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| Charles Bittel III,O.D.,Inc. Screens and Sleep |
June 2015 |
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Happy Summer to all! It snuck up on us this year and we seem to be in full-bore Summer mode in the middle of June as opposed to the middle of July. We therefore apologize if it takes longer than usual to get you or a family member in for an appointment. We're doing the best we can to squeeze in extra exam slots and to get Dr. Chi in the office seeing patients a few extra days over the next few months. But if you're a teacher on Summer vacation or if you have a child home for Summer break, please call as soon as possible if you'll be needing an exam in July or August because we may be booking up a month out in the near future.
By now, a lot of you have received our new text and/or email messages. Thankfully we've received a ton of positive feedback about this new communications system. But again, you can opt out of any form of communication so if you're having any problems with the new system, please call our office so we can customize our communications to your specific preferences.
Thank you again in advance for your patience this Summer if it takes longer than usual to get an appointment, to be helped on the phone, or if there's a wait to help you in the office. We're doing our best to accommodate all of our patients' needs without sacrificing the quality of service that we always strive to provide. And if you cannot make a scheduled appointment, please call us as soon as possible so we can try and fill your spot with someone on our waiting list that needs to get in ASAP.
We wish you all an amazing Summer. But don't stay up too late reading those Summer novels or playing Candy Crush on your iPads. I'll explain why below. Happy reading!
Sincerely,
Dr. Charlie Bittel (Junior)
Dr. Chuck Bittel (Senior)
Dr. Joo Chi
and Staff
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Screens and Sleep
If you're reading a great Summer novel...on your iPad...and you want to be able to go to sleep at a decent hour...you might be making the sleep part of that equation more difficult than it needs to be. Multiple studies, including a publication from Harvard Medical School, support the theory that light at night, especially blue light emitted from electronics
and energy efficient bulbs, is disruptive to our sleep cycle.
Blue light is beneficial during the day as it boosts attention and helps our mood. I'm sure many of you are aware Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and its high prevalence in Pacific Northwest cities such as Portland and Seattle. In these cities, there is literally a higher rate of depression due to the gloomy weather and lack of sunshine. SPY, an optical company that does a lot of business in the skate and snowboard industry (and a frame line that we happen to carry) even went so far as to design a lens that lets in healthy long-wavelength blue light while filtering out harmful short-wavelength blue light and UV radiation. They call it the
Happy Lens.
So, what if you want to read your favorite novel in bed
and go to sleep at a decent hour? Perhaps try reading a book that's actually printed on paper. Remember, those things with lots of pages that you had to painstakingly turn every 30 seconds. Well, it turns out that even a bedside lamp emits blue light that can affect your sleep, but it's got to be better than an electronic screen.
But what if surfing the web for your next Summer vacation spot or reading your Twitter feed is your cup of tea at bedtime? There's an app for that...
Koala Web Browser is an app that filters out the blue light from your iDevice at night. In fact, it automatically changes the brightness and color of your screen throughout the day and into the night, eliminating the blue wavelength that negatively affects your sleep cycle.
But what if you prefer to surf the web on your laptop at night? There's a program for that! F.lux is software for Windows and Mac that also adjusts the brightness of your monitor based on the time of day. Apparently it is available for iDevices as well although I have yet to test this application on a phone or tablet.
What about watching TV? Is a Kindle better than an iPad? All great questions. And they all likely have a negative affect on your sleep. So the take home is this...if you have problems falling asleep at night, avoid electronics for at least an hour before you would like to be catching some Z's. And if you simply must look at a screen before going to sleep, try one of the aforementioned brightness-adjusting programs. And make sure your kids are off their electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime as well. Maybe it's not as important during the Summer when they can sleep in. But during the school year, they need to go to sleep at a decent hour. I'm sure you've also heard about recent studies that show that our kids are not getting enough sleep and it's affecting their attention as well as their general health. If they get upset, tell them Dr. Bittel said to get off Facebook and go to bed. I'll take the heat.
Happy Summer. And sweet dreams.
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News
New product alert! (again...)
This time we're not talking about the new Define lens, although that is still a great product for those who want a little pop to their eye color. We're talking about the new 1 Day Acuvue Moist Multifocal lens. This is a great lens for those that need reading glasses but would rather wear contact lenses. And it's also a great option for current multifocal wearers that have monthly lenses, but are looking to get the convenience and comfort of a daily disposable lens. We just received the fitting set a few weeks ago and already have a lot of successful wearers. Call if you are currently a multifocal wearer that would like to try this product, or if you want to try this product at your next exam.
Acuvue contact lens pricing:
Johnson and Johnson (Acuvue) is still enforcing its unilateral pricing policy (UPP). This means that big box chains and online retailers cannot sell Acuvue products for less than a specified amount. Therefore the majority of the time, our prices on Acuvue products are exactly the same as what Costco and online retailers are charging. And on year supply orders of 1 Day Acuvue Moist and 1 Day Acuvue TruEye, our prices are now actually cheaper than what is available from big box stores and online. We also do not charge tax, we have free shipping on year supplies or 6 month supplies of daily disposables, and have a much more flexible return policy than any outside retailers. And we really really appreciate your business :)
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About Us
Dr. Chuck Bittel (Senior) has been practicing in Yorba Linda for over 30 years. His son, Dr. Charlie Bittel III (Junior) has been practicing in Yorba Linda for the last 9 years and took over the practice in December 2012. The business has continued to grow through referrals of family and friends so we are always honored to see your loved ones and feel free to give us a Yelp if you see fit! We are also the first business in all of California to register with the new referral app GWIG (Go Where I Go)!
Learn more about Dr. Bittel Senior and Junior and about their practice on their website and Facebook page.
For appointments call 714-779-8521 or email:
[email protected]
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| Charles Bittel, O.D., Inc.
20399 Yorba Linda Blvd.
Yorba Linda, California 92886 714-779-8521 drbittel.com |
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