Getting Your Next Physical or X-ray at Your Neighborhood Walmart?
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A September 2019 article in the Healthcare section of Forbes magazine was about the recent opening of “Walmart Health”, a supercenter for healthcare services in Dallas, Georgia. The 10,000 square-foot facility includes primary medical services, dental, hearing and optometry care, labs, X-rays, wellness education and counseling. The new model of putting key health care services under one roof is expected to be replicated in other areas around the country. The health center is not going unnoticed by rivals CVS and Walgreens who are also introducing outpatient healthcare services through similar models. The online giant Amazon is also exploring various models as they consider entering the healthcare market. Says Sean Slovenski, Vice President of Walmart Health, “we are trying to solve problems for our customers. We already have the volume. We have the locations and the right people.”
For the record, Chicopee Eyecare is a private practice and unlike what happened to locally owned pharmacies like the one that I used to work in as a teenager, we have no plans to become part of any corporate or retail entity. Maintaining 100% control of our practice allows us to give our patients the necessary time and level of care we choose to without any pressure from an outside company whose main interest is a return on their investment.
Brett Burns, O.D.
Camille Guzek-Latka, O.D.
David C. Momnie, O.D.
Julianne M. Rapalus, O.D.
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No More Needles for This Patient of Ours
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A recent patient’s right arm caught my attention and he let me take a picture of his new device. “Why prick when you can scan?” is what the FreeStyle Libre System company says. My patient has diabetes and also hates needles—not a good combination to have. The Libre device on his arm monitors his blood glucose (sugar) levels continuously and stores the readings, freeing him from poking himself in the finger several times a day. The device is water-resistant so it stays on in the shower and even while swimming. And an app on his phone displays the glucose readings to him at his convenience. This device seems particularly attractive to children and teenagers with type 1 diabetes who often have to check their blood sugars three or four times a day. As medical technology continues to develop, we can expect more devices like this to improve the quality of our lives. Our office performs diabetic eye examinations on a daily basis to check for any of the damaging effects to the eye of this chronic disease.
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Champagne Cork Injuries Can be Serious
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Last month, someone standing near the reality star Theo Campbell popped a bottle of champagne and the cork flew into his eye with such force that the eye was blinded. Two eye surgeries following the injury were unsuccessful in restoring vision to the eye. Any forceful blow to an eye can result in a traumatic cataract and vision can be restored with cataract surgery but in Campbell’s case, the injury was more involved. Champagne bottles are filled with gas that expands when the bottle is not kept chilled, increasing the pressure within the bottle. Shaking the bottle increases the pressure further.
To properly remove a cork, place a towel over the bottle while pointing it away from yourself and anyone in the room, firmly hold the cork and gently twist the bottle, (not the cork), allowing the pressure in the bottle to push the cork out. To see a close call with a champagne cork, watch this video of Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic after winning a tennis match against Roger Federer. Click
here
to watch.
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CNN Health: Teenage Boy Goes Blind ...
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A research team at Osaka University in Japan recently reported that they had performed the world’s first corneal transplant in July using laboratory reprogrammed stem cells which were then transplanted into a 40-year-old woman, resulting in improved vision. The potential applications of this technology are enormous because many patients around the world go blind due to a shortage of donor corneas from people who have died. The research team hoped the procedure would be available as a common treatment within 5 years and have four more adult patients scheduled for the procedure.
Japanese physicians have also used similar stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries and Parkinson’s disease.
One of our subspecialties at Chicopee Eyecare is the fitting of scleral lenses for people with keratoconus and other visually debilitating diseases of the cornea. Without these large, rigid contact lenses, these patients would face a corneal transplant as described above to restore their vision.
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Case of the Month
Shingles in the eye
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Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It’s the same virus that causes chickenpox which most of us over forty had as a child. Why don’t we all get shingles, a painful rash on one side of the chest, back or face? Because the virus usually remains dormant in the body’s nerve tissue for many years. However, stress or a weakened immune system can trigger an episode of the painful blisters and we usually see at least one or two cases involving the eye every month. The medical name is herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) and it requires careful treatment, often with steroid and antiviral eye drops to avoid any loss of vision. A recent study at the University of Michigan found that the incidence of HZO has tripled in the U.S. from 2004 to 2016.
If you ever get a rash on one side of your face and the skin of the upper lid or side of the nose is involved, you should consider the diagnosis of shingles and see your physician for oral antiviral medication (e.g. acyclovir) and follow up with an eye exam. Also, if you're over the age of 50, we recommend you get the Shingrix vaccine which will reduce your risk of getting shingles by over 90%.
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This Patient of Ours Came to the Right Place
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One of our staff happened to see this parking job by one of our patients recently. I’ll admit that the parking lot lines are a little faded but nonetheless, we’re glad that our patient came in for an eye exam!
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Thank You for Google Reviews
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Thank you if you’ve given us a nice Google Review.
If you were happy with your experience at Chicopee Eyecare, your positive review helps us spread the word and market our practice to potentially new patients.
Click Here
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Catch up on our newsletters
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I
N CASE OF EMERGENCY
Chicopee Eyecare provides "24/7" coverage for emergency eye care for our patients.
We recommend that you do not go to the emergency room for an eye injury or acute eye problem unless it is very serious. Drs. Momnie, Guzek-Latka, Rapalus and Burns keep slots open for urgent care visits for new and established patients during normal office hours, and provide around-the clock emergency coverage for our established patients for after-hours and weekends.
Call 592-7777 before calling your PCP or visiting a hospital ER!
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Office Hours
We are available when you need us
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Our office and optical department are open during the following hours:
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Monday 9:00 am - 5:30 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9:00 am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9:00 am - 6:30pm
Friday 9:00 am - 5:30 pm
Saturday 9:00 am -12:30 pm
One of our doctors is always available for emergencies on nights, weekends and holidays. Call (413) 592-7777 and our answering service will put you in touch with an on-call optometrist.
"The people in this office are committed to providing you with the highest quality of eye care and to treating you with kindness and respect.
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©2019 Chicopee Eyecare - All Rights Reserved
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