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Categories General, LASIK Eye Surgery Posted on Author bericksmith@gmail.com

Toys for Tots

The Utah Eye Centers is thrilled to kick off the “Most Wonderful Time of The Year” with their Toys for Tots campaign. This is a great opportunity for all of us to show our gratitude for the community’s support and give back to those that are in need of some extra help for the holidays this year. From now until Christmas the Utah Eye Centers will be offering $1,100 off LASIK to their patients when they bring in a $30 toy. After receiving all of the toys the United Way helps us donate them to local families and children that are in need of Christmas. We look forward to this time of year and are grateful for a wonderful community that continues to support us. Take advantage of this great opportunity to get LASIK and throw away your glasses and contacts while helping a family in need for Christmas.

Call us today to schedule your Free LASIK Consultation. 801-409-9720

Categories LASIK Eye Surgery Posted on Author bericksmith@gmail.com

My LASIK experience – M. Perkins

For the last two or three years, my mom has been asking me to consider LASIK surgery to correct my vision. I didn’t mind wearing contacts, so I resisted.

Okay, that’s not true. I resisted out of fear. Pure, irrational fear. The idea of someone slicing my eye open and mixing things around scared the hell out of me. It still does. But, once my mom told me she had plans to go on a LDS mission, I was more easily swayed. She wanted my sister and I to have the surgery before she left so we wouldn’t have to worry about paying for contacts out of pocket. So, we immediately began meeting with my optometrist and I became a candidate for LASIK.

My optometrist referred me to the Ogden office of the Utah Eye Centers where I was scheduled to have the procedure done by Dr. Mark Ballif. Knowing that Dr. Ballif is the founder of the Utah Eye Centers made me less nervous. So, on Thursday Sept. 10 at 7 a.m., with 5 mg of Valium in my system, I underwent the procedure.

—Read the Whole Customer Review—

Categories LASIK Eye Surgery, Our Doctors Posted on Author bericksmith@gmail.com

Backpack Bonanza

Once again the Utah Eye Centers has teamed up with the United Way and kicked off their BACKPACK BONANZA campaign. At the beginning of every school year the United Way gathers backpacks and school supplies and donates them to local school children who are in need of help. A couple years ago the Utah Eye Centers approached the United Way with the BACKPACK BONANZA campaign and they were ecstatic to have us on board.

The Utah Eye Centers supports the BACKPACK BONANZA by offering a $1,100 discount off LASIK to all their patients. In order for patients to receive this discount, they needed to bring at least $30 worth of backpacks or school supplies with them on surgery day. Read more >>

Backpack Bonanza

 

 

Dr. Bullard
Categories Pediatrics Posted on Author bericksmith@gmail.com

Dr. Mike Bullard

Utah Eye Centers is excited to introduce Dr. Mike Bullard. Dr. Bullard is the only full-time Pediatric Ophthalmologist north of Salt Lake City. He is currently practicing at the Mount Ogden, Bountiful Hills, and Salt Lake City locations. We are honored to have Dr. Bullard on our team and expect great things to come. Dr. Bullard’s expertise will be a blessing to the northern Utah families and he is excited to help correct your children’s vision as well as help adults who struggle with strabismus. Get to know Dr. Bullard a little bit better by reading his biography below.

Dr. Mike Bullard, was raised in Davis County. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah, where he was awarded multiple scholarships and honors, including the Academic All American for Men’s Tennis. He received his Medical Degree from the University of Iowa Carver College Of Medicine in 2009. His residency in Ophthalmology was completed at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center where he remained to complete a fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology from 2013-2014. He graduated in the top 1% of his class and received numerous awards from both peer recognition and academically. Dr. Bullard is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, and the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Dr. Bullard is also interested in orthoptic training, strabismus measurements and treatments for amblyopia. When he is not in the office he loves spending time with his beautiful wife and children going skiing, camping and enjoying the outdoor activities.

Categories General Posted on Author bericksmith@gmail.com

Contact Lens & Dry Eye Specialists

I recently had the opportunity to teach optometry technicians who are basically Komoka optometrist at the annual conference of the Utah Optometry Association. Our topic was contact lenses and the benefits and risks that patients experience from using contact lenses. We covered all available lenses: soft, traditional rigid gas permeable, and specialty lenses used for fitting irregular corneas with keratoconus or transplants.

I had a lot of fun being an instructor at the UOA and teaching a topic that I am very passionate about. Contact lenses have come a long way compared to when they were first introduced in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Modern designs and materials are much easier to work with than they used to be. We can fit more patients’ eyes now than we ever could before. I personally have fit contacts for patients ranging from newborns to 80+ years old.

Although technology with contacts continue to improve and we are fitting more contact lenses than ever before, it is still very important to remember that it is essential to take care of your contact lenses as directed by your doctor. This includes replacing them on time and not sleeping in lenses that aren’t approved for such use. If you are following the appropriate directions, you will reduce the risks that are involved in wearing contacts and will be able to enjoy your vision with contact lenses over your lifetime.

Categories LASIK Eye Surgery Posted on Author bericksmith@gmail.com

Latest Advance In Laser Eye Surgery

The New VICTUS® Femtosecond Laser Platform, from Bausch + Lomb is Designed to Support Positive Patient Experience and Outstanding Visual Results in Cataract and LASIK Procedures

Utah Eye Centers, the leading comprehensive ophthalmology practice in northern Utah, announced today the Mount Ogden facility now offers eye surgery for cataracts and LASIK with an advanced laser system, the VICTUS® femtosecond laser platform. They are the only practice north of Salt Lake City with a fixed site femtosecond laser for cataracts and LASIK. The versatile VICTUS platform is designed to provide greater precision compared to manual cataract and LASIK surgery techniques. According to Scott Sykes, M.D., the Victus laser is the only laser approved to perform treatments for both cataract and LASIK surgeries.

“With the VICTUS platform, we are able to automate some of the steps that we have commonly performed manually,” said Mark Ballif, M.D. “While we have performed thousands of successful cataract and LASIK surgeries, the VICTUS platform helps us to improve the procedures to give our patients the best outcomes possible.”

The VICTUS platform features a sophisticated, curved patient interface with computer-monitored pressure sensors designed to provide comfort during the procedure. The VICTUS platform also offers real-time, three-dimensional imaging of the eye to aid Utah Eye Centers in planning and monitoring the operation. The laser itself has a rapid pulse rate that allows the portion of the Cataract and LASIK procedure performed on the VICTUS to be completed in just a few seconds.

“Everything about the VICTUS platform was designed to give us a greater degree of control and more real-time information during the procedure,” said Michael B. Wilcox, M.D. “The VICTUS laser enhances our ability to offer the latest, most advanced surgery to our cataract and LASIK patients and give them the results this community has come to expect from us.”

Read More about the latest advance in Laser Eye Surgery used by Utah Eye Centers (PDF)

Categories Our Doctors Posted on Author bericksmith@gmail.com

Tips For Eye Health

One of the most powerful organs in the body is your eyes. It is not only the window to the soul, but the window to your world. Your eyes have one of the most active muscle systems in the body. Your eyes are moving constantly, even while you are sleeping. Saccadic eye movements are happening over 100 times per second. The information gathered by the eye and interpreted by the brain is very complex, yet opens a whole new world of information and stimulus to us all. So don’t turn a “blind eye” concerning your eye’s health. Here are a few tips to keep your eyes healthy.

Tips For Eye Health:

Computer Fatigue
Computer use has increased eye stress and fatigue. Check out More Bonuses here if you need eye check ups. If you manage a few adjustments you may find less fatigue. If you are at the computer longer than an hour a day, make sure you take a break about every 20-30 minutes and look out into the distance for 2-3 minutes and then resume your computer work. If you are on the computer all day long make sure you add a 5 minute walk about every 2 hours. Change the location of your computer so there is no glare on the monitor. You decrease your blink rate by 25-30 percent while on the computer so dry eye is a concern. You may find artificial tears beneficial or lowering your computer screen so your eyes are looking down. This will allow for a smaller opening between the lids and may help with dry eye. You could get legal help in case of an injury or accident and read more about this and find out about the pedestrian laws.

Physical Exercise
A routine exercise plan will reduce the risk of developing diabetes, the number one cause of blindness in the United States. Exercise can also reduce the eye pressure by up to 20 percent allowing for a lower risk for glaucoma.

Protective Eye Wear
Wear protective eyewear whenever you are in a hazardous situation. This will include most sports, especially racquet ball and paint ball. Even when working in the yard, lawn mowers and trimmers throw projectiles at very high speeds that can permanently damage your eyes. Hammering a nail or using chemicals all have risk for eye injury so use the appropriate eye protection.

Wear Shades
With the Ozone layer breaking down we are getting more harmful radiation exposure. The eye absorbs much of this in the cornea, lens and retina. It is important to use sun glasses that protect from UVA and UVB radiation.

Don’t Smoke
Smoking increases the risk of macular degeneration, cataracts and optic nerve disease. If you smoke and have diabetes you increase your risk of diabetic retinopathy the leading cause of blindness in the United States.

Omega 3
Omega 3 not only helps the heart, but it helps in many ways for your eye health too. It adds a protective factor and also can help combat dry eye.

Your eyes are a window to the world. Using these simple tips will aid in keeping them healthy throughout your life.

Categories LASIK Eye Surgery Posted on Author bericksmith@gmail.com

UEC and Toys for Tots

For most children, their most favorite time of the year is Christmas morning. It can be a magical day full of presents, surprises, and loving memories. While we all know that Christmas shouldn’t be solely about the presents, most of us have witnessed how enchanted Christmas is for a child when they get to open something fun! However, it is not that way for all children. What about the children who, due to circumstances, can’t have a Christmas? Wouldn’t it be great if there was some way to help those children who can’t have a Christmas? Thanks to the generosity of the patients at The Utah Eye Centers, Christmas is made possible for many children in the local area.

The Utah Eye Centers, in conjunction with the United Way, has developed a “Toys for Tots” campaign for people who want to have LASIK eye surgery during the holiday season. If a Utah Eye Centers LASIK patient brings in a new $30.00 toy, we will reduce the price of the LASIK procedure by $1,100. This program started October 1st and runs through the month of December. All the toys are then sent to United Way with their Santa United Holiday Giving Project. They work with local families and make sure that the toys go to struggling families who, without these donations would be left without a Christmas. In 2013 alone, “Santa United” provided Christmas to over 1,600 children in Weber County area through the generous efforts of sponsors, donors, and Utah Eye Centers’ patients.

Toys for Tots

We love doing this campaign to help out our local community. It is a great opportunity for people to help give the gift of Christmas to local children, in addition to receiving the gift of sight through LASIK. We invite all who can to join us in this great program. If you have any questions, or would like to schedule a free LASIK consultation, please call 801-476-0494. Have a wonderful Holiday Season.

>>  Schedule Your Free Consultation Now  <<

Categories General Posted on Author bericksmith@gmail.com

Vision Screening

Did you know that vision screening should be performed starting in the first few hours of your child’s life and continue to be performed periodically until he/she is about 8 years old? The first vision screening takes place in the nursery when the pediatrician inspects the newborn’s eye, pupil and red reflex. The child’s pediatrician continues to perform age appropriate vision screenings through infancy and childhood in addition to vision screening that is offered at day care, school or church.

Vision screening is designed as an efficient and cost-effective method to identify children with visual impairment or eye conditions that are likely to lead to visual impairment so that a referral can be made to an appropriate eye care professional for further evaluation and treatment. Methods for visual screening in pre-verbal children include pupil testing, red reflex, photoscreening, corneal light reflex testing, and cover testing. Subjective visual acuity testing is the “gold standard” for vision screening but requires a verbal and cooperative child. Successful visual acuity testing is greatest with children 3 years and older. The State of Utah requires vision screening to be performed on each child under the age of 8 who is starting school.

When should a child have a comprehensive eye exam with a dedicated eye doctor? The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus does not recommend comprehensive eye exams for all children. They argue that only about 2 to 4% of children have an eye problem that requires treatment, so it is not practical to perform a comprehensive eye exam on every child. However, the American Optometric Association recommends that every child have their first comprehensive eye exam between the age of 6 to 12 months. In any case, if a child has a known risk factor for eye disease, if there is a family history of pediatric eye disease, or if a child has signs or symptoms suspicious for a vision problem, it is reasonable and appropriate for a child to have a comprehensive eye examination.

Utah Eye Centers Pediatrics

Utah Eye Centers Pediatrics2

Categories Cosmetic Posted on Author bericksmith@gmail.com

Why Dermapen?

Award-winning Dermapen is a fractional micro-needling device that works to tighten, lift and rejuvenate the skin. Dermapen is effective in reducing fine lines and wrinkles, minimizing pores, keloid, surgical and acne scars. The unique spring-loaded needle tip uses and automated, vibrating stamp-like motion that enhances results while offering a more controlled and safer method of treatment than others micro-needling devices.

Dermapen’s needle depth can be adjusted during the course of the procedure to accommodate different treatment areas, and can easily maneuver around facial contours and delicate features, such as the eyes, nose and mouth.

Dermapen offers many advantages over leading competitors like IL or fractional lasers; the unique automatic micro-needling function increases Dermapen’s effectiveness while causing less epidermal damage sometimes caused by excess heat and light based therapies.

This ground-breaking advanced technology, combined with low cost and high quality results, makes Dermapen a revolutionary breakthrough for beautiful skin.

dermapen.com

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