Category Archives: Dr Dawn Bearden

YouTube Video: Our Patient Tells About His Eye Exam at Our Office in Sunrise / Sawgrass Mills Mall – He’s Had His Eyes Tested All Over The World and This Office Was The BEST

Our patient, Barry, gives a video testimonial about his eye exam experience at Visionary Eyecare (Independent Doctors of Optometry Next to LensCrafters) INSIDE the Sawgrass Mills Mall.

Barry has had eye exams ALL OVER THE WORLD – England, Australia, Asia etc.  He came to LensCrafters inside the Sawgrass Mills Mall looking to get a quick eye test done.  LensCrafters referred him next door to the Visionary Eye Care office.  Barry was used to paying a very minimal fee for a 10-15 minute eye test.  He had no idea that an eye exam could be so thorough and comprehensive.  When we started doing his eye exam – he was immediately “blown away” by the high-tech equipment, the thorough exam, all of the attention that was given to him and also the caring Optometrist who took A LOT of time to meet his exact needs to ensure that he was completely satisfied.

Barry decided to go ahead and get fit with bifocal contact lenses with Dr Dawn Bearden.  An accurate bifocal contact lens examination, done correctly, usually requires several follow up visits.  Barry lives in the Bahamas but, he was so impressed with the care at Visionary Eyecare – he decided TO CONTINUE TO FLY BACK AND FORTH to continue his eye care with the Eye Doctor here at Visionary Eyecare!!

Today he was so happy as he left our office – he now could see distance and read up close without wearing his glasses all of the time!  He could also now wear those cool non-prescription sunglasses over his bifocal contacts when he is out on his boat or driving in a car during his worldly travels.

Barry says that he will definitely always come back here for his eye care and recommend Visionary Eye Care to all of his friends.

Now THAT is a happy patient!
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YouTube Video Patient Testimonial: Susan Scott

Susan Scott is a local artist and patient of Dr Dawn Bearden at Visionary Eyecare (The Indepenedent Doctor of Optometry Next to Lenscrafters) in Pembroke Pines.  She had previously always had a problem finding an eye doctor who could address all of her creative and artistic visual needs.

One day she was having problems doing an art project and her friend, Evelyn (who is an artist and a patient of Dr Bearden) recommended that Susan go to see Dr Dawn Bearden.

This is Susan’s story…

While Susan and Evelyn were doing an art project together  –  Susan had THREE pairs of glasses in front of her and still seemed to be having difficulty seeing what she was doing.  None of the glasses seemed to meet her artistic visual needs.  She felt that she just could not find an Eye Doctor that could give her a prescription that would allow her to see clearly enough to create her art.

After Susan was recommended to Optometrist,  Dr Dawn Bearden, from her friend, Evelyn, she realized that Dr Bearden is ALSO an artist.  Evelyn originally met Dr Bearden Evelyn because Evelyn was teaching Dr Bearden how to make stained glass art at her store – Glass By Design.  Dr Bearden is also passionate about photography.  Dr Bearden started taking pictures around age 12 when she was in middle school, she had minored in Photography in College and also had recently attended the Ft Lauderdale Art Institute for Photography.   For as long as she can remember – Dr Bearden has ALWAYS had a camera in her hand.  Susan felt a connection with Dr Bearden because she felt that they were both artistic and creative individuals.   She felt at ease because she knew that THIS particular Doctor would understand her specific visual needs.

After the eye exam, Susan was very happy with the thoroughness of the eye examination.  She FINALLY received a glasses prescription that met ALL of her artistic visual needs and she was impressed that the Doctor answered all of her questions in a very clear manner in which Susan could completely understand.

Susan recently moved to Washington, DC – BUT, she still plans yearly trips to South Florida so she can come to Visionary Eyecare and see Dr Dawn Bearden for her annual eye exam.

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Video Testimonial: Starlene Carter Talks About How A Routine Eye Exam Pupillary Dilation Saved Her Vision

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Starlene Carter came into Visionary Eyecare (Next to Lenscrafters) in Pembroke Pines in January 2001.  She was in the area and decided to stop in to schedule an eye examination for herself the following week.   She was not intending to get an eye exam that day – her plans were to spend that day shopping!

Our Office Manager, Carol Marsh, was there that day and convinced Starlene to go ahead and get her eye exam that same day since the office was not busy and the Doctor (Dr Dawn Bearden) would be able to see her right away.  Starlene agreed but, was insistent that she would NOT have her pupils dilated that day.  Her shopping was waiting and she did not want to “mess up her day” with that “dilation thing”.  Carol told her that the Doctor would talk to her during the exam about the importance of dilation.  Still Starlene would just not be convinced….

When Starlene met Dr Bearden for the first time – Dr Bearden began to explain and stress the importance of pupillary dilation.  Dr Bearden  explained that this was Starlene’s  first eye exam in our Visionary Eyecare office, there could be a multitude of eye diseases or problems that Starlene may be unaware of (because most eye problems do NOT cause any symptoms like blurry vision, headache, eye pain etc) and that Dr Bearden may NOT be able to detect these issues if Starlene did not allow the Doctor to dilate her pupils.  Dr Bearden also explained that Florida laws requires your Optometrist to dilate your pupils on the initial eye exam when you have an eye exam with a new Optometrist.  Reluctantly…..VERY reluctantly….Starlene finally agreed.

This simple decision absolutely saved Starlene’s vision.

During the eye exam, all seemed very normal.  Starlene had no family history of eye disease, she was able to see 20/20 in each eye with her new glasses prescription, she had NO eye pain, NO headaches, NO discomfort, her eye pressures were normal, her blood pressure was normal, good color vision etc.  But, when Dr Dawn Bearden dilated Starlene’s pupils – she saw 2 very LARGE retinal tears (retinal detachments) in Starlene’s right eye that posed a HUGE threat to Starlene’s vision in her right eye.  These tears could have eventually caused blindness in her eye had they not been detected during the dilation and then properly treated.

Immediately,  Dr Bearden called Dr Jay Levy – who is a local ophthalmologist who specializes in surgery of the retina.  Dr Bearden sent Starlene to see Dr Levy – who did surgery on Starlene’s right eye to repair the retinal tears in her right eye.

Starlene is now a loyal patient of Dr Dawn Bearden’s. She is still able to see 20/20 in each eye and has had no further problems from the retinal tears that were surgically repaired by Dr Levy.  Each and every year during her routine eye exam with Dr Bearden, you can find Starlene out in the waiting room telling her story to ALL of the other patients in the office.  She does a GREAT job in educating people and everyone that she comes in contact with about the importance of yearly eye examinations and the VITAL importance of pupillary dilation.

It saved Starlene’s vision…..and it can do the same for you and for the people in your life who come in for their annual eye exam!

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Get Email or Text Message Reminders To Remind You When to Change Your Disposable Contacts and When To Have Your Yearly Eye Exam

Visit www.Acuminder.com to Sign Up!

Visit http://www.Acuminder.com to Sign Up!

Do you need help remembering when to discard your disposable contact lenses or when to see your eye doctor for your yearly eye exam?  Well you can go to www.AcuMinder.com and register for this FREE service to get reminders sent to you via Email, text message or a computer desktop widget to help you remember.  They even have a new Facebook application that will help you remember!

Getting an annual eye exam is very important in maintaining the health of your eyes as well as keeping your vision as clear and crisp as possible.  Also it is vital to discard your contact lenses every 2 weeks or when your doctor recommends the lenses to be discarded.

Here is a snippet from the www.Acuminder.com website:

A clip from the www.Acuminder.com website

A clip from the http://www.Acuminder.com website

Often contact lenses can feel “fine” and many patients come in and tell Dr Dawn Bearden or the other Visionary Eyecare Doctors that they don’t throw away their contacts until their vision gets blurry and/or their contact lenses start to bother them.  This can be very dangerous.

Contact lenses act like little sponges that can soak up bacteria, fungus, viral particles, mucus, debris, smoke and other environmental agents.  Even if you clean your contacts every night – these agents do build up on your contact lenses each and every day.  Cleaning them nightly often does not get rid of 100% of these irritants.  These irritants build up – day in and day out….so its important to discard the lenses and put in a new pair – even if your eyes feel “fine”.

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When contact lenses are not discarded on schedule – patients can come in with distortions on the front of their eye (on their cornea)  or develop allergies to the contacts.  Most of the time, patients are not yet aware that these issues are even happening until its too late.  Some of these issues can lead to lifelong problems with wearing contacts.

Ask Dr Bearden, Dr Tenn or Dr McCulloh in our Pembroke Pines or Sunrise (Sawgrass Mall) office for a free Acuminder.com information card.  We will fill it in with your most recent exam date, the brand of contacts that you are currently using, your correct discard schedule, your eye doctor’s name and telephone number.  You will need this information when you register at www.Acuminder.com

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Video Testimonial – A Mother Speaks From the Heart About Her 5 Year Old Son and How an Eye Exam Changed His Life

This is a story of how an eye exam can actually change the course of a child’s life.

Jennifer is a loving mother of an 5 year old little boy.  Her son is absolutely adorable and a really good child yet, in school  he was being labeled a “difficult / problem child” and a “disturbance in the classroom”. He often did not want to pay attention in school, frequently “acted out” and even threw his books.  He just did not seem to be interested in reading or learning – at ALL.

As a mother, she knew that this behavior in school seemed a bit odd and out of character for the sweet, loving boy that she knew her son to be at home.  The comments from the school really alarmed Jennifer that something was definitely wrong.

Her young son had passed his Pediatrician’s vision screening, AS WELL AS the school vision screening but, acting on motherly instinct – she ignored the comments that “his vision is fine” and took him to see the Optometrist, Dr Dawn Bearden, for a routine eye exam.  Eye Doctor,  Dr Bearden,  manages the Visionary Eyecare (Independent Doctor of Optometry) offices next to Lenscrafters in Pembroke Pines and Sunrise and also next to Pearle Vision in Davie.

During the routine eye examinationDr Bearden discovered that Jennifer’s son was able to read the eye chart with just a little bit of blur but, he needed eyeglasses to correct the strain that he was feeling while reading.  Once the strain was relieved from wearing the glasses full time…the child suddenly became more attentive in school and began reading ALL THE TIME.

Actually, he loved reading SO MUCH that he won an award from his kindergarten teacher for reading!!  He even received an award from the school’s Principal for “Most Improved Reader”…he actually read 26 books within 30 days.  WOW!!

Jennifer is now a HUGE advocate to have children get eye exams from an eye doctor and for parents NOT to be lulled into complacency by their child passing a vision screening.  Her child could have gone through life in the classroom being labeled a “problem” and a “disturbance” simply because he could not see well and his eyes were being strained in school.

Jennifer states the following in her video:

No matter how well a parent THINKS their child sees well or if a child is labeled a “problem” in the classroom because he does not pay attention…it may just be because he can’t see well.

The eye exam has made a HUGE difference and my son has excelled, he is doing wonderful and his behavior is like “night and day”!

“I’m a big ADVOCATE…get your child checked by a (eye care) professional!!”

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Visionary Eyecare Blog – A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

A Visual Representation of the Visionary Eyecare Blog

A Visual Representation of the Visionary Eyecare Blog

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words!!

And sometimes that picture is made from a thousand words…..

Here are some visual representations of the Visionary Eyecare Blog from Wordle.

It visibly shows that our blog talks about the Eye, an Optometrist, an Eye Exam, Pembroke Pines, Sunrise,  Eye Dr,  Contacts, Dr Dawn Bearden, Dr Emily McCulluh, Dr Anna-Kay Tenn, Lenscrafters, an Eye Doctor,  Vision, Eye Care, Eye Health and more….

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Just by scanning one of these images – a reader can immediately get a feel for what the Visionary Eyecare Blog is all about!!

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Follow Dr Dawn Bearden on Twitter @FLEyecare

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Dr Dawn Bearden and Visionary Eyecare have moved out of Lenscrafters and have RELOCATED to Fort Lauderdale Eye Care & Eyewear in East Fort Lauderdale.  New website is www.FLEyecareEyewear.com and new phone is 954-763-2842.  New address is 1489 SE 17th St  Suite 2J Ft Lauderdale FL 33316.  Click here for map of new location

Dr Dawn Bearden is now “tweeting” for Fort Lauderdale Eye Care & Eyewear under the name @FLEyecare on Twitter .

When you follow @FLEyecare on Twitter you will always find interesting “tweets” about eye health care, eye health tips, inspiring quotes, health news, any new blog posts that were recently posted on our blog,  real time conversations with local South Floridians, eye related trivia, Twitter Tips and much more!!

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Click the Twitter Logo...

Click the Twitter Logo...

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Twitter is the FASTEST growing social network in history. According to Mashable – The Social Media Guide (@Mashable), Twitter has grown a staggering 1382% in the past year.  In January 2009 alone, Twitter grew 50% in ONE month.  Wow.  This is a POWERFUL social media platform for those who understand how to harness its power.

Most people have the perception that Twitter is for people tweeting about what they ate for breakfast….this is NOT what Twitter is all about.  You can connect with people in your local community or all around the globe who are experts in fields that you may be interested in learning about.  People like Robert Kiyosaki (@TheRealKiyosaki), Donald Trump (@DonaldJTrump), Oprah (@Oprah), Anthony Robbins (@TonyRobbins), Larry King (@kingsthings) and more…all tweet regularly.  Its truly a wealth of knowledge.

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If you’ve never checked out Twitter….go to www.Twitter.com/FLEyecare and check it out.  Maybe you will even decide to jump in, give it a try and start Tweeting – its a lot of fun and very educational!

Chances are ….you’ll soon get hooked!

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Tweet! Tweet!

Tweet! Tweet!

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Sports Eye Safety Resolution for Children is Adopted by the Florida House of Representatives

Children Wearing Protective Sport Eyewear

Children Wearing Protective Sport Eyewear

As reported on Twitter by Prevent Blindness America and Prevent Blindness Florida (@PBFlorida), the Florida House of Representatives adopted HR 9095, a resolution recognizing the seriousness of sports-related eye injuries in children and the importance of sports eye safety to protect the children of Florida.

Here is an excerpt from their website:

Eye injuries are the leading cause of blindness in children in the United States, and 90% of these injuries can be avoided with the use of protective eyewear. Prevent Blindness America applauds the Florida House of Representatives for their commitment to children’s eye health.  For more information about sports eye injuries and how you can protect your child’s sight, visit the children’s sports eye safety section of the Vision Learning Center.

For a copy of the adopted resolution, click here.

Dr Dawn Bearden, Dr Anna Kay Tenn, Dr Emily McCulloh and Dr Alyx Lin at Visionary Eyecare in Pembroke Pines and Sunrise routinely ask about children’s sports and hobbies during the medical and social history portion of the eye exam.  Children under the age of 12 are routinely given a prescription for polycarbonate lenses for their eyeglasses.  This polycarbonate material is more impact resistant – which is important for children due to their active lifestyle.  If a child participates in any impact or ball sport – then the eye doctors at Visionary Eyecare will also recommend sports goggles for eye safety.

Sports goggles are excellent for protecting your eyes (in BOTH adults and children) while playing any type of impact or ball sport such as basketball, racquetball, soccer, baseball, softball, tennis, rugby etc.  Many eye injuries can occur from a ball or racket hitting you in the face near the eye – or an impact with another player’s elbow, knee, head etc.  while playing the sport.

Some serious eye health issues that can occur from these impacts include retinal detachment,  subconjunctival hemorrhage (bright red blood spot on the white of the eye), ocular inflammation (iritis/uveitis)  and even cataracts or glaucoma that can occur YEARS after the injury to the eye.

In persons under 25 years of age, ocular trauma is the number one cause of visual loss.

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Testimonial: Patient – Judy McNab – Looses Glasses, Gets Eye Exam in Pembroke Pines and Dr Dawn Bearden Finds A Tumor in Her Left Eye

Judy McNab shares her full story

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Judy McNab never really felt the need for yearly eye examinations until she started to need glasses in her 40’s and 50’s.  Like most people, she thought she did not need to see an eye doctor if she did not need to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses.

One day she came into Visionary Eyecare in Pembroke Pines for an eye exam because she lost her glasses.  She was not having any problems with her eyes, no eye pain or pressure, no headaches, no vision problems….nothing.  She just wanted to quickly get an eye examination so she could get a new prescription to buy a new pair of glasses at Lenscrafters.

During the eye exam at Visionary Eyecare  (the Independent Doctors of Optometry next to Lenscrafters in Pembroke Pines),  Judy was able to see 20/20 in the examination room, her eyes looked perfectly healthy during the dilated retinal examination and also on the digital photographs taken of the inside of Judy’s eyes.   During the examination, Eye Doctor –  Dr Dawn Bearden recommended that Judy get a visual field (peripheral vision) test as a baseline – because Judy was over the age of 40 (much like a baseline mammogram is done at age 40) .  This test is an advanced test that is not part of the routine eye examination and would take extra time and cost Judy extra money (unfortunately – unlike a baseline mammogram-  most medical insurances and vision plans and will NOT pay for this preventative testing as a baseline).  At first, Judy did not want to take the time to do the additional test but Dr Bearden explained that visual field testing could uncover early and subtle eye health issues that sometimes a routine eye exam could not.  Judy was convinced and did the additional visual field test… and the results came back positive – TWICE.

Dr Bearden immediately referred Judy to an ophthalmologist for a secondary evaluation. At first,  Judy did not really want to see the ophthalmologist…..she kept telling Doctor Bearden that her vision was fine and she was not having any problems or symptoms….but, Dr Bearden INSISTED that she go for the secondary evaluation.   Judy did see the ophthalmologist, who then referred her to Bascom Palmer in Miami to see an eye doctor that specializes in eye tumors and eye cancer.

Judy was diagnosed with a tumor in her left eye and had laser treatment to help destroy the tumor in her left eye.  This was in 2005.  Now in 2009 Judy still has good vision in her left eye (she is able to see 20/25 in that eye).  Luckily, the tumor did not spread to anywhere else in her body and the surgeon was able to treat the tumor without having to remove Judy’s eye.

Judy shares her experience in the above and below videos.  She reminds us all that YEARLY eye exams are very important to help detect eye health issues that you may be unaware of… since many eye health issues DO NOT CAUSE SYMPTOMS and can only be detected by a COMPREHENSIVE eye exam.

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Judy McNab – short video testimonial

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These videos and many more educational videos and testimonials can be found on the Visionary Eyecare YouTube Channel…..CLICK HERE to check it out!

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Pictures of the Patient Appreciation Event at Pembroke Pines Visionary Eye Care

Well, if you were there – we’re sure you had a great time….Free Gift, Free Chair Massage, Raffle for Free IPod!! Visionary Eyecare in Pembroke Pines created a really fun Patient Appreciation event along with Lenscrafters Customer Appreciation event….. and here are the pictures to prove it!

Every Visionary Eye Doctor – Dr Dawn Bearden, Dr Anna-Kay Tenn and Dr Emily McCulloh – enjoyed seeing many previous patients again for their annual eye exam at our Pembroke Pines Eye Clinic.

We’ll keep you posted if we do another Patient Appreciation Event!

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Hometown Day 2008 – Visionary Eyecare Gives the Gift of Sight in Partnership with OneSight!

Hometown day is a special day that happens every year – around the holiday season – at Visionary Eyecare. All three of our locations participate in Hometown Day – Pembroke Pines, Davie and Sunrise.

It is a day that we give back to our community in partnership with Lenscrafters and Pearle Vision to provide Free Eyecare and Free Eyewear to select members of our community.

Here are videos of three of our patients who came in for their eye exam with eye doctor, Dr Dawn Bearden, at Visionary Eyecare (Independent Doctor of Optometry Next to Pearle Vision) in Davie:

Our Patient Amber:

Our Patient Kandra:

Our Patient Corina….her Dad, Cesar, talks about Visionary Eyecare:

Luxottica is the parent company for Lenscrafters and Pearle Vision and they have created the Luxottica Group Foundation called OneSight (www.OneSight.org)

OneSight is dedicated to improving vision through outreach, research and education. Visionary Eyecare previously contributed to the community for the past 12 years through “The Gift of Sight” at our Independent Doctor of Optometry locations next to Lenscrafters in Pembroke Pines and Sunrise (INSIDE the Sawgrass Mills Mall). This year, the “Gift of Sight” has merged with “Pearle Vision Foundation” and “Community I Care” to form OneSight

Over 250 million adults and children suffer from poor vision because they do not have access to eye examinations and glasses. OneSight helps the world see through making a significant difference in the world for people who need them – locally and globally. Over 6.5 MILLION people have received eye care and eye wear all over the world from OneSight!!

Check out the launch video for OneSight.org

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “OneSight.org“, posted with vodpod

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If you are interested in contributing a donation to OneSight – CLICK HERE

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A Child’s FIRST Eye Exam …… Featured Patient: Jacob

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Jacob in the Eye Exam Room

Jacob in the Eye Exam Room

Jacob is 5 years old. He came in today for his VERY FIRST eye examination.

Last year he saw his Pediatrician for a vision screening but, he was not too cooperative when it was time to read the eye chart so they really did not have any idea about the clarity of his right eye. This year he went to Kindergarten and had a vision screening. That day mom got a note back that he failed and needed to see an eye doctor.

Jake Having Fun at Visionary Eyecare

Jake Having Fun at Visionary Eyecare

He came into Visionary Eyecare ( the Independent Doctors of Optometry Next to Pearle Vision in Davie) for his first eye exam. During his vision test we noticed that Jake could see fairly well with his left eye but, he was only able to see 20/80 (eight lines WORSE than 20/20) with his right eye. During the eye exam, Dr Bearden found that Jake has a high prescription in his right eye and was using only his left eye to see with. His right eye is a lazy eye (amblyopia) and is not able to be corrected to 20/20 – even WITH a glasses prescription.

But the good news is that a child’s visual system is not completely developed until around age 7. So he can still adapt to changes in the clarity of his vision – he is more likely to have great success with his new glasses and possible vision therapy to strengthen that vision in his right eye!

Jake Give Us the Thumbs UP!!!

Jake Give Us the Thumbs UP!!!

So, Jake’s eyes are still growing and developing and with the proper glasses and visual therapy – hopefully, he will be able to get the vision in his right eye to be a lot better than 20/80….maybe even as good as 20/20.

The key learning for parents is to have your child’s eyes examined with a comprehensive eye examination as early as possible – by an Eye Doctor.

Jacob Gets Measured for His New Glasses

Jacob Gets Measured for His New Glasses

Jake Plays Star Wars

Jake Plays Star Wars

Jake Models His Frame Choice
Jake Models His Frame Choice

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Jake Returns to Pick up his new glasses….just in time for Thanksgiving!!

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Raw Beauty – A Photo Exhibit and Book with Dr Dawn Bearden as a Contributing Photographer

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A few years ago Ginny Dixon (who is a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer, an instructor at the Miami Ad School and also Dr. Dawn Bearden’s wonderful friend) created a project as a fundraiser for the Center for Assisted Living of South Florida called Uncensored Life: Raw Beauty.
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The mission of the project was to be an innovative visual arts project designed to inspire the public to create new perceptions, transform stereotypes and break through personal obstacles by expanding awareness of women with physical challenges.
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On May 19th 2006 the project was turned into a hugely successful photo exhibit portaying 20 women with disabilities and physical challenges as strong, sexy, uplifting and inspiring photographic images.  Ginny Dixon invited Dr Bearden to be one of the 10 contibuting photographers (whose awesome pictures are displayed on this blog post) for the exhibit – which, of course,  was an invitation that she was honored to accept!  Many of the photos that night were enlarged to sizes much larger than life – some as big as 10ft by 10ft.  Dr Bearden was in awe to see her own photograph enlarged to around 10×10 and in a successful Miami photo exhibit!!  It was a truely amazing and inspirational project.
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Since the open of the inspiring photo exhibit in Miami Art District and  the Miami Design District in 2006 – which had originally started as a fundraiser….it now has ballooned and continues to expand to other states and countries.  This project has now blossomed into its very own book “The Raw Beauty Project”…..with ALL proceeds going to the Center for Assisted Living of South Florida.

You can CLICK HERE to purchase the book – “The Raw Beauty Project” !!

All proceeds go to the Center for Assisted Living of South Florida.

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A Quote from the Raw Beauty Project Website: Raw Beauty was a collaboration of 10 photographers and 20 women with disabilities.  The photographers worked closely with the women to create images that were anything but predictable when one thinks of a disability.  You are invited to look past what you perceive as disabled and see them as powerful, beautiful and extremely extraordinary women that they are.
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Dr Dawn Bearden was really excited to be a invited as a contributing photographer for the Raw Beauty project….and she’s totally thrilled that the project has now come out as its very own book with all of the proceeds going to the Center for Assisted Living in Florida.
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In addition to having a passion for being an Eye Doctor / Optometrist – Dr. Bearden has always had a true passion for photography.  She started taking pictures and developing them in the darkroom when she was in grade school (around age 11). In high school she was in the photography club and in college, her Minor was Photography.  Year after year, through Optometry school and beyond – you would see her with the camera in her hand at every event – just enjoying every minute behind the camera.
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After many years as a hobby, Dr Bearden decided to take it to the next level in 2004 when she enrolled in The Art Institute of Ft Lauderdale for Photography.  Here is where she really learned the details about lighting, composition and flow.  She also started taking workshops and courses to better herself as a professional photographer.  She has been taught in workshops by Matthew Jordan Smith (a celebrity fashion photographer from America’s Next Top Model and author of Sepia Dreams) and Seth Resnick (a world famous editorial, corporate and stock photographer).   Photography has always been and always will be one of Dr Bearden’s true passions.  The Raw Beauty Project was her first photographic exhibit.
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Here is a picture of the postcard for the Miami exhibit that took place in
Miami’s Art and Design Districts in 2006:
Raw Beauty - postcard for exhibit in Miami

Uncensored Life: Raw Beauty - postcard for exhibit in Miami

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Ginny had a dream…..and she made it happen….she is a true leader and a real VISIONARY.
And THAT is what life is all about!
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