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The changing of the season is a great reminder to start thinking about how to use your flex spending money before the end of the year. LASIK surgery, eye lid lift (blepharoplasty), and cataract surgery are reimbursable expenses under most flex spending plans.

What is a FSA (flexible spending account)?

Taking advantage of the Flexible Spending Account offered through your employer can save you up to 30%* off the cost of LASIK. FSAs allow you to set aside pre-tax dollars for certain medical expenses including LASIK.

What is a HSA (Health Savings Account)?

A Health Savings Account is similar to a Flexible Spending Account except they are specific to those who are enrolled in a high-deductible health insurance policy and the funds do not expire after a year if not used like a FSA.

How to take advantage of the savings?

Schedule your FREE Consultation now to find out if you’re a candidate before your open enrollment period so you can determine how much to set aside in your tax-free account. At TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers, we also offer flexible financing options for your procedure.

*Actual FSA/HSA savings will vary based on your individual tax situation.

TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers is pleased to announce that Dr. Raphael Addiego is celebrating his 5 year anniversary with the company. Dr. Addiego, a specialist in retina and diabetic eye care, sees patients in TLC’s Lansing and Battle Creek offices.

When asked why he became a physician, Addiego said, “My father was a traditional family doctor. I was inspired by his ability to touch the lives of individual patients and our community as a whole, and hope to live up to his genuine example of kindness and service. My vision is to make the greatest contribution I can to the quality of vision and lives of others, in providing dedicated service to those I am asked to help.”

Dr. Addiego is a graduate of Jefferson Medical School at Thomas Jefferson University, and is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.

TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers offers comprehensive eye care services in 14 locations throughout Michigan and Ohio. Treatments include diseases of the eye, cataracts, corneal disease, glaucoma, dry eye, macular degeneration, diabetic eye care, Blepharoplasty, and laser vision correction. For more information about TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers, please call 1-877-852-8463.

TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers would like to congratulate Dr. Carmelina Gordon on 10 years of excellence. Dr. Gordon, a Vitreoretinal Specialist, has been proudly serving patients at the Lansing and Jackson TLC offices.

Because retinal care is vital to a patient’s health and quality of life, Dr. Gordon maintains a strong focus on the latest technology, to assure that her patients are given the best treatment options to preserve their vision. Her dedication to research and clinical studies for Macular Degeneration has earned her a prestigious reputation in the medical field.

When asked why she became an Ophthalmologist, Gordon replied, “I chose ophthalmology as I think the gift of sight is one of the most precious gifts that we have.” Sue DeMott, TLC’s Vice President adds, “Dr. Gordon is a great asset to our team. We are grateful to her for providing such excellent care to our patients.”

TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers offers comprehensive eye care services in Michigan and Ohio. Treatments include diseases of the eye, cataracts, corneal disease, glaucoma, dry eye, macular degeneration, diabetic eye care and laser vision correction. For more information about TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers, or to schedule an appointment, please call 1-877-852-8463.

TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers is pleased to announce the implementation of Clearwave Patient Registration Kiosks to their Michigan and Ohio locations. As the first physician group in Michigan to adopt the Clearwave technology, TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers again prove to be a leader of innovation in patient care. This new technology will be utilized to transform the patient check-in process, improving service and quality.

“Our goal in implementing Clearwave’s registration kiosks is to improve our patient’s overall experience when they come to us,” says Sharma Gaughan, Director of Patient Accounts. “This paperless system will increase the accuracy of our patient demographics. To register, patients will simply insert their driver’s license and insurance cards into the kiosk. The system will confirm the patient’s information in 8 seconds, reducing trips to and from the front desk, while eliminating repetitive paperwork, forms and any surprise billing errors.”

“We are very excited to have TLC Eyecare as our first Michigan based clinic,” says Gerard White, CEO of the Clearwave Corporation. “Clearwave has an average kiosk utilization of 90% across all of its clients. Our state of the art patient registration kiosk tightly integrates to any Practice Management. Clearwave accomplishes this by aligning the provider’s existing systems to communicate and gather information more effectively.”

“Our patients expect us to be a leader in eye care and customer service,” says Trent Roark, CEO of TLC Eyecare. “Meshing technology with the standard check-in process allows us to speed up the patient visit while improving our internal processes. Anyone that has previously used an ATM or airline kiosk will quickly see the similarities and ease of use.”

Eye surgeon Kevin Lavery, MD, of TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers, announced that he is now providing the iStent® Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent as a treatment option to reduce eye pressure for patients with both cataracts and glaucoma. Dr. Lavery is the first surgeon in Michigan to perform surgery using the iStent® technology. This technology will be a great benefit to patients in the Jackson, Battle Creek, and Portage TLC offices.

The iStent® is FDA-approved for use in conjunction with cataract surgery to reduce eye pressure in adult patients with mild to moderate open-angle glaucoma currently being treated with glaucoma medicine. In clinical trials, iStent® has been shown to safely reduce eye pressure, which is the primary cause of open-angle glaucoma. “This is exciting news for people who have both cataract and glaucoma,” says Dr. Lavery.

The eye drops used to treat glaucoma can be difficult to administer and expensive. With iStent®, many patients will need less medicine to control their eye pressure and some may not need prescription eye drops at all. “When pressure in the eye is out of control, it can increase the risk of permanent vision loss. I consider iStent® an important advancement in protecting against vision loss for my glaucoma patients,” adds Dr. Lavery.

iStent®, is the smallest medical devise ever approved by the FDA, and is placed in a patient’s eye during cataract surgery. Dr. Lavery went on to say, “It is so small, you are unable to see or feel it after the procedure is done. Although you won’t even know iStent®, is there, it will be working to help reduce your eye pressure.”

This iStent® technology is another “first” for TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers. In 2011, TLC surgeons were the first in Michigan to obtain the LenSx® laser, the first FDA approved laser for use inside the eye. LenSx® provides cataracts patients with individualized treatment, as well as a more precise surgical outcome, and improved healing time.

TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers offers comprehensive eye care services in 14 locations throughout Michigan and Ohio. Treatments include diseases of the eye, cataracts, corneal disease, glaucoma, dry eye, macular degeneration, diabetic eye care, blepharoplasty, and laser vision correction. For more information about TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers, or to schedule an appointment, please call 1-877-852-8463.