Cook Family Eyecare

This deal applies to the littles starting kindergarten all the way up to our seniors finishing their high school journey! Come in to our office today to pick your 2 pairs of glasses.

Meet Olivia! We’re sad to see her leave our team in a few weeks as she approaches graduation. We’re so proud of her. We can’t wait to see what she does as an optometrist someday!

Has it been a while since your last eye appointment? Here are 5 reasons why you should get your eyes checked regularly:

1. Keep your Sight Sharp: Spot issues early to an avoid losing clear vision.
2. Health Check for Your Eyes: Find out if your eyes are giving hints about your overall health.
3. Stay Clear and Focused: Update your glasses or contacts for crisp, precise vision.
4. Say Goodbye to Eye Strain: Reduce headaches and tiredness by fixing vision problems.
5. Protect Your Eyes: Shield them from sun damage and screen strain.

Don’t miss out on these perks! Book your eye check-up now by clicking the link in our bio.

Starting today, a new segment we shall call PKTDT: Patients Know the Darndest Things!

It’s true, they really do! And we love it.

This week we learned:

In 2016 a hot air balloon in Texas crashed killing all 16 people on board. As a result, on November 16, 2022 the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) announced that it will now require hot air balloon pilots to hold medical certificates when flying paying passengers. This means, like other pilots, they will be needing a vision exam as part of that process.

After 10 years of practicing optometry, that was the first exam I’ve done on a hot air balloon pilot. I also learned that a fear of heights isn’t uncommon for air balloon pilots and that there was also a close call in Provo not too long ago. Fascinating and scary all at the same time! Kinda like Wednesday.

Swipe over to learn more about the crash and the new requirements. Shoutout and photo cred to Cynthia Staggs for The Watching Eye hot air balloon image. If you ever see an eyeball floating over Utah County you’ll know who’s in there. 🙋‍♂️

Also, our condolences to the family members of those 16 people who lost their lives. Hopefully this new requirement will save future lives of hot air balloon passengers.

Have you ever flown or would you ever fly in a hot air balloon?

Until next time, that’s a wrap for PKTDT!

Something somewhat vexing (or maybe even downright annoying) about medical offices is the lack of posted prices at check-in. Well, we are one of those offices. 😂

So…we’re posting this price here for those without insurance to know that life without vision insurance is A-Okay! (Sometimes people are even better off NOT using their insurance tbh.)

Last year we toyed with the idea of posting a menu with prices but then we quickly discovered why medical offices don’t do this: insurance complicates things and everyone’s out-of-pocket price ends up being different. Menus also give you an urge to order a side of fries and a chocolate shake, which isn’t a bad thing but we’re somehow always out of potatoes, sorry.

All that said, to save you the hassle of having to ask or call or “Google it” we are here to report that our self-pay price for a comprehensive glasses and health exam is $89–which includes a prompt-pay discount off of our usual and customary price. We also highly recommend a retinal screening with our hi-tech equipment which is an additional $40 but this is not required.

However, if you need a contact lens exam that is an additional price, depending on complexity, that you’re going to have to call us about. See? There we go being all mysterious and vexing. I guess that makes us a true medical office now. 😁

#89

Meet the little birds of CFE. They unintentionally became the office mascots, however, the poor little tweeters remain nameless.

So, we need your help! What should we name Mr. and Mrs. Birdie?

Also, kudos to Alex for the handmade specs for Mr. Bird. If there were only glasses in his size…

What’s a Shwood? Only THE MOST REFRESHING and upcoming eyewear brand in the industry (IMHO) and we are honored to be partnered with them in selling their artwork, because that’s truly what it is! Safe to say is a Cook Family favorite!

Handcrafted out of woods, metals and all other things from nature this stunning eyewear has become one of our most popular selections for those who are tired of “same old” and want to try something with a wow factor.

That being said, they do still recreate some of those classic “same old” looks we’re all accustomed to wearing but as stated above, in a refreshing, unique and creative way. Our personal favorite are those with hidden elements of wood.

Stay tuned for more brands to come and we would love to see you comment below with your own favorite unique eyewear brands.

Hey there! We’re the Cooks of Cook Family Eyecare and we just wanted to say thank you for being here to support our new business adventure.

We hope to provide you with top notch eyecare in a comfortable setting where you feel like family.

We would love for you to put us to work in helping you achieve and protect your best vision possible. Gaining your trust is important to us and we hope to have a little fun along the way, too.

We are currently accepting new patients and patient referrals. Booking an appointment online is quick and easy at www.cookfamilyeyecare.com.

Thanks again for your support and let us know if there is anything we can do for you!

THREE DAYS LEFT!!!

It’s been a long time coming but our GRAND OPENING EVENT is now here!

Stop by, grab a Crumbl cookie and get your raffle tickets! Our sponsors have donated some amazing prizes and we are giving away 2 two-man kayaks! Or should I say K”eye”yaks? 🤪

Get 1 ticket for every eye exam
(https://www.bookwithcook.com)
Get 1 ticket for every $50 spent in optical
Get 2 tickets for every referral
Get 1 ticket for a Google review
Get 1 ticket for stopping by our event on Wednesday

The Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting will be held at 11:00AM and all are welcome to attend. We will have some games and prizes and will be giving office tours, free retinal photography and some deals so good on glasses you won’t want to miss it!

Hope to see you Wednesday!!!

With school just around the corner, we highly recommend getting your kids eyes checked! We take VSP, Eyemed, Spectera, Superior and Davis Vision, UHC, BCBS, Cigna and more!

We'd love to see you! Book online at
www.bookwithcook.com

Conveniently located at the corner of State Street and 1600 North in Orem!

Book Appointment With Cook Family Eyecare

I started this account with the intent of advertising our services to the area as a new office, however, Instagram has flagged this account and my Facebook business page and I am unable to do so.

The reason? My initial giveaway post. I’m not sure which rule it breaks as I see such posts all of the time, but it was enough to have this happen and they won’t remove the restriction no matter what I do and believe me, I’ve tried.

So, with that, it looks like my only option is to start over, if I do.

Before I go though... I will be announcing the winners (FINALLY) tomorrow.

Thank you all for being here and for your support. I appreciate it!

It’s one thing to say “let’s play store” and create a logo, it’s quite another to have that imaginary world logo turned into a real-life ginormous glowing 3D sign to be plastered on the front (and back) of a building for all the world to see! 😳

Whether you love it or hate it (haters keep quiet 🤐) this is what it will be! Or so I think...the fonts are gonna change, maybe, we’ll see.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about life it’s that things are always changing, so who knows, this could change too!

Anyway, the Signorama guys seemed pretty excited to sink their teeth into this “very unique” sign. 😂

Whether it be your eyes, your relationships, or your favorite sweater, if you want it to last, you treat it differently.

While I was serving a mission for the Church in Taiwan my companion shared a story with me about a lady and her fine china dishes. Her husband teased her about how she babied them so much and this quote is what she replied. For some reason it always stuck with me.

The eyes are one thing you can’t replace. Hearts, lungs, kidneys, all can be replaced. You can replace a cornea, sure, but trust me you don’t want to have to go through that if you don’t have to.

80% of visual impairment can be prevented or cured. I’m an advocate for getting your eyes checked annually. MOST patients I see have nothing wrong, BUT it’s those few that come in who didn’t think they needed it that I’ve found serious conditions on that have made me realize just how important it is.

So, if you haven’t seen the eye doc for awhile call him or her up and get seen! No one ever regretted taking care of themselves!

Oh, and if you’re overwhelmed with life and an eye exam isn’t at the top of your list, well, identify the things in your life that are irreplaceable and important to you and start treating them differently!

I don’t say this nearly enough, but my wife is an incredible person.

This morning as I walked out of the door for work I joked saying “remember who you are” and she jokingly replied while looking around the kitchen full of rambunctious kids “oh I can’t forget who I am!”

Let’s be honest, raising children is not easy. Add managing an in-home business on top of that as well as maintaining a household and the need for an occasional good cry and brownies is almost inevitable. 😂 This is life.

But! She manages things SO WELL! She wakes up at 5:30am 6 out of 7 days a week without fail to work out, has each day planned out down to 15 minute segments and man does she get things done!

When I get home from work she rarely expresses how difficult the day was, instead she just keeps working. Then, when 8pm hits she is understandably ready for bed, which has really hindered our TV time. 😂

This year she has especially had a lot on her plate. She would be justified in saying that I’ve been somewhat MIA. I’ve had trips to Orlando, Houston and Las Vegas for vision conferences in preparation of opening our practice. I’ve worked in 13 different offices from Logan to Spanish Fork. So many zoom calls, so many appointments with architects, etc. It’s safe to say that I haven’t “been there” as much as I have been in the past.

But, she never once makes me feel guilty or bad about it. She just keeps going, just keeps working, and just keeps it all together...all while supporting my dream of owning my own practice.

She is my best friend and I love her a lot. We’ve been though a lot together but I can attest to the fact that if you can make it through all the challenges of marriage, life just keeps getting better and better.

It’s her birthday month as well! I probably will miss posting then, so...HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY Tiffany! You are loved and appreciated!

Today I got to see a kid for his first eye exam who reminded me a lot of myself. He, too, had all sisters and also had no idea his vision was terrible! We’re talking legally blind status here if it wasn’t correctable.

Most patients are super appreciative for a new prescription, but for kids like him it’s life changing; or at least it was for me. The trees finally had leaves and the people who spoke in church had faces.

This picture was taken before my sisters and I all ended up in glasses. That myopic gene is strong with us which is why I’m surprised none of my 6 kids need glasses....yet. When they do, though, dad will be right there with his phoropter (the “one or two”contraption) to clear things up!

Well, I decided to do my own renderings. 😄

Floorplanner.com is free and awesome should you ever want to tinker around with a new reno or building project.

Anyway, this is it! Colors, fixtures and furniture are subject to change, but it will probably look close to this.

They say starting a practice requires making a million different decisions and I can now attest to that!

It’s been a lot of hard work, mental work, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it! Now I just can’t wait to see it all come together!

Construction to start very soon! Fingers crossed the approves plans quickly!

“Have you thought this through?”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Why not just work for someone else? It’s much easier.”

“I really don’t think you should do this.”

“You actually think you’ll be able to find your own patients huh?”

People have good intentions. I’m grateful to have people in my life who care enough to be concerned for my welfare. But, sometimes comments like these can be discouraging.

On the flip side, though, these comments have been somewhat motivating.

When you know for yourself that something is the right move, then the opinions of others don’t really matter. Such comments can actually fuel a desire to create what other people just can’t envision with hopes that someday they’ll understand.

These quotes are some that have motivated me along the way when people try to talk me out of starting my own practice. The concerns of others have actually been very helpful to see things through different eyes, so overall the process has been a huge learning experience that I’ll never regret taking on.

I tell people that I’d rather make less money working for myself than work for someone else, not everyone is like that, and not everyone will understand why I do the things I do, and that is ok.

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned, however, is the value of creating our own happiness, not relying on others to do it for us. We create our own worlds, our own realities, and no one can decide what is best for us. That is up to us!

Five examples of 20/20 vision. Which do you have?

In school I was taught the “20/20 Happy Principle.” Being the type of person who fixes crooked picture frames and is a little OCD when it comes to measuring things, this principle never sat well with me.

The principle is that if your patient is happy with the 20/20 vision they have then why waste time trying to make it better? Just be done with the whole “one or two” game and prescribe.

BUT....BUT!!!!! What if they can read 20/15 (which most people can) or even 20/10??? Yes, I’ve seen some people go to 20/10 and I’m always like “Wow bro, you’ve got skills.”

I was even taught that if a patient can read 20/20 then you don’t really even need to check their astigmatism. 🤯 This might be totally fine and acceptable in the world of optometry and I’m probably the crazy one, but it just drives me batty to not check. 😂 I’m weird like that.

Even if it’s just -0.25 diopters worth, it’s totally worth it to me to take a few seconds and check astigmatism just in case it is a person sitting in my chair who can appreciate such a small amount.

So, I might waste a lot of time and annoy a lot of people by being overly thorough in checking prescriptions, but as someone who had an “off” prescription for a few years before, it’s super important to me to give people THE BEST VISION possible whether they want it or not! 😂

That being said, some people actually prefer some level of blur. Yes people come back at times saying that “things are just too clear.” So, we work with these people to make them comfortable.

Long story short, don’t sell yourself short when it comes to your vision!

Just finished attending an incredible class taught by a leader at that focused on educating business professionals on why we do what we do and how we can do it better.

They are known for their superior customer service experience that starts with a superior internal culture.

What it all seemed to boil down to was, the secret sauce if you will, is genuinely CARING ABOUT PEOPLE.

People caring about and serving people, yep, it’s that simple.

I went into optometry to do just that, sure, eyes intrigued me but my own childhood optometrist made such an impact on my life which is what inspired me to do this.

For the last 8 years I’ve worked at locations owned by others. Overall it has been a wonderful and educational experience that I am grateful for, but I always had to stick to doing things the way they wanted them done.

A huge motivating factor in starting this business myself was having the freedom to serve people the way I believe they deserve to be served, not that other places aren’t serving well, they are. Everyone just has their own unique approach to service and I am excited to develop our own.

If you’ve read this far, I would love to know what experiences you’ve had (for good or bad) that are memorable at other medical offices.

I hope to create a comfortable, friendly, patient oriented practice that will continue to evolve and improve over time as I listen to and learn from you!

Thanks for being here!

Look at that smile! Mad respect to the craniofacial prosthetics team who crafted this seamless prosthetic. (This isn’t my patient, it is a repost pic from - go follow!)

Finding cancer in the eye on a normal eye exam is something I have only experienced twice in my 8 years as an optometrist, but it is those two times that push me to encourage everyone to get a comprehensive eye exam, because you just never know!

I do not know this lady’s story, but she is beautiful both with and without her prosthesis and no doubt has a lot she could teach us all about overcoming trials and not taking what we have for granted.

Who’s ready to take on this self-growth challenge with me?

BUT instead of doing the “Sparks notes” one-a-day Headway version, I’m shooting for listening to one a month on Audible in its entirety.

One of the great men I look up to is always quoting and sharing from books and I’m thinking NOW IS THE TIME follow his example and start.

I will be sharing the gems that I learn along the way, I’d love to hear yours too!

Let’s face it, leafy greens aren’t on the top of everyone’s “to eat” list.

BUT if you like your eyes (and heart and body in general😜) eating leafy greens such as arugula, spinach, watercress and kale can help protect your vision. The best way I’ve found to pack them into your diet is with morning smoothies and when eating out going to places like and Aubergine.

This is the Jean Salad made with kale and topped with a lemon Dijon chicken breast and let me tell you it is goooooooooood and GOOD for your eyes. They’ll thank me later.

“I close my eyes and I can see
The world that's waiting up for me
That I call my own

Through the dark, through the door
Through where no one's been before
But it feels like home

They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy
They can say, they can say I've lost my mind
I don't care, I don't care, so call me crazy
We can live in a world that we design”

Sometimes we have to shut our eyes in order to see. Isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think? A little too ironic. Yeah I really do think.

Ok, enough song lyrics, enjoy your Sunday!