Dr. Alissa Nagel Joins Vision Source Las Vegas

Aug. 24, 2010 - PRLog -- Las Vegas — Vision Source Las Vegas announces that Dr. Alissa Nagel has joined its network of local optometrists. Dr. Nagel, who will be joining Drs. Beckwith and Lee’s practice located at 8937 W. Sahara Avenue, is the only optometrist in Nevada to provide ocular prosthetic services, a specialty that is typically reserved for ocularists. She also practices low vision optometry, making Vision Source West Sahara the second private optometry practice in Nevada to offer low vision services.


“I find working with low vision patients to be both challenging and inspiring,” says Dr. Nagel, a Las Vegas native who has been practicing optometry locally for three years. “A few years ago I treated a patient with macular degeneration in each eye and after using low vision devices he was able to read and also see his wife’s smiling face for the first time in years. That was a moving experience that I’ll never forget.” Low vision is any vision impairment that is not fully treatable. It can be caused by numerous conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma, among others. It's treated by maximizing any visual functioning that the patient has. Low vision affects all types of people but has a greater impact on senior citizens who suffer from age-related vision loss. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than 65,000 people in Las Vegas who are 65 years or older. With such a high population of senior citizens in the city, it is especially important to be able to offer low vision services. Regarding optical prosthetics, Dr. Nagel uses modern methods and technology to create realistic-looking ocular prosthetics that help to restore confidence in patients after the loss of an eye.


“We are excited to welcome Dr. Nagel into the Vision Source Group and know she will be a valuable asset to the team,” says Dr. James Beckwith of Vision Source Summerlin/Lakes. “She joins us at an exciting time, since we’ve recently acquired some of the newest diagnostic technology, the Z-View.” The Z-View is a cutting-edge diagnostic tool that is able to produce a precise reading of the cornea and customize prescriptions for patients in approximately one minute. “Together with Dr. Nagel’s work in ocular prosthetics and low vision, and the new Z-View technology, we are able to offer our services to a wider array of patients with different needs,” he said.


Dr. Nagel attended University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Biology, and later moved to California where she received her doctor of optometry (O.D.) at Southern California College of Optometry in Fullerton. She returned to Las Vegas, where she completed her ocular disease residency at VA Southern Nevada in Las Vegas before starting in private practice. She is a member of numerous professional organizations including Women of Vision, Foundation Fighting Blindness, American Academy of Optometry and American Optometric Society.


Apart from practicing optometry, Dr. Nagel enjoys spending time with her husband and English Labrador, and loves to travel and take photographs.

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Vision Source Las Vegas is a network of optometrists that provides patients with personal care and service while offering advanced medical technology and innovative products to promote eye health. Vision Source doctors are committed to continuing education, and offering patients the most innovative procedures to detect, and correct eye conditions. As a group, Vision Source is dedicated to educating the community through special events and programs about eye health issues and the importance of annual eye exams. Founded in 1991, the Vision Source network includes 2,000 offices and over, 4000 doctors in all 50 states and in Canada. Vision Source Las Vegas started in 2003, and now includes 15 optometrists at 12 locations in the Las Vegas area. For more information, call 1-800-EYES-911 or visit www.visionsourcevegas.com.