By Dr. Amber Teten – Eye Doctor Chesapeake

Today is Shop Small Business Saturday, where we are reminded that supporting our locally owned small businesses is important for the community and economic development. Small businesses are defined as businesses with fewer than one hundred employees. Shop Small is a nationwide movement to celebrate small businesses. On Small Business Saturday (Saturday after Thanksgiving) and every day to help communities like Chesapeake, Virginia, thrive and stay vibrant. Are any of your favorite businesses considered local small shops? Some of Dr. Teten’s favorite shops are:

• Little Peas Boutique (local)
• Jami Thompson Photo (local)
• TASTE (local)
• Baker’s Crust (local)
• Block Family Chiropractic (local)
• Pale Horse Coffee (local)
• Burrito Perdido (local)
• Official GlamBaby (eye doctor and woman-owned)

Dr. Teten and her team at Navigation Eye Care opened the doors to seeing patients on October 6, 2022. Due to construction delays, this was almost one year after the initial estimated start date, but it was so worth it. The office is in a beautifully designed, welcoming, and bright building, with new technology, patient exam rooms, and a vision therapy room.

We are woman-owned and operated by a team of moms and military spouses. We all have kids ranging from 4 months to college-aged, so we know what is important in eye care and vision. We have experienced vision therapy as a mom of a child going through vision therapy. We have raised a child with developmental delays due to a congenital condition, and first-hand experienced how this impacted vision development. We have been the mom of a child being seen at a “regular eye doctor” office that was not kid-friendly and was not an inviting atmosphere for families. We have experienced health care with our child where it seems like we can’t get a straightforward answer and path to treatment where we feel like we are involved. Navigation Eye Care strives to provide a warm and inviting environment each time you and your family come into our office. Be sure to schedule an appointment with our friendly eye doctor and team.

The weekend after Thanksgiving is the kickoff to the shopping time for the holiday season gifts. Also, it is the last month to use your vision insurance and flex spending account (FSA) / health savings account (HSA) money at healthcare facilities. Did you know that prescription glasses and prescription sunglasses are purchases that you may use with your FSA / HSA money? That’s right, don’t let that money go to waste! You can also invest in your children’s eye health and have them be seen for a vision development eye exam using your FSA/ HSA funding. You can use your benefits towards eyelid cleaning products to keep those eyes clean and healthy and combat dry eye disease.

Have you already used up your vision insurance benefits for 2022? Or perhaps you don’t have any FSA / HSA funds to use? Don’t worry! We have fantastic store packages and discounts to help you feel confident in having your best vision and getting a great deal on eyewear. We also will look up your insurance benefits. If your insurance renews in January, we can save your order until the start of the new year so that you can meet those new year’s resolutions with great vision!

So, as you plan to start holiday gifting, be it making a list with a pen and notepad or on your phone, we encourage you to focus on #shopsmall. This may be one item from your list, or this may be all your items. Please consider how you can support #shopsmall this holiday season as you purchase gifts for your family, friends, and coworkers.

Do you feel stuck in a rut with the same gift ideas? Do you need some hints? Navigation Eye Care has you covered with some awesome eye doctor-approved, eye-healthy, and vision-improving gift-giving ideas. Be sure to take a look at the list below.

Here are some unique and fun ideas for holiday gifts to give this season:

• Vision improvement activities (Dr. Teten’s eye doctor approved vision- development toys!)
• Learning Resources: Parquetry Blocks, Geoboards, matching toys
• Memory / Match games
• Puzzles – this is great for eye-hand coordination
• BLINK or Spot It card game
• Mazes, Search & Find books
• Lacing Toys
• Wooden blocks; magnet tiles
• Balance board, Balance Stepping Stones
• Outdoors toys: balance bike, t-Ball set, sidewalk chalk
• Balls and bean bags to toss and catch
• Gift cards to support local small businesses (We have Navigation Eye Care gift cards!)
• Blue light protection glasses for your children (Eye Doctor approved – GlamBaby!)
• UV protection sunglasses for your children (Eye Doctor approved – GlamBaby!)
• Eyelid cleaning prep kits for you and your children
• “MOMMY MAGIC” spray for kiddos’ ouchies, scrapes, bug bites, eczema, rashes, etc
• Glasses straps to keep your kiddos glasses on and not lost
• Glasses gel spray cleaner and cleaning cloth
• Prescription Sunglasses
• Prescription Glasses (Do you have an extra pair in case one breaks?)
• Contact Lenses (Did you use all your FSA and insurance for 2022?)
• Coffee Mugs (look for Navigation Eye Care designed mugs soon!) with a coffee house gift card

We have so much to be thankful for this season, and we want to thank you all for a wonderful 2022. We would love for the opportunity to take care of you and your family’s eye care needs. Please schedule an appointment with our friendly eye doctor and team.