Use flex spending dollars for eyeglasses and contact lenses.

Flex spending accounts are a very popular way to beat the rising cost of healthcare. The problem is that in the beginning of year you have to decide how much you want to put aside for your medical expenses. As you know this can be hard to do, since a person’s health can be unpredictable. The other major problem with this tax beneficial healthcare payment program is that money in an account that is not spent during the calendar year in which it is deposited will be forfeited. In other words, you need to “use it or lose it”.

We have a solution for you that can keep you from losing your hard earned flex spending dollars, that you may not have thought of. Order some contact lenses, get some new designer eyeglasses, or get a new pair of prescription sunglasses.

Stop in today and use those FSA dollars before you lose them!

This month (November) is National Diabetic Eye Disease Month. In honor of this, we have put together some facts for you to consider if you are diabetic or know someone who is.

1. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people ages 20-74.

2. Roughly 16,000 people unnecessarily lose their vision to complications of diabetes every year.

3. Approximately 54 million Americans aged 40-74 (over 40%) are prediabetic. Being prediabetic puts patients in the HIGH risk category for developing type 2 diabetes.

4. Diabetics are over 40% more likely to develop glaucoma. Glaucoma can cause legal blindness with absolutely no signs or symptoms.

5. There are over 6 million diabetics that are unaware that they have the disease.

6. With early detection and treatment, permanent vision loss from diabetic retinopathy can be avoided.

7. All diabetic patients should have dilated, routine eye exams at least once a year with your optometrist or ophthalmologist. Patients with a history of retinopathy should be seen more often than once a year. The eye is the only organ in the human body in which blood vessels can be observed without cutting you open. When there is leakage or damage to the blood vessels in the eye, there is likely similar findings in the brain, heart, lungs and kidneys.

8. In many cases there are no appreciable symptoms of early stage diabetic retinopathy.

9. If symptoms are noted, they may include: Blurred vision, double vision, a feeling of pressure in your eyes, straight lines appear wavy or crooked, and loss of peripheral vision.

10. If you are diabetic (or someone you know or love is), think about when your last eye exam (or theirs)… If it has been more than 12 months, pick up the phone and call the friendly and knowledgeable staff at Torrington Eyecare to set up an appointment today – (860) 482-4439.

Litchfield, Goshen, Norfolk, Harwinton, New Hartford, Winsted and residents of all of our surrounding cities and towns are officially invited to join our growing practice… We understand that although you live in surrounding towns, many people from these towns travel into Torrington to shop, do their banking, and for the purpose of entertainment. While you’re in the city, why not stop by and see us, we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised! 

You may feel like you don’t have time to fit a routine eye exam into your busy schedule, but at Torrington Eyecare we have convenient evening and Saturday hours, and we work hard to find you a time slot that can fit your schedule. An exam with one of our eye doctors can help prevent a lifetime of blindness (see why should I have an eye exam every year) so call us today at 860-482-4439, you’ll be glad you did.

And just to make sure that nobody from other towns is offended, here is your invite: The residents of these CT towns are also officially invited to move their eye care to our office:

Ok I think we got them all now! See you soon…

Vision Insurance Plans like eyemed and vsp seem to be changing every day. For patients with eyemed, vsp, or any of the other similar vision benefit providers, it can be hard to keep up with all the changes that come your way.   If you are new to the eyemed plan, you may have noticed that your regular eye doctor (optometrist or ophthalmologist) is no longer on your list of approved providers.  You may also notice that most of the providers with which you are offered are located within a commercial setting (lenscrafters, sears, pearle vision, etc). This is because there has been a growing trend of contract negotiation issues with private practitioners and the management group at eyemed, that has lead to many private OD’s and OMD’s to drop the plan.

Although this is the trend that we here at Torrington Eyecare are seeing and experiencing, we have decided to continue on the eyemed panel for at least another year. We have come to this verdict based on the fact that economic times are hard for our patients and also for the companies who employ them.  This recessional period has forced business and government agencies to cut back on spending, especially on health care benefits. These changes have resulted in record numbers of patients in our area being sent to low cost vision insurance options such as eyemed and vsp. 

We feel that our patients’ vision and well being is too important to us, to simply drop your plans because of contractual issues. So if your insurance has changed and you are worried about no longer being able to see us, don’t worry, we are here for you.  If you are not currently our patient and your insurance has changed to eyemed or vsp and you current doctor is no longer rendering service to eyemed and vsp patients, we are always accepting new patients, so give us a call and we will work hard to earn your trust and friendship.

Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will be happy to schedule you an appointment, as well as go over any plan benefit questions you may have. They can be reached at 860-482-4439 during the office hours listed at the bottom left of this page.  We look forward to seeing our old friends and our new ones!

Why should I have an eye exam every year?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions that we receive in our office. Having your eyes examined every year is more than just checking your vision and maybe getting a new prescription for glasses and or contacts. It is a very important part of your overall preventative health screening.

What most patients don’t know is that the eye is the only organ in the body that a doctor can observe blood vessels functioning without cutting you open. These same blood vessels course through all the other organs of the body including your heart, brain, liver, and kidneys. When an eye doctor sees abnormalities in the blood vessels of your eye, it may lead to detection of other systemic diseases that would otherwise not be found until it is too late. Some systemic diseases that can show signs during an eye exam include diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, thyroid problems, multiple sclerosis, sarcoidosis, myasthenia gravis, ankylosing spondylitis, pseudotumor cerebri, and even gastrointestinal polyps/cancer.

Here is an example of what the doctor sees when looking inside the eye at the human retina.

Our doctors at Torrington Eyecare are highly trained in the detection of ocular and systemic diseases during routine exams. Many sight threatening disease processes, such as glaucoma, have absolutely no symptoms until extensive irreversible damage to your vision has been done. Only following a yearly preventative eye exam can you be sure that you do not have glaucoma. You CAN have 20/20 vision and still have glaucoma…

Although an eye exam is not a replacement for a yearly physical with your primary care physician, it is a necessary addition, and is highly recommended for patients of all ages. It is even more critical for patients over the age of 50 to have a yearly eye exam as the risk of ocular diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration increases significantly.

If it has been more than a year since your last eye exam, call our friendly staff today at (860) 482-4439 to get scheduled. You only get one set of eyes… Let us help you keep them healthy!

If you are a new patient to our practice, please feel free to learn more about us by visiting our homepage by clicking the link below:

www.torringtoneyecare.com

Prevent macular degeneration (aka age related macular degeneration, senile macular degeneration, AMD, or ARMD) by taking eye omega advantage fish oils with lutein and zeaxanthin. Recent studies have shown that you can now greatly reduce your risk of getting macular degeneration without the use of prescription medications.

You may be thinking to yourself, “that’s great, I am already taking fish oils, and i take a daily multivitamin, so I should be safe.” Although this is a good start to ensure long-lasting eye health and vision, store bought omega 3’s and multivitamins do not contain the quality ingredients or the clinically significant dosages that have been found to be helpful in numerous wet and dry AMD studies, which means you may be throwing money away on supplements that are providing you little to no ocular benefits.

Luckily, there are a few companies that are currently making prescription grade fish oils that contain the study recommended dosage of omega 3s in a triglyceride format (the triglyceride form is more easily absorbed and ultimately more available in your bloodstream for your eyes and body to use). Unfortunately fish oils alone are only one part of the equation, studies have shown that other vitamins a minerals are important when used in combination with omega 3’s. I have personally tried 4 products from 4 different companies and have come to a conclusion that the EYE OMEGA ADVANTAGE product from physician recommended nutraceuticals ranks #1. This conclusion has been based on the following criteria: appropriate levels of omega 3 fish oils in a triglyceride format per dose, pill size and quantity required, lack of fishy flavor or “fish burp”, combination of lutein and zeaxanthin levels appropriate to study formularies, and cost per month for treatment.

Most of my hundreds of dry macular degeneration patients take these supplements and we have seen a drastic decrease in the number patients converting from dry macular degeneration to wet macular degeneration over the last year. Most of my patients are also taking an AREDS vitamin (ICAPS) that provide study appropriate levels of essential vitamins. Again a multivitamin like centrum or centrum silver does not contain adequate levels of AREDS vitamins.

This regimen is not suitable for all patients however, especially smokers, because of the high levels of vitamin A in the AREDS formulation which has been shown to increase the incidence of lung cancer. Therefor no one regimen of supplements is perfect for everyone worried about developing macular degeneration. You should consult an optometrist before starting any supplement treatments, so you can be sure you are taking what is right for you!

If you are looking for advice on which supplements you should be taking based on your risk factors, please call Dr. Sirignano’s office at 860-482-4439 to set up a consult. If you have already met with him or another eye doctor and have been given the ok to start treatment, you can visit the link below for more information on the eye omega advantage neutraceuticals.

Click here for more information on eye omega advantage

As a thank you for visiting our site, here is a coupon code to receive 10% off every order you make on the physician recommended neutraceuticals site – simply enter the following code: TorEyeCare10 in the promotional code or coupon code box at checkout. Without this code the company may not ship your order to you since these supplements are only sold with a doctor’s recommendation, this code will also ensure that the company knows you are taking them as directed.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call our office!

Longer, thicker eyelashes aren’t just for movie stars anymore. Latisse is a new medication that has been FDA approved to provide a boost to your existing eyelashes, giving you a more full and beautiful look. The active ingredient in Latisse is Bimatoprost, the same active ingredient in a popular glaucoma treatment known commerically as Lumigan. Bimatoprost has been thoroughly tested throughout the last decade and has been found to be safe if used as directed.

Please view the official Latisse commercial below for more information, then call our office at 860-482-4439 to set up your consult with Dr. Sirignano.

Please Note: Latisse is only available via prescription and should only be used under the approval of a qualified eyecare professional.

Torrington Eyecare is happy to announce the arrival of all new, state of the art diagnostic equipment. Our new technology will provide extremely accurate and detailed data to ensure that you have the most comfortable and thorough eye exam possible.

Along with a new autorefractor (which uses modern science to help find your correct eyeglass perscription) and an autokeratometer (used to safely and comfortably fit contact lenses), our office is now equipped with a GDx vcc scanning laser nerve fiber analyser (for treatment and management of glaucoma), a 15 mega pixel non-mydriatic retinal camera (gives a high detailed magnified image of the back of the eye without the help of dilation drops), and a Humphrey visual field analyser (tests peripheral vision for diagnosing and monitoring retinal and cerebral diseases).

Not all eye exams are created equal. If your current eye doctor does not have this state of the art equipment, you are not getting the most advanced exam possible… Give us a call at (860) 482-4439 to schedule your 21st century exam today.

If you are looking to find an eye doctor in CT that accepts VSP (vision service plan) in CT, you have come to the right place. Torrington Eyecare is now accepting new VSP patients! While other offices are dropping VSP insurance all together, we are increasing our availability for you. You work hard for your vision benefits and you should be able to use them. Give the office a call at (860) 482-4439 today to set up an appointment.

Torrington Eyecare is proud to announce the introduction of Coach Eyewear into the practice. A leader in quality fashion products, Coach has something for women of all ages. These fashionable frames are sure to draw the attention of everyone that passes by.

With the summer rapidly approaching, the levels of cataract and macular degeneration forming UV radiation will be increasing. Only a sunglass providing UVA, UVB, and UV 400 protection can completely eliminate the damage from these harmful rays. All coach sunglasses will block UVA, UVB, and UV400 rays…

Not only should your glasses provide exceptional eye protection, they should also say something about who you are, after all they will be a part of your daily wardrobe for at least a year. So why not stop down and check out the new collection? Treat yourself, you’re worth it!