DR. DONALD J. FARRIS, O.D. (Family Vision Care)

09/08/2022

https://youtu.be/MkB_pQgwCL4
Just thought I would touch base while my Office Page is still on Facebook. I am really enjoying my retirement with more free time to do things that I have never had the time to do while stiil practicing. However, I do miss seeing and talking with so many of my patients - with whom Tina, Megan and I developed friendships through the years. Miss you ALL! Also, I meant to share this video earlier this year and just overlooked doing so. My niece who lives in New York and Florida commisioned a painting of my Office as a Retirement Gift. The building looks very different now and is soon to be opened as another "Cannabis" business by the new property owners. You would think there is already enough of those - but apparently not. Anyway, hope everyone is Happy and Healthy!❤️ (Click on Photo to Watch)

02/06/2022

11/01/2022

.Hello Fellow Oklahoma Doctors, Opticians, Patients, Family and Friends:

As many of you already know - I have retired from my lifelong profession of Optometry after over 43 years of practice. I actually saw the last patients at Christmas - but we will still be in the office closing things down until the last week of January.

For those in and around the Tulsa area who may be interested - we are having an open door "Office Estate Sale" on Tuesday, Jan 11 from 9am to 5pm; --Wednesday, Jan 12 from 9am to Noon; --Thursday, Jan 13 from 9am to 5pm; -- and Friday Jan 14 from 9am to 4pm. Of course, everything will have to be sold on a "first come, first serve". basis.

For anyone who likes a "Bargain" - this is a great opportunity on items we have not yet sold. Remaining items range from Ophthalmic/Medical Examination Equipment, Dispensing Tables, many Chairs, Furniture, Desks, many Frame Displays, Picture Frames, Office Decor, many Framed Professional and Decorative Prints and Posters, 4' X 4' Mirrored Slatwalls (including many small plastic slat wall shelves for displaying Eyeglass Frames) , etc., etc.

Everyone is welcome to drop by to take a look at what we have or just to say "goodbye". It has been a great run and a Wonderful Profession. However, everything eventually has to come to an end. My two priceless Assistants - Tina and Megan - and I want to sincerely Thank You all for having given us the opportunity to serve your Eye and Vision Care needs through the years. Whether you have been a Professional Colleague or one one Our Valued Patients - you have All also become Great Friends to each of us.

Again - Thanks Everyone for Your Support - and Hope to See Many of You during the next week or so.

Sincerely,
Dr. Donald J. Farris, O.D. (Tina and Megan)
1501 South Yale Ave. (on Southeast Corner of 15th & Yale)
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74112-6217

(PLEASE feel free to call us at (918) 744-5700 if you have any questions)

07/05/2020

Safety before Beauty!!😷

02/04/2020

These are very unusual times. We have never had to do this in many years of practice - but after tomorrow this office will be "temporarily" closed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Please read the information below and feel free to share it with anyone that you know who may need to know. Sorry for any inconvenience. Please EVERYONE be safe and follow all guidelines. We will be back in the office our usual hours as soon as this all settles down and it is recommended to be safe for EVERYONE to get back to normal work. THANKS!👍

23/03/2020

Just received the following from the "Oklahoma Board of Examiners in Optometry". We had already made the decision and had rescheduled all of my patients who were scheduled through the end of this week. We will re-evaluate at the end of this week about the next week and so on and so on - until this COVID-19 threat has diminished enough and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) advises that the public risk has lowered enough to return to our normal schedule of seeing and serving our patients with "minimal" health risk. That is the plan as of now. It is of utmost important that my patients, my staff and myself remain as safe and healthy as possible - and that none of us becomes an unknowing carrier of this virus resulting in further spreading and harm or possible death to others. EVERYONE needs to do their part as recommended by the experts to diminish the spread of the virus.
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---Original Message-----
From: Oklahoma Board of Examiners in Optometry
Sent: Mon, Mar 23, 2020 11:14 am
Subject: COVID-19

Dear Doctor of Optometry,

Due to recent developments regarding the COVID-19 virus, the Oklahoma Board of Examiners in Optometry recommends that you, as a Doctor of Optometry, follow the CDC Guidelines regarding patient care. In the CDC Guidelines it is recommended that patients be seen on an emergency basis only. It is further recommended that routine eye examinations be rescheduled.

These Guidelines are not a mandate from the CDC or the Oklahoma Board of Examiners in Optometry, only a recommendation to protect the health and well-being of all Oklahomans.

Wishing you good health!

W. Clay McLaughlin, OD
President
Oklahoma Board of Examiners in Optometry
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https://youtu.be/dSQztKXR6k0

If we can slow the virus down, it could save hundreds of thousands of lives. Read more about the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic at http://vox.com/coronavirus ...

19/03/2020

We have always used at least 70% Rubbing Alcohol to disinfect all equipment used between each patient. With the shortage of hand wipes and hand sanitizer during the current fight against COVID 19, I thought this would be a good time to share this video on how to make your own disinfecting hand wipes. As mentioned in the video, the rubbing alcohol is effective against both bacteria and viruses. This is so simple to do. I just hope it does not result in some people hoarding alcohol and baby lotion resulting in another shortage. If it does, always remember that "soap and water" is the go to standard if people would just remember to repeatedly "WASH YOUR HANDS" throughout the day!👍

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19/12/2019

The Christmas Season at our office has never been quite as “HOLY” (actually “HOLEY”) as this year. 😂🤣😂 Seriously though, the City of Tulsa is doing a major repair of large water lines at 15th & Yale Ave. While this is going on - access to our office has become very limited. Until done (hopefully by Christmas) the best way to access our office is likely going to be to come from Sheridan headed west toward Yale Ave. Turn into the parking lot of Lowe’s Home Improvement Center and maneuver to the part of the lot just behind our buiding where you can park. Then walk across and around to our front door. SORRY for the inconvenience - but sometimes it becomes necessary for the sake of progress and infrastructure maintenance .🤔

Traffic and access disruption to office an businesses due to required maintenance.

27/10/2019

HAPPY HALLOWEEN WEEK: My wonderful office assistants Tina and Megan snapped this photo of me in my office about 6 years ago around Halloween. It gets a little scarier each day as i get older when I look in the mirror in the morning. However, after looking at this again, I guess I don't look too much worse - even though it is now 6 years later😂🤣😂😅 We wish ALL of Our Patients and Friends a VERY HAPPY AND SAFE HALLOWEEN WEEK!! Remember to have your young "Trick or Treaters" wear light colored clothing or costumes with reflective material or tape so that they can be easily seen by drivers. There are a lot of people with very poor vision out there driving cars as Oklahoma does not usually require a vision exam for renewal after first giving a Driver's License when people are teenagers🤔👎 Everyone Be SAFE, CAREFUL and Have FUN!!😊👍

04/09/2019

07/05/2019

Try these easy tests to find your dominant eye.

07/05/2019

11/04/2019

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians (OAOP) today announced their support for Senate Bill 100, as amended by Rep. Carl Newton, whi

02/03/2019

Senate Majority Floor Leader Kim David said Senate Bill 902 is similar to the narrowly rejected State Question 793, but with some differences.

11/10/2018

WHY OKLAHOMA SHOULD VOTE "NO" on SQ 793 on NOVEMBER 6"
I have been seeing so much somewhat misleading and deceptive attractive advertising trying to get those viewing the ads to vote yes on SQ793. It appears that they are relying on the fact that most voters don't actually read the words of a State Question until they actually see their ballot when voting and will decide based on just what they had heard advertised as opposed to understanding the "real meaning" of what they are voting on. Almost everyone would like "more free choices" and "affordability" on anything which is what these ads focus on. However, that is NOT really what SQ793 is about. Below is the actual wording of SQ793 as it will appear on the ballot. The key important words toward which everyone should focus are presented below in CAPITAL letters. After the SQ793 text below, I am presenting some comments about the wording and it's actual meaning for everyone to consider.

STATE QUESTION 793 READS: "This measure adds a new Section 3 to Article 20 of the Oklahoma CONSTITUTION. Under the new Section, NO LAW shall infringe on optometrists' or opticians' ability to practice within a RETAIL MERCANTILE ESTABLISHMENT, discriminate against optometrists or opticians based on the location of their practice, or require external entrances for optometric offices within retail mercantile establishments. NO LAW shall infringe on RETAIL MERCANTILE ESTABLISHMENTS' ability to sell PRESCRIPTION optical goods or SERVICES. The Section ALLOWS THE LEGISLATURE to restrict optometrists from performing surgeries within retail mercantile establishments, limit the number of locations at which an optometrist may practice, maintain optometric licensing requirements, require optometric offices to be in a separate room of a retail mercantile establishment, and impose health and safety standards. It DOES NOT PROHIBIT optometrists and opticians from AGREEING with RETAIL mercantile establishments TO LIMIT their practice. LAWS CONFLICTING WITH THIS SECTION ARE VOID. The Section defines "laws," "optometrist," "optician," "optical goods and services," and "retail mercantile establishment."
Shall the Proposal Be Approved?
[ ] FOR THE PROPOSAL - YES
[ ] AGAINST THE PROPOSAL - NO

COMMENTS:
1) The only reason that SQ793 was written in this way and will be on the ballot is because of an initiative petition on which WALMART was able to get enough signatures from their many customers in their many stores throughout Oklahoma by just telling them that signing it would get past the "politics" of eyecare and make eye exams and eyeglasses "cheaper". Most people likely signed with just that information without really knowing and "understanding" the real impact of SQ793. (By the way, WALMART is behind the "vote yes" ads even though they usually don't say so in the ads)

2) This would be changing the Oklahoma CONSTITUTION rather that "making or altering legislated law" so that it can NOT be ever changed or amended by the Oklahoma Legislature in the future without another statewide vote. Things in the CONSTITUTION trump all laws or rules by Oklahoma's Legislature or any Heath Profession Boards that monitor standards of practice and care of provided by state doctors to protect the public from unethical and potentially harmful modes of practice.

3) OKLAHOMA is the FIRST STATE where WALMART is attempting to totally bypass going through the elected State Legislature to change or negate our laws that don't fit into their business model or positively affect their ability to profit off the healthcare sector of the economy
4) Notice how it states that NO LAW shall infringe on the ability of an optometrist or optician to practice in a RETAIL establishment or infringe on a RETAIL establishment's ability to sell PRESCRIPTION optical goods and SERVICES. In other words, ALL of the current state public protection laws that require minimum levels of competency, examination, accuracy of prescription eyewear, etc. would be VOIDED and NOT APPLICABLE to optometrists, opticians or optical goods provided within a RETAIL MERCANTILE ESTABLISHMENT such as Walmart. The laws would ALL still be applicable to every other professional optometrist, optician and all optical goods OUTSIDE of RETAIL MERCANTILE stores.
It sure appears that this is an attempt to protect the RETAIL MERCANTILE ESTABLISHMENTS from having to worry about maintaining a certain level of expertise and quality of care to avoid potential litigation.

5) Since this is a vote to "change the Oklahoma CONSTITUTION", the State Legislature would no longer have the constitutional authority to vote on, change, pass and enforce future laws or rules that would apply to the quality or scope of vision eyecare or optical good quality provided by any RETAIL MERCANTILE ESTABLISHMENT in Oklahoma other than in the "specific areas stated" above in SQ793 that it ALLOWs THE LEGISLATURE to do..

6) It DOES NOT PROHIBIT optometrists from AGREEING with the RETAIL establishment to LIMIT their SCOPE of practice. There are certain "minimum" procedures in current Oklahoma law that are required to be a part of EVERY "eye examination" that often detect many other serious health problems including but not limited to Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration, Cancer, Diabetes, Tumors, etc. With this wording, those laws would NOT apply to the optometrists in the RETAIL MERCANTILE stores such as Walmart..

7) "LAWS CONFLICTING WITH THIS SECTION ARE VOID" pretty much covers it all to protect Walmart and other RETAIL establishments from having adhere to ANY OF THE LAWS that were passed after much debate within the Oklahoma Legislature over the last century. Those laws and regulations have served Oklahomans very well as we are currently at the top of the list of states in the country when looking at the quality of vision care, eye health care and optical goods provided. That will rapidly change if SQ793 passes.

PLEASE think about it ALL and hopefully you will decide to vote NO on SQ793 on November 6!

(PERSONAL NOTE: Thank you for reading all of this. As many of you know, this is my 40th year of practice - so I am very well established and the outcome of this vote will really not personally have a significant economic affect on my practice at this point in my life. My deep concern and time doing this is from the heart for my love of Oklahoma and my chosen profession. My sincere concern is for the very dedicated young professional doctors and future Oklahomans that the "high standards of care" we have seen in the past will continue to be provided and available to all future Oklahomans for many years to come. ---Donald J. Farris, O.D.)

(PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH TO YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CO-WORKERS - THANK YOU!)

https://youtu.be/A8wGqRCdMoc

30/08/2018

R.I.P. Senator John McCain

Along with the rest of the nation, AOA members are paying tribute to Arizona Sen. John McCain, who died Aug. 25 after a year-long bout with brain cancer. McCain is being remembered for backing care for troops and veterans with combat-related eye injuries and his long, heroic service to the nation.

17/08/2018

The human eye is much more complex than most people could ever imagine. Unfortunately too many take their eye health and eyesight for granted until they face a problem which might have been prevented with regular preventive care. More people have regular checkups of their teeth than their eyesight - but would undoubtedly give up their teeth before they ever would give up their eyesight. This is a good review of the human eye, its parts and how it functions.

We depend on our eyes more than any other sense, however many of us take this precious gift for granted. Without them, we could not experience a beautiful su...