How to take care of your eyes

Good eyesight is vital to a full and happy life, imagine being without it, unable to see the face of a loved one, or a beautiful sunrise. So it makes sense that you want to keep your eyes in tip top condition, here at James Doyle, Opticians in Wilmslow, Cheshire we have complied this series of eye care tips, which we hope will help you keep your eyes in great shape.

Don’t take up smoking.

You probably already know that there are many serious dangers related to cigarette smoking. One of the less-known dangers is developing Age-related Macular Degeneration(AMD). Several scientific studies have shown that the patients who did smoke were much more likely to develop AMD than those who didn’t smoke. Just another reason not to start smoking or to quit today.

Are you already a smoker ?

If so, stop. Smoking increases the chance that you will have problems with your eyes, like cataracts and other degenerative eye conditions. It can be hard to quit, but never stop trying, the latest e-cigarettes have proved very effective for those who have tried and failed to quit in the past, so, even if you’ve failed before, you still have a good chance of being able to quit in the future.

Choosing the best eye Doctor

When selecting an eye care professional, do not skimp when it comes to doing your homework on each prospective doctor’s qualifications. Check their educational background, certifications and licenses to ensure that everything is as represented. Doing these things will help you feel confident when it comes to entrusting the health of your eyes to someone new.

Build healthy eyes from the inside

What you eat is very important to the health of your eyes. A diet that is rich in vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids is helpful in maintaining good eyesight. Many vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and broccoli are rich in vitamin A. Fish and nuts can provide you with the omega-3 that you need.




Contact lens wearers

If you wear contacts, you must follow your eye doctor’s instruction carefully. If your eyes feel irritated when you put them in, it can mean that your contact lenses are damaged. Another reason could be that you are suffering from an eye problem that is just beginning to form. We would always recommend that you see your eyecare professional right away to prevent a more serious problem.

 


Stay hydrated

If you want your eyes to look and feel their best, drink lots of water. The more hydrated you are, the less you will suffer from dark circles. Hydrated skin doesn’t allow the blood vessels to show, ensuring that your raccoon eyes (dark circles) become a thing of the past.

Screen time

If you use a computer often, you should understand that it can impact your eye health. Try and build in 10 minutes in every hour when you come away from your screen.  If you feel your eyes becoming dry, blink more frequently and mention your screen usage to your Optician during your regular eye screening. You can also try to reduce the amount of glare on your monitor. You can also purchase an anti-glare computer screen. Keep the monitor at the same level as your eyes. Your eyes should look down the screen.


If you would like any further help with your eyes, please contact us on 01625 548848 to book an appointment, or visit our website.

Take great care of your eyes and they’ll last a lifetime!

Dispensing with an Optician

Here at James Doyle Opticians in Wilmslow, we value our patients eyesight, which is why we are delighted that you have trusted us to test your eyes, something we have been doing for over 20 years.

However, your eye test is only a part of the total care we offer you, our customers. Equally important is the dispensing of your glasses, should you need them. 

There are three key components to creating your ideal pair of glasses, whereas most of us only consider the first.

These are:-

1. Your choice of frames
2. The type of lenses to put into your chosen frames
3. What, if any, lens coating you need applying

Our expertise allows us to direct you to the best combination of frames and lenses, optimising your vision, not something that many of us consider when we first arrive to have our eyes tested.


The first two choices are closely linked. Depending upon your prescription, not all frames will be suitable for the lenses you will need, cheaper thicker lenses will make you eyes appear magnified and cannot be fitted properly into all frames.

The thinner the lenses you are able to choose, the better the appearance of your eyes, and the lighter the glasses will be, making wearing them significantly  more comfortable.

So is it important that the Optician who tests your sight then dispenses your glasses ?

It is highly recommended that the eye test and the dispensing are performed within the same practice, but it is not essential.

However, here in Wilmslow, we pride ourselves on having not just the most up to date eye testing equipment, but also the best equipment for creating your lenses.

Once you have trusted us with the care of your eyes, we take every aspect of your vision very seriously, and bring the same level of care and expertise into dispensing your glasses as we do to calculating your prescription.

Here at James Doyle Opticians in Wilmslow we have invested in a state of the art machine, called The Impressionist and created by leading lens manufacturer Rodenstock, which has the appearance of a high tech mirror.

It is in fact a scanner which creates a completely bespoke lens blueprint for you, in combination with the frames you have selected.  This blueprint is then sent directly to the lens manufacturers where they set about creating your lenses from scratch.  Whereas most high street practices will take a standard lens and adapt it to your prescription.




The result of these bespoke lenses is to maximise your vision, they have been called High Definition lenses, due to the clarity they create.

So our expertise in eye care extends way beyond being able to give you the best possible eye test into our ability to create the perfect vision solution for you.

For an appointment call us today on 01625 548 848 or email the practice via this link.

State of the art equipment arrives at Wilmslow Opticians

Here at James Doyle Opticians in Wilmslow Cheshire, we have recently installed the most up to date scanning equipment for your eyes, an Ocular Coherence Tomographer or OCT for short. 

We are one of the first opticians to have this technology in the North West of England, until now OCT have been primarily used in macular clinics within eye hospitals.

As you will appreciate, this it will enable us to take our patient care to the next level.  

OCT  is a painless, non-contact, non-invasive imaging technique, used to obtain high resolution cross-sectional and three dimensional images of the retina, cornea and anterior chamber of the eye.

It is effectively ‘optical ultrasound’, imaging reflections from deep within the eye tissue to provide high quality cross-sectional images.

Using our OCT equipment will enable us to see below the surface of your retina and pick up on changes long before they become problems, meaning patients will be referred for treatment at the earliest stages of a condition, leading to the best long term prognosis.

We would recommend OCT scans for the following groups of people

• If you are over 60
• If you are over 40 and shortsighted
• If you have high blood pressure
• If you have diabetes
• If you have any retinal abnormalities
• If there is any family history of eye problems

Of course, anyone can have a scan even if it is just for your own interest


Remember up to 80% of vision impairment and blindness can be prevented by early detection.

The scan only takes a few minutes and can usually be done during your eye examination. It is totally safe, as the OCT uses visible light to scan the retina. Anyone can have an OCT scan done. It is totally safe, painless and nothing touches your eye.


Here are just some of the conditions OCT screening as part of your eye examination can help us monitor

• Macular drusen [dry AMD], 
• Wet macular degeneration, 
• macular hole, 
• vitreous detachment, 
• epiretinal membrane formation, 
• corneal thickness, 
• anterior chamber angle, 
• retinal naevus, 
• retinal nerve fibre thickness.

AMD is the most common cause of blindness in the over 50 age group in western society. Wet AMD can cause sudden loss of sight over a matter of days, fortunately it is less common than Dry AMD which is often described as “wear & tear”.
 
OCT can not only identify which type of AMD is present but can monitor progress, for example if you are undergoing treatment.

Macular holes are fairly rare but if caught early can be treated successfully. If untreated they affect the very centre of your vision.
OCT clearly shows even very early macular holes when they are invisible with conventional viewing techniques.

So, to summarise, here are the reasons that an OCT is recommended

• The opportunity to have the most advanced technology screen the most important part of your eye.
• Early detection of preventable changes.
• Accurate comparison of your eye health from one year to the next.
• Improved referral if necessary.

For more information or to book your appointment today please call 01625 548848 or contact us by email via our website at James Doyle Opticians, Wilmslow.

James Doyle Opticians Celebrating 21 Years in Wilmslow

We are delighted to be celebrating 21 happy years in Wilmslow and want to say a huge thank you, to you, our loyal customers for your continued support.

Over the last 21 years we have seen many changes in our town, businesses have moved,  expanded and some have sadly closed down.

Who can remember when The Ian Anthony Porsche dealership was based in the centre of the town ? We can also cast our minds back to when Rex buildings housed our local cinema and pubs that used to be banks….much has changed, whilst much has remained the same.

So we are very proud to have been here at 53 Alderley Road, adapting to an ever changing world and continually striving to provide the very best eye care for our patients. 

We would love to hear your thoughts about what Wilmslow has been like over the last 21 years and what you are hoping the next 21 will hold ?

Thank you again for your custom and we look forward to seeing you in the near future.

Back To School Eye Tests, Wilmslow, Cheshire

With the summer holidays drawing to a close over the next few weeks, here at James Doyle Opticians, Wilmslow, Cheshire, we are advising that parents should be adding an eye test to the list of “back to school” jobs that need to be completed for their children.


Research has estimates that a million children have an undetected vision problem, while almost 70% of UK schools do not have eye screening in what was described as "an absolute public health disgrace" by Bob Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Optometrists. "There are problems which can be corrected in young people's eyes and yet it's a buried issue, an unknown issue, that children are losing out on a good education because they can't see."

The effect of poor eye care on a child cannot be underestimated. Many children are diagnosed as dyslexic before it is realised they actually had a vision problem.

Children with sight problems will often struggle to learn to read. They find once their vision is corrected they are able to make sense of what is written in text books and on whiteboards, and the process of learning becomes a great deal more straightforward.

Ideally all children who are being diagnosed as dyslexic should have a full eye examination as a matter of course. Whilst it won't be the issue for all children, but it may be for some.

Many childhood eye conditions, such as lazy eye and squint, can be treated if they are picked up early as the eye and visual system are actively developing during the school years. Because of the way the brain adapts to information it receives, the children themselves may not be aware that they cannot see as well as everyone else, or may not be able to articulate their vision difficulties. Teachers can easily mistake a child struggling to see as having behavioural problems, whether they are socially withdrawn or attention-seeking and
over-boisterous.

There seems to be a wide lack of understanding about eye health.

At James Doyle we  would urge parents to remember taking their children to see the optician is just as important as the trip to the dentist or having their feet measured.

Call today to book your Back To School eye test on 01625 548848

EYE HEALTH FACTS

■ NHS sight tests are free to children aged up to 18 in full-time education, and help towards the cost of glasses is available.

■ Children do not need to be able to read to have a sight test, as optometrists can use pictures instead of letters.

■ Only 7% of children aged under 5 are taken to the opticians.

■ 15% of secondary schoolchildren have never had their eyes tested.


■ An eye test can detect health problems such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Chanel Sunglasses - The Must Have Accessory

Chanel began in 1914, created by the style icon Coco Chanel who opened two boutique stores in France.

It is one of the few brands that has never gone out of fashion, never even faultered, and is coveted by the rich, famous and stylish the world over.

Credited with creating the quilted handbag, the 'No. 5' perfume, and the little black dress, The House of Chanel has led the fashion world season after season.

Recognisable even without seeing the famous double 'C' logo; Chanel style is timeless, fitting in with 50s and 60s glamour just as much as with today's modern woman.

Chanels sunglasses are typically dark - classic black features heavily - with oversize lenses.

They often take style cues from Chanel's other ranges - quilted sunglasses

and chain sunglasses are inspired by different aspects of Chanel bags. 

 

 

To view our full range of Chanel eyewear, please visit us at our Practice in Wilmslow, Cheshire.

Bright Eyes - See a New You

Have you ever wished your eyes had a more defined colour ?

Or perhaps you've always wondered what you would look like with eyes of a totally different colour.

Well now you can find out.

Here at James Doyle Opticians in Wilmslow, Cheshire we stock the most up to date tinted and coloured contact lenses from AIR OPTIX® COLORS.

The new Air Optix colours are made from Silicone Hydrogel and therefore breathable which is healthier for the eye, infact they allow 6x more oxygen through to the eye than standard lenses. 

There are two ranges to choose from,  a vibrant colour range which completely changes the colour of your eyes and a subtle range to enhance your own eye colour. 

Either of these stunning ranges are available with or without vision correction.

The new AIR OPTIX® colours are also more comfortable to wear than other coloured lenses as the colour is integrated into the lens itself, rather than coated onto the surface.  

This leads to a 3 in 1 effect on the eye.

Our staff here in our Wilmslow Practice are trained colour technicians, one of only 4 practices to offer this level of service, which means that our staff are trained to help you choose a color best suited to your hair colour and current eye colour.

So as you can see AIR OPTIX COLORS are far more than just coloured contact lenses - they are a statement