Happy Thanksgiving

Our offices will be closed today for Thanksgiving. We will resume normal business hours on November 26, 2010.

How Easy, or Hard, it is to Rip Contacts

Before everyone starts stuffing themselves full of turkey, I wanted to do a very (un)scientific look at how strong contacts can be. I found some trials we have an extraordinarily large number of and decided to see how easy it was to rip them by using brute force. Just remember, the higher the prescription the more effort it takes to rip a contact. Unlike this video, the most common way people rip contacts is from inadvertently getting their fingernail caught on the lens, which weakens the material.

November Tornado in Rockford Illinois

At a time where families are supposed to be gathered together, counting their blessings and enjoying the company of loved ones, the Rockford Illinois area was hit yesterday by a rare late November tornado. Homes were reduced to broken boards and shattered belongings with nearly 10,000 people still without power. Many of our patients are in the areas where the storm ripped a path and it pains us to see the images of destruction.

On behalf of the entire staff at Dr. Facchiano and Associates, our thoughts and prayers are with those who were affected last night.

InfantSEE Program Helps Optometrists Treat Eye Diseases

If you were reading last Sunday's Rockford Register Star newspaper in Rockford, Illinois you might have noticed that Dr. Facchiano was highlighted as a participant in the InfantSEE program, a foundation of the American Optometry Association that allows families to schedule eye exams for children regardless of income levels or access to insurance. The news article talks about a teen who was diagnosed with a form of eye cancer that was successfully treated at an early age. Here is an excerpt from the article -

Dr. Vincent Facchiano, who also participates in InfantSEE, said he has identified a patient with retinoblastoma as well as children with high refractive errors that, if not corrected early, would have resulted in permanent vision reduction called amblyopia or lazy eye. He said he also was able to help a child with a rare corneal disease called keratoconus, a deterioration of the structure of the cornea that causes a gradual bulging from its normal round shape to a cone shape resulting in reduced vision.

OneSight Mission to Burkina Faso

Dr. Facchiano recently went on a mission to Africa to Burkina Faso with the organization OneSight. Burkina Faso is a French speaking nation in western Africa near the Ivory Coast and is home to roughly 15 million people. It has one of the lowest GDP rates in the world and a recent drought in the region left many of agricultural workers (the most common type of job) without work and without food. Just to give an idea of the poverty level, most people only earn $300 USD a year. That means people live on less than $1 USD a day. This is one of the most impoverished countries in the world.



In terms of access to health care, there are only 6 physicians for every 100,000 people. As I'm sure many can imagine, it is nearly impossible to find dedicated optometrists. For a country that has a life expectancy of only in the mid-40's, there are a shocking number of a vision related problems that steal vision at a young age. Because of the work of the team of eye health professionals, 1,845 people were able to see better or get referrals for more advanced help. According to the OneSight Burkina Faso blog, the phrase of the week was "Je Vois," which translated from French means, "I can see."



I will post more pictures taken by Dr. Facchiano's along with some of his stories in future posts.

Colored Contacts

Why Yearly Eye Exams and Contact Fittings are Recommended by Optometrists

Many patients often ask why they need a yearly eye exam. The contact lens patients also ask why they need to get yearly contact lens fittings. The reason is very simple: Optometrists recommend it for your health. The eyes are an important sense to the body and making sure they are healthy and staying healthy is very important.

I tell people to think of it like going in for an annual physical, specifically for the eyes. Even if you don't notice any

vision problems, and get a clean bill of eye health, it is reassurance that nothing is starting to form in the background. As for why contact lens patients need to keep getting a yearly fitting, that is tied in back to the health of the eye. Since eyes are one of the fastest changing parts of the body, people might change types of contact brands a number of times as materials get better or eye change. The main concern is that the eye is getting enough oxygen to stay healthy as contacts have the potential to act as an oxygen barrier.

There are possibly a 1001 reason why eye exams are so important, but they all come back to making sure that you have wonderful vision and any problems can be treated early on before they manifest themselves into something that requires serious, emergency attention. Diseases like Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration and Cataracts can be managed a lot easier and better if they are caught soon enough, and only eye exams will be able to show the warning signs of those sight robbers.

If you want to see the list of important yearly exams everyone should get, the popular TV show The Doctors recommends eye exams and a few other exams to keep a clean bill of health.

New Phone System for Madison Patients

If you are a patient at our Madison eye clinic, you might have already noticed the telephone greeting when you dial the number 608.829.2440. If you wish to be connected to the office immediately, you don't have to wait for the entire message to play. Just dial "0" and you'll get a hold of one of our technicians.

How to Tell if a Contact Lens is Inside Out

It can be difficult to tell if a contact lens is inside out. Pictures and models of inside out contacts look very obvious, but when it comes time to actually put in the real thing, it isn't as obvious. The following video will show how to tell the slight difference using a real contact. Be sure to watch in the highest resolution possible!

What FAAO Stands for after the "OD"

I had a patient ask me what the FAAO acronym stood for after Dr. Facchiano's name and the Optometrist designation of "OD." FAAO stands for Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.


The FAAO designation is given to Optometrists who have dedicated their professional lives to science of sight. They have to meet strict, high standards and must be accepted by the American Academy of Optometry. Nearly 90 percent of people given the FAAO title are practicing Optometrist, however, scientists, educators, librarians, administrators and editors can also receive the designation providing they have done the proper accreditation process.

How to Read a Contact Lens Blister Pack to Check the Prescription

Since the Optometry field is highly visual, what better way to help explain how to care for the eye than with an official Dr. Facchiano and Associates' YouTube channel?

Customized Displays on Contact Lenses Possible

The LA Times recently ran an news story about researchers at the University of Washington who have found a way to use nanotechnology to put customized displays on contact lenses. Right now, the technology is very basic (a contact lens can display a red dot and a blue dot) but there are practical uses, like health readouts. The article mentioned the researchers are looking for ways to monitor glucose levels, which is important for diabetics. The eye contains a lot of health information so a contact medical device that would display vital information is very helpful, in theory. Eventually, entire computer screens could possibly be displayed.

It all sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, but human trials a long ways off. The eyes are a delicate and sensitive part of the body so any new technology related to contact lens wear needs to be rigorously tested first.

When to Tell Your Optometrist about "Eye Crusties"

Everybody at some point in their life has woken up with little crusty particles in the corner of the eyes. The dry little particles are formed at the corners of the eye typically and can be brushed away. The official term for these dry particles is Rheum. It is made up of natural mucus from the eye and nose, skin cells, dust and pollen. These are totally normal and a natural part of your body's function to flush away foreign objects from the eyes. The funny part is that there doesn't seem to be a universal, everyday term for Rheum. Eye boogers, the sandman's dust, sleepies, crusties and a multitude of other names are said on a daily basis. Admittedly, these common terms roll off the tongue a little better, even if they are a bit silly.

Trying to one of our optometrists to say "eye booger" was one of my highlights today.

There generally shouldn't be any cause for concern with Rheum. You should tell your optometrist only if you notice that there is discoloration, pus or if your eyes are "glued" shut in the morning. That is usually a signal there is a problem with the eye and it should be looked at by an optometrist.

How to Read a Prescription from Your Optometrist

After an eye exam, the doctor will come back in the room and hand you a prescription if there is a need for glasses or contact lenses. When you shop for glasses or contacts, a technician or optician will fill the Optometrist's written specifications, which is the prescription. There are lots of numbers and abbreviations so it can be quite confusing if you were to just glance over it. However, once the different parts are learned, it can tell quite a bit about focusing power and shape of your eye.

Let's take a look at my prescription. Notice in the blue circle where it has the abbreviations "OD" and "OS." That tells you what eye we are talking about. "OD" stands for Oculus Dexter, which is the fancy Latin way of saying "Right Eye" and "OS" stands for Oculus Sinister, which is the not-so-flattering way of saying "Left Eye."

In the red circle is the the Sphere, Cylinder and Axis. These columns tell you about the focusing ability and shape of the eye. Sphere is commonly referred to as the "power" of the eye. If the number in the "sphere" column  is a negative (like my prescription) it means you are nearsighted. Optometrists will call the condition Myopia. If the number is positive (if my prescription were to say +2.75) it means you are farsighted. Like nearsightedness, Optometrists have a special name for farsightedness as well - Hyperopia.

The cylinder and axis will tell if you have an astigmatism or not. That just means your eye is shaped more like a football than it is a basketball. The numbers in the cylinder and axis columns correct for the astigmatism.