Gulf Coast Vision Center

Our East Hill office has some beautiful new signage! 🤓

If you didn't see the Glen Powell and J.J. Abrams documentary of at an IMAX theatre, you can still stream it on Prime Video!

Soar with The Blue Angels with never-before-seen footage that chronicles a year with the Navy’s elite Flight Demonstration Squadron—from selection through the challenging training and demanding show season—showcasing the extraordinary teamwork, passion, and pride that fuels America’s best, the Blue Angels.

The Blue Angels - Official Trailer | Prime Video Sky’s the limit. Glen Powell and J.J. Abrams bring you - exclusively in IMAX theatres May 17th, streaming on Prime Video May 23rd.Soar with Th...

Today marks 80 years since D-Day.

On June 6, 1944, Allied forces launched Operation Overlord—the codename for the massive Allied invasion of Normandy, France—with more than 150,000 troops. Ending with approximately 20,000 casualties on both sides, those who took part witnessed one of the most pivotal battles against Axis forces and the beginning of a prolonged, costly, and ultimately successful campaign to liberate northwest Europe.

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day—a day now known as the greatest amphibious landing in history—The National WWII Museum will explore the epic battle through events on Thursday, June 6, and Friday, June 7, 2024, on its campus in New Orleans.

You can view livestream events here:
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/80th-anniversary-d-day

Full rainbow 🌈 over Pensacola Beach 😍

In case you missed it, here's a highlight of our time in San Isidro, Costa Rica. Thanks to the Lions Club and student interpreters who helped make 3 days of vision clinics possible!

Gulf Coast Vision Center in Costa Rica Here's a glimpse into our 2024 service trip and vision clinics in San Isidro, Costa Rica.

Wishing everyone a safe and beautiful Memorial Day!

Wishing the happiest of birthdays to Sharon and Taira! We hope you both have a wonderful day 🌼🌞🤓

Bahamas? Bora Bora? Maldives? Nope. This is Pensacola! 💙🩵🤍

FUN FRIDAY FACT: Did you know, the famous Italian inventor Leonardo da Vinci was the first to come up with a concept that resembled a contact lens?

Da Vinci made sketches of a possible solution for correcting refractive errors that cause poor eyesight. He showed in these sketches how we could solve sight problems by looking through the bottom of a glass bowl filled with water. Submerging your face in a bowl of water is, of course, an impractical way to see clearly, but it proved that he understood the concept of how the contact lens works!

There's a buzz in the air...The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will be joining the Blue Angels for the Blue Angels Homecoming Airshow in Pensacola this fall! The show is set for Nov. 1 and Nov. 2.
📸 U.S. Navy Blue Angels

EPIC! The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will be joining the Blue Angels for the Blue Angels Homecoming Airshow in Pensacola this fall! The show is set for Nov. 1 and Nov. 2.
📸 U.S. Navy Blue Angels

Wishing Dr. Tipton a Happy Birthday! We hope you have a wonderful day and congratulations on another trip around the sun! ☀️🎂🥳

FUN FRIDAY FACT: Did you know crocodiles actually cry? 🥲

Humans are the only known species to produce emotional tears. Crocodiles shed tears as a result of air trapped in their sinuses from eating their prey. It's a mysterious tendency of crocodiles to release tears as they eat.

This is how the phrase "Crocodile Tears" came to mean tears or expressions of sorrow that are phony or insincere. 🐊

May means sea turtle nesting season! Keep an eye out for turtle tracks on the beach 👀

Also, did you know, sea turtles can see well underwater but are shortsighted in the air? Sea turtles can see near-ultraviolet, violet, blue-green and yellow light. They are not sensitive to light in the orange to red range of the visible spectrum.

Sea Turtles Sea turtle education information.

The work from our February service trip to Costa Rica isn't done yet! We've been busy in the lab, making 117 pairs of glasses for a partner volunteer group to deliver to the patients we saw.

A big thanks to everyone who has made this possible. There are 117 children and adults who will have the correct prescription in a pair of glasses they love 🤓

And it is dangerous! 😵‍💫

Sleeping in contacts allows microbes and bacteria from the contact lens or elsewhere to multiply overnight. Preventing the oxygen and nutrients from entering the cornea, the contact acts like an incubator for bacteria while you sleep. This can lead to even further complications, like a corneal ulcer, which can be vision threatening and even lead to the need for a corneal transplant!

See your eye doctor right away if you notice any of these symptoms:

-Blurred vision
-Discharge coming from your eye
-Redness
-Excessive watering

The Casino Beach Fishing Pier reopens today! ☀️

Casino Beach Fishing Pier to Reopen Friday, April 26

Escambia County is pleased to announce that the Casino Beach Fishing Pier will reopen to the public Friday, April 26 at noon. The pier will be open seven days a week from sunrise to sunset.
Work to the pier began in December 2023 and included replacing pier signage, lighting, water lines, and the entrance gate, and repairs to timber railing and blow-out deck panels. New additions to the pier include benches, trash cans and ADA fishing rails placed throughout the pier. Minor work will still need to be completed once the pier is open, including installing lighting and repairs to blow-out deck panels.

"I'm thrilled that we're able to open the pier in time for summer," said Director of Engineering and County Engineer Joy Blackmon, P.E. "I'm very thankful for all of the hard work from our Construction Management Division and the collaboration with the Public Works Department to help us get the pier open as quickly as possible. The pier is a tremendous asset to Pensacola Beach and we look forward to opening it up to the public."

It's a crawfish fiesta this weekend in Downtown Pensacola!

It’s time to eat some CRAWFISH!! 🦐🦐
Who’s ready for the Fiesta Pensacola Pensacola Crawfish Festival coming up April 26-28 in downtown Pensacola?!

Admission gates will be located on Government Street (across from Hub Stacey's Downtown) and Zaragoza Street (across from Pensacola Bay Brewery). Admission is $5 per day for adults; $2 per day for kids 6-12 and Free for kids 5 and under.

Enjoy crawfish, many festival food vendors, live entertainment and more! 🎸

Friday 11 AM - 11 PM
Saturday 10 AM - 11 PM
Sunday 11 AM - 5 PM

For all the details, follow Fiesta Pensacola or visit: https://www.fiestapensacola.org/crawfish-festival

Photo 📸 courtesy of: Visit Pensacola

Visit Pensacola Local Pulse Pensacola Vacation Artfully

Did you know that women have a greater chance of developing certain eye diseases compared to men? Women develop blindness and have visual impairments twice as much as men.

Read more in this month's blog post and why April is Women's Eye Health month 🤓

April Is Women's Eye Health Month - Gulf Coast Vision Center Women develop blindness and have visual impairments twice as much as men. Many women aren’t aware that they have a higher risk for developing eye and vision problems. This is why April as Women’s Eye Health Month is so important.

In support of Sports Eye Safety Month this April, we encourage all athletes to avoid sports-related eye injuries by simply wearing proper eye protection. 😎 Each year, an estimated 100,000 people are hurt by sports-related eye injuries. About 13,500 of these injuries result in permanent vision loss 😟

Our offices are closing at 1pm today due to the weather. Stay safe everyone!

Even if we weren't in the path of totality, it's hard not to be in awe of such a cool event! Nature is amazing 🌞✨🌚

✨ I decided to patiently wait for the solar eclipse by our iconic beach ball✨

FUN FRIDAY FACT: The Eyes Perceive Things Upside Down! 🙃

What we see are made up of light reflected from the objects and scenes we look at. However, because the cornea at the front of the eye is curved, it bends the light as it enters eye, meaning the image is upside down when it hits the retina at the back of the eye. When the brain interprets the image it turns it back the right way up so we see the world correctly.

In an experiment in the 1950s, Austrian Professor Theodor Erismann asked his assistant Ivo Kohler to wear a pair of goggles that made him see upside down. Fascinatingly, Kohler’s brain adapted and he began to see the world rightside-up through the goggles within about a week. The landmark study is still widely referenced today, such as in the work Sachse et al. on Visual perception in 2017.

See the Blue Angels in April! Dates to view the practice tour are April 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30. Check out the tips below for your visit 😎

💛💙 Know before you go! If you booked a Blue Angels practice tour at the Lighthouse:

✈️ NAS Pensacola public entrance is on the west side, off Blue Angel Parkway. Get there early, as traffic can be heavy.
✈️ Everyone 18+ needs a government-issued ID to enter. Your driver's license will do.
✈️ Bring ear protection! The jets will fly overhead and they are loud.
✈️ The Blue Angels usually take flight around 10:30 AM and their practice lasts about 45 minutes.

See you soon! 👋

📸 JK Adams Photography
U.S. Navy Blue Angels

Sending Easter blessings to everyone this weekend!

If you're gearing up for the solar eclipse viewing on April 8th, here are some safety tips from NASA to keep you and your eyes safe!

Safety Did you know?The way to safely view the 2023 annular eclipse and the 2024 total solar eclipse in the United States will be different. Learn how to view the 2023 annular solar eclipse here and the 2024 total solar eclipse here. Eclipse Eye Safety Except during the brief total phase of a total solar e...

Simply gorgeous! 🐬

Here are some of our favorite photos from the Gulf Coast Vision Center Service trip to San Isidro Costa Rica.

Over the course of 3 days of clinics, we served 153 patients. Of these, 117 people will be receiving new glasses!

We're exceptionally proud of the team for their hard work, and as you can see, we had some beautiful adventures and cultural experiences- local foods, remote locations and even a coffee farm tour guided by one of the student interpreters!

Incredible photography moment of a captured along side the . Beautiful! 🦅🇺🇸🛩