Eye tests for contact lenses

An eye test will detect eye conditions before you might normally notice them. The earlier your are treated the better the outcome, late treatment of eye conditions might be too late.

A contact lens check is different to a full eye test. If you wear contact lenses you will need regular eye tests as well as contact lens checks for your eyes.

You should have a contact lens an eye test at least once every two years or more often if advised.

visit here for more information on free contact lens eye tests click here for free contact lens eye tests in glasgow

Choosing the right contact lenses

There are many types of contact lenses

Daily wear contact lenses –
Fresh pair every day.

Insert your new pair of contact lenses in the morning and chuck them in the bin at the end of the day. No cleaning solutions, no hassle, no worries. Ideal for every day wear and now available in prescriptions for astigmatism, multi-focals and tinted lenses.

Monthly Disposable lenses

No deposits and great value
Changing your lenses on a regular basis means that deposits do not build up, your vision remains clear, your lenses are comfortable and the potential for eye infection is greatly reduced.

Round the clock wear.
All day and all of the night.

Who would have believed it? One month of continuous contact lens wear is now reality. These new state of the art lenses offer the convenience of round the clock wear – [day and night] wear with pin sharp vision and total comfort.

Gas permeable contact lenses

Made of rigid materials which allow the eye to breathe, gas permeable lenses are ideal for patients with complicated prescriptions or patients with certain types of astigmatism.

Specialist contact lenses

Ask for details of our specialist ranges.

Tinted contact lenses –
Making eyes at someone?

Tinted lenses suit just about all prescriptions and eye colours and the results can be stunning.

Comfortable and more affordable (now from just around £5 a pair) they have a dramatic yet natural effect for males and females.

Information taken from Graeme Gentles Glasgow contact lenses specialist

Choosing glasses

Designer Glasses can make a big difference to the way you look.

With so many choices of styles and colours available with fashionlabeld such as Gucci glasses, CAT glasses, Episode frames and glasses now available means you can choose different frames to suit the look you want and suit your shape of face.

Video jug has a great video on choosing glasses for long faces

Daily disposable contact lenses

Daily disposable contact lenses are by many considered to be the most convenient and easiest to use type of contact lenses.

1 day Acuvue contact lenses are a convenient and hygenic way to wear contact lenses. Every day a fresh pair of contacts and no cleaning solutions.

Survey Reveals Nation’s fear of sight loss

Sight is the sense that nine out of ten people most fear losing, according to the findings of a survey released today (18 April 2008)1. The UK Vision Strategy – developed by a major new eye health and sight loss alliance – is calling for action to prevent their fears becoming a reality2.

Over 650 organisations and individuals, with support from the UK Governments, developed the UK Vision Strategy, launched today, to set the direction for a radical improvement in the eye health of the nation.

Lesley-Anne Alexander, Chair of the group leading the development of the UK Vision Strategy3 and Chief Executive of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), said: “Nine out of ten people in the UK tell us that sight is the sense they most fear losing. But, despite being one of the richest nations in the developed world, we aren’t doing enough to protect it. Sight loss increases with age and the UK has an aging population, so the number of people losing their sight is set to double in the next few decades if we don’t intervene now. We’re sitting on a sight loss time bomb!”

“The UK Vision Strategy enables us to build on past progress and the eye health and sight loss sector is committed to working together, with the UK Governments, to improve the eye health of the nation. We all need to take responsibility both professionally and personally – to improve eye health, eliminate avoidable sight loss and enhance the quality of life of people who have lost some or all of their sight.”

Today’s survey, commissioned for the launch of the UK Vision Strategy, also found a shocking lack of awareness of the leading cause of blindness in the UK, with less than one in six people correctly identifying the condition: age-related macular degeneration. Helping people understand how to best look after their sight and prevent avoidable sight loss is one of the key aims of the UK Vision Strategy which calls for increased investment in public awareness campaigns.

Jo Webber, deputy policy director at the NHS Confederation, which represents 95 percent of NHS organisations, added: “Around 50 percent of sight loss in the UK is avoidable or treatable, so we can’t afford to be complacent. Right now as many as 250,000 people in the UK risk losing their sight simply because they don’t know they have glaucoma. Thousands more are struggling to live with such low levels of vision that they would qualify as blind or partially sighted, unaware of the range of options widely available to restore their vision. The UK Vision Strategy sets out a clear way forward to address these problems so we can improve the nation’s eye health and do our best to make sure people do not continue to lose their sight because treatable conditions are going undetected.”

The UK Vision Strategy is a VISION2020 UK initiative, led by RNIB working with partners from all areas of the sector, to develop a unified plan for action on all issues relating to eye health and sight loss, across the four countries of the UK. The strategy was developed in response to a World Health Assembly resolution in 2003, which urged the development of national plans to tackle sight loss. The development has also been supported by representation from all the UK governments.

Nick Astbury, representing The Royal College of Ophthalmologists on the group leading on the development of the UK Vision Strategy, said: “We need to work together to tackle sight loss in this country. We need to create a society where we do look after the health of our eyes and key to this is having access to the right information, appropriate services and the best support. We can increase early detection through regular eye tests which can correct vision with an updated prescription and also detect serious conditions which could lead to blindness if left untreated. We can also build on progress such as reduced waiting times for cataract operations by improving access to timely sight saving treatment for everyone.

“On an individual level, most of us don’t understand enough about our eye health or the lifestyle choices we make that can have a massive impact on our eye health. Simply knowing that giving up smoking and keeping our weight within a healthy range will give us all the best chance of safeguarding our sight and in some cases half a person’s chances of developing a sight condition that could lead to blindness.”

The UK Vision Strategy was launched on 18 April 2008 at a conference in central London. To find out more visit www.rnib.org.uk / or www.vision2020uk.org.uk

Scotland brings in free eye tests

The Scottish executive has announced that everyone in Scotland is now eligible for free eye tests, Optometry Scotland chairman Hal Rollason said the “world-class service” would benefit everyone in the country.

Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen said: “People throughout Scotland will now be able to access an eye examination which will be more comprehensive than the current eye tests most of us are familiar with.

The scheme is part of Vision 2020 which aims to get rid of avoidable blindness by 2020.

Tips for contact lens wearers

• Read the on pack instructions and listen to the advice of your optician
• Remember to book regular check ups with your Contact Lens specialist
• Wash your hands thoroughly before touching your lenses
• Use fresh solutions
• Replace torn, damaged or dried up contact lenses
• Touch daily disposable lenses a little as possible
• Clean and rinse monthly disposable lenses before placing in eye

Never…

• Sleep with your lenses in
• Use solutions more than once per cleaning regime
• Do not use tap water to clean your contact lenses
• Wear your lenses under water or when swimming
• Let eye irritation or pain go unchecked

Choosing the right frames, spectacles for you

Eyewear technology is moving on at a great pace and lenses are now thinner, lighter and more comfortable to wear. Light sensitive lenses and special coatings means spectacles can be enhanced for wearer specific environments and improved vision.

Spectacle lens technology has over the years, developed to produce thinner, lighter lenses, special coatings and light sensitive lenses – all designed to improve your vision and make spectacles more comfortable to wear.

Single vision lenses are the simplest form of lens. They are often found in reading spectacles which correct near vision and are used for close up activity. These spectacles can cause blurred distance vision resulting in the spectacles being removed whenever you look further away. If you have good distance vision you could choose ‘half eyes’ – shallow frames with lenses for close up work that you look over the top of for distance vision.

Bifocal lenses have a prescription for near vision in the lower half and a different prescription for distance vision in the top.

Varifocal lenses progress gradually from distance strength at the top to reading strength at the bottom. Unlike bifocals, they do not have a distracting dividing line. A more modern and cosmetically appealing option the varifocal lens is the lens of choice for most professional, business and active spectacle wearers.

How do I find an optician?

• Find an Optometrist / Optician from a searchable database of practices listed on the website of the General Optical Council.
• Optometrists / Opticians in the UK can be found by a search feature on the NHS Choices website.
• Optometrists / Opticians in Wales are listed in the NHS Wales Directory.
• Optometrists / Opticians in Scotland may be found in the organisations section of the NHS Scotland website.
• Find a local optician through a business directory such as Contact & Corneal Lens Centre
• see also another website on Glasgow opticians
  

Dispensing Optician

Dispensing opticians supply, fit and sell glasses and contact lenses to a prescription provided by an optometrist (ophthalmic optician). They do not perform eye tests, but give advice to clients on the best type of glasses for their particular need.

Dispensing opticians supply and fit spectacles according to the prescription provided by an optometrist (ophthalmic optician). They measure the face and features of the patient precisely, in order to place the lenses at the right angle and ensure that the spectacle frame is comfortable and stable. They then prepare detailed instructions for the technicians who make the lenses.

If any external sign of injury, abnormality or disease of the eye is spotted, dispensing opticians have an obligation to refer the patient to a doctor or optometrist for further attention.

Dispensing opticians advise clients on the choice of spectacles, which may involve aspects such as colour vision, problems of lighting and eye safety in industry. They must know enough about the relative merits of glass, plastic, laminated, coated and reinforced lenses, to help the client choose a lens appropriate to their needs (bearing in mind their job and leisure interests). They must also understand how lenses are made and the theory underlying the prescription.

Some experienced dispensing opticians specialise in the dispensing of contact lenses, optical aids for the partially sighted, or the fitting of artificial eyes.

Graham Gentles is a qualified optician in glasgow