Seeing as we are surrounded by this amazing glorious sunny weather, we thought we would share with you a good quality lens which will benefit and protect your eyes from Ultraviolet rays. FACT: Did you know that UV rays are invisible and painless but pose a constant threat to our eyes. * Current lenses only offer partial protection, and studies show that UV rays are reflected into the eyes by the back surface of lenses. * UV rays on the back of the lens are harmful as light of

You may not realise it, but optometrists use a wide variety of tests and procedures to examine your eyes. These tests range from reading an eye chart to complex tests using high-powered lenses to visualize the tiny structures inside of your eyes. Pre-test Before you even enter the testing room, you will usually be taken to a pre-testing area to use two pieces of equipment. One is an Optomap image which is fast, painless and comfortable. Nothing touches your eye at any time an

The eyelids are thin folds of skin which cover and protect our eyes. They have muscles controlling their movement up and down known as the levator palpebrae. This can either be done via an involuntary or voluntary action of our nervous system. Each eyelid will have a row of eyelashes at the margin which have a function of heightened protection from dust and debris which may otherwise damage the delicate structures of the front of the eyes. The key function of the eyelids is t

Not all transitions lenses actually work the same way in the car as they do anywhere else – they darken in reaction to the presence of ultraviolent (UV) light. The problem stems from the fact that most modern car windscreens already filter out harmful UV rays. Your windscreen is normally quite different from the rest of your glass, in that it’s two pieces of glass laminated with a layer of plastic – vinyl – in between. You then have a triple-layer system…which contains UV inh

Ultraviolet rays from the sun are incredibly damaging to our eyes, so proper eye protection is important at any time of year. However, choosing the right sunglasses is no easy task with so many choices available. Polarized sunglasses are specialized eyewear designed to reduce GLARE from surfaces such as water, snow and glass. First, we need to know what GLARE is. Glare is difficulty seeing in the presence of bright light such as direct or reflected sunlight. It can generally

Ready readers; they’re everywhere. In the local supermarket or high street store, at some “too good to be true” prices too. But just what are the advantages and disadvantages of buying an off the shelf pair of reading glasses, as opposed to a pair prescribed by your local optician? Ok, yes; they may save you money in the short term, but cheap reading glasses could actually end up costing your eyesight. The so-called ‘ready readers’, which sell for as little as £1 in high stre

It may not be surprising to hear, as in most subject areas, that there is a substantial amount of mathematics in Optics. Luckily for most of us (or unluckily if you like maths) this maths is ‘hidden’ by using rule of thumb systems, data tables or computer software that does all the work for us. This is also largely true of Optics, though there are some purists out there who prefer the aid of mathematical equations in deriving specific results. I am naturally one of those puri

Ever wondered about contact lenses but been too scared to try them? Maybe you thought they weren’t quite right for you. There are lots of myths around contact lenses and in this blog I’m going to help bust some! 1. Lenses can get stuck behind my eyes! This can’t happen. There is a thin clear membrane around the eye that makes it impossible for anything to get in behind the eye. Therefore your lenses simply can’t get stuck in that area. 2. I don’t like the thought of h

Glaucoma is a condition that affects the optic nerve (the ‘wire’ that connects your eye to your brain). Over time, the nerve fibers that make up the optic nerve die off slowly leading to loss of vision. The exact cause of Glaucoma remains unknown however it is related to elevated pressure inside the eye (intra-ocular pressure). The raised pressure is thought to be caused by either an overproduction of Aqueous humor (fluid) inside the eye; or poor drainage of the Aqueous out

Noise Induced Hearing Loss can affect many areas of your life. Without a thorough understanding of your ears, and the delicate nature of them, it is easy for you to take your hearing for granted and fail to ensure they receive proper protection. A terrible symptom of Noise Induced Hearing Loss is you may not even notice you are suffering from it, as it is often a gradual process. For example you could be finding it difficult to hear conversations with friends and family or ot

The first, and perhaps the simplest answer is to wear protection against harmful UV rays. This doesn’t mean wearing sunglasses year round but DO ensure your spectacles have UV protection. Most of our anti-reflection lenses, including all of our Neva Max and SmarT lenses will ensure your eyes are protected against daily UV damage. Contact lens wearers should ensure their chosen lens also has UV protection AND wear protective sunglasses to protect the delicate skin area around

This is a question we regularly get in our practice so we thought that we would answer some of the questions people ask about transitions. 82% of people tell us that glare affects their vision outside. 60% of people suffer from tired eyes as evening approaches. 100% of our customers will be affected by harmful UVA and UVB rays. 73% of our patients tell us their eyes are sensitive to light. If any of these statements rings a bell with yourself, then Transitions lenses would be

Flashes Some people may see flashes of light in front of one of their eyes like small sparkles. These tend to be in the extreme corners of your vision - they come and go and do not affect your vision. They don’t last for a defined length of time and may be more noticeable if you go from a light to a dark area. These are different to the zig-zag lines that often accompany a migraine attack. Migraine shimmers are a flickering of light, often on only one side of your vision, whi

The most important thing here is to note that your child does not have to be able to read or talk to have a sight test. There are many methods that a qualified optometrist will be able to utilise in order to check your child’s vision, and a qualified optometrist can perform an eye examination on a child as young as 6 months old if necessary. Babies can see when they are born, but their eyes don’t always focus accurately. A baby’s eyes may squint sometimes (they may not always

Once your optometrist knows what is causing your dry eye, they can give you advice on how to manage it. There are four main ways to help your dry eye. 1. Avoid using make-up and keep your eyelids clean Eyeliner, particularly when put on the rim of your eyelid, may block the meibomian glands that produce the oily part of your tear film. This may cause the area around your eyes to be inflamed. It is also important to make sure you keep your eyelids clean, particularly if yo

This is a question that is often asked by patients, or by the family of patients, who are suffering with AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration). AMD affects the part of the eye that deals with detail and close-up vision. So very often, poor reading vision is a symptom of this condition. Now, when they are younger, most patients will have traditionally had problems with reading vision corrected by a change in their reading glasses prescription. We just give the prescription a

Have you ever been fed up with wearing spectacles and feel they restrict your life somehow? We have heard many people call their glasses as “scaffolding” on their face and lots of spectacle wearers hate the weight on their nose and also having red, sore marks on their noses from wearing them. Imagine playing sport not worrying about having a restricted field of view or them falling off. Even that ideal situation of going to an important social function but not having to hide

“I’ve been told that if I get glasses, my eyes will become dependent on them” This is a something we hear all the time and so, for the benefit of you dear readers, it’s time for a quick analogy. Imagine a world before the washing machine. Having to wash everything by hand in a tub, the rubbing and the soap making your hands sore. Then having to run it through a mangle to get rid of most of the water by turning the handle and making your arms and back ache. It’s hard work, b

Driving is essential for many of us for our daily lives whether it is driving to work or for social use. A range of vision standards apply for different driving licences. Our qualified optometrists will check your eyesight using various techniques and will advise if it is in-line with the applicable DVLA vision standards. There are three main areas assessed which are listed below. You must be able to read a car number plate registered after 1st September 2001 from 20 metres

If I had a fiver every time someone asked me this question over 20 plus years of contact lens fitting experience I would have been off to the Bahamas a long time ago! The question however is not so clear cut, there are many considerations when someone first presents for a contact lens consultation. Not only whether they are suitable for contact lenses per say but which type, which material, which disinfecting system, which modality. The list goes on and not forgetting which