About Us
James R. Vitale, O.D.
Dr. Vitale was Plaistow's first optometrist. Established in 1978, Dr. Vitale graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in Philadelphia, PA. His college education included a B.A. in Psychology from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. Prior to college, Dr. Vitale graduated from St. John's Prepatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts. His professional awards and positions include past President of the New Hampshire Board of Exminers, Vice President of the Northeast Regional Board of Examiners in Optometry. Dr. Vitale regularly participates now as a clinical faculty at the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. As a student at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Dr. Vitale worked as a service representative for Bausch and Lomb Softlens Company when they introduced the "new" soft contact lenses.
Dr. Vitale is certified therapeutically to treat all eye diseases affecting the external parts of the eye and eyelids. He will co-manage with an ophthalmologist serious internal eye diseases such as macula degeneration, retinal detachments, and cataracts.
Dr. Vitale and Lasik Surgery
Dr. Vitale has an interest in Lasik eye surgery and is certified to co-manage pre and post-op Lasik Patients, having undergone the procedure himself. L A S I K is a procedure that uses cool laser energy to reshape the cornea. LASIK candidates should be in good general health & present with a normal ocular health evaluation. The surgery, takes about five to ten minutes, with the laser application taking less than two minutes The cornea is a part of the eye that helps focus light to create an image on the retina. It works in much the same way that the lens of a camera focuses light to create an image on film. The bending and focusing of light is also known as refraction. Usually the shape of the cornea and the eye are not perfect and the image on the retina is out-of-focus (blurred) or distorted. These imperfections in the focusing power of the eye are called refractive errors.
There are three primary types of refractive errors: They are myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Persons with myopia, or nearsightedness, have more difficulty seeing distant objects as clearly as near objects. Persons with hyperopia, or farsightedness, have more difficulty seeing near objects as clearly as distant objects. Astigmatism is a distortion of the image on the retina caused by irregularities in the cornea or lens of the eye. Combinations of myopia and astigmatism or hyperopia and astigmatism are common. In LASIK surgery, precise and controlled removal of corneal tissue by a special laser, reshapes the cornea changing its focusing power. LASIK is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, by using an excimer laser. A knife, called a microkeratome, is used to cut a flap in the cornea. A hinge is left at one end of this flap. The flap is folded back revealing the stroma, the middle section of the cornea. Pulses from a computer-controlled laser vaporize a portion of the stroma and the flap is replaced.
In the community, Dr. Vitale has continued to return to the area by volunteering as a proud member of the Plaistow Lions Club. For recreation, Dr. Vitale is a member of the Merrimack Valley Striders and has completed the Boston Marathon 22 times, the Chicago and New York City marathon twice and many other road races and marathons.
Betty Vitale| Office Manager
Betty can help you with all your questions about insurance, third party payment plans, and office policy. Educated at the Katherine Gibbs School in Boston, Betty has assited at the office since 1986. She is a certified New Hampshire Opthalmic Dispenser and maintains harmony in the front office. Married to Dr. Vitale, Betty is a member of the Northern New England Painters Guild and enjoys decorative painting. Her favorite vacation includes sailing in Maine and in the Carribean Islands. She is also a member of the Merrimack Valley Striders and past President of Council for Boy Scout Troop 118, Plaistow, N.H.