DuPont Family Vision Clinic Specializes in Eye Care with a Personal Touch

Finally, summer is here after months of cloud cover. Now that the big yellow orb has re-appeared in the sky, sending you outdoors, hopefully you have protected not only your skin, but your eyes as well. DuPont Family Vision Clinic (DFVC), DuPont’s full service eye health care center, wants to remind everyone of the importance of keeping your eyes protected while you are outdoors.

“The sun gives off ultraviolent radiation in three forms: UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C. The ozone layer absorbs UV-C radiation, which leaves the damaging UV-A and UV-B rays. Long-term exposure to these rays has been known to cause cataracts, retinal problems, eye growths, cancer, and sunburn,” said Dr. Steve Shaffer of DFVC. His clinic recommends purchasing sunglasses that will block out 99-100% of both UV-A and U-VB radiation, screen out 75-90% of visible light (fashion-tinted lenses usually do not meet this level), be perfectly matched in color and free of distortion and imperfection, and have gray, green, or brown lenses.

“And you don’t want to forget about purchasing quality sunglasses for your teenagers or children as well,” reminded Shaffer. “Young people tend to spend more time outdoors than adults, and the lenses of their eyes are more transparent than an adult. This transparency allows more UV radiation to reach the retina which can lead to future problems,” he explained.

Protecting your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays is one thing, but many home owners forget about protecting their eyes from flying yard debris when performing yard work. Most people are unaware that nylon lawn trimmers, the second most popular lawn tool behind the lawn mower, are now the fifth leading cause of penetrating eye injuries. DFVC states that each year trimmers alone cause more than 1,500 eye injuries. However, trimmers are not the only cause of yard work related of eye injuries. Small stones and debris from lawn mower blades, branches, and dust can all be damaging to the eyes. DFVC recommends that while working in the yard you wear wrap-around safety goggles made of polycarbonate.

DFVC not only gives us good advice on how to protect our eyes during the summer, but his clinic offers full service optical care to meet everybody’s budget. Dr. Steven Shaffer, M.S., O.D. opened DFVC in 2004. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University at Riverside majoring in microbiology and microbial genetics and then from Southern California College of Optometry. Shaffer specializes in family eye health care, treatment of eye disease, children’s vision, visual rehabilitation, and contact lenses. He recently welcomed three new specialists into the clinic, providing the community with extended, specialty eye care.

Rodger D. Bodoia, M.D. Ph.D. specializes in retinal disease and diabetic eye care. He graduated from the University of Washington Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude and again from University of Washington’s School of Medicine with a Ph.D. in biophysics.

Preston Sullivan, M.D. graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from the University of Southern California and received his medical degree from Dartmouth. He completed his residency in ophthalmology at the Cleveland Clinic, Cole Eye Institute. He specializes in cataract surgery, astigmatism, and reading vision correction.

Stacy Porter, M.D. specializes in LASIK and is a PRK vision correction specialist. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa’s College of Medicine, and she completed her residency in ophthalmology at the University of Washington.

For more information on DFVC, visit www.dupontfamilyvision.com, email info@dupontfamilyvision.com, or call 253-912-0900. DFVC is located at 1570 Wilmington Drive, next to Farrelli’s. They are open on Mondays from 9:00am-5:30pm, Tuesdays from 9:00am-5:00pm, Wednesdays from 10:00am-6:30pm, Thursdays from 9:00am-5:30pm, and Fridays by appointment only. DFVC accepts Tri-Care, VSP, EyeMed, Uniform, and most other insurance providers.

When should your children have their eyes checked?

Dr. Shaffer encourages parents to have children examined three times prior to starting school, at six months, three years, and before entering kindergarten. After the three initial appointments, he recommends yearly appointments in order to best monitor eye development. School sponsored vision screenings are not the same as a comprehensive exam. Children need to meet with an eye care professional that has the proper specialized training annually to help make formal diagnosis’s and advise treatments. Summer vacation is a good time to get your child’s eyes check, so make your appointment today.