What Happens in a Sight Test
Although you might book a Sight Test with our practice, the term fails to take account of the Eye Examination that accompanies it, which can often be even more important. The Sight Test measures your ability to see clearly and obviously we can’t determine the strength and type of lenses you need without it. We begin by putting a special frame on you and fitting different lenses to assess your vision, to find out if you are long, short-sighted and/or astigmatic and by how much. We do so one eye at a time and then we assess how efficiently your eyes operate in tandem. We may also check your vision balance, colour vision and need for a reading prescription, after which a written prescription is issued which itemises the prescription to correct your vision.
The Eye Examination looks more at the health of your eyes and can also be an important indicator of your general health. If your family has a history of problems with their eyes, (glaucoma for example) you should inform us, as we may need to conduct some special tests. All the tests are completely painless. We examine your eye with an ophthalmoscope which lets us look inside the eye at the cornea, retina, crystalline lens and the vitreous humour, the transparent jelly that fills the eyeball. It can give early information about diabetes, glaucoma, cataract and diseases of the nerves, so the examination is a very useful indication of your general health too. Some parts of the Sight Test can involve the use of specialist equipment to test for glaucoma for example. It’s very important that we test for it, as while it’s not difficult to halt its progress, we can’t repair the damage, once it has happened. So, it’s very important to have regular Sight Tests, to help ensure your eye, and you, remain healthy.
Although you might book a Sight Test with our practice, the term fails to take account of the Eye Examination that accompanies it, which can often be even more important. The Sight Test measures your ability to see clearly and obviously we can’t determine the strength and type of lenses you need without it. We begin by putting a special frame on you and fitting different lenses to assess your vision, to find out if you are long, short-sighted and/or astigmatic and by how much. We do so one eye at a time and then we assess how efficiently your eyes operate in tandem. We may also check your vision balance, colour vision and need for a reading prescription, after which a written prescription is issued which itemises the prescription to correct your vision.
The Eye Examination looks more at the health of your eyes and can also be an important indicator of your general health. If your family has a history of problems with their eyes, (glaucoma for example) you should inform us, as we may need to conduct some special tests. All the tests are completely painless. We examine your eye with an ophthalmoscope which lets us look inside the eye at the cornea, retina, crystalline lens and the vitreous humour, the transparent jelly that fills the eyeball. It can give early information about diabetes, glaucoma, cataract and diseases of the nerves, so the examination is a very useful indication of your general health too. Some parts of the Sight Test can involve the use of specialist equipment to test for glaucoma for example. It’s very important that we test for it, as while it’s not difficult to halt its progress, we can’t repair the damage, once it has happened. So, it’s very important to have regular Sight Tests, to help ensure your eye, and you, remain healthy.
The Dispensing Optician
While an optometrist determines your prescription, it’s the dispenser that turns it into the pair of spectacles that meets your needs. Your dispenser needs to have a sound grasp of optics and lenses and yet fashion in eyewear too. Dispensers need to find out how you live your life and what your general needs are, so they have to be an experts in people too. They also have to take accurate measurements, so it all adds up to a demanding role. The dispenser has to help you decide which of the hundreds of lens designs and materials, as well as which of the myriad of lens treatments and coatings, best meet your needs and budget. It’s why they often ask so many questions, as the more your dispenser knows about your lifestyle, the more you’ll enjoy your finished spectacles.
While an optometrist determines your prescription, it’s the dispenser that turns it into the pair of spectacles that meets your needs. Your dispenser needs to have a sound grasp of optics and lenses and yet fashion in eyewear too. Dispensers need to find out how you live your life and what your general needs are, so they have to be an experts in people too. They also have to take accurate measurements, so it all adds up to a demanding role. The dispenser has to help you decide which of the hundreds of lens designs and materials, as well as which of the myriad of lens treatments and coatings, best meet your needs and budget. It’s why they often ask so many questions, as the more your dispenser knows about your lifestyle, the more you’ll enjoy your finished spectacles.
Children and Spectacles
Although there may be many different reasons why a child needs spectacles, there’s a variety of choices to help your child get the most they possibly can from them. If your child is to be happy wearing their spectacles, they need to look good and be safe. We’ve a wide range of frames that help ensure that your child is very likely to find one they like. Children need robust spectacles and safest of all are Airwear Junior lenses. They are so strong they are virtually unbreakable, making them ideal for active children. Better still, they filter out harmful UV radiation too. If your child needs a high prescription, there are specially-designed thin and light lenses available that will ensure that your child’s lenses are as attractive as possible. Children can often be very heavy-handed with their spectacles, so Airwear Junior’s built-in scratch-resistant coating is a must. Without it, micro-scratches will soon make it much more difficult to see through them. Children are more sensitive to bright light and UV, so even a basic-level photochromic treatment means their lenses will darken in sunshine. It soon reverts to a pale residual tint indoors. Crizal UV lenses give the best protection from UV, so we recommend them for all children.
Although there may be many different reasons why a child needs spectacles, there’s a variety of choices to help your child get the most they possibly can from them. If your child is to be happy wearing their spectacles, they need to look good and be safe. We’ve a wide range of frames that help ensure that your child is very likely to find one they like. Children need robust spectacles and safest of all are Airwear Junior lenses. They are so strong they are virtually unbreakable, making them ideal for active children. Better still, they filter out harmful UV radiation too. If your child needs a high prescription, there are specially-designed thin and light lenses available that will ensure that your child’s lenses are as attractive as possible. Children can often be very heavy-handed with their spectacles, so Airwear Junior’s built-in scratch-resistant coating is a must. Without it, micro-scratches will soon make it much more difficult to see through them. Children are more sensitive to bright light and UV, so even a basic-level photochromic treatment means their lenses will darken in sunshine. It soon reverts to a pale residual tint indoors. Crizal UV lenses give the best protection from UV, so we recommend them for all children.
The Ageing Eye
As we age, our eyes age with us but with care, its effects can be greatly reduced. In our late forties, the onset of presbyopia mean that we need help with close work, like reading. Millions of people have benefitted from having had clear vision at all distances restored by Varilux lenses. Older age sees a variety of defects becoming more prevalent. Cataract is more common in later life and is caused when the lens inside the eye gradually becomes cloudy. To begin with, your vision deteriorates at the centre but it can lead to you being only able to distinguish light from dark. Its surgical correction, used to leave you with very thick spectacle lenses but modern lens implant surgery has meant that you just need everyday spectacle lenses, like Varilux.
Glaucoma tends to effect older people and is usually simple to correct - provided it is diagnosed. The sight test routinely includes a test for it. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) gradually affects sufferers in their seventies. It is the subject of promising research and some treatments are already improving certain types of AMD. The sight test is very important for checking on all the problems of vision in older age, so it’s very important to have your sight tested regularly. Remember, it isn’t just a means of determining the prescription you require; the sight test is also an important check on the general health of your eyes.
As we age, our eyes age with us but with care, its effects can be greatly reduced. In our late forties, the onset of presbyopia mean that we need help with close work, like reading. Millions of people have benefitted from having had clear vision at all distances restored by Varilux lenses. Older age sees a variety of defects becoming more prevalent. Cataract is more common in later life and is caused when the lens inside the eye gradually becomes cloudy. To begin with, your vision deteriorates at the centre but it can lead to you being only able to distinguish light from dark. Its surgical correction, used to leave you with very thick spectacle lenses but modern lens implant surgery has meant that you just need everyday spectacle lenses, like Varilux.
Glaucoma tends to effect older people and is usually simple to correct - provided it is diagnosed. The sight test routinely includes a test for it. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) gradually affects sufferers in their seventies. It is the subject of promising research and some treatments are already improving certain types of AMD. The sight test is very important for checking on all the problems of vision in older age, so it’s very important to have your sight tested regularly. Remember, it isn’t just a means of determining the prescription you require; the sight test is also an important check on the general health of your eyes.
Understanding Presbyopia
While ‘presbyopia’ is a word that few of us use, its symptoms are well known to anyone from their late forties onwards. It’s not a disease, simply an eye condition that affects us all in later life. Our bodies become less elastic as we get older and sadly, so do our eyes. The lens within them becomes less able to flex and as a result, we cannot bring near objects into focus. It isn’t the same as long sight, as presbyopia affects distance and near vision. Presbyopia shows itself most often in close work - reading a book, threading a needle and the like. You increasingly find that you need to be in bright light to read, or to move the text away to bring it into focus. If you already wear distance glasses, you may even be taking them off to read.
Happily, presbyopia is easy to correct. If you haven’t worn spectacles before, a simple pair of reading glasses will restore good near vision, though with the drawback that now, your distance vision will now be blurred! Bifocals are one solution, though a temporary one. As the name implies, they give clear vision at just two distances, near and far. But as we age further, a ‘bifocal gap’ will usually develop so that while near and distance vision are clear, arms’ length vision will become blurred. Bifocals have a near vision segment which is clearly visible too, both to you as the wearer and to anyone looking at you. All is not lost! Varilux lenses offer clear vision at all distances and without a bifocal line. They are suited to almost any frame and offer clear vision at all distances, near, distance and everything in between. Ask for details and we’ll be happy to tell you all you need to know.
While ‘presbyopia’ is a word that few of us use, its symptoms are well known to anyone from their late forties onwards. It’s not a disease, simply an eye condition that affects us all in later life. Our bodies become less elastic as we get older and sadly, so do our eyes. The lens within them becomes less able to flex and as a result, we cannot bring near objects into focus. It isn’t the same as long sight, as presbyopia affects distance and near vision. Presbyopia shows itself most often in close work - reading a book, threading a needle and the like. You increasingly find that you need to be in bright light to read, or to move the text away to bring it into focus. If you already wear distance glasses, you may even be taking them off to read.
Happily, presbyopia is easy to correct. If you haven’t worn spectacles before, a simple pair of reading glasses will restore good near vision, though with the drawback that now, your distance vision will now be blurred! Bifocals are one solution, though a temporary one. As the name implies, they give clear vision at just two distances, near and far. But as we age further, a ‘bifocal gap’ will usually develop so that while near and distance vision are clear, arms’ length vision will become blurred. Bifocals have a near vision segment which is clearly visible too, both to you as the wearer and to anyone looking at you. All is not lost! Varilux lenses offer clear vision at all distances and without a bifocal line. They are suited to almost any frame and offer clear vision at all distances, near, distance and everything in between. Ask for details and we’ll be happy to tell you all you need to know.
Understanding Myopia
Myopia is known by most people as short or near sight and is one of the commonest eye defects. As the name implies, myopes are able to see perfectly well close up but find their distance vision is blurred. It’s usually caused by the eyeball being not quite spherical (it’s more like a rugby ball than a football) and means that light is focussed in front of the retina, so that the image reaching it is blurred. It’s very easy to remedy with spectacles, using a single-vision lens. If you have a large prescription, you may find that the edge of your spectacle lenses may be quite thick, so you may benefit from thin and light lenses that greatly reduce this. Larger prescription lenses may also show unsightly ‘power rings’ though a good quality anti-reflection lens like Crizal UV will greatly reduce its impact.
Myopia is known by most people as short or near sight and is one of the commonest eye defects. As the name implies, myopes are able to see perfectly well close up but find their distance vision is blurred. It’s usually caused by the eyeball being not quite spherical (it’s more like a rugby ball than a football) and means that light is focussed in front of the retina, so that the image reaching it is blurred. It’s very easy to remedy with spectacles, using a single-vision lens. If you have a large prescription, you may find that the edge of your spectacle lenses may be quite thick, so you may benefit from thin and light lenses that greatly reduce this. Larger prescription lenses may also show unsightly ‘power rings’ though a good quality anti-reflection lens like Crizal UV will greatly reduce its impact.