Olathe Award Program Honors the Achievement

Olathe, KS -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/29/2014 -- Galbrecht Eye Care has been selected for the 2014 Best of Olathe Award in the Optometrists category by the Olathe Award Program.

Each year, the Olathe Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Olathe area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2014 Olathe Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Olathe Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Olathe Award Program
The Olathe Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Olathe area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Olathe Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Dr. Diane Galbrecht Says Early Detection Can Mean Better Patient Outcomes

Olathe, KS -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/19/2014 -- Dr. Diane Galbrecht of Galbrecht Eyecare in Olathe, KS is always excited to offer her patients the finest in eye care. Providing early detection of common eye conditions is an essential part of her mission in the wider Olathe community, and she is always looking for ways to further this aim. Visual Field Testing to detect peripheral vision loss that may indicate underlying health issues is no exception.

Peripheral vision loss means that a person no longer possesses a normal, wide field of vision because his/her visual field at the sides is either reduced or lost completely. In moderate to severe cases, this may block a significant part of a person's side vision, leading to a sensation as though one is looking through a tube or tunnel. This is often referred to as "tunnel vision." Dr. Galbrecht comments, "Peripheral vision loss can be an indicator of serious eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and a detached retina, all of which are extremely dangerous conditions which can lead to blindness if not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. It can also be an indication of problems in the brain such as tumors, brain damage caused by stroke, and concussions. The location of a stroke or tumor can even be determined by the size, shape and location of the peripheral vision loss. Visual Field Testing is among the best techniques in the field of Optometry to detect this all-important indicator of underlying danger to your vision and overall health."

During a routine eye exam with Dr. Galbrecht, she first begins with a simple test called a confrontation visual field test. One eye is covered, and the patient is asked to fix the other eye on a target in central vision, such as her eye or a picture. She then asks the patient to describe objects in his/her side vision. If she suspects that there is a spot in the patient's side vision that is problematic, she then moves on to more comprehensive, formal testing to evaluate central and side vision. These tests measure the patient's ability to see varying degrees of light in side vision, the patient's ability to see vertical black and white bars at certain frequencies, and the electrical activity generated by the patient's eyes' photoreceptor cells when stimulated by a strobe light or reversed checkerboard pattern. These tests better assist Dr. Galbrecht in deciding not only whether or not a patient has peripheral vision loss, but what it means and how to treat it.

Dr. Galbrecht comments, "These tests are especially important to mention during Diabetes Awareness Month, since the leading cause of blindness in working age adults is from an eye condition linked to diabetes, called diabetic retinopathy. This condition can be detected by administering a visual field test, and early detection means early treatment. Early treatment may mean saving someone's valued sense of sight. This is why we're here in the Olathe community."

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Olathe, KS -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/28/2014 -- Galbrecht Eyecare in Olathe, Kansas announced today the addition of a cutting edge new technology that promises to revolutionize the detection of glaucoma. The Zeiss Glaucoma Detection with Variable Corneal Compensation (or GDx VCC) performs a non-obtrusive scan of a patient's retina to measure the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFl) without the need to dilate the eye. Changes in the thickness of the nerve layer is an early indicator of glaucoma. The GDx VCC assesses the eye from both a structural and functional point of view and detects structural changes in the retinal nerve fiber layer. This helps to detect early signs of glaucomatous structural damage.

In a healthy eye, a clear fluid called aqueous humor circulates inside the front part of the eye. To keep healthy eye pressure, the eye constantly produces a small amount of aqueous humor while the same amount of the fluid leaves your eye. With glaucoma, the aqueous humor does not leave the eye properly, raising fluid pressure in the eye. Over time, this causes damage to the optic nerve fibers. This can cause irreversible loss of vision. Because it progresses so gradually, more than half of people with glaucoma aren't aware they have it until significant vision has already been lost. If detected and treated in its early stages, blindness can almost always be prevented.

While older glaucoma tests measured eye pressure or the effect that glaucoma had on the patient's overall visual field, the GDx uses a type of scanning laser to measure the thickness of the RNFl. This increases the likelihood of catching signs of glaucoma early enough to make a real difference for patients.

Before the GDx there was also no way of digitally scanning the fundus to look for subtle changes. Eye doctors relied solely on the patient's symptoms and other test results to decide if the current treatment regimen was working. Dr. Galbrecht relates, "Patients with glaucoma appreciate this test because they can see if there are changes from one visit to the next. This indicates whether the current medication regimen is working or not, and allows the doctor to shift treatment accordingly if necessary".

When asked to cite an example of how the GDx has already begun to help her patients, Dr. Galbrecht had the following to say: "I had a patient who was having trouble seeing as well as she thought she should. She was seeing halos around lights and had blurred vision. She was also having headaches and nausea, although she didn't realize that these were connected to her eye condition. She also had no family history of glaucoma or indications of high risk. Soon after the new technology arrived, we tested her as a precaution, without suspecting that we would see anything out of the ordinary. After looking at the pictures, graphs and statistical data provided by the GDx, we were able to detect indications of glaucoma and treat her accordingly. Because we caught it early, I am happy to say that she is doing very well. It is not at all clear it would have turned out this way without the GDx."

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Dr. Diane Galbrecht Provides Enhanced Assessment for Cataract and Refractive Surgery Patients

Olathe, KS -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/20/2014 -- Eye care technology seems to improve each day. No one knows this better than the patients of Galbrecht Eyecare with offices in Olathe and Shawnee, Kansas. Dr. Diane Galbrecht has been a leader in bringing the latest technologies to the communities she serves and today she is utilizing the Konan CellChek Specular Microscope to assess the readiness and viability of the use of refractive surgery for patients with certain operable conditions.

A Specular Microscope captures high quality images of a patient's corneal endothelium. The microscope provides five unique focus points for image capture at the center and four peripheral sites, allowing a more comprehensive look at a patent's cornea. "This instrument is invaluable when determining if a patient is a good, great, or bad candidate for refractive surgery and cataract surgery," stated Dr. Galbrecht. "Most patients do not know that you must have a healthy endothelium to undergo any type of surgery to the eye. This test gives us that information quickly and accurately." This assessment is also particularly valuable in cases such as keratoconus, corneal transplantations, or corneal dystrophies.

Dr. Galbrecht also takes corneal thickness measurements at all five data sample sites. An endothelial cell count to verify that a patient's cornea has an adequate endothelial cell density is a required part of patient screening and selection prior to implantation of intraocular lenses. Without an adequate endothelial cell count, surgery is contraindicated and different solutions are provided to address the patient's condition. The same testing criterion for endothelial cell count is being implemented for refractive surgery as well. Since a successful LASIK procedure requires adequate thickness after the procedure is performed, if the cell count is decreased, the patient will have unfavorable outcomes.

In addition to surgery readiness assessments, Dr. Galbrecht uses the Specular Microscope as a means of assessing if a patient is creating damage to their eyes by prolonged contact lens wear beyond the prescribed time. "Many patients do not see the harm in sleeping in their contact lenses. This test shows the direct correlation for the amount of time spent sleeping in contact lenses and the damage it causes," explained Dr. Galbrecht. "The education given should be a warning to the patient about how to better care for their eyes."

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Dr. Diane Galbrecht Brings First Digital Eye Chart to Olathe

Olathe, KS -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/22/2014 -- There are few things more recognizable than the standard optometrist's eye chart. Officially known as the Snellen Eye Chart, named after its Dutch ophthalmologist inventor, Hermann Snellen, who introduced the chart back on 1862, it has been the standard for measuring vision acuity during an eye exam for over 100 years. Today, like so many other things we are familiar with, the Snellen Chart has gone digital.

Here in the Olathe area, Dr. Diane Galbrecht of Galbrecht Eye Care recently removed her cardboard Snellen chart and installed the world's most advanced Digital Acuity System known as Clear Chart. "With the digital chart, a doctor can show a whole chart of letters, a single line of letters, and even a single letter if needed," reported Dr. Galbrecht. "This type of chart also gives the doctor the option to use numbers, a tumbling C or E, and pictures if the patient can't read." With current technology, the contrast has also been improved and is much better for patients to see the letters, but can also be dimmed to check for glare or contrast problems. It also has a hearing impaired communication system for effective testing of patients with hearing difficulties.

One of the difficulties of the cardboard Snellen chart is it can be memorized and guessing can skew results. With the digital chart, ototypes, or letters on the screen are randomized when they appear getting a truer reading of the patient's visual acuity. "The program also comes with patient education materials and a cartoon loop when I am assessing very young children," stated Dr. Galbrecht. "The letters can also be easily replaced with pictures for patients who are not readers or for younger patients who do not yet know their alphabet or numbers."

Dr. Galbrecht is offering this technology in both her Shawnee and Olathe locations.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Advanced retinal camera is one of the fastest automatic retinal cameras available

Olathe, KS -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/09/2014 -- Retinal cameras are used to take a digital picture of the retina of the eye, or the back of the eye. Since the eye is the only place on a human body where you can see the vasculature of the body without invasive surgery, using a retinal camera enhances the management of retinal disease, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, and can also diagnose cases of diabetes and hypertension. Modern optometric practices need a retinal imaging solution and local optometrist Galbrecht Eyecare from Olathe and Shawnee are now using one of the most advanced pieces of equipment on the market.

The Nidek retinal camera improves efficiency in time, space, and patient comfort. The lower flash intensity and sound-dampened mechanical movements, along with automatic blink and pupil measurement, make for the perfect picture every time with fewer retakes and happier patients. It provides approximately a 45 degree view of the posterior pole, the area of the eye with the optic nerve and macula. Additionally, it can be used to take photos of the front of the eye to document freckles, red spots, or abrasions.

Dr. Diane Galbrecht, Owner and optometrist at Galbrecht Eyecare says that her patients notice the difference: "This technology allows for a baseline photo of the retina so that if something should change or develop, we have a digital picture to compare the images. It's wonderful for seeing subtle differences or progression of diabetic retinopathy. The patients love to see their retina and the back of the eye. They want to know that their eyes are normal looking and if something is abnormal, see exactly what it is."

The Nidek retinal camera is one of the fastest automatic retinal cameras available with capture time of often less than five seconds. The speed and simplicity of the retinal camera results in an enhanced practice flow. This means more accurate data, faster exams, and less need for retakes. When the eye imaging is activated, patients will see a green light to focus on, and when the machine is aligned properly, it will take a picture causing the patient to see a flash of light that will temporarily feel uncomfortable.

Dr. Galbrecht recommends that every patient has their eyes scanned using the retinal camera. She explains that using the retinal camera can help discover not only vision related issues but others as well. "Many times patients do not know there is a problem when they come in for their annual exam. More than a few times, cases of diabetes and hypertension are discovered for which the patient is not currently treated. These patients are then referred to their primary care physician along with a letter and photos documenting their problems."

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm