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.)

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.

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.

With all the great frame styles and lens options available, this gives you the option of having more than one pair of glasses–perhaps one for work and another for weekends, one more dressy and the other funky, one rimless with another in colorful plastic, one pair with Transitions changeable lenses and the other without, one for everyday use and the other for enjoying a special hobby, like sewing,  reading, or playing piano, more comfortably.  The options are endless.  Patients also find this is a great way to get a pair of prescription sunglasses or computer glasses.

You may be wondering if this is a limited time offer.  We’re happy to say we’ve given our patients this option for years, because we pass savings we receive from our optical lab on to you.

Save 50% on a second pair, every day, when you purchase your prescription eyewear at Complete EyeCare Center.  Kind of gives new meaning to the phrase “think twice!”  You can explore some of your options right now by going to our products page to see our frame collections.

Koali designers are inspired by nature and their frames reflect the same organic, attractive lines–with names like Ginkgo, Begonia, and Fern.  If you haven’t seen this frame collection, stop in and try them on for yourself at our downtown Mt. Pleasant office.  You can also view images of them here.

Koali fans, did you know that there is a men’s line made by the same company called Öga?  Öga, designed in Sweden, is inspired by contemporary architectural design.  The collection is described as modern, geometric, and aesthetic.  Some feature synthetic glass or wooden temples with mahogany, ebony, and oak tones. (Dr. Olson has two Öga frames himself.)

For those of you looking for modern drill mount or rimless frames with the same quality and production standards as Koali and Öga, you owe it to yourself to check out  the Lightec frame collection.  Made of surgical grade stainless steel they feature Alpha spring and screw free hinge systems.  Lightec has light, contemporary frames for both men and women.

Our Eyewear Consultant will be glad to answer any questions you have about frames and lenses.  Call our office at 319.385.9534 or stop in at Complete EyeCare Center today.

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 .

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.

All summer until RAGBRAI, buy a Rudy Project Sunglass Kit and get a free backpack or duffel, free cycling helmet, free spare lenses, free hat & free T-shirt.  The value of the free gear alone is $250, but you get it all for only $220.  On Fridays we’ll pay the shipping when you wear your official Mt. Pleasant RAGBRAI T-shirt, so you get the whole Rudy Project Gear Deal for just $200!

Free Shipping is offered exclusively at Complete EyeCare Center as part of Mt. Pleasant’s “RAGBRAI Fridays” during July.  Your purchase includes Rudy Project’s Replacement Lens Guarantee and 3-year Limited Frame Warranty.  The last day of this offer is July 24, 2009.

“Have a Blast” in Mt. Pleasant when we host RAGBRAI July 24, 2009!

Once again, the Fashion EyeWear Event was held in conjuction with the Mt. Pleasant High School Interact Club’s See-Saw for Sight on May 9, 2009.  Not only did they have fun, students were motivated by the knowledge that their efforts will help restore sight to the blind in India. The volunteers raised over $850 that will be matched several times by Rotary International.  With the matching funds it is projected that their efforts will help another 270 of India’s afflicted, who will regain functional vision for work and daily life after having cataract surgery at a subsidized outreach clinic.

After learning of Rotary’s sight-saving clinic Dr. Olson and his family suggested the first Interact Club See-Saw for Sight event and have helped organize it each year.   Complete EyeCare Center donated food, equipment, and radio time for the See-Saw for Sight event, and HyVee provided hot dogs.  This local event, held annually at Complete EyeCare Center since 2006, has already helped over 1000 people.

Visitors to the dual events in May were offered free hot dogs, popcorn, beverages, and cookies, and twelve were door prize winners.  Be watching for our next special event, to enjoy special savings, prizes and refreshments for yourself!