Posts Tagged ‘contact lens’

Contact Lens Q&A

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010

We are of course online retailers of glasses, and we feel quite strongly that contact lenses are one item that really shouldn’t be sold over the net. Lenses need close monitoring to ensure that wear regimes are being followed correctly, and that the patient’s eyes are healthy. Our role for contact lens wearers is to provide economical, but high quality glasses that you can use as a back up to your contacts, as an alternative for work or socialising, or just for emergency use. In practice, seeing patients face to face, the same queries crop up regularly with regard to new lens wearers. So here are a few answers to those questions, and it may make you think about trying lenses, as an alternative to all the specs we supply you with!

I’m squeamish about eyes! How will I put contacts in and out?

Inserting and removing lenses is a knack, and once you get it, it takes seconds to deal with your lenses. Choose an optician you feel comfortable with, allot plenty of time for the teach session, and approach calmly! It’s rare that anyone doesn’t manage to get the hang of it.

Can contacts fall out?

If you’re wearing them correctly, and attending regular check ups, then your lenses should stay put, whatever the circumstances. But if you rub your eyes, or your eyes are watering on a windy day, then the lens may slide out of place and then become dislodged. Carefully note the circumstances of your lens coming out, and discuss with your optician.

How old do you have to be to wear them?

We’ve fitted children as young as six, and grown-ups as old as eighty-seven! Age is less important than the patient’s motivation and dexterity. Always ask your optician about your individual suitability.

Can contacts damage my eyes?

It’s rare to that contacts cause damage, and if they do it’s usually because the wearer has not followed wear routines correctly, or attended for check ups.

Can a lens get stuck inside my eye?

People often worry about this, but there’s actually a lining called the conjunctiva which creates a seal all around the surface of the eye, stopping anything from sliding around behind it. If a lens is dislodged, a strong blink will usually move it back into place, as lenses are designed to sit on the cornea, at the front of the eye where you need them!

Talking to your optician in person will allay any fears you have about lenses, so if you want to give them a try, have a chat. We’ll see you soon for your back up specs!

Glasses online

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Need to Know

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

If you go for a contact lens trial you may feel like you’re at an interview, with the number of questions the Optician will ask you. Are they just nosy? Just how much do they really need to know?!

Some seemingly irrelevant questions will enable the optician to asses how suited you will be to contact lens wear, and what the options are for you. They will ask about your general health, and specifically your eye health. Diabetes, allergies like Hay Fever, and current treatment for any illness may all affect your eyes. If you are pregnant or breast feeding they need to know about this too, as hormonal changes can affect your tear layer.

They will also ask about medication you are taking, even whether you smoke! These factors can affect structures within the eye. They will look at your prescription, and question you about your visual needs and your lifestyle, to ensure that they offer you the best contact lens choice for you. If you play a particular sport or work nights, or just want lenses for the odd game of golf, this knowledge will help the optician in choosing the most suitable and economical lens. They will also check if you have worn lenses in the past, and the reasons why you are there for a new fitting. Knowing about the problems you experienced in the past will help in a successful fit the second time around.

They will then ask what you want to know – questions like; can they get stuck around the back of the eye? Can I swim in them? Can I still wear the same eye make up? These are all queries we have dealt with. This is the time for you to raise any concerns, because you won’t be happy with the lenses if you’re worried about them. The optician will have heard it all before and is there to help you.

n.b. – they can’t get stuck at the back of the eye, you can swim in them with clear goggles over the top, and your eye make up should be fine!!

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Second Time Around

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

There’s a whole generation of spex wearers out there who have very bad memories of how contact lens wear used to be – are you one of them? And have you ever thought about trying them again?

The first commercially available lenses were rigid and fitted over the entire white of the eye – sounds scary! Even when we moved on to small hard lenses during the Sixties, they were expensive, hard to look after, and uncomfortable for many patients.

During the Seventies and Eighties soft lenses became more popular, but for some patients they caused as many problems as they solved! They were expensive, hard to handle, and difficult to clean. They also had to be closely monitored to ensure the eye was healthy and enough oxygen was getting through the lens. Sterilising systems involved boiling the lenses or plugging in an electric case, as well as cleaning solutions and regular use of protein remover tablets. For the shortest holiday you almost needed extra luggage for the complex chemicals you had to take with you!

Thankfully, times have changed. During the late Eighties disposable lenses crept into the market place. This proved to be a revolutionary step forward. Johnson and Johnson paved the way with their Acuvue lens, which could be worn for extended wear periods and then simply thrown away. So you always had spare lenses, there was no cleaning regime, and they could be made of high oxygen transmission, high water content, thin and comfortable materials.

Since then the market has become chock full of lens options, to suit all lifestyles, pockets and prescriptions. There are lenses that you can wear for a day, a week, a month, and you can sleep in some. Long term care issues like protein remover tablets are no longer necessary, and cleaning systems are simpler and cheaper. The lenses themselves are far less expensive too!

If you have a spectacle prescription there are masses of options open to you now. Even if lens wear was unsuccessful for you last time, why not give them another go? Thanks to the online Optician you can buy inexpensive but stylish glasses, and still afford to have contact lenses whenever you need them. Contact lenses can be bought online too, just make sure you have regular check ups with your Optician.

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Small & Perfectly Formed – Do’s and Don’s for contact lenses

Monday, October 12th, 2009

In the UK there are an estimated 3 millon contact lens wearers, including full and part time wearers. Contact lenses are a cheap and disposible option that you can throw away after a day, wear for a week, a month….the choice is down to you and your optician. If you’re thinking of trying them here are a few dos and donts to consider, or if you already wear them this may jog your memory as to how you should be looking after them!

DO!

  • Keep a spare pair of glasses in case of infection or lost lenses. Check out www.theinternetglassescompany.co.uk for affordable specs you’ll be happy to be seen in!
  • Take special care with hygiene – always wash and dry hands thoroughly before dealing with your lenses. Use a fluff free towel to dry your hands.
  • Use solutions exactly as instructed by your optician. Don’t mix solution types.
  • Remove lenses immediately if they feel uncomfortable or if your vision is blurred.
  • Keep up to date with checks at the opticians, they are concerned with the health of your eyes as well as your sight.
  • Stick to wear regimes as recommended by your optician – if they are daily lenses throw them away after use.
  • Keep your nails smoothly filed and watch out for rough skin that may tear lenses.

DON’T!

  • Use tap water for storage, cleaning or rinsing. It may contain Acanthamoeba, a  bug which can seriously damage your eyes.
  • Keep your lenses in over night unless they are of a specific type suitible for sleeping in.
  • Wear them for swimming, unless they are disposible and you throw them away immediately afterwards. Or use them with water tight goggles.
  • Use eye drops while you have your lenses in, unless your optician has recommended it.
  • Use out of date solutions.
  • Let lenses dry out, keep them stored in the correct solution – and don’t wet them in your mouth!

Nasty complications can occur if you’re not careful with lenses, so take your opticians’ advice seriously. As specs and lenses are so competitively priced you can afford to change your eyewear and therefore your look, so maybe it’s time to take a look at lenses!

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Midsummer Madness!

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

In order to save you from the same fate as the unfortunates we’re going to tell you about now, we’re going to share some stories to make you think, so have a successful speccy Summer!

We knew the heat was on last week when the temperatures soared, but we’ve never had this problem before – a lady mailed us to order some glasses, which were urgent due to a calamity on Tuesday – she left her plastic frame on the dashboard of the car all  afternoon. the frame ‘went all bendy around the edges” one lens fell out on a gravel car park and she trod on the other one!!

Two different clients squashed their glasses – without cases – into bags and the frames snapped in the middle. Remember that glasses are not flat, they are curved!! With some frames there is a big space between the folded sides and the front. Shove them in a pocket and they’ll flatten and ultimately break – why are we telling you this – it’s really good for business!!

One young lady had a few too many Pimms at a BBQ, tried to take the same contact lens out twice (ouch!) damaged her cornea and has had to order specs as she can’t wear her lenses at the moment. A chap in charge of the school PTA BBQ had a few beers (well it is thirsty work) fell over on the way home, and has no idea where the specs went…..hope they didn’t end up in a burger bun!

Usually a couple of pairs go over board at this time of year, and some are lost in lost luggage. We will supply insurance quotes if you are in need of them!! Mail us for details. You are often covered with house contents if for instance the dog eats them, although the vet bill is another matter….

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You Give Me Fever!

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

For many people summer can bring misery with the onset of the Hayfever season. Correctly called seasonal allergic rhinitis, it’s an allergy that’s very common, affecting about 1 in 4 people in the UK. In most sufferers it starts in the teens and usually our immune systems allow us some relief from it by our forties, although this is not true for everyone. It’s more likely to hit you if you have a family history of allergy, including eczema and asthma.

Different types of pollen come into season through the Summer, so you may be affected at different times through the months. The common factor however is that the upper respiratory tract is affected, so your throat, nose, sinus and eyes react as if you have a cold. Obviously our main concern is what happens to your eyes, because specs or contact lens wear can be problematic.

If you have well fitted contact lenses, and you look after them carefully, you should not even know you’re wearing them. So if no irritation is present with your contacts, you’ll be able to keep wearing them through the hayfever season, and they may even give your eyes some protection. If however your eyes are irritated or inflamed, then lenses may trigger a reaction. Best to invest in a pair of specs to see you through to Autumn!

Glasses wearers may find their frames uncomfortable if their sinuses are bothering them, as the bridge of the frame may put pressure on tender areas. You may need to swap to a different type of bridge, and go for something as lightweight as possible.

A large and close fitting pair of sunglasses will stop the light from irritating your eyes more than is necessary, and will give some relief from extreme sensitivity. Take an anti-histamine – remember they take about 3 days to work so don’t give up if they don’t help immediately. Your pharmacist can also sell eye drops to you for more topical comfort.

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The Facts about Presbyopia

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

We’re all aware of visible signs of ageing – a sprinkling of grey hair, a few lines that show we enjoy life and laughing. There is however one sign of time passing that many of us do not understand. We’re talking about the visual problem Presbyopia, an unavoidable change in your sight that occurs after the age of forty. Let’s give you some facts, explanation and options to help you to deal with it.

Presbyopia usually becomes noticeable around the age of forty, although some people don’t have a problem until their early fifties. You’ll notice:

  • Having to hold things further away to see them – handwritten items, sewing, newspapers.
  • Finding it hard to read in poor light conditions, such as a restaurant menu at night.
  • Headaches or tired eyes after reading for long periods.
  • Difficulty seeing small detail or print.

Presbyopia occurs due to ageing of the lens inside your eye. From birth onwards this lens changes shape to let you focus at any distance. As time goes on flexibility decreases and the lens does not allow you to see close too any more. You’ll now need a prescription lens for reading and fine detail. It happens to everyone in time, and while you can’t prevent it, you can make wise choices to make life easier. So what are your options?

If you don’t have a distance prescription then reading glasses are a simple and cheap solution. They give a wide field of view, and you just pop them on when you need them. If you have a complicated prescription an Optician will make them, or you may be able to buy ready made glasses. If you decide on ready readers, get the correct power – ask your Optician what you need.

If you want to do more than one thing at once, such as read and look at TV, then you’ll need glasses that let you see both far and near. Varifocal lenses have three powers within the lens – distance, middle distance and reading. This restores your natural vision, letting you focus on everything with a smooth transition between all areas of the lens. They look just like single vision lenses – no one will guess your age!

Bifocals just have a reading and distance prescription. They can cause problems because they don’t have the middle distance section, so cannot be used at the computer, and you can’t see the dashboard when driving. The reading segment is also visible to people looking at you.

There are contact lens options too. Multifocal contact lenses give the same effect as Varifocal specs. Or you can wear distance contacts with reading specs over the top. The other option is called monovision, a compromise where you wear a lens in one eye that corrects your distance vision, and a reading lens in the other. Sounds odd but your brain does the job for you! It works well for suitable patients.

We hope that we’ve given you some useful information about Presbyopia, to help you make the right eyewear choices when the time comes. Think about what you do on a daily basis, and make a decision based on your lifestyle.

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