A 3-story eyeball sculpture is coming to Chicago's Loop in July 2010!

For a CNN story on this unusual piece of public art click here.  Need we say more?

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.

Stop in  Saturday, March 6th, between 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to save $50 on the full line of Kliik “eyewear with an edge,” Fysh “urban cool eyewear,” or Takumi “luxury eyewear with magnetic sunclips”purchased with prescription lenses.

We look forward to seeing you then! (Need an eye exam? Give us a call.)

Complete EyeCare Center utilizes quality diagnostic instrumentation like the award winning Optovue RTVue

The RTVue visualizes the retina and underlying nerve fiber layers

When it was featured on Good Morning America in May 2007, the Optovue RTVue spectral OCT  was one of only 100 worldwide.  As soon as May 2008, Dr. Olson was introducing that same instrument to his patients in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, at Complete EyeCare Center.

The GMA reporter was “able to get access to one”, and you have that same benefit without traveling to a metropolitan center or university.  Spectral OCT with the Optovue RTVue is a new generation of Optical Coherence Tomography for detection, classification, and management of ocular diseases and pathology.

Why should that interest you?  Because this exciting tool has the ability to help Dr. Olson detect and treat progressive eye diseases at a much earlier stage.  Slowing or stopping  disease progression early means less likelihood of vision loss or blindness, and better health for you.

Several eye diseases, like glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy have no symptoms in their early stages.  But a skilled eye doctor using the RTVue can detect and manage them.  Painless and quick, the ultra-high speed and high resolution features of the RTVue enable Dr. Olson to visualize retinal, anterior segment, and corneal tissue with ultra-high clarity.

Watch this interesting Good Morning America segment by clicking here.

An optomap® Retinal Exam provides:

• A scan to show a healthy eye or detect disease.
• A view of the retina, giving Dr. Olson a more detailed view than he can get by other means.
• The opportunity for you to view and discuss the optomap® image of your eye with Dr. Olson at the time of your exam.
• A permanent record for your file, which allows the doctor to view your images each year to look for changes.

The optomap® Retinal Exam is fast, easy, and comfortable for all ages.  To have the exam, you simply look into the device one eye at a time and you will see a comfortable flash of light to let you know the image of your retina has been taken.  Your optomap® is immediately captured so Dr. Olson can evaluate and review it with you on a computer screen during your exam.  Click here to see a video demonstration of the optomap experience.

Please schedule your annual optomap® Retinal Exam today by calling our office at  319.385.9534 .

Antioxidants tend to draw the attention of eye doctors because of research linking them to a reduction of macular cell damage.   The reduction of free radicals is known to have multiple health benefits, including benefits to some age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients and those who have the potential for it.  For adults who have difficulty taking pills, the enlyten antioxidant dissolving strip is an alternative to consider.

Being health minded, Dr. Olson has also noted the benefits of enlyten’s electrolyte plus product.  This no-calorie, no-carb, no-sugar alternative for electrolyte replacement has great benefits over typical sport drinks.  If you’re an exercise or sports enthusiast, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

You can learn more about enlyten products by clicking this link.  If you’re ready to purchase Enlyten, click here to buy enlyten strips now.

We recently implemented a new patient schedule. The primary difference is that we’ve clustered eye exams together and other office visits together.  After a trial period we’ve learned that this makes a significant difference in our ability to stay on time.  Our aim is to improve our efficiency and minimize wait times for our patients!

The process of transitioning all our scheduled patients into this new format is complicated.  Please read the letter carefully.  As it says, discard any old appointment cards you have and please update your calendar.  If the new time just won’t work, don’t hesitate to call our office to reschedule.  We’ll gladly find a time that works better for you.  Our phone number is 319-385-9534.  Thank you for your cooperation as we strive to serve you better.

Call our office, 319.385.9534, to schedule a corneal evaluation and tear analysis and our doctor will determine whether you would be a good candidate.  And right now, you can get a $50 rebate when you purchase an annual supply!