Regular eye exams are necessary for good eye health and should be part of everyone's regular healthcare routine. Eye exams are not just for people who wear glasses or contact lenses; they are essential for everyone, regardless of age or apparent vision problems.

Some of the reasons why regular eye exams are necessary for good eye health are :

Eye Exams Can Detect Eye Diseases Early: Eye exams can detect eye diseases and conditions early, before they cause significant damage to your vision. Many eye diseases, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy, have no noticeable symptoms in their early stages, and the only way to detect them is with a regular eye exam.

Correction of Vision Issues: Many people suffer from vision issues such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and/or astigmatism, which can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. Eye exams can help you get the right prescription which will improve your vision and reduce eye strain.

Skiing is a popular winter sport that millions of people around the world participate in. While skiing is exciting and enjoyable, it can also be hazardous to your eyes. Snow and direct sunlight can cause both short-term and long-term vision problems. Here are some tips for skiing eye protection:

Wear Goggles: The most important piece of eye protection for skiers is goggles. They shield your eyes from the elements such as wind, snow, and UV rays. Choose goggles with 100% UV protection and lenses that are suited to the lighting conditions you will be skiing in.

As well as being windows onto the soul, our eyes provide a reflection of our lifestyles. Being healthy and making the right choices can have a significant impact on our vision, and these top tips will help to ensure everyone enjoys the best possible eye health:
 
Have regular eye tests
Our specialist equipment provides a detailed eye health check, allowing us to start treating problems at the first possible opportunity. Regular eye tests are particularly vital for monitoring sight levels and eye health in children, and we stock specialist spectacle lenses designed for office work.

It is a fact we live in an increasingly technological society. We are slowly moving away from paper based literature and using innovative media such as laptops, tablets, phones and wearable devices. This change not only affects us but also children.

In my experience some parents are very anti-technology and actively prevent their children from using devices. Personally I think this is a shame as it can put children on a 'back foot' when it comes to learning to use technology and learning how to control their personal usage.

As a father of a three year old girl I do let my daughter use my tablet or laptop, and I have since she was about 18 months old. Now to some that is way too early but Ava now has the dexterity and hand eye co-ordination to use a track-pad, she can scroll through photos or watch an episode of Peppa Pig without too much effort. At the same time I have instilled (hopefully) good habits so that she can continue to use technology in the correct way, and I will reinforce these habits regularly.

Habit 1. Control the duration of use - Device use should be limited to reduce fatigue to the ciliary muscle in the eye. The duration of time is a matter of contention. Personally 30 mins is more than enough in one sitting.

Habit 2. Control viewing distances - Most children will want to immerse themselves into their programme of choice. To do that they will move closer and closer to the screen. That way peripheral distractions are reduced to allow full concentration on the entertainment in front of them. Of course, sometimes it is a genuine visual problem so if the child is unhappy when you push the device further away from them it is wise to have their eyes examined to check for an uncorrected prescription.

Habit 3. Stop use at a fixed time before bed - Most devices emit blue light of wavelengths that are thought to reduce the melatonin levels in the brain and in doing so altering the  natural body clock (circadian rhythm). Think about how you can stay awake for longer when you are looking at your phone/tablet when in bed. I recommend cessation of all device use 1 hour before bed to encourage a good nights sleep.

These are just a few pointers I practice at home/work but I also think regular eye examinations are important and for children under 16 it is free.

So this is a question I am asked many times over in the day and the answer as always is a bit more difficult to answer.

There are a few types of vision deficiency:
Long - sightedness (Hyperopia)
Short - sightedness (Myopia)
Astigmatism
and Presbyopia.

A few of these can combine to produce a complex prescription.

I will break them down simply:

Long-sightedness -

Hayfever seems to be more common now then in the past. The number of patients I see with hayfever related eye symptoms is increasing, and as it is not just an eye related I can only assume it is increasing in the population. The College of Optometrists have released the following infographic to help reduce the symptoms of hayfever.

Essilor’s Crizal® Prevencia™ is the first preventive lens offering selective protection from harmful blue light and UV rays now available at Martin Reynolds Opticians.

• UV Light is not only a major risk factor for many skin diseases, but is also a risk factor for eye diseases, including cataract.
• Blue-Violet Light is harmful to retinal cells and is one of the risk factors for the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

• AMD is a major cause of severe vision loss and legal blindness in adults over 60—having a family history can increase your chances of developing AMD.

This Christmas when you are planning your meals, or enjoying them, think about how they are affecting your eyes. Don't leave it until New Years Day to start eating healthy because you can be naughty and nice!

We frequently take our eyes for granted, but these are highly specialised organs that require careful maintenance to operate at their optimal capacity. While eye tests and vision correction
products play key roles In this process, the foods we eat can also be greatly beneficial.

Studies around the world have emphasised that a healthy lifestyle combined with healthy eating can reduce the prevalence of cataracts, while carbohydrate-high, vitamin-low diets directly increase this risk.

Similarly, a carefully balanced diet helps to counteract age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. This is the leading cause of registered blindness in the western world, but can be halted and even partly reversed through prompt diagnosis and positive lifestyle choices. Research has established that obesity can double the risk of developing some common causes of blindness, including AMD. Although our retinas naturally weaken over time excess body weight can dramatically speed up the onset of AMD, giving us yet another reason to consider what we eat and how it might affect our bodies.

For many years, the focus on diet and its impact on our vision have concentrated on vitamins A, C and E. Numerous scientific studies and clinical trials have shown that these three ingredients help to maintain healthy cells and tissues in our eyes, even assisting with our tear functions and reducing the symptoms of dry eyes. Should your diet not lend itself to a regular intake of fresh produce, nutritional supplements can top up many missing vitamins and minerals although use of these supplements should ideally be approved by your GP.

So when you have the turkey add lots of vegetables to the mix and start protecting your eyes now!


Merry Christmas