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.

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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.

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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.

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A to Z of Lynne Fernandes Optometrists.

A is for Aftercare. Whether you are a contact lens wearer, or a spectacle wearer, we will always be there to look after your needs in the long term. If you need an adjustment, appointment or just some advice, just pop in and see us.

B is for Bifocals. Whether it's round segments, flat top segments, curved top segments or franklin splits. You name it, we can supply it.

C is for Contact Lenses. We fit, and supply, some of the most advanced contact lenses currently in production, including multifocal dailies, at very competitive prices.

D is for Dispensing Opticians. At our practices you will find fully ABDO qualified Dispensing Opticians to assist you with all aspects of your glasses.

E is for EyeStyle. A complete style consultation, that will ensure that your new glasses match your look, and your lifestyle.

F is for Frames. At our practices you will find some of the most exciting ranges from all around the world. Like Lindberg from Denmark, or Carter Bond from Australia.

G is for Gloucester Road. Our third practice, that we took over from Roger Owen in 2010. The practice itself has just celebrated 35 years of being an independent optometrists.

H is for Humphrey Visual Fields Test. Our 'Humphrey' machines can check your visual field in a number of different ways, and locate any defect exceptionally well.

I is for Independent Optometrists. We are not a big corporation with shareholders. We are a local business that engages with, and cares for, it's local community.

J is for Journey. We believe that a visit to the opticians is a journey, that's why we explain every step, and take care of the little details to make it as relaxed as possible for you. Like making you a tea or coffee, or calling a taxi for you when you've finished.

K is for Kids Days. We always try and inform our local communities of just how important it is for children to have regular eye tests. That's why we routinely invite school classes in for kids days, where we teach pupils about the eyes (No pun intended!), and spectacles.

L is for Lens Club. Our free to join loyalty club that gives you free single vision lenses, or £59 discount off all other lenses, every time you purchase a complete pair of glasses.

M is for Macula Screening. Our Optometrists have access to equipment that enables them to routinely screen your macula, and look for the early signs of macular degeneration.

N is for Nailsea. Our second practice, that we took over from Leech and Jones in 2007. We are proud to still be the only independent Optometrists in Nailsea.

O is for Optometrists. Our exceptional team of fully trained Optometrists will provide an extensive and thorough examination of your eyes, so you can be sure that you're in safe hands.

P is for Pressures. Our Optometrists have a number of ways to measure the pressures of your eyes, like Goldmann Tonometry, an essential screening test for the early signs of Glaucoma.

Q is for Quality. If quality is your thing then look no further than Lynne Fernandes Optometrists. You will find the best quality products, and receive the best quality service, from the best quality staff.

R is for Retinal Photography. We will use a specially adapted camera to take a photograph of your retina, which we will keep on record so that we can compare with future photo's, and look for any changes.

S is for Sunglasses. We are stockists of the world's greatest sunglasses. You will find Oakley, Ray Ban and Maui Jim sunglasses in our practices. All of which are available in prescription form.

T is for Titanium. A large amount of our frames are made from Titanium, an exceptionally strong and lightweight material, that is hypoallergenic and will outlast everything else.

U is for Unique. We believe that every patient is different, that is why you will always receive a unique personal recommendation, relating to your needs, not ours.

V is for Varifocals. In our practices you will find arguably the most advanced varifocals lenses in the world today, from manufacturers such as Essilor, and Zeiss.

W is for Wells Road. Our very first practice, that we took over from Michael Owen in 2000. The practice recently celebrated 80 years of being an independent Optometrists.

X is for X-Ray vision. We would love to say we can help you with this, but we can't! Maybe in the future...!

Y is for You. Our ethos is that everything should revolve around you, the patient. That's why every examination, and spectacle dispense, will be tailored to your needs.

Z is for Zoobug. An exciting new range of children's sunglasses that will be arriving at Lynne Fernandes Optometrists in April.


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

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Blind spot, What blind spot?!

Our eyesight is very often taken for granted, so embedded in our day to day lives that we sometimes forget just how amazing our eyes are.
Sure everybody's heard that we actually view the world upside down, until our brain flips the image around that is, but coming up are a few lesser known facts about our whole visual system, including some fun and interesting ways that allow you to 'see' them working.


Let's have a look at our blind spots!

Everyone has a blind spot in each eye caused by the optic disc at the back of the eye, the place where all nerve fibres come together to form the optic nerve. There are no photoreceptors in this part of the eye, consequently creating a blind spot.

But why don't we notice them?
When we have both eyes open the eyes are compensating for each other. The left eye fills in the missing part of the right eyes vision and vice-versa.

But then why do we still not notice them if we close one eye?
This is the really amazing bit! Our brain 'fills in' the blind spot with an image that matches its surroundings, by either filling in a background pattern or continuing an image that is passing through the blind spot!

So is it really a blind spot if you never 'see' it?
It most certainly is, and here are two ways that you can 'see' your blind spot.

First of all, put both arms straight out in front of you with both hands pointing vertically up. Now, with your others fingers clenched in, point your index fingers upwards, and your thumbs sideways so that they are pointing towards each other.













Now close your left eye and with your right eye stare at the fingertip of your left index finger. Now start slowly waving your right index finger left and right, while keeping your focus on your left index finger. You should see your right fingertip disappear as it passes through your blind spot!

Not working for you? Or still need convincing of just how big those blind spots are?

Then take a look at this!

Look straight on at the picture at arms length away, close your left eye and with your right eye focus on the small cross. You should still be able to see the white circle, but now start slowly moving closer towards the image, keeping your focus on the cross, and when you get to the right distance the white circle will disappear! Give it a go...

The eye muscles are the fastest and most active muscles in the human body, and the eye, unlike any other body part, is on hand 24/7 to work at 100% maximum capacity. After the brain, your eyes really are the most special part of you, so look after them!
Please make sure that you are having regular eye examinations, so that a qualified Optometrist can check that YOUR eyes are healthy and able to carry on doing the hundreds of amazing things that you might not have even realised they were doing.

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

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Her Majesty's choice...

A regular feature on our blog sees us take a closer look at innovative optical companies of the world, whose products you will find at Lynne Fernandes Optometrists.
Last time around we celebrated the forward-thinking and groundbreaking world of Oakley, and how they lead the way in sports performance eyewear.
Today we pay homage to Lindberg, who produce some of the finest and most exquisitely engineered frames in the world...



Started in 1969 by Hanne and Poul-Jorn Lindberg, the company has humble origins, beginning life as an independent opticians in the centre of Aarhus, Denmark. Ten years of sustained growth left Mr Lindberg feeling he had to take the next step, and being an avid designer himself, began designing his own range of minimalistic frames.
In 1983, Lindberg recruited the danish architect Hans Dissing, and together they designed and produced the now legendary AIR Titanium frame. For the first few years, manufacturing took place in a modest three bedroom flat that sat above the Aarhus practice.

The AIR Titanium frames started to get people talking, but it was in 1987 that things really took off when HM Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark began wearing the soon to be iconic frames.
By 1989, AIR Titanium frames were no longer exclusive to Aarhus, Denmark. In fact importers from as far away as France, Holland and even the US soon came calling.
Appearances at worldwide optical frames soon took the Lindberg brand global, and before long Lindberg could be found in almost every corner of the globe, albeit in the most exclusive corners.
The late 1990's saw new ranges of Lindberg frames including AIR Titanium Acetate, Strip 4000 and 5000 series, AIR Titanium RIM Kid and Precious 18 ct Gold eyewear range.



If the AIR Titanium frames of the 1980's were the original 'Iconic' Lindberg design, the range they released in 2003 was about to usurp it's older brother in terms of engineering excellence and worldwide appeal.
2003 saw the release of the Spirit 2000 Titanium range of rimless frames, and the range didn't just make it's way to the top of the rimless frame pile, it completely blew it's competitors out of the water with it's groundbreaking engineering and absolute simplistic design.

All Spirit 2000 frames are bespoke, and hand made to order. The possible combinations of temple design, colour, lens shape and size mean almost every frame created is unique to the wearer.
It didn't take long for the range of frames to be seen on the faces of the rich and famous, as you may notice below.

At Lynne Fernandes Optometrists you will find the Spirit 2000 rimless range, as well as the equally exceptional Lindberg Acetanium range of frames, for those who like an expertly engineered frame, but with a bit more substance...

But why take our word for it? Come and visit any of our practices to see for yourself what the fuss is all about!

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

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Wishing you a happy and healthy 2014!

We hope you all had a fantastic festive period, and are looking forward to the new year as much as we are!

2013 was a great year for Lynne Fernandes Optometrists (LFO), a couple of new faces joined our team, a couple of new frame ranges joined our collection and rather a few new faces visited Lynne Fernandes Optometrists for the first time!

Last year saw an excellent number of new patients getting their eyes thoroughly examined at 'LFO' for the first time, and also saw us involved in more community projects than ever before.
We introduced two fantastic new members to our team, Vicki at our Gloucester Road practice, and Natasha at our Nailsea Practice. We also introduced some new frames to our already extensive collections, most notably our 'Wolf' eyewear collection that has been extremely popular.

It was also a great year for the development of our Staff, as we saw Emma successfully progress onto the second year of her 'Dispensing Opticians' course with ABDO, and also saw Lauren start her first year on the very same course. Both Emma and Lauren are doing incredibly well and we wish them the very best of luck for their studies this year, not that they need it.....!
A special mention must also go to two other members of our team who are also studying extremely hard for their respective courses. Tash and Katy, both at our Wells Road practice, are currently making very good progress through the 'Worshipful company of spectacle makers' course, an organisation dating back to 1629! Well done to you both.

2013 also saw us expand our social media network, meaning more people than ever before can keep in contact with us via a whole range of services like Facebook, Twitter, our website and our blog! Look out this year for some new and exciting platforms that we will be available on, like Pinterest, coming soon....

And finally....

In 2014 there are exactly 525,600 minutes.... an eye examination at 'LFO' takes 30 minutes.... So, if you are overdue an eye test you cannot argue you do not have the time! Please book in, they are very very important!

All the team here at Lynne Fernandes Optometrists wish you the happiest, and healthiest 2014.

Thank you for taking the time to read this week's blog.