We are proud to offer quality comprehensive adult and children's eye care directly as well as through physician referrals. Our friendly office environment is wheelchair accessible and we have amenities especially for the care of your children.

Call us at 908-281-0800. Communication is the key to good relationships. Please ask us any questions you have, and we will be happy to help you.

Please send us an e-mail with your phone number and the best time to reach you if you would like us to call you to schedule an appointment.

Your appointment is reserved solely for you. Because we respect your time, we do not double-book in case of cancellations. Therefore, we ask you to notify us at least 48 hours in advance if you should need to change your appointment with us.

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This program includes lenses, cases, solutions, training in the care and handling of lenses, contact lens agreement application, 3 months of contact lens evaluations, and as many exchanges as needed to achieve health, comfort and vision goals. All contact lens types are available, including 1-day Disposables, Tinted color-changing, Bifocals, Astigmatic Toric, UV-protecting, Daily and Overnight Wear of Oxygen Permeable Rigid and the NEW Silicone-Hydrogel 30-night Soft Lenses.

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We Offer the Latest in Quality Contact Lens Care:

Contact lenses are serious business! They are medical devices that can provide many people with improved self image, confidence, sport performance and convenience. Millions of people now wear them successfully, however they can cause eye damage if not correctly fit or not correctly worn.

Our goal is to ensure your contact lenses fit properly with optimal vision and comfort. Contact lenses are now available for nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, bifocals, and monovision.

Guaranteed Contact Lens Fitting Program:

How your lenses are chosen is very important. Our individualized care is detailed and thorough, based on sound research and years of training and experience. We want the best for you.

We won't just tell you to "get used to them"; instead, we ask you to see us weekly during your evaluation period so that if needed, lens exchanges can be made to optimize vision, comfort and ocular health. We continue to assess if the eye is adapting properly and receiving sufficient oxygen.

If we fit you with contact lenses, we guarantee your success. If you are unable to wear the lenses successfully, we will credit the material cost of the lenses to a different type of contact lens or towards your next purchase of eyeglasses.

Follow-up Care and Your Cooperation are the Keys to Long Term Success:

Considerable professional judgement is required. Likewise, how you care for your lenses at home is critical. Our patient and understanding staff take you through all the steps to proper contact lens care, with written information to take home on how to wear lenses safely. Contact us any time you have a question about the safe cleaning and storage of your lenses - your eye health is of the utmost importance to us!

Contact Lens Pricing Can Be Misleading:

Our level of care and financial protection is not provided by mail-order warehouses selling you only a product. Our concern is for you. Your most important consideration should be quality care. A bargain is no bargain if you don't wear the lenses due to discomfort or poor vision.

People who perceive buying contacts as just the purchase of a pair of lenses fail to recognize the importance of professional eye care. Please don't just buy a "product" -- consider the level of professional service included when you buy your contact lenses. For specialty lens orders, we offer you an individual evaluation, a free 1 or 2 week follow-up appointment, a complimentary solution kit, and no charges for re-orders should the vision or comfort not be as expected. One-day disposable lenses can be mailed directly to your home or office to wear for less than 70 cents a day!

Click here to order contact lenses, or call us at 908-281-0800.

Click here for more information on contact lenses and teenagers.

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Acuity-Distance: visual acuity (sharpness, clearness) at 20 feet distance.

Acuity-Near: visual acuity for short distance (specifically, reading distance).

Focusing Skills: the ability of the eyes to maintain clear vision at varying distances, and the ability to sustain adequate, comfortable near vision over time.

Eye Tracking and Fixation Skills: the ability of the eyes to look at and accurately follow an object. For example, this includes the ability to move the eyes across a sheet of paper while reading.

Binocular fusion: the ability to use both eyes together at the same time.

Stereopsis: binocular depth perception.

Convergence and Eye Teaming Skills: the ability of the eyes to aim, move and work as a coordinated team.

Hyperopia: a refractive condition that makes it difficult to focus, especially at near viewing distances. Sometimes causes an eye to turn inward (strabismus).

Color Vision: the ability to differentiate colors.

Beyond a child's eye examination, additional learning-related visual processing skills can be evaluated such as visual memory and visual-motor integration. When inadequate, learning can be impacted. Please let us know your child's needs and challenges.

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Welcome to our optical department! We carry all major lines of frames including Nine West, Coach, DKNY, Tommy Bahama, Flexon, Ted Baker, Nautica, Marchon, Silhouette, Tura, and more. Magnetic sun-clips for your frames are polarized with 100% UV protection for your eye health. Our trained frame staff will help you find a frame that is fashionable and comfortable.

We want to make you look your best, while also fitting your lens prescription and your lifestyle. While others sometimes guarantee some of their frames for up to one year, we offer our exclusive two-year frame warranty--if your frame breaks we will replace it free of charge! We provide you with only top-quality frames to prevent unnecessary repairs, and we offer you a lifetime of free adjustments.

Since excellent service to our patients is our primary objective, we work with you to design eyewear which enhances your appearance as well as offering specialty lenses which will meet special needs.

Our optical has all the lens styles available on the market today. We design specialty lenses for sports, occupational, hobby and computer uses.

We provide custom-made computer glasses with properly placed bifocal areas, glare-reducing tints, and correctly measured focal distances to attenuate eye strain and neck strain.

The well-being and comfort of our patients is of primary concern to us!

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How We Can Help You With Your Insurance: Medical or Vision Plan

Many patients now have both medical and vision insurance coverage. Vision plans cover routine (refractive) care to answer "Do I need glasses?" or "Has my prescription for glasses changed?"

Medical plans cover non-routine care for those with health-related conditions which require eye health evaluations. For example, diabetics, those experiencing headaches of unknown cause, eyeturns, "lazy eye," or complaints such as dry, red, or scratchy eyes are in need of special (non-routine) evaluations. If you would like to utilize your medical insurance, please remember it is your responsibility to follow the insurance company's requirements, such as bringing your insurance cards and any necessary referral forms.

If you request to be seen without the necessary referral forms, you will be responsible for payment of our standard fees on the day of service. We will provide you with a receipt containing all the necessary information for your submission.

We accept payment directly from the following plans: Aetna, AmeriHealth (medical eyecare), CIGNA PPO, Horizon BCBS (many plans), MasterCare, QualCare and Vision Service Plan's "Signature" Plan.

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Hillsborough Beacon: "In speaking to ‘Dr. T’, you will come to realize not only her enthusiasm for her profession, but a special interest in preventative eye care…(and) her commitment to assist children reach their full academic potential."

Forbes Newspapers: "like the 'family doctor' of former eras…Dr. Tarbell promotes long-term connections with her patients."

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LASIK, Laser-In-Situ Keratomileusis, has evolved over many decades of research. LASIK is a way of improving your vision to see better without glasses or contact lenses. It is used to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.

Knowing that more than nine million LASIK procedures have been performed worldwide is reassuring, but LASIK is not for everyone. To find out if LASIK is right for you, we are happy to offer a free consultation. Your health, visual needs and goals, and your prescription all enter into the decision-making process.

Refractive procedures have been available since the 1970's, and advances in instrumentation and techniques have recently brought them to the forefront of modern care. There have been enormous improvements in the types of procedures available and the outcomes achieved in the last few years. As your family optometrist, Dr. Tarbell can offer you an objective source of information about whether or not the newest procedures are best for you. Optometric participation benefits the patient, the optometrist and the surgeon. For the patient, continuity of care is maintained and eye care becomes more convenient and accessible. Co-management affords Dr. Tarbell the opportunity to maintain her role as your primary eye care provider during and after the procedure. She knows you and your needs, and will advise you honestly. She will also provide the pre-op examinations, and then provide your follow-up care for a year after the surgery.

Dr. Tarbell works with a board certified corneal specialist who has performed over 15,000 successful LASIK surgeries. Dr. Tarbell will co-manage all of your care from the beginning to well after your correction. And through The Laser Center, you may participate in the “Lifetime Commitment”. To find out more, click here: The Laser Center.

The experience of TLC Laser Eye Centers’ group of professionals, the thoroughness of our examinations and the personalized care we take with each patient is first rate. Our experienced, quality-conscious team can improve your chances of the safest, best possible results.

You're focused on safety and results - our number one concern.

Use your concern about safety to give yourself every possible advantage. Look at our real, proven results, and our long-term commitment. We insist on providing the careful, unhurried, individual attention it takes to assure the best possible outcome.

TLC Lifetime CommitmentSM Program

On the timeline of life, LASIK is merely a blink. Yet its benefits last for years to come. Qualified nearsighted patients may be eligible for the TLC Lifetime Commitment - TLC's assurance that if a re-treatment is needed at any time to maintain distance vision results, qualified patients will receive a re-treatment without charge.

Making LASIK Affordable

Access to LASIK isn’t reserved for the wealthy few. TLC Laser Eye Centers strives to make laser vision correction affordable for every patient. With a variety of ways to pay, there’s nothing standing between you and some of the most experienced LASIK surgeons in the country.

Financing TLC Laser Eye Centers offers financing options so that you don’t have to tie up credit cards or spend cash. You can choose a payment plan to suit your budget.

Medical and Vision Plans Some plans may have an arrangement with TLC Laser Eye Centers that could substantially reduce your cost for laser vision correction.

Flexible Spending Many employers offer flexible spending accounts to help offset medical expenses. Flexible spending accounts may allow you to set aside pre-tax dollars for certain medical costs, including procedures like LASIK. Ask your employer about deducting pre-tax dollars from your paycheck to realize savings on your laser vision correction.

Since laser vision correction is not for everyone, the best way for you to find this out is by having a thorough examination, followed by an individualized consultation with Dr. Tarbell. It is important for you to realize that even if it is determined that you are not a candidate today, it does not mean that you will not become a candidate as technology, such as Custom LASIK, advances.

Custom LASIK is here, approved in July, 2003. We want to educate you regarding all aspects of Laser Vision Correction. Learning everything you can about your options is the key to making an informed decision. The consultation process will help you understand what you can reasonably expect from the procedure.

Please click below for answers to Frequently Asked Questions about LASIK:

The Laser Center

"Am I a candidate for LASIK?"

All About Vision

Following Laser Refractive Surgery Such As Lasik, Will I Still Need To Have My Eyes Examined Every Year?

YES. Refractive laser surgery corrects visual problems by modifying a small but critical region of the front surface of your eye (the cornea) thus altering the entering light to pass as in a normal cornea. However, the rest of the eye and its surrounding tissue are still the same. This means the preexisting concerns for retinal detachment, holes, tears, hemorrhages, cataracts, macular degeneration, etc. must be monitored. Additionally, age-related vision problems such as presbyopia are not prevented by laser surgery.

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Optometric vision therapy is an individualized treatment program designed to improve visual function and performance. It is an approved treatment modality for disorders including, but not limited to:

The benefits of optometric vision therapy, which include improved visual information processing and the ability to sustain visual functions over time, are as applicable to the child in the classroom as they are to the adult using a computer or reading a book. Without efficient visual skills the act of reading can be frustrating. Some of the common symptoms relieved through vision therapy include eye strain, visually induced headaches, inability to concentrate when doing visual tasks, and errors such as loss of place or reversals. More often, individuals have no recognized symptoms due to their avoidance of visually demanding tasks or an adaptation that decreases their performance. Optometric vision therapy also facilitates appropriate visual development.

For more information on Vision Therapy, visit these informative Web sites:

American Optometric Association
College of Optometrists in Vision Development
FAQ
Information on Vision and Learning
Optometric Extension Program Foundation
Parents Active for Vision Education (PAVE)
PTA Resolution on Learning-Related Vision Problems
Vision Therapy Research Articles

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By: ERICA LAMBERG
Correspondent
October 30, 2006

If you are involved in sports and normally wear corrective eyewear, you could be putting yourself at risk, said Dr. Barbara J. Tarbell, a Hillsborough-based optometrist, who said prescription glasses, sunglasses and even occupational safety glasses do not provide adequate protection while participating in sports activities.

"If there is impact to the eye when these everyday eyeglasses are being worn, the lenses can shatter, frames can break, and permanent vision loss or trauma can occur," Tarbell said. She said sports safety glasses are designed so that the lenses, when impacted, can only pop outwards and not in towards the eye resulting in damage.

At Tarbell's practice, a variety of Rec Specs -- sports protective eyewear-- are available for sports including basketball, soccer, baseball, football, and many more. "Parents invest in all types of clothing and equipment for their kids when they suit up for sports, and they don't think of protective eyewear; it is a very serious issue that needs to be brought to their attention," Tarbell said.

Tarbell earned a bachelor's degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y,. and a doctorate in optometry from University of California at Berkeley. She has been practicing optometry in Somerset County for 14 years.

Some of the services within the scope of Tarbell's practice include enhancing vision development in children -- prevention of amblyopia, strabismus, and learning-related vision deficits; promoting optimum vision performance in adults and children; and detecting and treating eye diseases that can permanently impair vision from partial to total blindness.

Tarbell said that some eye conditions have no symptoms in the early stages when treatment is most effective against preventing significant vision loss, and stressed regular eye care is the a proactive measure to catch these conditions early.

"I believe most people are aware that eye diseases need to be treated, however, many people act as if 'it won't happen to me' and do not realize most serious eye diseases have no symptoms in the early stages," she said. To that end, she said, many people postpone regular eye care, thinking that they will know when they are having a problem.

Furthermore, Tarbell said, many adults view wearing glasses as a handicap instead of a fantastic tool that lets them see clearer, faster and more comfortably. She said poor vision can effect daily tasks.

" 'Good enough' may not be good enough when you need improved performance," Tarbell added. "Athletes know the importance of updated visual aids to reaction time, and I wish more drivers would realize the importance of enhancing their reaction time by decreasing the detrimental effects of blur."

For added convenience, Tarbell offers an on site optical department with frames and contact lenses.

"We stress service here," said Tarbell. "Our prices are very competitive and I think our service sets us apart from most of the competition."

Providing proper care, equipment for the eye

Tarbell attends vision seminar

Dr. Barbara J. Tarbell attended the Pediatric Vision Care Seminar presented by the New Jersey Society of Optometric Physicians in conjunction with the Infants' and Childrens' Vision Coalition on January 29.  Because undetected vision problems can hinder a child's academic and athletic performance, the American Optometric Association recommends a baby's first eye examination at the age of six months, another at three, one when the child starts school, and from then on, every one to two years.  

Infants and toddlers should be seen earlier if parents note such conditions as crossed eyes or if behaviors indicate a possible vision problem. Children do not have to be able to read or talk to have their eyes examined - Dr. Tarbell is well skilled in the many special needs of small children.

For a free brochure on children’s vision, contact the office of Dr. Barbara J. Tarbell, OD, FAAO, 305 Omni Dr., Hillsborough, 08844, 281-0800, or by visiting our many related sites.

Local optometrist shares advice about good eye care

Dr. Tarbell simply says "I love it" when you ask her about her job at her Hillsborough office on Omni Drive. I told her that her voice on the phone sounded joyful and vivacious.

I asked her if she was usually as happy as she sounded, especially when patients don't keep appointments, don't take her advice, or wait too long to have their eyes checked.

She answered very pragmatically: "(When things go wrong) you focus on things that energize."

Then she assured me of the serenity of her surroundings by saying, "I have great patients with a great staff...I count my blessings."

When Dr. Tarbell first sees a patient she inquires as to why they have come to see her, checks on them as to how they are seeing and feeling, how they use their eyes (for reading, driving, etc.,), and asks what their history and lifestyle is.

Some methods of treatment involve one for dry eyes, one for glaucoma that keeps the optic nerve healthy, one called LASIK surgery that reduces dependence on glasses or contact lenses, one that uses contact or spectacle lenses, glare treatment, tint glasses, treatment for bifocal contact lenses, and a treatment that reduces reflection with the use of an anti-glare coating on lenses.

Dr. Tarbell treats all ages, from infants to seniors of any age. Low-risk infants should be seen at 6 months, pre-school children at ages 3 and 5, and school-age children and most adults should be seen by the eye doctor annually.

… People take care of their skin, their teeth, even their breath. But how do they take care of their eyes?"You must protect yourself from ultraviolet light," she said. "The skin and the eyes need the same thing," she continued. "To protect yourself from certain sports injuries you need to wear goggles. Around the house you need to wear safety glasses (when using chemicals). Be wary outside so that branches do not touch your eyes. Children, not as coordinated as adults, can tumble into areas that cause eye scrapes."

People need to be educated about eye problems, Dr. Tarbell believes, and good decisions come about after a talk with her.

... Dr. Tarbell's sweet and compassionate disposition show in several ways, but perhaps the observer picks it up obliquely.

Dr. Tarbell tells of children whose parents bring them to her and they are reluctant, hesitant and afraid; but when it's time for them to leave her office they are resistant about leaving.

And then there's the child who feigned eye problems so that she could visit Dr. Tarbell. Which leads us to think that it's all attributed to the Doctor's skill, charm and vitality.

Eye.

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