not generally treated with surgery. When eyes begin to lose flexibility and are no longer to see crisply and clearly close up, it is time for treatment. Though surgery for presbyopia has become available, the overwhelming majority of sufferers still choose the option of wearing reading glasses. They are safe, they do not require an invasive procedure, and they are stylish. If losing your clear close vision due to presbyopia is a foregone conclusion, you may as well be fashionable when doing so.

Steve Cogger is an eye care specialist in practice in New York. His website http://www.ReadinStyle.com specializes in designer reading glasses and other eyewear for presbyopic eyes.

Eye Nutrition For Better Health And Vision

Most people have heard that carrots are good for the eyes, and in fact carrots are very good for the eyes. Carrots and most other orange colored foods, such as apricots, squash, pumpkin, red peppers and sweet potatoes contain carotene, and the body converts to vitamin A. but the best sources of vitamin A are found in broccoli and spinach. This vitamin is good for night vision and to prevent dry eyes as well as dry skin etc. If you aren't consuming many of these foods you should supplement your diet with a multiple vitamin that contains around 5000 units of this vitamin.

A multiple vitamin should contain vitamin D and E which is necessary for the body to process vitamin A. Do not over due these oil soluble vitamins because over 20,000 units a day build up in the body and may start to be toxic. It has been reported that after a few months of using more than 50,000 units a day may cause irritability, itching and loss of appetite and later on a loss of hair, enlarged liver, aching bones and abnormal mental behavior.

Vitamin C is found in citrus fruit as well as other fresh fruits like berries and melons. Cooking destroys this vitamin. It is not stored in the body, and must be consumed daily for optimum health. This vitamin is hard to over consume because the body just expels what it doesn't need. This vitamin along with vitamin E protects the eyes against cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Eye Institute reported recently that taking supplemental vitamin C, E, and beta carotene along with zinc reduced by 25% the affects of age related macular degeneration-a condition that destroys the central vision usually in the elderly.

Other eye healthy substances are selenium, and the omega 3 fatty acids. Most patients do not achieve an ideal level of omega 3 fatty acids with their normal diet. The use of nutritional supplements is now the preferred mechanism of therapy. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in Flaxseed oil, Borage oil, Black Current Seed oil and Fresh cold Water Fish oils. The recommended dose is 2000 mg. and can take up to 3 months to show significant improvement. Some find relief within 4-6 weeks. The only real contraindication to omega 3 fatty acids are those taking anti-platelet drugs because of a synergy these drugs share with Vitamin E.

This article may be reprinted only if it contains the following: For more information regarding the eyes and vision contact Dr. William Hunter at http://www.coloredcontacts.com and http://www.computervisionreadingeyeglasses.com

Good News for Aging Eyes - Monovision and Blended Vision

As we age, the tiny muscles in our eyes which control the lens start to become weaker. At the same time, the lens itself starts to stiffen and be less adjustable. These two developments combine to create a vision problem known as presbyopia.

When we start to need reading glasses after the age of 40 or so, we may still be able to see quite well at far distances. Eventually though, this will become impaired too, as the lens continues to stiffen and the muscles continue to weaken. It?s a slow process that creeps up on us.

What is Monovision?

Normally our two eyes work together, but we can learn to separate them, and use one eye for close-up vision and the other one for far vision.

It?s like a drummer, who learns to play one rhythm with his feet on the pedals, and a different rhythm, a cross-rhythm, with his sticks.

About 100 years ago, an experiment was done by a man who made some glasses which turned everything upside down. He wore these for a week or so and found that after 3 or 4 days, everything looked normal and he was able to walk around without any mishaps. When he took them off, everything looked upside down! So he had to re-learn to see normally.

Our human brains are remarkable for what they can learn. Most of us have a dominant eye. In monovision, this eye is adjusted to see far distances, and the other eye adjusted to see close-up. Our brain can learn in about 6 or 8 weeks to adjust.

Three Ways to Achieve Monovision

Monovision can be done using:
? Contact lenses
? Refractory surgery such as LASIK (blended vision)
? An implanted intraocular lens

Whichever way it?s done, the brain learns to see in this new way. There?s a compromise involved too, as for most people who have monovision, their visual clarity isn?t perfect at either close or far distances. But it?s workable, and for some people, especially those who live active lifestyles, it?s a good solution.

Who is a good candidate?

Your eye surgeon will discuss the monovision option with you to see if you?d be a good candidate. If certain things are central to your lifestyle, you?d probably not want to have monovision:
? Any activities requiring very sharp distance vision
? Any activities requiring precise close-up vision
? A great deal of night driving

And if you want to have extremely sharp vision, monovision wouldn?t be a good choice for you.

Blended Vision

This is a type of monovision done with laser surgery for people with presbyopia. The non-dominant eye is made a bit nearsighted so it can see well up close, and the other eye is left as the distance eye. Our brain blends these two streams of information together smoothly and we aren?t aware of seeing differently from each eye.

Take a Test Run

Most eye surgeons will offer a pair of trial contact lenses so you can test blended vision before making the commitment to any laser surgery. If you find that you can?t adjust comfortably, you can return to using reading glasses.

For more information on monovision and blended vision, click here to visit the website of a LASIK surgeon in Los Angeles, California who specializes in monovision and blended vision correction for presbyopia.

Eye Exercises Proven Effective for Rebuilding Vision

While it's true that very few eye doctors offer instruction in natural eye exercises that can dramatically improve your vision, you should know that eye exercises are PROVEN to rebuild vision.

Natural vision therapy is recognized by:

1) American Optometric Association

2) Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences

3) Dictionary of Occupational Titles of the Employment and Training Administration

4) U.S. Public Health Service

5) Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration

6) National Center for Health Statistics

7) Bureau for Labor Statistics

8) Department of Health and Human Services

9) Association of Academic Health Centers

PLUS, 43 U.S. states recognize vision training in their occupational definitions of optometry, AND natural vision correction is recognized by many other agencies, associations, notable experts, and organizations.

Here's what leading experts in eye care say about natural vision correction:

"The American Optometric Association affirms its longstanding position that vision therapy is an effective therapeutic modality in the treatment of physiological dysfunctions of the vision system." -American Optometric Association, 1985

An article published in the American Journal of Optometry & Physiological Optics summarized that "the literature provides a solid base of research supporting vision therapy as an effective treatment mode for accommodative deficiencies. Vision therapy procedures have been shown to improve accommodative function effectively and to eliminate or reduce associated symptoms." -Rouse, 1987

"Symptoms were totally eliminated in 53% of the patients, reduced in 43% and remained the same in only 4%. Therefore ... an overall success rate of 96%. There is an impressive and increasing body of evidence attesting to the trainability of accommodative function." (From a study of 96 patients with some type of accommodative dysfunction who had completed a vision therapy program.) - Irwin B. Suchoff, O.D., and Timothy G. Petito, O.D. (1986) Journal of the American Optometric Association.

William has worn glasses for the last 20 years. Fed-up with his dependency on glasses and worried about the risks associated with eye surgery, he is presently using eye exercises to improve his vision. You can follow his progress at his blog - http://improvingmyeyesight.com/blog