BMX phemon and CooperVision Teen Spokesperon Daniel Dhers credits contact lenses with improving his performance on the bike. "I've been wearing contacts for a few years and have noticed a big improvement in my riding. They help with my periphery, and if I fall during a ride I don't have to worry about them falling off or breaking."

Get an exclusive 360° view from the Dew Tour through the eyes of BMX phenom and CooperVision Teen Spokesperson Daniel Dhers:

To read more about Daniel and how contact lenses helped improve his game, visit mycontactsports.com.

Three years ago, we started the Adopt a Patient program to provide third and fourth year optometry students the opportunity for an additional hands-on fitting experience. The program also benefits prospective contact lens patients who are otherwise unable to afford contact lenses.

Each third year student in participating schools is encouraged to “adopt” a deserving patient into the program. The patient will be fit with CooperVision soft contact lenses and followed up with visits throughout the student’s clinic time at the school. The patient also receives a complimentary year’s supply of lenses from CooperVision (all lenses are available except for those with opaque or enhancing tints).

After a year, patients are eligible for re-adoption by a student from the next year’s class. The primary target audience for the Adopt a Patient program is teenage patients who demonstrate need for contact lenses and come from low income families. Older patients are not excluded from the program, but recruitment is up to the discretion of the clinic supervisor.

Launa Kind, the Adopt a Patient program office administrator at Pacific University agrees that the program is a win-win situation for all parties involved.  “Most of our Adopt a Patient participants are kids and teenagers with high astigmatism or anisometropia, a condition that is preferably treated with contact lenses (versus spectacles). Without this program, they truly would not have been able to afford contact lenses. Our patients that have received lenses have been most thankful, and our students are gaining valuable, real-world experience.”

Wesley Crocket, current 4th year optometry student, had a great experience in the program last year. “I adopted a 9 year old boy with a large hyperopic astigmatic correction in his glasses. He was complaining that his lenses kept falling out of his frames and that they made his eyes look really big. He really wanted to wear contact lenses but his mother was unemployed at the time, and unable to pay for contacts. I advised him to practice touching his eye and keeping his hands clean. A few weeks later, he came back in and I fit him in Biofinity Toric lenses. He did great with them! When he returned a week later for his follow up appointment, it seemed as if his self esteem grew leaps and bounds. He talked about how everyone at school though it was ‘so cool’ that he was wearing contacts, and that his classmates couldn’t even tell that he had anything in his eye. I think for this young hyperopic kid, being able to wear contacts changed his life.”

Today, the program is operating in 6 optometry schools across the country, benefitting approximately 300 patients. If you’re an optometry student or professor and want to get your school involved in our Adopt a Patient program, please email me at mandre@coopervision.com.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to ride like a BMX biker? Check out our most recent video on YouTube for an exclusive look from our teen spokesperson and professional BMX rider Daniel Dhers!

To learn more about Daniel, click here.

Do you have a great contact lens story? We want to hear it! We are currently collecting testimonials for our website and marketing materials. Email us at blogadmin@coopervision.com, tell us your CooperVision contact lens story, and you may be featured in our upcoming campaigns.

Our heart goes out to the family and friends of the medical aid workers who recently lost their lives in Afghanistan. We respect and appreciate the vision and other health services the aid workers provided to many under served individuals. We admire the sacrifice and courage it takes to do what they did.

Heather O'Reilly, gold-medal winning soccer star and our teen contact lens spokesperson, recently sat down with Teen Vogue to answer their Q & A session. They talked soccer, nutrition, fitness, and style. When asked if she has any tips for Teen Vogue readers looking to stay in shape, Heather mentions the importance of keeping yourself motivated and also ensuring you have the right gear:

"I would definitely recommend trying new activities until you find something that you really enjoy.  Then, make a goal sheet for yourself.  I find that it really motivates me when I make small goals and then accomplish then.  It could be 3 jogs per week.  It could be 200 sit ups before bed.  Stay disciplined, and it will give you confidence when you accomplish your goals. Also, make sure that you have the proper gear.  I've teamed up with CooperVision and on the Contact Sports program to teach teens that healthy vision can help improve their sports performance.  When I was a teen, I realized that I needed contact lenses.  After wearing them, my game improved. Taking care of your general health, like nutrition and eye care can be very important to help you play your best. Teens can visit MyContactSports.com to apply for a "Gear Up Grant" until 9/30 for a chance at $2,500 towards essential sports gear, and even free CooperVision contacts."

To access the full interview, please click here.

To learn more about Heather O'Reilly and MyContactSports, please click here.

Our social media presentations at the AOA’s Optometry’s Meeting were recently recognized on the American Optometric Association’s blog (News from the AOA). Read the excerpt below and click here to read the full article:

CooperVision has taken a unique approach to educating ECPs on social media by partnering with them directly.

Over the course of six weeks, CooperVision worked with hundreds of eye care practices to build and implement social media strategies aimed at attracting and retaining patients. The practices had varying levels of social media experience and executed different plans depending on the networks already in use.

Numerous social media platforms were tested, including Facebook fan pages, Facebook advertising, Google, RSS feeds and blogs. As a result of these efforts, each practice saw an increase in fans or followers – with an average of 60 fans per page – and increased traffic to practice Web sites.

“We are constantly looking for new ways to market our practice and better connect with patients – particularly through social media,” said Jason Miller, O.D., who recently worked with CooperVision to build a Facebook page. “I think Facebook is a relatively untapped market, and practices that take the initiative to create a fan page may gain a competitive advantage.”

Looking ahead, CooperVision will continue to work to strengthen its connection with the vision care community through social media channels.

Are you interested in getting started in social media, or would you like help optimizing your current social media efforts? Sign up for our Social Media Consultation program at www.coopervision.com/form or talk to your sales representative for more information.