Eyes…the window to your soul & GIVEAWAY!

You know the saying that the eyes are the window to the soul?  You could even get all Shakespeare and say they are a window to your heart.  Well, last week I discovered that they are, quite literally, the window to your heart.

I had my annual eye check up last week so I could renew my contact prescription.  As my guy was shinning a bright light in my eyes he was muttering things like “no sign of high blood pressure. No sign of heart disease.  No sign of diabetes.”  Wait, what?  Are you telling me you can tell if I’m risk for heart disease just by looking in my eyes?  I found this fascinating.  It gave the window to the soul and whole new meaning.  Oh, yes.  He goes on to tell me how he can see the indicators for bad mojo going on in the body, how he has sent patients to specialists and good thing too, because they ended up having multiple clogged arteries.  He showed me pictures of the inside of eyes (that looked more like pictures of Mars) and what he looks for.  He pretty much geeked out about it.

Huh, well, whatta you know.

With all the crazy tornado business that has been happening in Oklahoma the past few weeks and all the lost property, it never occurred to me that one of the things people have lost are their glasses and contacts.  I would be up a creek without a paddle if I didn’t have either of those things.  Even for a few days without contacts I’d be stumbling around like one of those old crones in Clash of the Titans with out their magic eye.  This week I learned that VSP Vision Care sent 500 gift certificates to Red Cross for Oklahoma tornado victims to receive free eye exams from a VSP provider and help with obtaining new contacts and glasses.  Even if they aren’t a VSP customer, they can still go to a Red Cross station and get started with getting a free eye exam and on their way to seeing clearly again.

Here’s something important: if you know someone who lost their eye glasses or contacts during the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma please share the following info:

1) VSP customers should call 800-877-7195 to get free eyecare and replace their glasses.  

2) Non-VSP customers can still take advantage of the offer by contacting their local American Red Cross chapter or shelter to request a VSP gift certificate redeemable for free eyecare services and materials.  To receive a certificate, patients must have a social security number, have lost their glasses during a disaster and have either no vision insurance or no available benefits through existing vision insurance.

People can find their closest VSP doctor at https://www.vsp.com/eye-doctor.html, and they can find their nearest Red Cross chapter or shelter at http://www.redcross.org/find-your-local-chapter.

Here’s a fun factoid…according to the 2013 Healthy Eye Index (VSP’s measurement of how often people go to the eye doctor and how well they take care of their vision) Oklahoma City and Tulsa came in third in the nation!  Oklahomans are really good at taking care of their eyes.  Good thing too, because they also have a really high rate of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes.  Now, if only Oklahomans would keep their bodies as healthy as their eyes.  Pick up an apple instead of a french fry for goodness sakes!

For more info about the VSP Eye Health Index check out their blog post.

Now for the really fun part.  A giveaway!  VSP is giving away a pair of designer sunglasses to one of you, dear readers (continental US only, please).  To enter just leave a comment below letting me know what fun stuff you have planned for the summer.  Disney World?  Just hanging at the pool?  Or somewhere in between?  Your comment is your entry.  For a second entry, hop on over to my Facebook page and give me a little “like” love.  Let me know you did so in the comments.  The giveaway will stay up until 5:00 p.m. Thursday, June 13th.  The winner will be announced Thursday evening.

Disclaimer:  The is a sponsored post.  I was compensated by VSP and they provided the sunglasses for the giveaway.  But know this…the thoughts, opinions and comments about the movie Clash of the Titans (a true classic in my opinion) are all my own.