'Poem about losing my glasses'

This week we celebrate a poem that brilliantly sums up the often comical side of wearing glasses!



'Poem about losing my glasses'


The place is unfamiliar
my face is bare
I've mislaid my glasses
I've looked in my glasses case
but they're not there
and I need my glasses
to find my glasses
but I'll be alright
I've got a spare pair

somewhere


John Hegley
from "Glad to wear Glasses"


Thank you for taking the time to read this weeks blog from all at Lynne Fernandes Optometrists.

Follow us on Blogger and 'like' our Facebook page to keep up to date with all our latest news.

Watery eyes? It could be that you have Dry Eye.

Today we take a closer look at 'dry eye' syndrome.

So what is dry eye syndrome? 

Dry eye means that your eyes may not be producing enough tears, that the tears which are being produced are of poor quality or that the tears that are produced evaporate away. The normal function of tears is to keep the surface of the eye wet and lubricated, so any shortage of tears or reduction in their quality can produce a gritty, burning sensation of the eyes and can also effect your vision.

Symptoms of dry eye -

• Dryness
• Burning, itching or gritty feeling
• Excessive watering
• Irritation from wind or smoke.
• Blurred vision
• Tired eyes
• Red eyes

 

How can I have dry eye if one of my symptoms is persistent watering?

This is one of the most commonly asked questions as it is also one of the most common symptoms of dry eye. If there is a problem with your tear film your tears will tend to evaporate away, your eyes in an attempt to reduce dryness compensate by flooding the eyes with tears, but often theses tears are not of the right quality and do not help the problem and the cycle continues.

 

Why might I be having problems with my tears?

The tear film is a complex structure which is made up of three layers, a sticky mucous layer produced by glands across the eye, a watery layer containing nutrients produced by the lacrimal gland, and an oily layer to prevent the tears from evaporating, this is created by the meibomian glands. The meibomian glands run vertically in the upper and lower eyelids, just behind the roots of the lashes and these can sometimes become blocked, this is generally caused by another condition called 'blepharitis', and there are products that we can provide that can help to unblock these glands and get the oily layer protecting your tears again.
Another reason why your tear film may be dysfunctioning is due to your environment or your lifestyle. Air conditioning, dehumidifiers and even sitting directly in front of an open fire can all have an effect on the production of tears, as can your diet, particularly if you are not getting enough omega-3.

Is there a treatment for this?

Most definitely! At Lynne Fernandes Optometrists we run a dry eye clinic which is designed to get to the root of your dry eye symptoms. As explained above, there are many reasons as to why you could have dry eye so what's important before you start buying various products, is to have a qualified dry eye specialist take a closer look at what is the problem. If you are experiencing a problem with your meibomian glands for example, then we can supply you with some blepharitis products. If it turns out that working in a dry environment is causing your dry eye, we can supply you with artificial tears which act as the good quality tears that your eyes need. But until we know what's causing the problem it's difficult to know which products will work for you.


Dry eye syndrome is very common and can affect men and women of all ages, so if you are effected by any of the symptoms listed above then call in to any of our practices and book in to our dry eye clinic today.


Thank you for taking the time to read this weeks blog from all at Lynne Fernandes Optometrists.

Follow us on Blogger and 'like' our Facebook page to keep up to date with all our latest news.

Retinal Detachment

Owen Paterson the Environment Secretary has undergone urgent retinal detachment surgery.

What is a retinal detachment?

• Retinal detachment occurs when the retina separates from the back of the inside of the eye.
• If a retinal detachment is not detected and treated quickly it may result in the loss of some or all the vision in your eye.
• Most retinal detachments happen because a tear or hole in the retina allows fluid to leak between the retinal layers and this then causes the retina to detach.
• Holes in the retina can occur because of changes that happen as you age.
• Tears happen because the retina has been pulled and torn. 
• Tears mostly occur when the vitreous gel suddenly becomes detached from the retina (known as acute posterior vitreous detachment or PVD). 
• Most gradual PVD does not result in retinal detachment.
• A direct blow to the eye may cause a retinal detachment.
• Other eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy can result in fibrous scar tissue forming inside the vitreous and on the surface of the retina. This scar tissue can then pull on the retina (traction) causing a detachment. This type of traction on the retina can also pull the retina away from the back of the eye.

Retinal detachment is rare. It only occurs in about 1 in 10,000 people each year. 

Retinal detachment can happen to someone of any age but is very rare under the age of 16 and most commonly happens to people aged between 60 and 70 years.
This is because changes to the vitreous gel are very common in older people.
For the vast majority of people these changes do not result in any serious complications. 

Another group - of younger people who are short sighted - are also at risk because their vitreous gel, which is not as firm as it should be, detaches from the back of the eye earlier. 



Those at increased risk
You have an increased risk of retinal detachment if you: 

• are very short sighted (more than minus 6.00 D)
• have had trauma (injury or blow) directly to the eye
• have already had a detachment in one eye, then there is an increased likelihood of a detachment in the other eye. Between 2 and 10 per cent of detachments occur in both eyes
• have a family history of retinal detachment.

Symptoms

• you experience a recent onset of floaters or change to the nature or numbers of your floaters
• you suddenly experience new flashing lights
• you experience a dark shadow moving up, down or across your vision
• your vision suddenly becomes blurred, especially if any of the other symptoms of flashing lights, floaters or a shadow are present

What can you do?

In Bristol
If you have the symptoms that may suggest a retinal detachment you can attend Bristol Eye Hospital A&E under the NHS or a local opticians practice privately for an emergency appointment.
At Lynne Fernandes Optometrists we charge £45 for a private emergency appointment.


Elsewhere in neighbouring areas.

In some areas of Somerset the NHS has set up optician based emergency appointments funded by the NHS
In Wales the NHS pays for emergency appointments at opticians.
Yes there are postcode differences to NHS eye care provision.



What can we do?
Lynne Fernandes has been working on behalf of the Local Optical Committee with national support to persuade the local NHS to set up an optician based emergency appointment scheme.

Our private emergency fee has deliberately been set at the same level that the NHS fund opticians in Somerset to carry out these types of appointments.



Thank you for taking the time to read this weeks blog from all at Lynne Fernandes Optometrists.

Follow us on Blogger and 'like' our Facebook page to keep up to date with all our latest news.

How to keep your eyes healthy.

Everyday we are bombarded by campaigns and advertisements on how to look after ourselves, and stay fit and healthy. So we all know what to do to keep the ticker going, and about low density lipoproteins and high density lipoproteins, and which one is the 'bad' one and what will stop our arteries from becoming 'furry', but how many of us know how to keep our eyes healthy?

We asked Corrina, our resident Optometrists at our Gloucester Road practice, to provide some advice as to what we can all do to keep our eyes healthy.

1 - Diet

We do tend to forget that our eyes are attached to our body so naturally of course they can be affected by diet. The best foods for your eyes are dark green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach, these are high in two nutrients called Lutein and Zeaxanthin, which when in your body are found only at your macula. This is the very central area of your retina and so the area which provides your most detailed vision. People with higher levels of these pigments are found to be less likely to develop Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

AMD is a progressive condition that typically affects older populations leading to a gradual loss of their central vision, in turn making certain tasks such as reading and driving more difficult. AMD is the leading cause of blindness in the Western World.

The biggest risk factor is age, and as we have unfortunately yet to find a cure, we need to look at other factors which can reduce our chances of developing AMD. Certain medications may not allow people to eat green vegetables but you can get these pigments in other foods that are primarily yellow in colour such as egg yolks, corn and yellow peppers.

Still on diet, fatty acids are also essential for eye health, particularly Omega 3 and 6. We know that docosahexaeanoic acid (DHA) also known as Omega 3 is essential for healthy brains, nervous system and developing infants. Your photoreceptors (light sensitive cells) are packed with DHA as it is important for their function and survival. Fatty acids are believed to reduce the risk of AMD progression and not only is DHA important for your retina but also for your tear film.

2 – Lifestyle

There are also lifestyle changes which can keep your eyes healthy. One such thing is smoking. Everyone knows the general health risks with smoking such as breathing problems, cancer and a shorter life expectancy and if that isn’t enough to put you off, smoking can also plays its part in causing blindness. Smokers are twice as likely to develop AMD than non-smokers and also more likely to develop cataracts sooner.

Many people everyday work in an office based environment where there seems to be a constant stream of air conditioning or heating or they are sat at a desk looking at a screen for long periods. Many of these people can have symptoms of dry, red or sore eyes. This is usually indicative of evaporative dry eye which is where the oily part of our tears is insufficient and so leads to tear evaporation. Keeping hydrated and having a diet containing Fatty acids can help to reduce these symptoms. If you are looking at a screen most of the day, then make sure that you are taking breaks regularly, our blink rate drops significantly when we are staring at screens, so it is important to take a 20 second break, every 20 minutes or so.
Sometimes that just isn't enough which is why we run a dry eye clinic, especially designed to get to the root of the problem.

3 - UV Protection

UV protection is important for our eyes. We all know to slap on the sun cream to protect our skin but it is always surprising how few people know that UV exposure can also affect our eyes. UV exposure accelerates progression of AMD and cataracts as well as cosmetic changes to the anterior (front) surface of your eyes. It is essential to wear UV protection in the form of sun spectacles when it is sunny outside, it needs to offer you 100% UV protection. This is extremely important for children's eyes as well as they can receive up to 80% of their recommended life time UV exposure before the age of 18.

There is also another type of UV light which falls at the blue/violet end of the light spectrum. This type of light is actually emitted from screens such as computers, tablets and smart phones, something you most likely use every day. Accumulative effects of this type of UV are believed to accelerate the onset of AMD. Nowadays there is no escaping these devices, so to protect your eyes you can have a coating placed on spectacle lenses which will filter out this range of light. When you are next in just ask us about Crizal Prevencia.

4 - Regular Checks

Having regular eye examinations can also keep your eyes healthy. Many people assume that eye examinations are only for people who wear spectacles, this is untrue. Whilst during an eye examination at Lynne Fernandes Optometrists we do assess vision and examine the need for spectacles we will also check the health of your eyes and give you advice on what to do to look after them. Many eye conditions such as glaucoma are asymptomatic in its early stages and it is important to check for these conditions as the aim of the game is to detect before there is a problem.

So how many of these things do you do? There are plenty of ways to keep your eyes as healthy as possible and reduce your chances of developing an array of eye problems. In a nutshell, have a healthy balanced diet, plenty of greens and yellows with some oily fish too. Wear UV protection, don't smoke and come in and see us at least every 2 years, we don’t bite!


Thank you for taking the time to read this weeks blog from all at Lynne Fernandes Optometrists.

Follow us on Blogger and 'like' our Facebook page to keep up to date with all our latest news.