The Optometrist will:

Ask you about any problems you may have with your eyes.

Ask you about your general health.

Ask you about any family history of eye problems.

Take details of any previous prescription, if available.

Ask you to read letters on a chart, with and without lenses.

Look at the inside and outside of your eye with a bright light.

Check whether you need spectacles and issue a prescription, if appropriate.

Make and keep notes about all these points.

Discuss the results with you.

Write to your doctor if there is a problem.

The optometrist may also:

Check the pressure in your eyes.

Check your peripheral (side) vision.

The optometrist might put drops in your eyes to enlarge your pupils, which can help him or her to see the back of the eyes better

What is a Cataract? 

It is where the lens of the eye becomes cloudy, so it is difficult to see through. 

You may find: 

Things look cloudy or blurred. 

Bright lights dazzle. 

You may see double in the affected eye. 

What is the lens? 

The lens is inside the eye directly behind the coloured part, which is called the iris. Little muscles are attached to the lens. These move and by slightly altering its shape they help you focus on what you want to see. 

What causes cataracts? 

The most common cause is ageing, but occasionally they happen because of injury, or as a complication of other conditions.

Some Symptoms:

Slight blurring of vision.

Spectacles always seem to need cleaning. 

Seeing slightly double. 

Change of colour vision becoming more yellow. 

Difficulty with glare and bright lights. 

What can be done to help? 

In the early stages of cataracts, spectacles may help you see clearly enough. 

Will I need an operation? 

When your vision has become so poor that it seriously affects everyday life-such as driving, watching TV, or reading-then your optometrist will refer you to an eye specialist. The ophthalmologist will assess your eyes and decide about an operation.

What does the operation involve? 

It is often carried out under local anaesthetic, and usually as a day case procedure (No overnight stay). The cloudy lens inside your eye is removed and replaced with a new clear lens made of special plastic. Afterwards your vision is usually much better, unless there are other reasons for your poor sight beside cataracts.

Whether you decide to Have cataract surgery will depend on many things. Just because you have a cataract doesn’t mean you should have it removed immediately. And these days, we don’t need to wait till a cataract is ‘ripe’ (well developed). 

1.How well can you see?

Generally, if you can see quite well, it’s probably best not to have surgery yet. All cataract surgery carries a small risk, so it’s better to wait until you really need it. 

If you can answer yes to the following points, then you may benefit from having the surgery soon: 

• Do you find it difficult to move around easily and safely, such as when crossing the road, using the stairs or getting on or off public transport? 
• Does glare from sunlight or car headlights bother you a lot? 
• Are you finding it difficult to do everyday tasks such as cooking or dressing and housework? 
• Does your eyesight prevent you doing your hobbies or sport , or things like watching TV and reading? 
• Are you starting to find it difficult to cope with things like recognising people and handling money?

2. Can you see well enough to drive? 

Generally, the chance of your eyesight being improved by surgery is slightly lower if you can already see well enough to drive safely. 

3. What does your optometrist think? 

Ask your optometrist for their advice. They can tell you about risks of having surgery and help you decide whether you want to have it. 

4. How quickly will your cataract worsen? 

We cant say how quickly your cataract will develop and get worse. But even if your cataracts is bad, this wont affect the results of the surgery. 

If you decide to have surgery. 

If you decide to go ahead with surgery, you will first need to make  an appointment to see your optometrist for an eye examination. They will also asses you to find out whether you are suitable for surgery. Eye drops will also be put into your eyes, so we advise that you arrange for someone to take you home.  

Baby’s eyes: 

A baby’s eyes are not fully developed at birth, even thought they are already three quarters the size of adults eyes. It is quite normal for a new baby’s eyes to seem uncoordinated as if they aren’t working together. But in the first few weeks of life their coordination develops. if a baby is developing normally and is shown different shapes, sizes and colours, by six months he or she will be able to focus on fine detail. 

What is a strabismus (squint)? 

This happens when the eyes are not co-ordinating. There can be more than one reason for this, but the most common is that it runs in the family or the baby had a difficult birth. Sometimes what looks like a squint turns out to be a skin fold, because the baby’s nose is not fully developed. 

A full eye examination by the optometrist will show if a squint is present. 

What is the treatment? 

The optometrist will refer your child to hospital. The child may have to do eye exercises at home or when attending the Orthoptic clinic at the outpatients department. 

Sometimes, surgery is needed to correct squint. Early detection and treatment will give the best result. Uncorrected squints lead to permanent eyesight problems. 

What about sight tests? 

As well as squints many eye defects can run in families, such as long or short sightedness and astigmatism (Astigmatism is when objects look distorted). Taking children for an eye examination is the best way to make sure that any defects are present. 

 What about contact lenses? 

Older children can wear contact lenses. They must look after them very carefully, to keep them clean and safe. Also they must have frequent eye check-ups to Make sure their eyes stay healthy. Younger children are only prescribed contact lenses for special eye conditions.  

Diabetes and your eyes 

Diabetic eye disease (retinopathy) can affect anyone who has diabetes, whether they are being treated with insulin, tablets or diet only. Generally people don’t notice any signs of retinopathy until it is well advanced. This is why yearly eye examinations are so important for everyone with diabetes; early detection is the key to successful treatment. 

Retinopathy affects the blood vessels supplying the retina-the inner surface of the eye, which receives the image of things you see and passes them to the brain. Blood vessels can become blocked, leak or grow haphazardly. This affects the way the retina receives images and if left untreated can damage your sight.  

Why is my vision blurred? 

Blurred vision is not usually a sign of retinopathy, but is common at the time you are diagnosed with diabetes or just afterwards. Blurred vision is usually caused by light by the high level of glucose (sugar) in your blood at this time. Your blood glucose levels may take weeks to settle down, but once they are under control, your vision will return to normal. If this does not happen see your doctor. 

How can I protect my eyes? 

You can reduce the risk of retinopathy by controlling your blood-glucose and blood pressure levels as well as possible, and by not smoking. In addition, everyone with diabetes ages 12 and over should have regular eye screening to look for signs of retinopathy. Remember that diabetic eye screening will carefully check your own optometrist regularly for a sight test as well. It may be possible to have both at the same time. Remember people with diabetes are entitled to a free sight test by their optometrist.

Age and your eyesight. 

Two major causes of poor vision as we get older are cataracts and age related macular degeneration (AMD) Cataracts can normally be successfully treated by surgery, but AMD cannot be reversed. Around half of all the serious loss of sight in the UK is caused by AMD. 

Risk Factors 

Many factors affect how likely we are to suffer AMD. Of course we can’t do anything about getting older, but there are other risk factors including: 

• Smoking 
• Bright sunlight 
• High blood pressure 
• Poor nutrition

In Particular, smokers are 3-4 more times likely to suffer from AMD than non smokers. 

Reducing the risk: the age related (eye disease study-AREDS) in the United States suggested that certain vitamins and minerals may help stop AMD getting worse, or it may slow it down. They include vitamins A,E and C and the minerals zinc and copper. Fruit and vegetables are particularly good sources of these things. 

Also the level of two compounds known as Lutein and Zeaxanthin, normally found in the macular area, is reduced in AMD. Research at the University of Manchester has shown that supplements will boost these levels.

If you smoke, then giving up smoking is the single most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of sight loss due to AMD. 

What causes it? 

As you get older the circulation in your eyes can become poor and lead up to a build up of waste products in the macular region of the retina. The result of this build up is that your eyes will not work as well as they once did.

What is the macular region of the retina? 

The retina is at the back of the eye. Pictures of things it sees are sent to the brain. The macular is a special part of the retina, which picks up fine detail. 

How does the macular degeneration affect the sight? 

• Things you see may be blurred, especially in the center. This might make it difficult to read bus numbers or recognise people faces. 
• Straight lines may look curved. 
• You may notice blank areas when looking at the TV or reading. 

Is this the start of blindness? 

The macular is the part of the eye that sees detail, so fine detail will be affected. However the rest of your vision will be unaffected. 

Is there a Cure?

For most people who get this condition the answer is no. However, some peoples symptoms of macular degeneration are for a different reason. They have leaking or swelling blood vessels in the macular. Different forms of laser treatment may help them.

An Amsler Chart can be used to check for signs of inflammation of fluid leakage in the central area of the retina. The chart works by making any distortion of vision very obvious. If you have been advised to look out for any distortion, then you should test yourself with an Amsler Chart every week or two.

To check for distortion of vision: 

• Wear your reading glasses.
• Hold the chart about 15 inches (38cm) away from your open eye.
• Cover the other eye and look at the central dot. 
• Keeping your eye on the central dot all of the time, note any wavy lines, distortion or fuzziness that you see. 
• Repeat with other eye. 
• If you notice any changes you should seek advice immediately from your optometrist , GP or local hospital A & E department. 

What is a Blepharitis? 

It is a common inflammatory disorder of the eyelid edges. 

What causes it? 

It may be associated with some scalp conditions. 

What does it look like?

• Eyelid edges are red. 
• Whitish scales may stick to the roots of the eyelashes.
• Eyes may be burning, sore or itchy. 

How can I make it better? 

You will need to remove all the crusts and debris from the edge of your eyelids and from between your eyelashes. Antibiotic ointment may be recommended in sever cases. 

What do I use? 

You can buy eyelid cleaning products such as ‘lid care’ which may have a separate cleaning solution with sterile pads, or individual pre-moistened wipes. You can get these products from your optometrist or pharmacist.

Method: 

• Follow the instructions in the packet.
• Rub the product firmly but gently along the eyelid edges to remove the crusts and debris. 
• Take care to wipe between the eyelashes to both upper & lower lids. 
• Use a fresh pad or wipe each time. 
• Dry your eyes gently. 

Continue treatment of this condition is a long term matter. You may not see any improvement for several weeks.