Hopefully you have never had this happen to you: It is Sunday morning and you notice your eye is crusty and you have to rub it to get it to open completely.  It felt a little weird last night before you went to bed but you figured it would get better after you slept.  You look at yourself in the mirror and your eye is very red and doesn’t feel that great either.  What do you do next?  You could call your primary care physician’s office, leave a message, and hope that someone calls you back before Monday morning.  You could swing by that new urgent care place you saw advertised on TV and hope they aren’t so busy that you spend half a day there and that the doctor you see actually knows something about eye care.  Maybe you could go to the emergency room and wait, and wait, and wait some more for the on-call physician to get there, and then pay the high emergency room co-pays associated with your insurance.  Or, and here is the best option, you could contact our office and have Dr. Bodkin contact you within a few minutes to discuss your issues and see what the best course of action is – come in and be seen, pick something up at the pharmacy, or wait until Monday and schedule a visit.  You may not have noticed, but at the top right of this page (and every page of our website) is a tab that says “Emergency Eyecare.”  Clicking that tab will bring you to a page where you can enter your name, email, phone number and a message about your problem.  Clicking “Submit” will generate an email and a text message sent directly to Dr. Bodkin’s cell phone.  It doesn’t get any easier than that, and we all want easy when we are dealing with a problem with our eyes.

Glaucoma is usually a painless, symptomless, gradual loss of your vision so there is no wonder it is often referred to as the silent thief of sight. Often as much as 40% of a person’s vision can be lost before they notice anything has happened.  Unfortunately, this loss of sight is permanent.  Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness in the US.  More than 2.2 million people have glaucoma in the US with only half of them knowing it.  The best way to detect glaucoma is with regular comprehensive eye examinations, especially if you are at greater risk of developing the disease.  Those at higher risk include:

-          People over the age of 60

-          African Americans

-          People with diabetes

-          Anyone with a family history of glaucoma

Early detection of the disease is critical to the success of treatment.  While there is no cure, early intervention can slow and even stop the progression of vision loss.  There are several treatment options, but the most common treatment is with eye drops - usually as few as once a day. 

If you or a loved one falls into one of the high-risk categories above and you have not had an eye exam in over a year, please call our office at 843-388-6200 to schedule your appointment or use our convenient online scheduler.

Now that we have begun a new year, it is time to think about those resolutions we always make.  But, instead of the normal lose weight, exercise more, make more money resolutions, let’s focus on things you should be doing to improve your eye health:

1)      Protect your eyes from UV exposure!  UV rays are very harmful to our eyes and may cause cataracts, macular degeneration, pingueculae & pterygia, solar maculopathy, and aging.  That means wearing sunglasses that block 100% of UVA and UVB rays anytime you are outdoors during the day.  And yes that means on those overcast days as well. 

2)      Take better care of your contact lenses!  A recent report shows that more than 95% of contact lens wearers are non-compliant.  Anytime we don’t follow the doctor’s orders, we are increasing our risk for an adverse event associated with contact lenses.  These adverse events can range from mild dryness and discomfort to a very aggressive corneal ulcer that may leave you blinded.  Always discard of your lenses according to the schedule prescribed by your doctor.  Always use the specific contact lens solution prescribed by your doctor.  Always wash your hands and clean your lenses appropriately.  Lastly, keep your cases clean and change them every 2-3 months.  Check out this video for proper contact lens hygiene.

3)      Eat more vegetables and fish!  Vegetables, especially the green leafy kind, contain many nutrients and antioxidants that help keep your eyes healthy and performing well.  Fish is another great food for the eyes.  Omega 3’s found in fish (and flax seed) help promote healthy eyes and good tear production.  (This one may also help out with those other resolutions you made.)

4)      Get your eye health checked annually!  This is probably the most important thing you can do for your eyes.  A comprehensive eye exam is the best way to check for signs of any kind of eye problem and determine the best course of action to combat those problems.  Many issues arise gradually and without symptoms. If you wait until they get bad enough, they will be harder to treat and may even result in permanent damage to the eyes.  Just because you feel you can see just fine, does not necessarily mean your eyes are healthy.

These are just 4 simple things we can do that will improve our overall eye health.  Let’s make 2012 the year for optimal eye health!

You have all been waiting and it is finally here - the emPower! Electronic Focusing Eyewear!  We are one of the first offices in the entire world to carry this revolutionary new eyewear.  With the emPower!, you control your glasses instead of your glasses controlling you.  With a simple touch of your finger or tilt of your head you can adjust the focusing power of emPower!  

To introduce this game-changing product, we are having a launch party on Wednesday, December 14th from 4-7 PM.  Come by and check out the emPower! for yourself and see what it is all about!  We will be giving a special discount of $300 off during this special event.  There will be wine and hors d'ouevres for your enjoyment.  Please RSVP to here or call 843-388-6200.

You can see our previous post for more information about how emPower! works as well as see some of the national press coverage they have received.

 This may be something that you don’t really think about – what is the waiting room like at my doctor’s office?  While we strive to keep our wait times as close to zero as possible, there will inevitably be times when someone will need to relax in our waiting area – usually as a patient who is dilating or a family member who is waiting.  If you have to wait, we want you to be as comfortable as possible.  That is why we take such pride in our waiting area.  First off, you will have your choice of a very plush chair or a comfortable couch – no small hard chairs here.  Second, we have complimentary (on-demand) coffee, tea, or hot chocolate from our Keurig machine.  Next, we have a 42 inch flat panel TV showing CNN, The Today Show, or a popular sporting event (we have even been known to put it on the Cartoon Network for our younger patients).  We also offer you the opportunity to use our in-office iPad2 to surf the web, check email, update your Facebook status, play games (like Angry Birds), or learn about the eye and eye diseases.  For those who have their own iPad or wi-fi enabled device, we also offer complimentary wi-fi for your enjoyment.  We also have the latest edition of the Post and Courier and Moultrie News as well as local history books for you to peruse.  So, as you can see, we try to make you as comfortable as possible and make you feel at home in our office while you wait.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month.   Diabetes affects over 25 million Americans, 7 million of which may not even realize it.  Last year I discussed the serious complication of diabetic retinopathy which can lead to blindness.  But did you know that people with diabetes are 40% more likely to develop glaucoma and 60% more likely to develop cataracts.  Glaucoma can painlessly rob you of your sight over time if left uncontrolled.  Cataracts will cause blur and glare and will eventually need to be removed surgically.  These are just two more reasons why it is important for diabetics to have regular eye examinations.

This year we are having our Diabetes Awareness Day on Thursday, November 17^th from 9:00-5:30.  We will be offering complimentary diabetic eye screenings and well as offer counseling and education about diabetic eye diseases.  If you, or someone you know, would like to schedule a screening, please call us at 843-388-6200 or use our online scheduler (be sure to put Diabetes Awareness Day in the notes section).  Space is limited.

It is that time of year again - time for us to show our appreciation to you for being such wonderful patients!  Without you there would be no Vision Center at Seaside Farms.



This year we will be celebrating on Wednesday, October 26th from 4-7 PM. 

There will be hors d'oeuvres, wine, and other beverages for your enjoyment.  We will have a massage therapist from Natural Health Center providing complimentary chair massages.  There will also be a nail technician offering manicures and hand massages free of charge.  Everyone who stops by will receive a goodie bag and there will be numerous giveaways including a pair of Banana Republic Aviator Sunglasses, a year supply of Opti-Free Replenish (4 bottles), a 30 inch Hugo Boss Bag, a Lilly Pulitzer Photo Album and much much more. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you (and your friends and family)! 

Here is another common question we get quite a bit: When I am choosing my frames, they are all the same right? I mean, glasses are glasses?  The short answer is no.  Below is the long answer:

1)      Frames vary greatly in the material used.  Let’s look first at metal frames.  They can be made from nickel, steel, stainless steel, flex metal, aluminum, carbon fiber, titanium and various mixes.  Each metal has its own properties that relate to the overall quality of the frame.  Even frames made from the same metal can vary in their quality.  For example, some frames are made of a single layer stainless steel while others can be made from multiple layers which will add strength and durability to the frame without increasing the weight.  Next let’s consider plastic eyewear.  There are numerous plastics used for eyewear that incorporate different compounds to give them their properties.  The most basic plastics are lighter in weight and can become brittle as they age.  Higher end plastics start incorporating compounds like cotton that add weight, durability and forgiveness to the frame.  

2)      There are different manufacturing processes.  Some frames are massed produced using industrial machinery compared to others that are completely handmade by a craftsman or artisan (or a combination of the two).  The more time spent in the hands of the craftsman will equal more attention to detail and quality for each frame produced.  Frames are also made all over the world.  They can be made in China where their manufacturing guidelines are more lax and the workforce is poorly compensated or they can be made in a country like Germany that has a highly skilled workforce with stricter manufacturing standards. The latter will provide a higher quality product that you can count on being made correctly.

3)      Frame design can employ varying amounts of advanced engineering.  Frames can have a basic screw hinge for the temples (sides) or they can incorporate an advanced screwless design that will not loosen over time.  Advanced engineered frames can include a grooved design for lens placement that will hold a lens more securely than a traditional beveled pop in and out design.  Some frames will also incorporate engineering that allows the temples to fold in different directions to make them less likely to break. 

4)      There are different levels of style incorporated into frames.  A frame can be your basic shape and size you have seen for the past 30 years or it can be styled by a big name in the fashion industry such as Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang or Fendi.  This will provide a trendier and more fashion forward eyewear design.

All four of these traits will play a major factor in how durable, fashionable, pricey and of course how much you will enjoy your new eyewear.  Stop in and check out our collection of frames and our knowledgeable and well trained staff will be glad to show you the differences and answer any questions you may have. 

It is almost time for the NFL season to begin and we are very excited.  Because of this excitement, we are going to use this season to run our next contest - Survival Football.  Each week you pick one team to win their game.  If they win, then you get to play again next week.  If they lose, then you are out of the competition.  Don't worry, we are going to give you one second chance.  What makes this interesting is you can only choose each team once.  So, if you pick the Steelers to win in week one, you are not allowed to pick them the rest of the season.  The winner will receive a $200 gift certificate to use in our office.  Second place will win a $50 gift certificate.  It is free to join - all you need is a Yahoo ID.

Click here to join our league.  The league ID is 16978 and the password is eyeballs.  Make sure you join before September 11th in order to be eligible to play.




Fine Print: No Purchase Necessary. Winners will be contacted via email at the end of the 2011-2012 NFL season.  In the event of a tie, the tiebreaker will be the number of strikes each player has.  If there is still a tie, then each winner will receive the $200 prize.  Feel free to contact us with any questions.

The number one contact lens solution on the market has just gotten an upgrade!  Introducing Opti-Free PureMoist multipurpose disinfecting solution.   PureMoist offers the same great disinfecting and cleaning action we love about Opti-Free RepleniSH but adds a new wetting agent called HydraGlyde Moisture Matrix.  HydraGlyde imbeds itself onto and within the surface of the contact lens and then attracts and retains moisture.  This creates an environment of moisture that facilitates wetting for up to 16 hours, which is well beyond any wetting agents currently used in other solutions.  In one study, over 3/4 of contact lens patients who reported lens dryness noticed improved comfort with Opti-Free PureMoist.  Watch this video to see how HydraGlyde works:

Alcon, the company that makes Opti-Free PureMoist, is working with us to offer large bottles (10 oz) of this new solution at no charge in order to study the initial response to this revolutionary new multipurpose solution. We only have a few bottles left, so if you would like to try this out then schedule your appointment today and Dr. Bodkin will determine if you are a good candidate to benefit from Opti-Free PureMoist with HydraGlyde.