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37 TheSouthShoreMagazine.com Arriving at South Shore Vision Care, you'll find yourself in calm and elegant surroundings at their convenient Norwell location on Route 53. A well-stocked dispensary of frames, lenses and sunglasses greet patients upon arrival, giving them something to consider during their eye exam with one of the practice's three doctors. Supported by a team that includes a resident optician, an optical technician and a friendly receptionist, South Shore Vision Care is a veritable one-stop shop for people who want outstanding eyecare and vision products. South Shore Vision Care has a long history of offering eye health services at their location on 127 Washington Street in Norwell. Previously under the sole practice of Dr. G. Logan Eaton, Dr. Linda Botello and her husband Chris Botello joined Dr. Eaton in April of 2014 and assumed key roles in the practice. With strong ties to the South Shore community, opening a second location to complement their existing practice on Cape Cod was an easy choice for the couple, as well as an opportunity that they eagerly embraced. Bringing with them medical expertise, tremendous energy and a keen desire to offer the best products and services available, they soon relaunched the practice as South Shore Vision Care. Word quickly spread about the new practice, patient numbers grew and, in 2015, Dr. Erin Lord joined the practice. According to the Botellos, South Shore Vision Care is different from other providers for a key reason: their willingness to invest in education, innovation and technology. As an optometrist, Dr. Botello actively educates herself about current developments within her field so that she is always up to date about emerging issues and treatments. At the practical level, she often sees this in the changing needs of patients and the new demands that are placed on our vision. For example, she says, "I'm starting to see people—boaters, fishermen, golfers— in their 30s and 40s - developing cataracts from spending too much time in the sun. We're also starting to see cases of macular degeneration related to blue light exposure." She adds, "harmful blue light emitting from computer screens, tablets, video games and smart phones along with prolonged screen time is a significant issue for our generation and today's kids. There are predictions that we will see more cases of macular degeneration than ever in the next 10 or so years due to blue light exposure." For Chris, managing a practice that can meet these changing needs has meant working with his wife and the other doctors to identify state of the art equipment that can help diagnose, correct and prevent various eye health issues. For example, a six-figure investment in equipment such as the Optomap ultra-wide field retinal imaging machine has been a priority for the practice. This kind of technology offers multiple benefits to patients, as Optomap scans are readily available on most vision care plans with a co-pay. Dr. Botello explains, "The ulta-widefield retinal imaging allows us to see 80% of the retina and the ability to detect even the earliest sign of diseases such as stroke, heart disease, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and hypertension, all without the need for dilation drops in the eye, which means that patients don't have the discomfort or lose that time associated with more traditional eye exams. They can come in, get the scan and go to back to work or wherever they need to be right after it." She also highlights the fact that the Optomap machine enables South Shore Vision Care to store images of a patient's retina. This piece of data can be very important, she says, as "our doctors can go back and examine the image again after the patient has left. The image also serves as a benchmark that can help identify any future changes or developments." Going hand in hand with more accurate diagnoses and enhanced medical treatments, South Shore Vision Care aims to provide patients with everything they need in one location. Following an eye exam or treatment, you can go directly to their dispensary stocked with a large selection of high-quality lenses, top designer frames from brands such as Gucci, Prada, Coach, Kate Spade, David Yurman, and Zero G, as well as sunglass brands that include Maui Jim, Cost Del Mar and Ray Ban. Dr. Botello points out that South Shore Vision Care also offers innovative products such as treated lenses that filter out harmful blue light, which is an option that she actively encourages and puts on par with sun protection. Specialty treatments aside, when it comes to glasses, it is not as simple as getting a prescription and then going to a drugstore or online to buy them, says Chris. "In addition to choosing a frame with the right size, shape, color and style, lens selection and fitting also need special attention. If there is a misalignment or poor fitting, people will have trouble adapting to their glasses or they can even get headaches from them. In short, the glasses aren't doing their job." Elevating the task of fitting frames and lenses to an art form, the expert services of their resident opticians ensure that this process is as successful as possible. Using sophisticated digital fitting technology, South Shore Vision Care opticians make sure that the frames are comfortable, suitable for the required prescription and also aesthetically appealing to the patient. In addition to the expert help and extensive selection, patients can also return to South Shore Vision Care for free re-fittings and repairs, should the need arise. High quality eyecare, frames and lenses and aren't the only vision products and services available at South Shore Vision Care. The practice also offers a wide range of contact lenses, with the reordering process made simple with the use of their online system. Specialty contact lenses are available, including contacts that aid with corneal reshaping therapy (aimed at slowing down the advent of near-sightedness), color and color enhancing lenses that change the color of the eye, as well as multifocal contact lenses. Even if you don't need glasses or contacts, you can receive urgent eye-related medical treatment at South Shore Vision Care— including treatment for conjunctivitis and foreign body removal —and walk-in patient appointments for the above are welcome at the practice. Overall, if you are looking for skilled vision care as well as a broad selection of products and services for your eyes, a visit to South Shore Vision Care is a must. Taking the guesswork out of clear, reliable vision is something they excel at so, make sure to stop by their Norwell location to ensure that your eyes are in the hands of experts! 127 Washington Street, Norwell 781-878-2020 www.southshorevisioncare.com