Posts Tagged ‘Opticians’

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The Perfect System

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

The eye is one of the most amazing organs in our bodies. Our sight is the most precious of our senses, and these small and perfect globes make sight happen by refracting light through it’s systems to help us make sense of our world. The eye is an incredibly complex and sensitive structure, all finely tuned, so it’s not surprising that tiny abnormalities result in visual defects and lead us to need help to correct our sight.

For perfect sight, light has to enter the eye and focus on the back surface. If your eyeball is too long, you’ll be short sighted. If it’s too short, you’ll be long sighted. Specs or contact lenses position the light in the right place so you can see clearly. If the curve of your cornea, the clear window at the front of the eye, is imperfect, then this will also create a problem with focussing.

Light enters the eye through the pupil, the black hole at the centre of the eye. It travels through the crystalline lens, a transparent structure that changes shape to let us see both close up and far away. Muscles hold the lens in place and stretch and relax to alter its shape and therefore its focus. If the lens is not the perfect size and shape then this will add to the visual defect of the eye. So you can see that there are several reasons why you may need glasses or contact lenses.

Once your optical system has been corrected and is working as it should, light reaches the light sensitive layer, the Retina, which lines the back of the eye. Here the image we see is upside down and in reverse! It travels to the brain through the optic nerve, where thankfully it’s put the right way round.

Ophthalmologists and opticians are lucky in that they’re the only clinicians who can examine their specialist organ without cutting their patient open! Thanks to ever advancing screening equipment and retinal imaging systems we can see inside your eyes and spot the very first signs of problems. This fantastic and beautiful system works on our behalf for every minute of our waking day, so look after it by attending your check ups and taking a few minutes to appreciate and maintain it.


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As Time Goes By

Saturday, June 12th, 2010

As opticians we are obviously fully trained and qualified in every aspect of sight care, from eye and general health issues, to what specs you should have to improve your golf swing! Within all these areas of expertise we also have to remember that every patient is an individual, with their very own specific questions and concerns. One of the most important things we have to keep in mind is that sight changes throughout life. So what do we look out for as time goes by?

From the first minute we are born, every part of our body changes, and eyes are no exception. Across every age range about 66% of the population wear some form of sight correction. Your chances of a visual defect occurring increases as you age, and the biggest change is when we reach our mid-forties, and need help for reading. This can be a sensitive issue for many patients! Fifty may be the new thirty but nobody told our eyes about this!! The statistics show that only 33% of people wear glasses under the age of 35, but nearly everyone needs them over age 65.

As our lives are increasingly full and dynamic, even retired people get involved in every kind of sporting activity and use computers for their leisure time. The days of simple reading glasses are over for most of us, so we have to take care not to make assumptions about which patients need what. We’ve got an 89 year old gentleman who still goes skiing, and a 91 year old who has just learnt to e-mail her Great Grandchildren! So we have to look out for eye health problems that occur with age, and then disregard age when it comes to discussing specs. The most common eye health problems are Glaucoma, in the over 40 age group, and Macular degeneration in the over 60s.

If ill health strikes and patients become frail, illness may affect aspects of sight and lifestyle which we can help with. It may be as simple as recommending a daylight reading lamp to help with close work at night, or a referral to a Low Vision Aid (LVA) clinic. Visual problems may have to be corrected with something more complex than a pair of specs, and the LVA clinic will help with magnifiers to improve quality of life in specific eye conditions.

Every day brings a new challenge, and being aware of a patients’ age helps us to make full diagnosis and help in every way possible.

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Practice Makes Perfect

Sunday, June 6th, 2010

At the InternetGlassesCompany we only employ fully qualified staff, and that includes opticians, dispensing opticians and workshop technicians. They each have a vital role to play in ordering and choosing stock, making up glasses, advising clients, and overseeing production and client orders. As well as spending time in the gleaming Lab and offices of the InternetGlassesCompany, they also work in the real world, dealing with customers face to face. Here are their thoughts on time in practice:

The Optician – I love the variety of our job, and mostly I love talking to patients too! The day can vary from zooming children up and down on my magic chair to reassuring elderly patients about their sight. Our job is part advisor, part clinician, and we try to put every person at their ease and work with them to solve their problems. My best consultation this week was fitting contact lenses to a lady who has always hated having one browny-blue eye and one hazel brown. They’re now both brown and she was over the moon!

The Dispensing Optician – My role is to match the perfect frame and lens to my customer. They want to look great and see well, and my job is to find out exactly what they need and suggest the perfect solution for them. I enjoy fitting first pairs of specs; it’s great to see people stunned by their new crystal clear vision! My best consultation in the last few days was helping a Lady to pick the right shade of frame for her Daughter’s wedding, we had the hat, the jacket and the bridesmaid’s fabric all laid out to get a frame in the right colour, and she can’t wait to come back for the new spex.

The Technician – I have to check every order and make sure that the finished glasses will live up to the expectations of the client and my demanding opticians! I don’t go ahead with an order if I think the combination is unsuitable and the client won’t be happy. I also source lenses and tints for specific purposes. My proudest achievement this week was tracking down a light-reacting lens for a chap who’s really short sighted, and never been able to have his strong prescription made into sunglasses. I never actually get to talk to the clients, but I hope he likes them.

So that’s what we all do, and both our cyber-space work and time on the practice floor are equally important to us. If you’re an online client already you know you can trust in our knowledge and expertise, we’re well practised!

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Investment Dressing

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

Fashions come and go in every aspect of our lives, and love them or loathe them your glasses are as much a part of your look as your hair, clothes and accessories. Obviously your specs have to fit that look, and if you’re a classic dresser, and don’t appreciate constantly changing, have a think about the long term decision of investment buying in frames that never go out of style…..

For Women – Although this is the category where you can never be totally fashion proof, there’s always a neat metal in any Opticians collection. Gold is always around, in a size that fits your face without going oversized or minimally trendy. Simple silver is always an option too. Steer clear of decoration for true simplicity, and avoid trend setting plastic sides or twiddly bits. A Fifties type plastic in solid brown or black will always be sexy, functional, and in style. For something a little different but always around, a classic cat’s eye shape always hovers on the edge of cutting edge!

For Men – In a plastic frame it’s the Michael Caine heavy square shape, wildly on trend for hot young things, classic for the older gentleman! Useful in tortoiseshell or the most solid black. Steer clear of trendy by avoiding very chunky sides or wild coloured linings.  In metal there’s the simple dark silver or gold square frame, or an Aviator. The latter works well in gold, for a Seventies vibe that never seems to want to go away.

For Sunglasses – There are years when sunnies just don’t seem to alter at all, and shapes like the classic Jackie O round plastic have been around since before the Beatles! Some classic Rayban styles have been around for over fifty years too, without showing signs of going away. The gold Aviator with a green or grey lens, and the Blues Brothers Wayfarer shape are perennial favourites. These shapes and colour combinations have not changed since they first hit the scene. And if you’ve got any doubts about classics, just remember, if it’s good enough for Kate Moss, it’s definitely good enough for you!

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No Stigma

Friday, May 28th, 2010

When opticians hand out prescriptions to patients, or tell them about any visual defects, patients can be confused about words used or explanations that are not clear enough. One repeat question is on the subject of Astigmatism – I’ve got a stigma we’re often told! So let’s clear this up once and for all….

An Astigmatism is nothing to worry about, is very common, and can fluctuate along with your amount of long or short sightedness. It may cause headaches and your vision will probably be blurred if it’s not corrected by glasses or contact lenses. Most people have some amount of Astigmatism, they’re either born with it or it develops over time.

It simply means that your eye is shaped more like a Rugby ball then a football. Look at a football and of course you’ll see that the curve is the same all over the surface. With a Rugby ball there are different curves for the long and the short diameters of the ball. An Astigmatic eye is like this, and the defect lies either in the Cornea or the lens inside your eye. The eye can’t focus incoming light where it’s supposed to, as two different images are produced, from the two curves of the Rugby ball.

Your sight can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. The lens has to be held at the correct angle, as everyone’s Rugby ball is at a different orientation. Contact lenses for Astigmatism are weighted or have the bottom chopped off to hold them in place, spec lenses are simply cut and placed at the right angle. Along with the Astigmatism you’ll most likely be long or short sighted, this is the Sph part of your written prescription. The Cyl part of your prescription deals with the Astigmatism, and the Axis part is the angle at which your lens must be set.

When your Astigmatism is corrected for the first time, your vision might seem a little strange, because you’ve been used to coping without help. You might even feel a bit sea-sick for a day or two! It wears off quickly as your eyes adjust, and vision is usually much more comfortable with the right lenses in place. So don’t worry – there’s really no stigma attached to it!

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Changing Times

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Having watched many patients over the years cope with Cataract surgery, it’s very interesting to see the progress that has been made with both the operation itself and the aftercare. Cataract is usually a condition of later life, when the lens inside your eye – not the one in your specs! – Goes opaque over time. Contributing factors can be trauma, smoking, and UV exposure. More rarely babies are born with congenital Cataracts.

As opticians the first sign that we see are tiny opacities within the lens in the eye. We monitor these closely, and tell the patient a Cataract is developing when we are sure that changes are occurring. The operation can only be performed when the cataract is ready, so we refer to an Ophthalmologist and they make the decision as to when the eyes are ready. If both eyes need treatment this is done at separate times.

Back in the good old days, the op required general anaesthetic, a large incision, stitches that sometimes affected the resulting prescription, and very strong specs. The patient also needed drops for quite some time after surgery. This had a big impact on the patients daily routine, and as patients are usually elderly, it was difficult and stressful. If there was a lengthy wait between the two eyes the patient’s sight was badly affected until after the second op.

Thank goodness we’ve moved on! Waiting lists are now shorter and procedures have been simplified and streamlined at every step of the way. Local anaesthetic is used, and the opaque lens is now replaced with an implant, so even patients who were very short sighted before the op only need minimal prescriptions and are back on their feet immediately

It’s now as routine as having a tooth filled, and has little impact on the daily life of the patient. If their sight is fully corrected it may even be better than for several years before hand. Where we used to dread telling people our diagnosis, it’s now often a relief to be able to send patients on to actually have better sight.

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Diabetic Danger

Monday, April 12th, 2010

We are all aware that the so called ‘obesity epidemic’ is a growing cause of concern  to our future health. One of the problems associated with this is the rise in Diabetes, a complex disease that causes a wide array of symptoms and potential problems for sufferers. As Opticians we spend a great deal of time with Diabetic patients, as the effect on sight can be devastating.

Diabetic retinopathy is a major cause of blindness, and the condition must be carefully monitored and quickly treated to save a patient’s sight. Uncontrolled Diabetes causes blood vessels to grow and leak into the retina, destroying this vital layer of cells and leading to loss of sight. Research is currently involved in better retinal screening, improved treatment uptake, and new treatments. If the early signs of retinopathy are treated quickly by laser surgery sight can be saved.

At present we know that tight control of sugar levels in the first few years of diagnosis can affect development of Diabetic retinopathy in the future. Controlling blood pressure and cholesterol lower blood sugars, and therefore help to reduce symptoms. Patients taking Statins to control their cholesterol have a lower incidence of Diabetic Retinopathy, so it’s interesting that all the symptoms and good management are interlinked in combating the disease. As Diabetic Retinopathy is also connected to memory impairment and reduced brain function it really does make sense to take a holistic approach to managing Diabetes and controlling sugar levels.

Yearly eye exams are free to diabetic patients, so take advantage of this and make sure you have your check ups. Find an optician with OCT screening equipment – this takes a 3D scan of the retina and will pick up the every earliest signs of problems. Manage your symptoms and don’t mess with those sugar levels – as well as endangering your life and your sight here and now, you could be storing up problems for the future.

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Testing Times

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

It has been reported this week that paying for eye tests is becoming a thing of the past as so many opticians do the examination for free. This is a surprising development as the eye exam should involve many separate tests and thorough checking by a qualified professional. It should cover all the guidelines set out by the Government as well as individual investigation if problems are evident. How do you know if you’ve been checked properly?

The optician should take plenty of time to get to know you and your specific history and current symptoms, worries and problems. They need to know about optical problems in your family, medication you are using, and any odd optical effects or pain you are suffering. They also need to check the strength of your present glasses or contact lenses.

Pre-screening tests should cover your field of vision, the internal pressure of the eye, and Retinal Imaging or Ocular Coherance Tomography. All of these tests cover every aspect of your sight and eye health, so check that your optician can do them and has the training to interpret the results. Optical support staff may do the pre-screening tests for you, but your optician should be the one who looks at the results with you.

The optician will then check your sight, and the health of your eyes. They may need to refer you on for further treatment, or suggest a visit to your GP for problems such as high blood pressure. They will also discuss your needs with regard to spectacle or contact lenses.

Some opticians are also trained in specific areas such as sports vision, therapeutic contact lens wear, behavioural optometry and treatment for Dyslexic patients. As in every aspect of life you get what you pay for – so what are getting if the service is free?!! Scour the web and find an optician who will do the job properly, and don’t be afraid to phone ahead for advice.

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As Young as you Feel

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

We all know that our bodies throw us a few curve balls as get older…..aches and pains, grey hairs, senior moments….and of course Presbyopia! Much to the excitement of Opticians everywhere, we can finally sell even the most eagle eyed amongst you some specs. Presbyopia occurs as the lens inside the eye stiffens over time and makes it increasingly difficult to see fine detail and small print.

In years gone by, we all joked with patients that Presbyopia is a sign of getting old, a sure indicator of middle age. Things in 2010 are however a little different. What does a fifty year old look like today? How many of us succumb to elasticated waistbands, comfy slippers and letting our wrinkles run free? Nowadays Botox is as common as mascara, and none of us are willing to admit to middle age, even at the age of forty, fifty and beyond. Would you want to tell George Clooney, Shah Rukh Khan or Brad Pitt that they’re old?!

So if these guys are still hot property, then potentially so is every other forty plus Presbyope, who just happens to need a little help for close work. Some suggestions to help stave off the Botox and choose the easy option to look younger:

1.Never go for Bifocals! The visible line is a dead giveaway, and the next step will be the Zimmer frame!

2.Avoid the dreaded half moon reading specs, you’ll look like an aged Headmaster. If you do need to look over your glasses pick a shallow little trendy frame and only peer over the top if no one else is watching.

3.Try varifocals – there’s no line, they’ll fit in the trendiest of tiny frames, and you can see the computer, small print and far distance without anyone guessing your age.

4.Talk to your Optician about varifocal contact lenses, for permanent or part time wear.

As we all live longer and healthier lives, Presbyopia will be a nuisance that we live with for many years. Don’t pick an ageing solution that makes you feel bad about it!

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Not a Dry Eye

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

It might sound like a pretty trivial problem, but dry eyes are at best an annoyance, and at worse a very painful condition. The incidence is on the increase, and opticians are dealing with ever increasing numbers of patients complaining of symptoms that can be attributed to dry eyes. Current statistics suggest that 18 – 30% of the population will have a problem with dry eye syndrome at some point in their lives. About 20% of over 65s will be sufferers.

For the patient this means sore, gritty, uncomfortable eyes, possibly with some visual disturbance. In time this may lead to damage of the front surfaces of the eye. Dry eye may occur because you don’t produce enough tears, or because the tears are of poor quality. Tears are actually a complex substance made of layers that perform specific functions in the eye. They have a fatty lipid layer that stops the underlying tears from evaporating, an aqueous watery layer that supplies nutrients and anti-bacterial proteins, and a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. So our humble tears feed, cleanse and lubricate the eye and create a smooth surface to make your sight as good as possible. Contact lens patients may suffer even more as the right quantity and quality of tears play a huge part in good comfort and vision with their lenses.

Research has been ongoing for many years to provide relief for dry eyes, both for contact lens wearers and other patients. Artificial tears have been developed to provide relief from symptoms, both short term and long term. As the whole mechanism of tears is to wash the surface of the eye at regular intervals then artificial tear drops have to be good at staying in the eye and of course not interfering with your sight while they are doing their job! There are many different formulations so do persevere and return to your GP if a particular product does not work for you.

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