Presbyopia:
From our teenage years to early 50s, we slowly lose the ability to focus our eyes for close work, necessitating lenses to compensate for this loss by our mid 40s. There's nothing we can do to prevent this change from occurring and glasses don't weaken our eyes further. Commonly, multifocal lenses are suggested so that a person can leave their glasses on when looking at more distant objects.
We strongly advise against buying ready made (hobby) reading glasses without an eye examination. The Royal NZ Foundation of the Blind estimates that there are over 25,000 people with undetected glaucoma in the community and a similar number with diabetes. Hobby glasses may appear to help, but the eyes can still be going blind! If simple reading glasses are all that is required after your eyes have been examined, we will tell you what to buy, or offer you higher quality hobby glasses from our stock.
BINOCULAR VISION
Unless our eyes work together efficiently, we have unstable binocular vision resulting in tired eyes, overlapping or double vision, and loss of depth perception (stereopsis). Ultimately we lose the ability to use both eyes together.
Wanting good vision in older age?
As well as having regular eye examinations to detect problems early, it is important to wear sunglasses when high UV light is likely, use safety glasses when in any eye danger work environment, refrain from smoking, keep to a diet that includes plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and if there is a family history of diabetes, control your sugar and fat consumption carefully.
Your eye examination includes:
Detailed questioning of your vision concerns
Refraction to measure the lens requirements for your perfect vision and comfort
Checking your binocular vision (yes, two eyes have to work together for efficient, comfortable vision!)
Careful investigation of all eye health problems, including glaucoma, and any general medical problems that affect eyes.
When required, specialist checking of:
visual fields
colour vision
musicians and computer users
eye tracking difficulty in children
visual perception
sports vision
industrial safety requirements
Discussion of the best way of assisting you with your visual and eye health needs.
Sometimes we will use eye drops to give us a better look at the inside of your eyes or to assist with assessment of a child's vision. Glaucoma, an eye condition that causes blindness if not treated early, is checked carefully at all examinations.
What could be wrong?
Symptoms suggesting that an eye examination is required include far more than blurry vision making reading signs, TV, books and music difficult. Sore eyes and headaches are commonly mentioned, and occasional double vision is particularly important. Dry eyes are more likely as we get older. Occasionally there will be bits missing from our visual field, making us more likely to fall, bump into objects, or end up with a serious car crash. Floating bits, or flashing lights towards the side of our vision should be investigated urgently, especially if they have only recently appeared.
EYE EXAMINATIONS
REFRACTION
Careful analysis of the lens requirements to give clear and comfortable vision is the heart of good eyecare, and we take pride in ensuring that your vision is corrected perfectly. Computer users, musicians, sports people and others with special needs are assured that careful attention is paid to their requirements.
Myopia (short sight):
Blurred vision for distant objects is the early sign of myopia. It usually occurs first during our teenage years. Though more common when there is a family history of myopia and when a young person spends lots of time reading or working on a computer without regular breaks, it can occur with anyone. Most myopia is caused by the eye growing so that distant objects are focused in front of the retina. Either spectacle of contact lenses are required to refocus the eye correctly. Orthokeratology, an experimental technique with contact lenses, may reduce myopia for a short time.
Hyperopia (long sight):
Commonly vision is good for younger people with hyperopia, but eyestrain associated with occasional blur or double vision is likely to occur. With increasing age, distant vision blurs as we become less able to focus our eyes. Lenses to compensate for this focusing error are required, though these may only be necessary for concentrated near vision in a person under the age of 40.
your path to vision clarity and eye health
Astigmatism:
This is the hardest condition to understand. Astigmatism is a defect caused by distortions in the curvature of the cornea or the lens, the image falling unevenly in front of the retina, causing some parts of an image to be poorly focused. Because of these complex curves on the cornea, the two focal lengths require a cylindrical lenses to give clear vision. The blur of astigmatism makes it uncomfortable to look at objects, difficult to focus easily and may cause headaches, tiredness and poor concentration.
Caught early, it is possible to restore normal binocular vision quite easily with exercises, but impossible if left too long. A young child may apparently see clearly but have an eye turning in occasionally or all the time. It is essential that this is helped before the child is 6 years old to avoid blindness in one eye.
We are one of the few practices offering assistance to improve binocular vision.
