The LASIK Blog

Fox 5 Interviews "LASIK Alternative" Patients at EyeCare 20/20

Dr. Sapna Parikh was at EyeCare 20/20 yesterday interviewing two of our patients and me for an upcoming story about LASIK surgery.  Here are some pictures we took during the interview.  I am not sure when the story will air, but will keep you all informed when I get some more information.

 

Daily Record Features US Bobsled Visit to EyeCare 20/20 on Front Page!

Yesterday's visit by LASIK for the Gold's Erin Pac, and teamate Elana Meyers, the Bronze Medal winners in the bobsled, was featured on the front page of today's Daily record!

Here is the article:

Olympic bronze-winning bobsledders Erin Pac (left) and Elana Meyers visit Monday with Dr. Cary Silverman of the EyeCare 20/20 center in East Hanover. Meyers was there to get free LASIK surgery but her thin corneas ruled her out as a candidate. (STAFF PHOTO: JOHN BELL)

Olympic bobsledders say thanks to E. Hanover eye doc - even though one can't get surgery

By JAKE REMALY • STAFF WRITER • April 6, 2010

EAST HANOVER — Olympic bobsled medalists Erin Pac and Elana Meyers were at the Eagle Rock Avenue office of EyeCare 20/20 on Monday, where they signed autographs and posed for photos.

The dozens of people who came to meet the pair had the chance to hold the bronze medals they won in the Vancouver Games this year.

But the main purpose of the visit — Meyers getting LASIK eye surgery — never happened.

During screening Monday, Dr. Cary Silverman realized Meyers' corneas were too thin and she was not a candidate for the vision correction surgery, which Silverman offers for free to Olympic-level amateur U.S. athletes. So Meyers was still wearing glasses and greeting visitors at 2 p.m. when she had planned to be getting prepped for surgery.

Pac, 29, and Meyers, 25, comprised the two-member U.S. bobsled team that finished third this year, with two Canadian teams winning gold and silver. Pac, the driver, got LASIK at EyeCare 20/20 a year ago and returned to East Hanover for the appearance.

Meyers, the brakeman who flew to the township from training in Lake Placid, N.Y., took the news of her too-thin corneas in stride, and said she was grateful Silverman offers the procedure to Olympic hopefuls for free. She said she couldn't have afforded it on her own. And she sees herself as having benefited from Pac's LASIK-improved vision.

"I benefited also," Meyers said. "Clear vision helped us win the medal."

Pac said clear vision is essential when driving 80 mph down a steep, icy track with "mind-boggling curves."

"I'm the eyes and hands of the sled," said Pac, a resident of Farmington, Conn.

An avid sports fan, Silverman started LASIK-for-the-Gold in 2008 to help top U.S. athletes who participate in sports that don't typically offer opportunities for serious financial gain, including luge, BMX, speed skating and pole vault. He has performed the vision correction surgery for 11 athletes so far. Of Team USA's 37 medals in Vancouver this year, seven were won by athletes who got LASIK from Silverman, according to the program.

Even at the elite level, Pac and Meyers said, bobsledding is still an "amateur" sport, with little hope of sponsorships.

"We're not rolling in diamonds or blinging out or anything like that," Meyers said. "It's not lucrative, let's put it that way."

Meyers said she will be "working like crazy" this summer, including as a trainer at a Gold's Gym near where she lives in Douglasville, Ga.

 
Jake Remaly:
973-428-6621;
[email protected]

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

 

Today was an exciting day here at EyeCare 20/20.  We were fortunate to host the olympic Bronze Medal USA Bobsled team of Erin Pac and Elana Meyers.  They were in town for two reasons. 

First, they were here to let the public get a look at their Bronze Medals, sign autographed pictures, and talk about their Olympic experiences.  About 100 people came in to take advantage of this unique opportunity.  I posted photos of the event on our Flickr site.

Second, Elana was in town to join Erin as a member of the LASIK for the Gold team.  Before an athlete can qualify for LASIK for the Gold, we have them get some preliminary testing at home so that I can review the results.  If everything looks OK, they are scheduled to come to New Jersey for additional testing and undergo LASIK surgery.  Unfortunately, this additional testing showed that Elana was not a good LASIK candidate, and the surgery was canceled.  I think I was as disappointed as Elana!

This brings me to an important point:  I truly believe you can tell how good a LASIK surgeon is NOT by the difficult cases he claims to perform, but by those cases he doesn't do.  Most of the complications I see on consultation could have been avoided by never doing the surgery!  The key to excellent results is in preoperative screening and avoiding those patients who are not good candidates for the procedure!

Olympic Bronze Medal Winners to Visit EyeCare 20/20

The Olympic Bronze Medalist bobsled team of Erin Pac and Elana Meyers will be paying a visit to EyeCare 20/20 on April 5.  Elana will be joining Erin as a member of LASIK for the Gold.  Erin had LASIK surgery performed on her last year before the Olympics while Elana will have LASIK on April 5.  Below is our press release for this exciting day:

EAST HANOVER, NJ – Meet United States Olympic Bobsledders Erin Pac and Elana Meyers at EyeCare 20/20 on Monday, April 5 from 12:00-2:00 p.m.   Pac and Meyers maneuvered a 400 pound sled down the fastest bobsled run in the world and won Bronze last month in Vancouver.  Reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph on a track that overturned countless sleds in both the men’s and women's fields, Pac's steady hands and sharpened vision brought her and teammate Elena Meyers their first taste of Olympic hardware. Bobsled pilot Pac attributes part of her success to the LASIK surgery provided by Cary M. Silverman, M.D. Pac’s teammate and brakeman Meyers will be undergoing her LASIK surgery on April 5.  The athletes will be signing free autographs and taking pictures with fans.  The public is welcome.  Food and beverages will be provided for this celebratory party for Team EyeCare 20/20.

"The track in Vancouver is ridiculously fast so of course clear vision was more important than ever," said Pac.  "It was the thrill of a lifetime to stand on the Olympic podium and I'm so grateful to everyone at EyeCare 20/20 for the help in making my Olympic dream come true."

EyeCare 20/20 did its part to help Team USA in the 2010 Winter Games through the LASIK-for-the-Gold campaign. EyeCare 20/20 gave free LASIK surgery to USA athletes to assist their pursuit of gold with the addition of “new eyes”. Team EyeCare 20/20 claimed seven medals in Vancouver, including: Chad Hedrick (speedskating – silver and bronze), Molly Engstrom (hockey – silver), Katherine Reutter (short track - silver and bronze) and Curt Tomasevicz (bobsled – gold).

“It was an amazing feeling as I sat up and for the first time since the third grade, I could read the clock on the other side of the room without the aid of my glasses or contacts,” said Gold Medalist and member of the 4-man Olympic Bobsled Team, Curt Tomasevicz. “I'm thankful for the life-changing procedure performed by Dr. Silverman and his staff. I hated the discomfort of my glasses and I hated having to rely on my contacts, especially in a sport where perfect vision is vital.”  

The athletes traveled from all across the country to EyeCare 20/20 for treatment because of the practice’s recognition as one of the premier LASIK facilities in the country. "The medals represent years of hard work, discipline and focus and I am thrilled beyond belief," said Speedskater Katherine Reutter.  "It took a whole team of people to help me realize my dreams and Dr. Silverman and everyone at EyeCare 20/20 were a part of that team.  At the Olympics, I no longer had to worry about contacts, solution or even glasses.  I saw better than ever and I'm pretty excited to be looking clearly at a brand new pair of Olympic medals!"

With the Winter Olympics now over and Summer Olympics around the corner, Dr. Silverman is continually adding Olympians to his already long list of professional and collegiate athletes that have enjoyed this visual enhancement.  The list of athletes now includes ten Olympians or Olympic hopefuls. “I’m just doing my part to help Team USA claim gold.  I love the Olympics and it’s been an honor helping these dedicated athletes be their best,” said Silverman.

Olympic hopefuls who had LASIK surgery also include these four who hope to continue their success in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Arielle Martin of US BMX is the current UCI World Cup SX Champion. The 2008 USA Cycling BMX National Champion, Jill Kintner who went on to win the bronze medal in BMX racing in the sport’s Olympic debut in 2008 in Beijing. US National Table Tennis player and Current US National Mixed Champion Samson Dubina, as well as Pole Vaulter Melinda Owens.

Team EyeCare 20/20 Wins SEVEN Olympic Medals Improved Vision Yields Team USA Gold, Silver & Bronze

from http://winter2010olympics.net/

Thought you would be interested in our latest press release.  Here it is:

Team EyeCare 20/20 Wins SEVEN Olympic Medals
Improved Vision Yields Team USA Gold, Silver & Bronze

EAST HANOVER, NJ, MARCH 10, 2010 - With the 2010 Olympic Games complete, Team USA triumphantly returned to The States this week having earned a record setting thirty-seven Olympic medals.  Seven of those medals came from an unusual collection of athletes from different sports and different parts of the country, whose common ground was the surgical expertise of Cary M. Silverman, M.D. of EyeCare 20/20.  In the months leading up to the Olympics, Silverman performed LASIK vision correction surgery on a collection of 2010 Olympic hopefuls, at no charge to the athletes, and the results for Team USA were eye-opening.  Silverman's patients earned nearly 20% of Team USA's record total including one gold, three silver and three bronze medals. 

 
"I'm thrilled for our athletes, and for all of the athletes who so graciously represented our country in Vancouver," said Silverman. "To have played a small part in helping these athletes be at their best when they needed it the most has been an incredible honor for me and the entire team here at EyeCare 20/20."
 
In the prelude to the Olympics, Silverman created Team LASIK-FOR-THE-GOLD, offering his surgical services to any 2010 Olympic hopeful athletes including Chad Hedrick (speedskating - silver and bronze), Erin Pac (bobsled - bronze), Molly Engstrom (hockey - silver), Katherine Reutter (short track - silver and bronze) and Curt Tomasevicz (bobsled - gold). 
 
Reutter became the first US woman in 16 years to win an individual Olympic medal in the action packed sport of short track speedskating when she captured the silver medal in the women's 1000 meter event. 
 
"The medals represent years of hard work, discipline and focus and I am thrilled beyond belief," said Reutter.  "It took a whole team of people to help me realize my dreams and Dr. Silverman and everyone at EyeCare 20/20 were a part of that team.  At the Olympics, I no longer had to worry about contacts, solution or even glasses.  I saw better than ever and I'm pretty excited to be looking clearly at a brand new pair of Olympic medals!"
 
One of the more noteworthy successes of an EyeCare 20/20 patient was undoubtedly that of bobsled driver Erin Pac.  Not considered a likely medalist before the Olympics, Pac faced one of the toughest challenges of The Games - maneuvering  a 400 pound sled down the fastest bobsled run in the world.  Reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph on a track that overturned countless sleds in both the mens' and women's fields, Pac's steady hands and sharpened vision brought her and teammate Elena Myers their first taste of Olympic hardware.
 
"The track in Vancouver is ridiculously fast so of course clear vision was more important than ever," said Pac.  "It was the thrill of a lifetime to stand on the Olympic podium and I'm so grateful to everyone at EyeCare 20/20 for the help in making my Olympic dream come true."
 
For more information about all of these athletes,  visit:

www.LASIKForTheGold.com

More exciting news will be release next week, stay tuned!

LASIk for the Gold Athletes Score 2 More Medals in Vancouver

Yesterday was  very successful day for LASIK for the Gold Athletes with two bronze finishes.  This has increased our medal count to 3 in the 2010 winter games!  Hopefully there is more to come...

Katherine Reutter was part of the 3000m women's relay that captured the bronze medal. 

LASIK for the Gold's Erin Pac teamed with Elana Meyers to take the Bronze Medal in women's 2 Bobsled. It was the first medal for the US in a sliding event in this year's games!

In other news, there were 2 more stories this week about our LASIK for the Gold Program:

Sports Business Daily:

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Olympics
Published February 24, 2010

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Inside Pitch: Olympics Helping Raise Katherine Reutter's Profile

By Jessica Collins, Staff Writer

Reutter Hoping To Win Her First Olympic Medal In Today's 3000m Short-Track Relay Event

U.S. speedskater Katherine Reutter heads into today’s 3000m short-track relay event hoping to win her first Olympic medal of the Vancouver Games. The 21-year-old burst onto the national scene in December after an appearance on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” Reutter has been a vocal supporter of the “Colbert Nation” initiative, which has raised $300,000 to sponsor U.S. Speedskating. Reutter’s profile continued to expand leading up to the Olympics after appearing on NBC’s “Today” show and riding on a float in this year’s Rose Parade. Chicago Sports & Entertainment Partners’ Patrick Quinn, Reutter’s agent, noted Reutter’s highest-profile sponsor currently is Verizon. She is featured in commercials with Bonnie Blair and in Web promos for the company, but those will not be seen during the Games due to the IOC’s rule 41, which prohibits non-Olympic sponsors from activating between February 4-March 3.

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Some of Reutter’s endorsements are outside-the-box, such as her deal with New Jersey-based Eyecare 20/20 and the Champaign, Illinois, Police Department. Reutter’s deal with the Champaign Police includes promoting the department’s “Cops for Kids” program, which provides children with the opportunity to interact with police officers in a positive atmosphere. The initiative is displayed on Reutter’s suit during competitions as well as on her Web site. Eyecare 20/20’s Dr. Cary Silverman decided to sponsor Reutter last year after he was approached by Quinn. Silverman noted he is not doing any marketing campaigns with Reutter but she, along with 10 other Olympians, is featured on the company's Web site and Facebook page. As part of the sponsorship, Silverman provided Reutter with free Lasik eye surgery and flew her to and from his office for the procedure. Silverman: “It gives my practice some credibility, word of mouth. ... We’ll definitely be getting more exposure than a small practice in New Jersey ever could get.”

SPONSOR	SINCE
Verizon	'09
Eyecare 20/20	'09
Nike	'08
Oakley	08
Bioenergy Life Science, Inc.	'08
Champaign, Illinois, Police Dept.	'08

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: Quinn is optimistic companies will soon bring Reutter on board for future deals. “A lot of people have compared Katherine to Bonnie Blair. They’re actually from the same hometown. Here’s this Midwestern wholesome girl. .. I wish we had more athletes like her. She’s so personable and good with the media. There aren’t too many products that I don’t think she’d be a fit for.” Quinn noted there are three areas where Reutter could really connect with sponsors. “She’s a home run for any healthy eating company because she is a very clean eater, more than probably any other athlete I’ve ever seen. She’s also very green and very much into the environment.” He added that she is “very much into style” and would be a natural for companies that want that “image of a young, healthy, vibrant girl.” Quinn noted that Reutter aspires to a career in health, fitness and nutrition once her athletic career is complete. He added that she “would love” to be featured in a fashion or style magazine once the Olympics are wrapped.

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Vitals.com:

February 17th, 2010

Dr. Cary Silverman Helps Athletes Get Olympic Vision

Sarat

Katherine Reutter (eyecare2020.com)

What is Olympic Vision? It’s the  free Lasik procedures given to Team USA members by Dr. Cary Silverman, a Lasik eye surgeon in East Hannover, N.J. whose unique version of getting into the Winter Olympic spirit was to offer free procedures to Team USA members. Katherine Reutter, a 21-year-old short-track speedskater was one of those with terrible vision and living on the ice financially. Dr. Silverman noted that “Katherine had terrible vision and that she was a wonderful candidate for the procedure because of how bad her vision was and it was great to help her out.

Here is a partial list of Team USA athletes who had been given Olympic Vision by Dr. Silverman

Chad Hedrick (speedskating) –  Hedrick will square off against fellow American Shani Davis in the 1500 meters at this year’s Games.

Curt Tomasevicz (bobsled) – A pusher behind U.S. driver Steve Holcomb in Team USA’s number one sled, the “Night Train,” Tomasevicz and his teammates are on the podium more often than they are off of it.

Erin Pac (bobsled) – Long since considered “likely to make the Olympic Team,” Pac has recently shown that simply getting to the Olympics isn’t good enough. A World Cup bronze medal in Salt Lake City in November turned heads on the international bobsled circuit and marked Pac as someone to keep an eye on in Vancouver. She currently holds a 5th place ranking in the overall World Cup standings.

Molly Engstrom (hockey) – Highly likely to do battle with the host Canadian team with gold medals on the line.

Dan Joye (luge) – Joye, who is part of the doubles luge team of Niccum & Joye is part of the number one ranked US sled.

Great Article About LASIK for the Gold in Today's Yahoo Sports!

There is a great article today by Martin Rogers in today's Yahoo Sports about our LASIK for the Gold's efforts.  I have reprinted it here:

Visionary doctor helps athletes see Olympic dreams

By Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports 10 hours, 13 minutes ago

Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter at @mrogersyahoo

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – When Katherine Reutter talks about her Olympic vision, she is not just referring to the four-year search for success that could culminate in Wednesday night’s 500 meters.

The 21-year-old short-track speedskater is one of several athletes assisted by Dr. Cary Silverman, a Lasik eye surgeon whose unique version of getting into the Winter Olympic spirit was to offer free procedures to Team USA members. Long-track speedskater Chad Hedrick also took advantage of Silverman’s offer, as did bobsledders Curt Tomasevicz and Erin Pac and hockey defensewoman Molly Engstrom.

American short-track speedskater Katherine Reutter has been helped by Lasik eye surgery.
(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Yet it is Reutter who has been the biggest beneficiary of Silverman’s generosity.

At a consultation last year, Reutter’s eyesight was so poor that she joked with Silverman that she could barely see the eye chart used for testing, let alone identify any of the letters on it.

Aside from a privileged few, most American speedskaters operate on thin ice financially, as they try to scrape by on grants and minor sponsorships. Despite the best efforts of comedian Stephen Colbert, who put together a sponsorship package after U.S. Speedskating’s previous sponsor encountered financial trouble, times are tough.

Enter the good doctor.

“Katherine had terrible vision,” said Silverman in a telephone conversation with Yahoo! Sports from his practice in East Hannover, N.J. “She was a wonderful candidate for the procedure because of how bad her vision was and it was great to help her out.

“We know how difficult things can be for Olympic athletes, especially Winter Olympians, in trying to make ends meet. It is a very satisfying experience for me to be able to help them achieve their dreams.

“We fly them out to see us, put them up in a hotel and see what we can do for them.”

Reutter is thought to have a legitimate shot at a 500 meters medal, which would be America’s first in women’s short track in 16 years. But she will have to find a way to out-duel China’s spectacular favorite Wang Meng, one of the most dominant short-track speedskaters in history, if she is to claim the gold.

The American believes her new-found clarity of vision has given her an edge in competition, and it will be put to the ultimate test on the ice of the Pacific Coliseum.

Reutter has improved steadily over the past year to emerge as a genuine threat at the international level and enjoys the luxury of no longer having to perform with contact lenses, as she did for so many years.

The difference in Vancouver could be even more noticeable, as some visitors who wear contacts have complained that the humidity has caused irritation and discomfort.

Dr. Cary Silverman, left, with Olympic speedskater Katherine Reutter. Silverman is an ophthalmologist in East Hanover, N.J. and did Reutter's Lasik for free, with travel and hotel expenses paid.
AP Photo/EyeCare20/20)

“It has been fantastic for me and it just makes my day a whole lot easier,” Reutter said. “As an athlete you don’t want to be spending time with contacts and this is a huge, positive change.”

Silverman’s decision to get behind the United States team was pretty straightforward. As a fanatical follower of Olympic sports, he embraced the idea of using his expertise to help American athletes. But the procedure comes with a pressure of its own.

“These are world-class athletes, so we have to get it absolutely right,” Silverman said. “Most wear contacts and complain about them drying out, so this is a great solution. We have had a great response from everyone and we look forward to seeing them all try to compete for medals.”

“It is my way of getting involved in the Games,” Silverman said. “It gives you someone to root for and makes me feel like I have a vested interest in it. It is the closest I’m going to get to a medal.”

Little-guy Olympic sponsors score Vancouver talent

EyeCare 20/20 and our LASIK for the Gold Program was interviewed by the AP last week!  Here is the story's links:

Little-guy Olympic sponsors score Vancouver talent 

Little-guy Olympic sponsors score Vancouver talent

And the story:

Little-guy Olympic sponsors score Vancouver talent

By leanne italie, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The names Cary Silverman, Todd Greene and Gabe Herrick may not come up much during the Vancouver Olympics, but they're players nonetheless.

All are little-guy sponsors of U.S. athletes who hung in with training help and endorsement deals when many corporate giants pulled back during the economic meltdown.

"Yeah, it was a huge hit," says short-track speedskater Katherine Reutter. "As soon as the economy began going downhill, a lot of individual deals went down with it."

Enter Silverman, an ophthalmologist in East Hanover, N.J. He did her Lasik for free, travel and hotel expenses paid. At Bioenergy Life Science Inc., a company in Minneapolis with only 30 employees, Herrick provides her boxloads of a favorite energy powder.

Reutter's hometown police department in Champaign, Ill., has been a loyal backer, and comedy Central's Stephen Colbert is an official sponsor of U.S. Speedskating, replacing a Dutch bank that went bankrupt and left the sport $300,000 short. The Colbert Nation raised that and then some.

As the Winter Games approached, Reutter says, some of the big boys came to call. "Verizon and PowerBar have just jumped on the train within the last couple of months," Reutter says. "Now everybody wants a piece of the action."

But for many athletes, it's the long-term personal sponsors who have supported them through the long haul. Making his third trip to the Olympics, cross-country skier Torin Koos grew up in Leavenworth, Wash., on the eastern slopes of the Cascade mountains in the heart of pear-growing country. For six years, the only logo he has displayed on racing caps is that of USA Pears, a brand of the fruit grown in his home state and neighboring Oregon.

"I grew up running through pear orchards in the spring and summer, rollerskiing and skiing beside them in the fall and winter," Koos said. "I made a couple dollars in the summer working at my friend Scott's family fruitstand. It is part of my roots, of where I grew up. It is also a company I can believe in wholeheartedly. Instead of promoting something like Mountain Dew or Mickey D's, I'm promoting healthy living and nutrition."

In Los Angeles, a cutesy head shaver that looks like a little yellow race car has made Greene a millionaire, but he's got a long way to go before HeadBlade Inc. is the next Gillette. With only eight employees, Greene's relationship with skeleton racer Zach Lund has boosted the product's profile but also done the athlete a world of good in the morale department.

Back in 2005, Lund was ranked No. 1 in the world, then tested positive ahead of the 2006 Games for finasteride, an ingredient in the hair growth product Propecia. At the time, finasteride was on the world anti-doping list as a possible mask for steroids.

Lund had previously disclosed his use of Propecia, which he had used for years and had not been on previous lists, but he didn't double-check the list that year and was suspended for a year, lost appeals and missed the Games in Italy. Finasteride was later de-listed. By then, Lund had decided to make his controversial thinning hair disappear by shaving.

"I was trying to hold on to my hair pretty hard back then," he says. "It was always a big insecurity of mine. I missed the Olympics because of it, which was pretty devastating, to miss out on my lifelong dream and have it be because of one of my biggest insecurities."

Greene, a head shaver himself who started his business out of his apartment, was a match made in endorsement heaven. Lund, who's not favored to win a medal in Vancouver, has been wearing the company's logo on his helmet in a sport that has him racing head first.

"What's so revolutionary for Zach is, all those years, he was trying to fight it and then he got the worst possible scenario," Greene said of his reasons for pursuing Lund. "He got kicked out of the Olympics and he said, screw it, I'm shaving."

Reutter and freestyle Olympic skier Shannon Bahrke say the Bionergy powder D-Ribose goes a long way to boost their endurance and perk up tired muscles. The substance, which they can put in food and drinks of their choice, is an ingredient the company sells for use in commercial supplements, but it's not sold alone.

As part of her deal, Reutter has been wearing the company's logo on her left thigh and lapel, also squeezing it onto hats and warmup suits in the lead-up to Vancouver. In addition to the powder, Bioenergy pays her a $2,500 monthly stipend. But Bioenergy is hardly a household name.

Herrick, Reutter says, isn't a corporate suit. "I'll text him if I need something. I can give him a call. He came to our Olympic trials. I've hung out with him. He's not just some business person."

He is and he isn't. Herrick is the sales manager for supplements and sports nutrition for Bioenergy, a company with a stake but not a huge one in seeing its sponsored athletes come home with medals.

"It's a more intimate relationship between company and athlete, rather than a corporation just showing them off to everybody," Herrick says.

Silverman's got plenty of patients already in northern New Jersey. There's not much to the arrangement he has with Reutter and several other Olympic contenders he's worked on, beyond mentioning them on his Web site and displaying their signed photographs with their thanks scrawled in pen.

"For the Olympic athletes, for the most part, they don't make a lot of money and Lasik costs. I love the Olympics. I love sports in general and this is something that can improve their performance so they can use every advantage they can get."

As for Lund, he's ready to show off his dome in Vancouver and says he's happy to have finally qualified. That seems enough for Greene, who added: "Hopefully he'll win by a hair."

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Great Response to Vision Harvest "Free Cataract Surgery" Program

SInce Fox New York's coverage last week of our Vision Harvest program we have heard from many in need of cataract surgery.  These patients are without health insurance and have no means to pay for this vision restoring procedure.  Many of their stories are heart breaking.  I am so looking forward to November 25, when these patients will be undergoing their free cataract surgery.

Special thanks to Dr. Sapna Parikh, who covered this story on Fox.  I received and e-mail from Dr. Parikh today.  She forwarded me a message from one of the people we will be treating next week:

Topic: Dr. Sapna
Subject: vision harvest
Comments: I don't know how to thank you for providing me with the
information to restore my sight I was accepted today for free cataract
surgery.  I have been at my wits end for 2 years trying to figure out
how to afford this procedure. Dr. Silverman is a gift from GOD and you
are an angel for delivering his message. Thank you so much Dr.Sapna.

This message has been typical of the response from those we have seen this past week at EyeCare 20/20.  It certainly leaves one with a warm feeling inside.  As they say, "It is better to give than to receive."  I couldn't agree more!

For those interested in participating in this year's Vision Harvest program, there are still spots available for free cataract surgery for those who qualify.  We will continue to be seeing patients Monday and Tuesday this week to determine eligibility for surgery on Wednesday.  Those interested should call:

973-200-8250

Vision Harvest 2009 Featured on Fox' Good Day New York

Dr. Sapna Parikh featured our Vision Harvest 2009 program this morning on Fox' "Good Day New York".  On November 25, 2009, doctors at the River Drive Surgery and Laser Center of Elmwood Park, New Jersey, will perform FREE cataract surgery during Vision Harvest 2009, for those that are uninsured and can’t afford to pay for the procedure. 

The response to this airing has been awesome, over 20 people have called to set up an appointment to determine their eligibility since the segment aired an hour ago!  Thank you Dr. Parikh!!

This week, participating eye physicians will continue to be evaluating prospective cataract patients and scheduling them for their free procedure.  Eligible patients will have all eye examinations, testing, medications, and surgery provided to them free of charge.  For more information, interested patients should call 973-200-8250 to set up a free evaluation to determine their candidacy.