Bedford Family Eye Care Adds Second Optometrist

Bedford Family Eye Care recently announced the addition of Dr. Anna Farouq to join the growing practice starting August 2017. This also comes at a time when Bedford Family Eye Care was just awarded the 2017 Bedford Bulletin Readers’ Choice Award for Favorite Eye Care Practice in Bedford County. It appears the old saying is true, “growth is built on happy customers,” and in this case, happy patients.

“We are incredibly honored to be voted the 2017 Favorite Eye Care Practice in Bedford County. It is truly a joy to serve this community. Thanks to all who voted and for all those who place their confidence in us.” says Dr. Quesenberry. He adds, “And we are very excited to welcome Dr. Anna Farouq to join our growing practice. She brings a lot of expertise and energy to our practice especially in terms of specialty contact lenses and primary medical eye care. I think you will find her very thorough, caring and informative. I took my time in finding the right person, and I think you will like her too.”

Anna Farouq, OD (left) and Jared Quesenberry, OD (right) stand in front of Bedford Family Eye Care

Dr. Farouq joins Bedford Family Eye Care following 8 years at a large award-winning practice in central Virginia. “I was looking for a smaller, growing practice in this area where I could continue to provide personalized eye care but also invest in the practice and community and develop long-term patient relationships,” Dr. Farouq says. “I have a four year old daughter and a two year old son at home and so I also wanted to work part-time now to invest more time with my family especially while my children are young. It’s a win-win situation for me. I was thrilled when I heard of this opportunity. I look forward to starting off part-time, and as Bedford Family Eye Care grows, I can increase my days there at the practice.”

Specialty Scleral Contact Lens treating
Severe Chronic Dry Eye 

This certainly seems like a match for the Bedford Family Eye Care practice. The practice has recently begun to offer specialty scleral lenses as another treatment modality for patients with irregular corneal surface conditions as well as surgical co-management options for cataract surgery and LASIK. Dr. Farouq is one of the area’s leading specialty contact lens providers.  

Additionally, Bedford Family Eye Care has taken a particular interest in staying current with the latest research on pediatric vision care.

“Cutting edge research is coming out right now and it actually shows that we can do something proactive to help prevent and slow myopia progression.” The research shows that by using specialty contact lenses and eye drops we can help prevent a growing child’s eyes from progressing as quickly and can actually alter the refractive end-point so that they don’t end up as nearsighted” Dr. Farouq says. “Many children and their parents are really shocked to learn that there are now things we can do proactively to help them besides fitting them for glasses.” Dr. Farouq started at Bedford Family Eye Care practice in August 2017. 

Let us know what you think! Schedule your appointment with Dr. Farouq today.

New Scribe/Tech Position Allows More Quality Care at Bedford Family Eye Care

Have you ever wondered why doctors seems to always run behind? Well, because of this conundrum, Bedford Family Eye Care has made some new changes that we are super excited about! As health care continues to evolve, computers and technology continue to add layers of complexity but also some super handy features that improve care. While we embrace this new technology at our office, we also are finding out new ways to innovate in the office in terms of staffing to provide the highest level of patient satisfaction given these changes. We are happy to announce that starting in this

March, we have added a new position of Scribe/Tech to our exams to assist in patient flow, documentation, special testing, management, scheduling, etc. This allows me (Dr. Quesenberry) much greater efficiency in the exam room, less time documenting and more time focused on you and your eyes and the consultation experience. Since implementing this simple change we have noticed a nice improvement in our exam times....  This means you get better care and quality time with the doctor and spend less time waiting!

One of my colleagues wrote an excellent piece as a primary care provider on why she always runs late. I truly think it deserves every minute of your time to read this short article: Check it out.


I feel the same way. When I run late it bothers me. It bothers me really bad. I was asked several weeks ago a very honest and direct question by a new patient who was perturbed by his wait time. He remarked,
         "Can I ask you a question, ...is this normal - I mean, I've been here over an hour and I'm just now seeing you?" His tone wasn't hostile, and I could tell his question was genuine. I sat down looking him in the eye and apologized for his wait.
         "To be honest, no - this is not normal... and it should never be normal. My goal for a comprehensive exam with dilation is to have you in and out in just under an hour, and right now I'm 30 minutes behind. I am really sorry, I hope I'm not messing you up too bad. I try to give each patient the time they need and I'll be sure to give you the same attention." I added. He was my last patient of the morning.
The truth is that I had an emergency foreign body in the office earlier that morning and another of my patients' had been late getting his forms filled out. One had showed up for her contact lens check without her contacts and rather than make her reschedule (she has a busy schedule and to make it in is difficult) as I should have I let her put them in and wait 20 minutes and rechecked them after seeing another patient while they settled a bit. It still put me behind.

Infrared image of "Benign neoplasm of the choroid"

I began his exam. Halfway through the retinal exam I noted a choroidal nevus with ever-so-slight elevation and overlying drusen. It was nasal to his optic nerve and was about 2.5 disc diameters round. I asked him if anyone had ever mentioned anything about that eye and he said no. He had had trauma to his eye and ever since childhood had been getting his eyes checked. He said "No, no one ever mentioned anything to me." I was shocked. Typically a choroidal nevus will be congenital, meaning you're born with it. About 7% of the population has a congenital choroidal nevus and only about 1 in 160,000 of those who have it will develop choroidal melanoma from a choroidal nevus, so problems from these are extremely rare. However, because its on the inside of the eye and there is nothing the patient can do to monitor for change, its standard of care to photo document and follow at least annually if stable. We discussed this in detail and after finishing his exam and discussing all his exam findings we moved to the retinal camera and OCT to document this finding. Normally my technician who is very well trained would take the photos and retinal OCT and schedule him for his follow up but because of its difficult location I was particularly needed to orient the camera and fixation light. My patient was just shocked that I had discovered something new, remarking about how thorough my exam was. I looked at my patient and joked, "I guess this is partly why I get behind" and we both laughed a bit. I could tell the news of this nevus bothered him though and I spent that extra bit of time to discuss our protocol for this and to schedule a follow up in 3 months. He appeared to me to be very appreciative and he shook my hand hard and remarked, "Its really nice to meet you. Thanks so much. Will see you in 3 months." He walked out of the door and I looked down at his EHR timer which read 90 minutes.

While I felt after leaving him that I had perhaps redeemed his perception of my office by adding value to his visit, I couldn't help but feel that I was failing. It was then that I decided to take the lead from my primary care colleagues and incorporate the changes I mentioned above regarding a scribe/tech. Since making this change, we have managed to remain on time for the most part even with the things that come up during the day and I find I have more quality time with each patient and less time at the end of the day catching up on letters and paperwork. I look forward to seeing you next and hearing your opinion on the changes we have made. Let me know what you think below! Click the link here to go to our online appointment scheduler. 

Expanding Optical and Patient Reception Area in 2016

Bedford Family Eye Care is excited to announce that after receiving some great feedback, we are expanding our patient reception area to include more seating and a designated kids play area! Additionally we will be expanding our optical. We are adding about 40% more space that will include another dispensing table, a lounge sitting area, and three more frame boards to increase the variety and selection of eyewear. In order to achieve this we are renovating and moving the exam rooms into the back unit which has remained vacant this past year. We are also adding room for our dry eye clinic and future growth. We are excited for the changes that will allow us to serve our patients better and improve the overall Bedford Family Eye Care experience.

Our goal is for people to always feel relaxed and comfortable at Bedford Family Eye Care. We want kids, adults, and seniors to have a great visit. We want folks to walk away knowing they just got the most thorough eye exam and best customer service possible in a timely manner, not feeling rushed or that we were too busy for them. We want all questions answered, and a good understanding of their condition to have been communicated and retained. This project should help all this and more.

We plan on beginning construction in February, 2016 and are planning construction so that it will minimize any disruption to our daily operations. We expect to be finished before the end of March, 2016.

Tell us what you think below!

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Update 4/19/16

Construction is underway and moving along nicely. Our updated timeline is to be finished with renovations by May 9th..

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Update 1/17/17

Our construction and remodeling project finished up this past spring and the response from our patients and customers has been overwhelmingly positive. People have commented that they think its how it should have been done from the very beginning, and they feel the new layout is an improvement all the way around. We are excited for you to see it!

Expanded Hours for More Convenient Access!

Bedford Family Eye Care announces that we will again be expanding our hours of service beginning November 2015! Our new hours will be as follows:

Monday 8:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday 8:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday 8:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday 8:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Friday 8:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Closed the 2nd Wednesday of the month, open the following Saturday 9:00 - 1:00 p.m. by appointment only.

We made the change to reflect the growing demand that we had for earlier morning appointments and later afternoon appointments. We hope the expanded hours will be more convenient and allow for increased access to care.

Click here to request an appointment!

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Update 1/17/17

Our current hours are:

Monday 10:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday 8:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday 8:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday 10:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Friday 8:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Open the 2nd Saturday of the month from 8:30 - 1:00 p.m. by appointment only and closed the Wednesday prior.

The Latest Treatment for Dry Eyes at Bedford Family Eye Care

Blocked tear ducts (meibomian glands) along the
superior lid margin with red and inflamed blood
vessel development

Bedford Family Eye Care is excited to introduce a new cost-effective** treatment approach for those suffering from dry eye disease. The new Three Step Expression Treatment Protocol is designed to target the root of the most common cause of dry eye disease: meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).
Since beginning these treatments in June, the results have been tremendous. The treatment essentially helps promote the production of your own natural oils in your tears, helping to soothe your eye surface.

Normally, we have three layers to the tears: a protein/mucus layer at the bottom, a water/nutrient layer in the middle, and an oil/fatty acid layer at the top. The oil layer helps to prevent too much evaporation of the tears. As we blink, the eyelids evenly spread the tears over the eye surface. Check out the video illustration:

The glands that produce the oil layer are found at the margin of the eyelids and are called meibomian glands. Their job is to secrete oils when you blink to lubricate the eye surface and prevent evaporation. In short, meibomian gland dysfunction is what it is called when these glands get inflamed or blocked up and stop secreting normal oils. Without the oils, the eyes dry out. The big causes of MGD are age, genetics, hormone changes, diet, and lifestyle. Over 80% of dry eye disease is believed to be caused by this problem. Symptoms of meibomian gland dysfunction range from blurred vision that clears when you blink, to contact lens intolerance, to redness, burning, watering, light sensitivity, grittiness, and uncomfortable eyes.  

The cost-effective** Three Step Expression Treatment Protocol, consists of three office visits spaced one month apart. Dr. Quesenberry uses specialized instruments to get rid of the blockages and open the ducts to help restore proper functioning. The treatment helps to improve the secretion of the oil layer in the tear film by getting rid of blockages and decreasing inflammation in the oil producing glands of your eyelids.  Check out the next video of the procedure if you don't mind looking at "gross" medical eye videos! What you will see coming out during the expression treatment is the hardened oils that have turned into a wax-like paste and are clogging the tear ducts.

In some cases, immediate relief can be enjoyed after only one treatment. Typically it will take the full three treatments for maximum relief. One patient who had been treated with Restasis for years by another provider remarked that the expression treatments did more for her than years on Restasis. Another patient remarked that by her third treatment she was reading for hours at a time without her eyes bothering her, where she hadn't been able to do that for years. Another patient remarked at her third visit that she wasn't even sure where her bottle of artificial tears was because she had not needed them since her 2nd treatment. While this treatment is not for all types of dry eyes, it has a high rate of success among those with evaporative dry eye disease caused by meibomian gland dysfunction.

At your first treatment, you will receive a specialized compress to aid with your home-based therapy, as well as a specially formulated blend of fish, flax and borage seed oils that you take orally in pill form. Dr. Quesenberry may write a prescription for an eye ointment to use just before bed to help. He may also prescribe an oral antibiotic. A combination of office-based treatment and home-based treatment is used to maximize results, and is custom tailored to the severity of your condition. Typically, the benefits of treatment last around 12 months, however we recommend you maintain the home-based treatment compress and nutrient-based supplements indefinitely to prevent the blockages from forming and the inflammation from returning again. By continuing the home-based treatments indefinitely (compresses and nutrient-based supplements), results can be maintained for years.

Do you or someone you know suffer from dry eyes? You can make an appointment to determine whether you are a good candidate for this treatment by clicking the link below. Or share this information with a friend.

Click here to request an appointment!

**Dr. Quesenberry's note: I consider this cost-effective because while this isn't the only treatment in recent years targeting MGD, its frankly pretty darn good and gets results. Other similar specialty dry eye clinic treatments (IPL and LipiFlow) are generally 5 to 10 times the cost and require multiple treatments and a referral to either Duke or Richmond. With the prevalence of this condition and the impact it has on one's quality of life - treatment should be available to everyone. My mission is to provide access to good affordable eye care here in Bedford, and this is a great start.

New Advances in Diagnostic Technologies at Bedford Family Eye Care

Not to nerd out on you, but this is the greatest advancement in eye care in the last decade and Bedford Family Eye Care is proud to provide this technology to our patients as part of our ongoing commitment to excellence. Introducing our new Optovue iFusion SD-OCT!

It allows us to not only take a picture of the back of your eye, but to take that picture and turn it sideways and view all the layers of the retina under the surface, similar to an ultrasound (but using light). Imagine looking down at a stack of post-it notes lying flat your desk. Now imagine you pick it up and turn it sideways so you see all the layers of paper. That's what we can now do with your retina lining the back of your eye, and cornea. 

Patients with unexplained subtle or even severe vision loss, macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetes, and more will benefit from this technology, as will our patients suffering from corneal disorders like keratoconus, pellucid's marginal degeneration, and post-surgical irregular corneas.

Even in the absence of clinical signs, by using this technology we can early detect and accurately diagnose vision problems, leading to better patient outcomes. Now through the end of 2015, during your comprehensive eye examination you can elect to have the iWellness OCT module performed on your eyes, at NO ADDITIONAL COST. Just mention this article.

Schedule your appointment today! Click Here.

Bedford Family Eye Care Announces Expanded Hours

Bedford Family Eye Care Announces that we will be expanding our hours starting this April 2015. We will be open late Mondays and Thursdays, and open earlier on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Need a 5:30 appointment? No problem. Need an 8:00 8:30 appointment? No problem. Need a Saturday appointment? No problem! Remember you can also bring your own prescription and we can fill it with our in-house lab. We offer prompt service and over 800 1,000 frames to choose from. Our opticians have a keen eye for both style and function, and will give you individualized service. Our doctor takes his time to show you the new prescription and explain all your treatment options. We look forward to serving you.

Our new hours are as follows:

Monday 9:00 10:00 a.m to 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday 9:00 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday 8:00 8:30 a.m to 5:00 p.m.
Thursday 9:00 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Friday 9:00 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

We will continue to be open the 2nd Saturday of the Month from 9:00 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and closed the Saturday immediately preceding the 2nd Saturday of the Month.

We hope the new hours are more convenient and allow for expanded access to care. Let us know what you think!

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Updated 1/17/17 to reflect current hours and info