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News
and Announcements
Select an article below or scroll down the page to view the
latest news and announcements regarding Visionary Eyecare
Center.
A New Era in Eyecare
New Technology Eliminates
Need for Dilation During Eye Exams
Grand Opening and Open
House Celebration
Letter to the News Examiner
Editor: Health Insurance
Hendersonville Native Opens
High-tech Eye Care Practice
A
New Era in Eyecare
feature article in Who's Who in Sumner County Magazine,
Fall/Winter 2008
At Visionary Eyecare Center in Hendersonville, Dr. Eric Stamper
is breaking the mold of traditional eye care. With an office
characterized by its spa-like feel complete with the elegance
of a slate water fountain, stone fireplace, relaxing music
and lighting, and service distinguished by an intense focus
on patient comfort and convenience, a visit to VEC is anything
but typical.
"Our most important service is service itself,"
says Dr. Stamper. "We focus on using the most state-of-the-art
technology available in our examinations, our optical boutique,
and our website. For example our patient files are completely
digital; we have replaced the old-fashioned light projectors
with flat-screen computer monitors to more accurately test
vision; and our website offers real-time appointment scheduling,
contact lens ordering, and access to patient forms."
Dr. Stamper and his staff carry out their mission to provide
a distinct level of patient comfort, care and education by
offering patients the advantage of optometry's most innovative
technology such as eye pressure testing minus the traditional
air puff and Optomap® Retinal Examinations which
require no dilation. "We are thrilled to be the first
eyecare facility in Sumner County to be able to offer our
patients the revolutionary Optomap® technology,"
he says. The Optomap® provides a scanned image to
show a healthy eye or detect disease, allows for a more detailed
view of the retina, and gives patients the opportunity to
view and discuss the image during the exam. A permanent digital
record is created for each patient's file, allowing Dr. Stamper
to review patients' images each year for changes.
VEC boasts a wide selection of high quality, brand name and
fashionable eyeglass frames with technologically advanced
features. "We provide no-cost warranties and guarantees
on all glasses and contact lens fittings unmatched anywhere
else." VEC fits a wide variety of contact lenses with
a special focus on bifocal contact lenses for people who want
to reduce their dependence on reading or bifocal glasses.
A native to Sumner County, Dr. Stamper lives and works in
Hendersonville alongside his wife, Cristin. He says, "It
is my heartfelt belief that community involvement is one of
the best ways to build a strong local business and greater
personal character." He is heavily involved in several
local charities and organizations including the Hendersonville
and Gallatin Chambers of Commerce, Gallatin Lions Club and
the Hendersonville Morning Rotary.
Dr. Stamper opened Visionary Eyecare Center on May 27th, 2008.
He says, "I have been working on the design of my practice
since before I graduated from Southern College of Optometry
in May of 2007, and the results have been even greater than
I had envisioned."
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New
Technology Eliminates Need for Dilation During Eye Exams
by Sherry Mitchell, Sumner AM, August 14, 2008
Going to the eye doctor doesn't have to be an unpleasant experience
-- in fact, one Hendersonville optometrist is making sure
his patients have a relaxing and enjoyable experience.
From the soft lighting, flowing water and stone fireplace,
to the special "fantasy forest" for kids, Visionary
Eyecare Center is designed to make a lasting impression on
patients.
Dr. Eric Stamper, O.D., wanted to create an environment in
his new optometry practice that would "optimize patient
comfort" and also be convenient. Not only is the environment
easy on the eyes, but also patients won't leave the office
blurry-eyed after their exams. A new technology called Optomap
eliminates the need for messy dilation.
"Using a system of lasers and mirrors, the Optomap scans
the inside of the eye without dilation and produces a high-resolution
computer image that can be manipulated to search for pathology,"
Stamper said. "The image can be shown to the patient,
used as an educational tool, and then stored in the patient's
electronic record. There are a handful of Optomaps in the
Nashville area, but we are the only office to have this technology
in Sumner County."
Visionary Eyecare Center also brings another first to the
local area -- online appointment scheduling.
"I believe we are the only eye care facility in Sumner
County with real-time online appointment scheduling, and people
have been raving about that service when they come in,"
Stamper said.
A Family Venture
Assisting Dr. Stamper in his new practice is his wife, Cristin,
who worked as a surgery consultant and technician for Southern
Eye Associates in Memphis for five years.
"We love the big city life and small town Southern charm
of Hendersonville and wanted to be near family as well,"
she said. "The people here have always been incredibly
friendly and have sincerely welcomed us and our idea of quality
eyecare."
A graduate of Hendersonville High School, Stamper graduated
from Belmont University and worked briefly in the finance
industry before returning to school at the Southern College
of Optometry, where he graduated with honors in 2007.
"I didn't enjoy the lending business, so I began analyzing
various career options and ended with optometry as the best
fit, largely because it was entrepreneurial in nature and
beneficial to others."
The Stampers reside in Sumner County with their two dogs,
Cinnamon and Mocha.
"Technically, we live in Gallatin, right on the border
with Hendersonville -- my wife and I call it 'Gallisonville'
where the two cities are growing together," Stamper said.
Dr. Stamper is a member of the Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce
and the Hendersonville Morning Rotary Club. He has also been
active in the Gallatin Chamber of Commerce and the Gallatin's
Lion Club.
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Grand
Opening and Open House Celebration
July 23, 2008
Visionary Eyecare Center is proud to announce the Grand Opening
Celebration of their new office in the magnificent Club Place
building, located at the corner of Country Club Drive and
Gallatin Road, across from the Blue Ridge neighborhood.
Dr. Eric Stamper, a native of Hendersonville and a 2007 honor
graduate in the top 10% of his class at Southern College of
Optometry, is striving to revolutionize traditional eyecare
by creating a facility that focuses on maximizing patient
comfort, minimizing the typical inconveniences of routine
eye exams, and providing a truly unique eyecare experience.
The office environment has been tastefully designed to be
warm, inviting, and elegant with touches of stacked stone,
flowing water, a comfortable stone fireplace, pleasing music
and soft lighting. A special children’s corner encourages
young ones to step into a fantasy forest to select from the
uppermost quality in eyeglass frames for kids. Visionary Eyecare
Center offers a full selection of distinctive eyewear and
sunwear in the most current fashions, including Armani, Silhouette,
Nine West, Kate Spade, Banana Republic, and Maui Jim.
The Grand Opening and Open House celebrations will
take place from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August
6, with the official ribbon cutting at 1:30 pm. Dr.
Stamper and his staff will meet and greet guests and conduct
tours of their elegant office as well as offer free demonstrations
of the revolutionary Optomap
retinal imaging system. During the event a special 10% discount
will be offered on all sunwear, eyeglasses and contact lenses.
Door prizes will also be awarded, including a six-month supply
of contacts, and free glasses by Gucci, Vera Bradley, Marc
Jacobs, and Spongebob Squarepants for the kids. Refreshments
and hors d’oeuvres will be provided by Latham's Lighthouse
Events Center, and refreshing frozen drinks will be supplied
by Rent-A-Rita.
Dr. and Mrs. Stamper invite you to discover the ultimate experience
in eyecare quality and professionalism now available to Hendersonville
and surrounding areas. Visionary Eyecare Center will create
a lasting first-time impression that you’ve never before
had a more personal, conscientious eye exam. Come by Visionary
Eyecare Center on August 6 and take home a refreshing new
emphasis on what you should expect from your eye care provider.
You’ll be glad you stopped by!
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Letter
to the Editor
Gallatin News Examiner, July 16, 2008
Dear Editor,
In a recent letter to the editor Mr. Scarbro of Bethpage complained
that one presidential candidate's proposal would shift some
of the cost of health insurance onto the taxpayer, yet Mr.
Scarbro's proposed solution was "socialized healthcare,"
which by its very definition shifts ALL of the cost to the
taxpayer. Mr. Scarbro also blamed HMOs and PPOs for increasing
healthcare costs and decreasing healthcare quality. On that
point he is exactly right - in just 25 years these comprehensive
medical insurances and managed care systems have managed to
almost completely break our healthcare system.
However, what he and many people don't realize is that socialized
healthcare is the exact same concept as the dreaded HMO, except
far worse because there would be no competition from other
HMOs, everybody would be forced to use it, all tax payers
would be forced to pay for it, and it would have the most
inept health and business administrator ever - the U.S. federal
government.
Fortunately there is another solution beginning to emerge
which a few businesses and individuals are learning about
and embracing. This solution is Health Savings Accounts.
An HSA is a tax-free bank account that a person owns themselves,
can spend on almost any healthcare expense, and never expires
like flex spending does. Individuals can open their own HSAs,
but what many businesses are now doing is providing their
employees with a high deductible health insurance policy,
which is far more sensibile than major medical, and then depositing
funds into a health savings account for their employees. When
an HSA is combined with a high deductible health insurance
policy the result is a powerful tool that may revolutionize
the economic structure of American healthcare.
This system brings back the free market for most commonplace
healthcare, thereby lowering cost and increasing quality,
and keeps the safety net of high deductible insurance that
kicks in for catastrophes such as auto accidents and cancer.
This makes far more sense than major medical insurance or
government-run insurance. If major medical made sense then
individuals would purchase it on their own, but even insurance
agents and doctors don't buy major medical if it isn't provided
by their employer.
To learn more about this new healthcare option visit frequently
asked questions on the U.S. Treasury website http://www.ustreas.gov/offices/public-affairs/hsa/faq.shtml.
Sincerely,
Eric Stamper
Optometrist
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Hendersonville
Native Opens High-tech Eye Care Practice
Hendersonville Star News, June 18, 2008
Dr. Eric Stamper said he hopes to transform the way people
experience routine visits to the eye doctor with his new practice.
Stamper opened his optometry practice, Visionary Eyecare Center,
at 100 Country Club Drive in hendersonville in the new Club
Place brick office building on Gallatin Road across from the
Blue Ridge subdivision. Stamper, the middleof three sons to
Jim and Martha Stamper, grew up in the community, attending
Indian Lake Elementary and Hendersonville High School, where
he was a leader in the Band of Gold as it played at local
historic moments like the opening of Vietnam Veterans Boulevard.
He says he has watched Hendersonville grow from a one-McDonald's
suburb to one of the most desirable small towns in America.
Now, he says he is excited to be a part of the growing number
of high quality services available in the area.
To that end, Stamper has designed an eye care facility and
adopted a business philosophy that he believes will revolutionize
traditional eye care by maximizing patient comfort and minimizing
the typical inconveniences of doctor visits.
"Our focus on patient comfort and convenience begins
with the office environment, which has been specificially
designed to be warm, inviting, and elegant with touches of
stacked stone, flowing water, a comfortable fireplace, pleasant
music and soft lighting," Stamper said.
As an example of increased focus on patient comfort, Stamper
points out that he measures eye pressure, which is an indicator
for glaucoma, with an instrument that is not only more accurate
but also eliminates the unpleasant puff of air that is commonly
used elsewhere.
Visionary Eyecare Center is the first optometry office in
Sumner County to offer its patients a revolutionary instrument
called the Optomap, which uses scanning lasers to produce
computer images of the inside of the eyes without the eyes
being dilated. As an added convenience, patient information
forms have been minimized and may be obtained online, appointments
may be scheduled both by phone and online, and Stamper's patients
can even re-order contact lenses through the Visionary Web
site at www.visionary-eye.com.
As a further step into the efficiency-driven digital age,
all patient files are computerized, replacing messy paper
charts and illegible handwriting. Plus, high-tech flat-screen
computer monitors are used to more accurately display eyesight
acuity charts instead of old-fashioned light projectors that
are prone to dust and dimming light bulbs.
Stamper has also noted a local rise in demand for high quality
products.
Center brings eye 'fashion'
Visionary Eyecare Center offers a full selection of quality
eyeglass frames witha focus on the most current fashions in
eyewear and sunwear, such as Vera Bradley, Gucci, Armani,
Silhouette, Kate Spade, Banana Republic, Juicy Couture and
Maui Jim. Warranties and guarantees are provided at no charge
on all glasses and contact lens fittings. Visionary Eyecare
Center also provides a wide variety of contact lens choices
with special attention to bifocal contact lenses for people
who want to reduce their need for reading glasses or bifocal
glasses.
Stamper received his optometry degree in May of 2007 from
Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, where he graduated
with honors in the top 10 percent of his class. During his
education he was a leader in several campus organizations,
including international president of the Gold Key Leadership
Honor Society and president of SVOSH, an organization that
sends more than 80 students and optometrists to Latin America
to perform eye exams and distribute glasses.
Since returning to Hendersonville, he has immersed himself
in community activities, which he believes are an essential
ingredient to both his own personal growth and to Sumner County's
strong social character. Dr. Stamper has taken leadership
roles with teh Hendersonville Area Chamber of Commerce, which
is coincidentally his next-door neighbor in the Club Place
office building.
He has also been very active in the Hendersonville Morning
Rotary Club, Gallatin Lions Club and Gallatin Chamber of Commerce
and has helped to plan and participate in numerous events
such as the Days of Wine and Roses, Autism Walk, Relay for
Life, and Gallatin Walking Horse Show.
Stamper is joined in the practice by his wife, Cristin, who
brings over five years of experience in ophthalmology as a
technician, surgical assistant and surgical counselor. She
has been committed to the success of the new business by designing
the company's logo, letterheads, promotional brochures, in-office
displays, local advertising and the company's Web site.
The Stampers will also have the experience and insight of
a long-time favorite of patients, Samantha Barnett, who previously
served as office manager for local optometrist Dr. Burkett
Nelson for 13 years prior to his retirement.
Appointments are available Mondays through Saturdays and can
be scheduled by phone at 824-4246 or online at www.visionary-eye.com.
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