Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley Says ‘Hi’ to June

When the first day of the month falls on a Saturday, it feels like a starting point of some kind or another. Tomorrow is June 1^st and Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley sees this (literally) as the start of not just a new month, but a new season. Events lined up in the city of Berkeley for this weekend alone will help start summer off right. Polish up your sunglasses for your outdoor fun. Keep your contact lenses moist, or your eyeglasses clear if you are attending any indoor events. There are many to choose from (and these are only a few).

Shattuck Avenue will be hosting the Chocolate & Chalk Art Festival. Tomorrow morning, from 10:00am to 5:00pm, take a walk along Gourmet Ghetto, and watch a wide variety of artists in action as they turn selected sidewalk squares into dazzling images – with chalk. Should you get hungry on this excursion, there is nothing like chocolate to munch on. This will cost you some money (20 tickets for $20), but with offerings such as traditional s’mores pops and éclairs, to more exotic samplings of Caribbean chocolate soup, this is no ordinary chocolate-fest. It will be easier than trying to find one of Willy Wonka’s golden tickets!

History buffs, sit up and take notice. Tomorrow afternoon, from 2:00pm to 3:30pm, the first of three lectures will be held at Berkeley Public Library, discussing this city during World War II. Hosted by local historian Chuck Wollenberg, this promises to be an interesting and informative look into Berkeley’s past. For further information, call the library at (510) 981-6148.

If you are in a musical mood, stop by Finnish Brotherhood Hall at 1970 Chestnut Street to listen to some cool sounds at the Pacific Mozart Ensemble (PME)’s A Cappella Jazz & Pop Concert. Call (510) 848-8022 to make reservations and purchase tickets (which, we might add, go fast). Also worth consideration is the ‘Voices of Venice,’ who, in commemoration of the release of their recent CD, will be featured in a concert at Trinity Chamber Concerts, at 2320 Dana Street, tomorrow from 8:00pm-9:30pm, with a small party afterward at the Musical Offering. Call (510) 549-3864 to order tickets.

All of these happenings take place tomorrow. For more suggestions, visit SF Gate. This weekend (alone) proves that the city of Berkeley is ready for summer. Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley hopes you have a great ‘first weekend of June.’ Have fun, keep safe, and your vision strong. 

Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley Salutes Memorial Day

This Monday is a holiday. Some people will have barbecues, some will start enjoying the summer season early, and others will just relax. However you choose to spend your time, the staff at Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley recommends you be mindful of your eyes and take care.

Should you host or attend a barbecue, remember to keep a safe distance from the flames of the cooking. That old song, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” is a romantic tune; not one to be tested literally, so stay vision safe, by keeping your eyeglasses or contact lenses in order. Oh, let us not forget to about your sunglasses as well!

Attention is in order, however, and we must remember the meaning behind this Memorial Day holiday. This is a day of remembrance for the brave men and women who gave their lives for our country, helping us enjoy the freedoms we have today.

There will certainly be a lot of activity this weekend. People will be about and the streets will be crowded. If you read this blog early enough, you may want to hear some music for a good cause, at the UNICEF Tap With a Beat Benefit Concert, tonight at 7:00 at the Anna Head Alumnae Hall, 2537 Haste Street. If you wish to order tickets, go to http://uniceftapwithabeat.eventbrite.com/#. Enjoy!

If you’re feeling a bit artistic, consider attending Mosaic Art Classes, taking place tomorrow (10am-4pm) and Sunday (10am-1pm), being held at Studio D Mosaics, located at 1805 2^nd St. Call 925-588-5306 for further information.

Finally, you have the option of checking out what’s going on at Lawrence Hall at University of California, where a variety of events are taking place, including the premiere of a 3-D movie, Great White Shark, and a starry view at the Planetarium. Visit the Outdoor Science Park to learn about the forces of nature that made the San Francisco Bay what it is, and if you want to get an even bigger view of things, check out the Science on a Sphere (SOS) ® exhibit. Call 510-542-5132 for more information.

Have fun, be safe and keep those who have protected our country in your hearts this Memorial Day.

Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley Gabs Gatsby

By now (unless you have unplugged your television, radio, disconnected from the Internet, and not picked up a newspaper in the last couple of weeks), you are aware that a new movie version of The Great Gatsby – that F. Scott Fitzgerald saga of the Jazz Age (a.k.a. 1920’s) is doing big business in movie theatres.

Everyone here at Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley takes a particular interest in The Great Gatsby because of one memorable plot device. In the more rural section of the story’s Long Island, NY locale lives an auto mechanic named George Wilson. In the vicinity of George’s shop is an old billboard that advertises the optometry services of one Dr. T. J. Eckleburg. This billboard consists of two giant blue eyes looking through a pair of yellow rimmed spectacles; a fascinating (not to mention eerie) bit of imagery.

Teachers, students and scholars have written countless papers and dissertations on the meaning of Dr. Eckleburg’s sign. What we find noteworthy is the sense of American history. Even as far back as the 1920s, the importance of keeping up with eye health was advertised – on the grand scale of a billboard. Today, one can go online and schedule an appointment for an eye exam, peruse eyeglasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses, among other options. You can even find deals that were not so flexible back in the 1920s. How times have changed. Or have they? Have you kept up with the care of your eyes with the help of a few simple clicks on the computer? Or do you need a giant billboard à la Dr. T. J. Eckleburg to freak you out a bit into visiting the eye doctor? No, we didn’t think so.

Now, on a different note, the staff at Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley is intrigued by the fact that this rendition of The Great Gatsby is in 3D. While watching movies with the red and green plastic Wayfarers is not for everyone (and the reviews of the movie itself have been mixed), one cannot help but notice how the past has met the future, as this well-known tale of a bygone era gets fresh life with newer technology.

Whether you choose to see Gatsby in the movies, wait for video, or if the hoopla has piqued your interest in reading (or rereading) Fitzgerald’s novel, we hope that the sign of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg does not disturb you too much. Come visit us…we’re not as scary.

Site for Sore Eyes Salutes Healthy Vision Month

Well, the title of today’s blog pretty much says it all. Happy 10^th Anniversary to Healthy Vision Month, readers! This week, the staff of Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley is going to hammer home some points that we've brought up in the past, but still bear repeating.

In honor of this month, here are some suggestions of how to maintain the health and strength of your vision:

1.       Consider making your annual eye exam a New Year’s resolution. We are almost at the halfway point of 2013 (where does the time go?!), and if you haven’t made your annual eye eye exam appointment yet, come in today!

2.       Take care of your vision accessories on a daily basis. Consider this: you brush your teeth and comb your hair as part of your daily ritual. If you wear eyeglasses, make it a point to polish them each day. Make sure that the frames are sturdy and that they are securely holding each lens. If contact lenses are your thing, keep the cases and solution safely and neatly stored, and be sure to follow the prescribed rules of how long you can or should wear them. Oh, and as was covered in the blog from April 19^th, avoid going to sleep while you are wearing your contacts. Get into this habit of “vision vigilance” and it will become second nature – sooner than you think.

3.       Eye drops. Keep a small, over-the-counter bottle on hand. You never know when your eyes may start to feel dry or irritated, particularly if you frequently use a computer, which brings us to point…

4.       Take breaks from looking at the computer screen. Follow the 20/20/20 rule: for every 20 minutes spent looking at a computer monitor, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to maintain your eyes’ focusing system.

5.       Wear those sunglasses. This one may sound too basic, but keep those shades ready to shield your eyes from harmful UV rays of the sun. Definitely keep them on hand when driving. Squinting as you maneuver the roads is not only uncomfortable for the eyes, but can be hazardous for safe driving.

So, these five rules don’t sound too difficult, do they? The hardest part will be incorporating them into your routine. If you apply them, however, you will be doing your vision (and thus, yourself) a huge favor.

Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley would like to give a shout out to the National Eye Institute (NEI), who is the sponsor of Healthy Vision Month. Ten years ago, NEI established May as the month for promoting the education of good vision health. To learn more about NEI and its mission of spreading healthy eyesight, click here, and find educational materials and resources.

To echo the thoughts of Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D. and Director of the National Eye Institute: make the most of your vision and make it a priority. Thank you, Dr. Sieving.