What’s on Doc’s iPad Part 1

I used to be one of those that thought I didn’t need an iPad . . . OK few of us really NEED an iPad, but I’ve come to the conclusion that my iPad is a wonderfully handy tool and I use it almost daily. The iPad has not replaced my Kindle as my favorite way to read books. I find both the Kindle and the iPad helpful for different purposes.

Some of my favorite apps were recommendations from friends or articles I’ve read.  This article is the first of a series of three articles where I will review my favorite, most used iPad Apps.

The first app I installed was Evernote which is essentially a digital filing system. Evernote is a must have. It works across all platforms, allowing you to save something on your desktop PC and have it automatically sync with all of your other devices.

See the book on Amazon.com

It is excellent service and obviously not just for iPad users. When I was doing research for my book An Eye Doctor Answers: Explanations To Hundreds Of The Most Common Questions Patients Wish They Had Asked all of my data was saved to Evernote, thus no trees were harmed in the making of this book. Evernote has a free starter program and if you need more storage or expanded options there is a paid program.

SugarSync is another must have which syncs your saved data among all of your devices. SugarSync will automatically back up anything you designate and then allow it to be accessed by all of your devices. SugarSync has many other nice features, too many to list here; however, one of the features I particularly like is that it  automatically backs up the photos on your phone and makes them accessible to all of your devices. SugarSync  has a free 5 GB introductory account with paid accounts starting at $5 per month.

Many people. myself included, like to work with music in the background. Numerous apps do this. I like Pandora. It lets you enter a song or an artist and builds a play list with similar songs. When a song you like is played Pandora will then let you buy it within the app. Pandor has both free and paid options.

There are many apps that let you organize your Todo list. I like Remember The Milk. I use it frequently every day. It is free for use on your PC, however if you want to share your Todo list across mobile devices, such as an iPad, Kindle or your cell phone it’s $24 per year.

So far we’ve covered productivity apps. The iPad is a great device for entertainment though. If you hit writer’s block or need to blow off some steam, logging a little bit of air time flying a paper airplane or a foam biplane might loosen things up. Air Wings lets you sit in a five different airplanes or a quadracopter and dogfight with your friends or people all over the world. Games are quick, lasting only a couple of minutes. A word of caution though, it can be addictive. Air Wings is free. Upgrades are available for different airplanes and new maps.

Gmail has rapidly become one of the most popular cloud-based email providers. Gmail’s iPad app gives an excellent user experience and gives you fool access to your email, just like using the browser interface.  Given that email has become such an integral part of our work and personal life I this is easily one of my top 5 most used apps. The Gmail service, as well as the Gmail app are free. This app is easily a must have for all Gmail users.

Flipboard board is beautiful on the iPad. During set up you tell it what feeds you want it to include, such as Twitter, Facebook, or numerous other social media services. You can also include online news services such as CNN and FoxNews. Also available, is the option to include your interests or hobbies and it will go out and find relevant content. Flipboard then formats the data into your very own personalized news magazine. Flipboard is free.

Alarm CLock HD is just what it says, however it will wake you up in the morning by reading the news, your tweets or Facebook  or even wake you to music. It also has a flashlight mode should you need some light in the middle of the night. In addition to giving you the time, Alarm Clock HD also has the current temperature and weather for the day. Alarm Clock HD has a free ad-supported version or for $.99 you can go advertising free.

There you have it, in no particular order, nine of the apps on my iPad . I’ll post part two of this series very soon. Like I said, some of the best app recommendations I’ve received have been from people like you so I’d love to hear your thoughts. Let me know what iPad apps you can’t do without.

Invisible Illness Week

Total Eye Care will be conducting clinical trials for patients with dysautonomia, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis. As a part of the study, participants will receive an eye exam at no charge. Currently, we still have some openings for patients with relapsing remitting MS. If you would like to be a part of the study please contact us at [email protected].

OrthoKeratology in the News

Here is a mainstream media article in Gizmag talking about an upcoming meeting of the Optical Society where David Troilo, PhD, who is the Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs from SUNY College of Optometry, will give a lecture on Optical Approaches for Controlling Myopia Progression: Evidence from Experimental Models.

It is good to see this excellent and effective technology getting its due. Virtually every time we fit a child or adult with myopia regulating orthokeratology lenses the parents and the patient seem amazed and can’t believe that they can actually see well during the day without a contact lens by merely sleeping in these specially designed vision retainer. It’s not magic or snake oil, it really does work.

On The Eye Doc Blog we have written extensively about the benefits of orthokeratology in preventing the progression of nearsightedness in children. We should not overlook the benefits of orthoK in adults. I am glad to see some mainstream media coverage about orthokeratology.

Eye Movement Data Detects Parkinson’s and ADHD

A team of scientists from the University of Southern California published a study in the Journal of Neurology August 30 indicating they could use a patient’s eye movement patterns to detect Parkinson’s Disease with 89.6% accuracy and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Fetal Alcohol Spectrom Disorder with 77.3% accuracy.

This is great news in that, with a simple, inexpensive test, patients can be screened quickly and accurately for these debilitating disorders. We continue to see that the eye is a portal to ones health leading to the diagnosis of other conditions.

Win An iPad From Total Eye Care

It’s easy, you can enter our contest in two steps.*

  1. Purchase a complete pair of eyeglasses or sunglasses from Total Eye Care before November 30, 2012,
  2. “Like” either office on Facebook and you are entered into our contest, and
  3. Fill out an entry form and drop it in the box at either office.

The contest ends November 30, 2012.  We will announce the winner on Facebook December 1st.  Good luck.

Colleyville Facebook

Keller Facebook
      *No purchase required to enter the contest. Alternate form of entry stop by the office and fill out an entry form.

A Visual Treat – Video From The European Southern Observatory

I saw this beautiful video from the PopSci RSS feed Sunday and wanted to share. The video is from The European Southern Observatory which operates four telescopes in the high plains desert of Chile. The visuals are spectacular. Watch it in full screen HD and you will be in awe of our gorgeous sky. Enjoy, you are in for a visual treat.

Dr. Rich Driscoll’s New Book An Eye Doctor Answers Is Now Available

A book has been swimming around my head for quite a while and it is finally out. My first book, An Eye Doctor Answers: Explanations to Hundreds of the Most Common Questions Patients Wish They Had Asked Their Eye Doctor, was the last to make its debut and was just published last month on Amazon.

It is very exciting to see something that I have wanted to do for a long time finally become more than just an idea. When I first set out to write this book I thought I would cover the top fifty questions patients asked their eye doctors. The list of questions patients either wanted to know, or I thought they should know, about their eyes quickly grew. In An Eye Doctor Answers you will find the explanations to almost 400 questions.

My intent was to write a book that was easy to understand, that would read as if you and I were sitting and talking at the end of the exam. Sometimes, nothing makes a point more clearly than a picture or a diagram thus I have included a lot of both. Most good reference books list the sources of their information, An Eye Doctor Answers is no different. I have included a lot of references plus a detailed index to make it easy to find the answers to your questions.

In almost 25 years of practice, I have naturally answered a lot of questions, after all, that is a big part of what we do, helping patients understand their condition and the associated treatment. Of course, I included the common questions that center around what is myopia, astigmatism, cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration, but I didn’t stop there. Many patients are very curious about a wide variety of questions such as how 3D glasses work, what are my refractive surgery options and risks, or how do I keep my kids from getting more nearsighted. To make it easier to quickly find what you need there is a complete list of questions at the back of the book.

 An Eye Doctor Answers: Explanations to Hundreds of the Most Common Questions Patients Wish They Had Asked Their Eye Doctor is published by the Physician’s Publishing Group as a 254 page paperback or as a Kindle eBook both of which are available on Amazon.com

Contact Lens Travel Suggestions

With Summer upon us a common question in the office is “what is the best way to travel with contact lenses.”

Daily disposable contact lenses are easily the most convenient travel option. With daily disposables all you have to worry about are lenses, no extra contact lens solutions are needed. Now, there are many new, convenient options available for daily disposable contact lens wearers. Numerous contact lens companies now make daily disposable contacts in both toric, spherical and bifocal versions. With the expanded parameters now available, over 80% of contact lens wearers can now find a daily disposable contact lens that will fulfill their needs.

The biggest hassle for traveling contact lens wearers is how to transport the contact lens cleaners and solutions. After all, the TSA limits each bottle of liquid, aerosol, or gel to 3.4oz (100 ml) or less and all of the bottles in your carry-on luggage must fit into a clear, 1 qt. zip lock bag. There are exceptions; however, for prescription, OTC medications, and people with special needs. You are not limited in the amount or volume however if an item is over 3.4 oz or it is not in a 1 qt. zip lock bag then you must declare it.

Safe travels

Excellent OrthoKeratology Video

With the increased rate of myopia in the US population, orthokeratology is becoming an increasingly important treatment option for our patients.  Dr. Driscoll is a member of the Orthokeratology Academy of America that produced the excellent video shown below.  The video gives a comprehensive overview of orthokeratology, including its pros, cons, and how it works. We highly recommend that any patients considering refractive surgery, such as LASIK and PRK, or orthokeratology view this video. By the way, comments are much appreciated so don’t be shy.

CooperVision Avaira Contact Lens Recall

It seems that no contact lens manufacturer has been immune to a recall of their contact lenses. CooperVision announced a global recall of selected lots of their Avaira® Sphere and Avaira® Toric contact lenses.

The recall is due to the amount of residual silicone oil left over from the manufacturing process. The symptoms reported range from blurry vision to pain and irritation.   Only a small number of Avaira contact lenses are affected. To see if your lenses are affected enter your lot number on the CooperVision Contact Lens Recall Website. If your contact lenses are on the recall list CooperVision recommends returning them to the point of purchase for replacement.