Netherton Eye Centre blog

You may have sat in the consulting room chair, with the lenses in front of your eyes, and wondered why the optometrist keeps asking you- is it better…. With…. Or … Without? That is the question- but why? Because, this is the fastest way of deciding on the correct power for the lens in front of each eye and working towards prescribing the power of the lenses in your final spectacles. What’s the alternative? Maybe the question- does this make the letters look clear? Possible answers: 1. Their not bad. Answer 2. Yes, but I think the one before was better. Answer 3. No. But where does the optometrist go next? If the optometrist gives you an open choice of answers, it’s hard for them to decide w

What is Myopia and how many people are affected? Myopia (short-sightedness) is a common, progressive condition of the eye where near objects are in focus but anything in the distance is blurry. The prevalence of Myopia has been steadily increasing for some decades and the World Health Organisation has now recognised that a Myopic ‘epidemic’ is evident particularly in the Far East. In Europe and America around 35 to 40% of the population is myopic (compared to 25% just one generation ago), with figures touching 100% in parts of Asia. In a 2013 study of over 26,000 Taiwan army recruits, 99.6% were found to be myopic, with over 25% demonstrating a ‘high level’ of myopia. By the year 2050 it is

Do you become extremely tired when reading? Have you noticed reading isn’t as fluent as you would expect it to be? If you have noticed these problems with yourself, your child or a family member then it might be worth booking an appointment with an optometrist as visual stress could be the underlying issue. Visual stress (Meares Irlen Syndrome) is a light-sensitive condition that contributes and emphasises visual perceptual problems, makes reading more difficult and can be the root cause of headaches, tiredness and nausea when reading. People who suffer from this condition often have difficulty focusing on closely designed patterns and stripes, as well as suffering under fluorescent lights,

Have you ever dreamt of a safe, reversible alternative to laser eye surgery? I know I have. Orthokeratology (“EyeDream”) is a vision correction therapy that works whilst you sleep – what could be better than that? EyeDream contact lenses correct your vision while you sleep. They do this by applying a controlled shape to the cornea which is the front surface of the eye, eliminating myopia (short –sightedness). The lenses are removed in the morning allowing you to see clearly all day long without spectacles or contact lenses. It is the perfect solution – and don’t worry, you can also see clearly with the lenses in at night or first thing in the morning. For this treatment to work, your

We pride ourselves in offering the very best in eye care as we believe sight is the most precious of our five senses. We understand that investment in the latest technology is paramount and we continually strive to be at the forefront of technology and service. We pride ourselves in offering every patient of ours the opportunity to have the very latest 3D retinal scan using OCT technology. Using the OCT we have the potential of picking up abnormalities at an earlier stage, usually leading to better treatment outcomes. OCT is especially useful for anybody who is worried or has a family history of: Macula Degeneration Glaucoma Diabetic Retinopathy Macula Hole Optic nerve disease Retinal Tears

Varifocal Lenses Progressive Power Lenses (PPL), commonly known as ‘Varifocal’ lenses are generally recommended by Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians when you have a two prescription requirement. Typically, one for distance vision and one for near vision. These lenses are designed in a manner that they have a gradual change incorporated into the strength of the prescription from the top of the lens where the distance portion is set, to the bottom with multiple focal points allowing you to see clearly at all distances through just a single lens. This effectively means that you don’t need to purchase two pairs of glasses for two different distances. In comparison to traditional bifocals, th

More than 10 million people in the UK regularly suffer from headaches. If it has been some time since your last eye examination, a routine sight test can help to detect if there is an ocular cause for headaches. Your optometrist can find out if your headaches are due to an uncorrected refractive error (spectacle prescription), ocular muscle imbalance or other eye health issue. Am I suffering with eyestrain? A common cause of frontal headache over the brow, or ‘in and around’ the eyes is eyestrain. There is often a link to performing certain concentrated tasks such as reading, studying or screen use. When the eyes become tired and overworked this is termed as aesthenopia. The intra-ocular mus

We all believe we are invincible, that with youth comes the ability to rise above all ailments, but we know deep down that things must be protected for our future. In this blog we will discover the true price we may have to pay for the social lives we lead. Sound is nothing more than a wave of air, the bigger the wave, the louder the sound. We have all heard that car sat at the lights, a bass beat booming out of it, but have we ever heard the violin concerto playing in the Jaguar parked up outside Selfridges? The answer is no, but conceivably both cars could have their radio levels playing at the same volumes. Low bass sound passes through objects much easier than High frequency sounds, thus

For the majority of the time we see clearly in any given circumstance and often we don’t give our sight a second thought! Occasionally, we experience an episode which makes us sit up and take notice. A commonly reported symptom in practice is that of a painless, temporary disturbance in vision. This can be quite disconcerting, or even frightening if experienced for the first time. These symptoms are often caused by an ocular migraine. What is an ocular migraine? An ocular migraine gives a temporary visual disturbance, or ‘aura’. This will often be described as ‘zig-zagging’ lights or lines (like looking through a kaleidoscope) or, occasionally as though the vision has become ‘rippled’ ( like