Complete EyeCare Center and Dr. Olson encourage you to Look Local First

There’s no need to travel to find a high level of eye health care teamed with cutting-edge products. They are right here in our local community. The expertise and selection that is often only available in a larger city has been brought to you, our neighbors.  In fact, Mt. Pleasant’s Complete EyeCare Center has actually been ahead of the curve in many cases.

Mt. Pleasant had the first Optomap Retinal Imaging technology in the entire state of Iowa–at Complete EyeCare Center.

Mt. Pleasant had the first  Z-view Corneal Aberrometer in the state of Iowa–at Complete EyeCare Center.

Mt. Pleasant led Iowa, being the first to offer patients iZon high definition lenses–at Complete EyeCare Center. (We have patients that travel from Waterloo, Muscatine, Des Moines, and cities in Illinois to come HERE for this unique, customized lens!)

Mt. Pleasant had a Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomographer before the University of Iowa–at Complete EyeCare Center!

Mt. Pleasant led our state as one of the first to quantify macular degeneration risk with its ZeaVision macular pigment optical density instrument–at Complete EyeCare Center!

Mt. Pleasant is home to one of only 50 eye doctors in United States that had initial access to a brand new hybrid multifocal contact lens–it’s Dr. Christopher Olson.

If you were considering traveling for your eyecare, glasses, contacts, or sunglasses, think again.  By looking local you may be better off in many ways.  Just foregoing the drive is like getting instant savings of $58.17 on your glasses and exams!

*According to the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance the “Look Local First” campaign was started ”to change buying habits and unite our community by merging our greatest resources: local customers and local small businesses.”

Many well-intentioned professionals are unaware that some visual disorders share several common symptoms with ADHD and ADD, and that can lead to a misdiagnosis, perhaps even unnecessary medication.  Journalist Laura Novak writes, ”Doctors and teachers often attribute the behavior to attention disorders or seek other medical explanations. Mrs. Gragg said her pediatrician had never heard of convergence insufficiency.” Read the full article here: Not Autistic or Hyperactive. Just Seeing Double at Times

Complete EyeCare Center’s Optometrist, Dr. Olson, has the education and commitment to evaluate the visual system beyond the simple abilityto read an eye chart.  A child like Raea may be able to read the chart’s 20/20 line and still have a vision problem. Perhaps her struggles could have been avoided if a trained InfantSee optometrist had seen Raea before age 1 and had performed a visual assessment at age 3, as recommended by the American Optometric Association.  It is possible her convergence insufficiency could have been detected and treated before she began to experience symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, irritability, low self-esteem, inability to concentrate, aversion to reading, and difficulties in school.

Before you turn to medication, before you send your child to school, please ensure that your child doesn’t have a vision problem. We want to make it easy for parents to give their children a good start in life and follow the AOA guidelines for vision evaluation.  Dr. Olson participates in the InfantSee program providing free assessments for 6-12 month olds.  He has also developed his own free assessment program for children age 3, available exclusively at Complete EyeCare Center, called “See at 3!™”  If there is a child in your life age 6-12 months or age 3 we encourage you to give them every chance to succeed–including the assurance from Dr. Olson that they are seeing well, with both eyes working together properly.

Complete EyeCare Center Awarded #1 Optical Center

Dr. Olson Awarded #1 Optometrist

We are so grateful for all our patients and for the confidence you have placed in us.  This award means a lot to us as we strive to fulfill our mission statement for you.  ”We at Complete EyeCare Center are dedicated to providing our patient family with uncompromising quality and personal eye health care, just as we ourselves would expect to receive.”

We pledge to provide the same high quality service and materials to the people you care about and we welcome your referrals.  We gladly accept new patients.  If you are already a patient, we look forward to seeing you soon!

The letters stand for Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.  FAAO credentials behind an optometrist, scientist or other qualified person’s name signify to colleagues and patients that rigorous qualifications for Fellowship have been met.  For optometrists this involves presenting written and oral case studies and posters, being evaluated through interviews and clinical assessment, and meeting the highest educational and licensure standards.  It is a discipline that only 20 Iowa optometrists (currently seeing patients) have successfully completed. 

According to the AAO website, “Fellows of the Academy are committed to the premise that learning is a lifelong obligation of a professional, as is the commitment to expand the profession’s knowledge base through ongoing Fellowship and exchange.”

So those letters, FAAO, are yet another way of assuring you that Dr. Olson is committed to maintaining high professional standards through lifelong education and improvement.  All with the goal of providing the best professional eye health care he can for his patients.

An 1881 political cartoon depicts Guiteau, assassin of President Garfield.

An upcoming theatre production will feature Mt. Pleasant performers, including Complete EyeCare Center’s Dr. Christopher Olson, portraying a historic court trial with Mt. Pleasant ties.   The prosecutor in the case was George B. Corkhill of Mt. Pleasant, who graduated from Iowa Wesleyan in 1859 and was District Attorney for the District of Columbia at the time of the trial.

The real-life drama entitled The Trial of the Assassin Guiteau is about the man who shot President James Garfield in 1881 and draws comparisons between the political and legal climate then and now.  Images of the times and people will be projected behind the actors and readers.  Cast members are Jim Beasley, David Edwards, John Hemsworth, Terry Hemsworth, Mark Kimzey, Christopher Olson, Lon Pugh, Angie Thomas, Kevin Wiley, Rick Williamson, and Brad Workman.  The Director is David File.

Performances will be on April 23 and 24, 2010 at 7 PM at the Heatilator Center for the Performing Arts in Mt. Pleasant.  Sponsored by the Harlan-Lincoln House, the shows are being offered to the public free of charge.

(If you would like more information about the play the Executive Director of Friends of the Harlan-Lincoln House, Lynn Ellsworth, can be reached by calling 319.385.6320.)

Has your child had a comprehensive eye exam?

Does your child…

…have a short attention span?

…find it hard to concentrate on reading?

…get headaches or blurred vision when using the computer?

…avoid homework?

…tire easily when reading?

…suffer eyestrain?

…get car sick?

…get labeled as an “underachiever”?

The answers to these questions may indicate the need not only for vision correction in the form of eyeglasses or contacts, but the need for improved  visual skills such as eye teaming, convergence, fixation, accommodation, or tracking.  So much of learning is done visually, so a vision impairment can directly affect a child’s behavior and academic success.

Dr. Olson evaluates vision, eye health, and visual skills during a comprehensive eye exam.  If he finds visual skill deficiency, vision therapy may help the patient with vision-related problems affecting learning.

Our office offers an in-home vision therapy program from HTS.  After receiving instruction on how to use the program, parents have their child use their home computer to do therapy “games” approximately 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week.  After 2-3 months they return for the doctor to review the results.  This is often a sufficient amount of time to retrain the eye muscles to work properly.

We have heard success stories from many of our vision therapy patients.  For more information, learn why 20/20 vision isn’t enough at the HTS website or call Complete EyeCare Center at 319.395.9534 for an appointment with Dr. Olson.

Ongoing education will always be a priority for our staff, because these activities and classes help our practice continue to offer the best eye health care and optical products to you, our valued patient.

On Friday, Dr. Olson and colleague, Dr. Michael Ohlson, were also guest lecturers, teaching a class on Ocular Manifestations of Systemic Medications to the Iowa Optometric Assistant’s Association.

Isn’t it reassuring to know that your doctor is committed to being a life-long learner?

Christopher P. Olson, OD, FAAO

Christopher Olson, OD, FAAO, of Complete EyeCare Center in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, has been appointed to the national Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE).  Dr. Olson serves the public as part of this 11-member Council “…to establish, maintain and apply standards to ensure the academic quality and continuous improvement of optometric education that reflect the evolving practice of optometry.”

The Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) is the only accrediting body for professional optometric degree (O.D.) programs, optometric residency programs and optometric technician programs in the United States and Canada.

Both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation recognize the ACOE as a reliable authority concerning the quality of education of the programs the Council accredits.

Dr. Olson will soon be making his first ACOE site visit to the New England College of Optometry, where they have a Residency program in Pediatric Optometry.

A regional newspaper with a circulation of over 20,400, the Burlington Hawkeye, recently conducted their own survey in August 2008.

They asked all those readers, “Who is your favorite Mt. Pleasant Optometrist?”  And the survey says…Dr. Christopher Olson is #1!

Not only that, they also asked readers, “What is your favorite optical center in Mt. Pleasant?”  And the survey says….Complete EyeCare Center is #1!

Thank you to all of you who have encouraged us in this way.  We are honored.  We will continue to do our best to earn your trust and serve you well.

If you’re aren’t familiar with our practice and you’re wondering, “Which eye doctor should I choose for my family’s eye care needs?” there’s no need to guess how your neighbors, friends and family would answer the question.   When asked, they said that Dr. Christopher Olson and Complete EyeCare Center is most preferred.  We’d love to show you why!  Why not call us today for an appointment?  (Our phone number is 319.385.9534.)

See the Burlington Hawkeye Readers Choice Page

Dr. Christopher Olson, of Mt. Pleasant, is one of only 3 optometrists in Iowa to receive a respected national award, the American Optometric Association’s 2008 Continuing Optometric Recognition Award.  The other two Iowans practice in Elkader and West Union.

The award is given to doctors of optometry who have completed 50 credit hours of continuing education in their field over a one-year period and, in addition, have previously received the Initial Optometric Recognition Award.  The American Optometric Association honors the ORA recipients recognizing that the doctor’s efforts to pursue continuing education reflect a deep desire to provide patients with the best vision care available today.

This is Dr. Olson’s 18th consecutive year of being an Optometric Recognition Award recipient, completing twice the continuing education required for Iowa optometrists every year since his graduation.

2007 AOA President (left) presents the ORA to Dr. Olson (right).