Vision

Leave a comment Posted on August 26, 2014 Patient Talk, Vision

” Cam Finds his Voice” – Watch this inspiring documentary about a blind boy whose music career is taking off.

Cam Dawson

Things will always change really and one of the biggest things that can change in your life is yourself.

In 2013 Cam Dawson left his home for a new life in Auckland… a terrifying and exciting move for a boy who is blind. Now 14, Cam’s music career is taking off as he finds both his confidence and his voice.

With thanks to Roundhead Studios

“How does one go about writing a song? Cam Dawson was surprised to find out he could sing. Now that he has, he’s finding his voice, and asking a lot of questions… What do the words mean to me? How should it sound? How do I portray feeling?

‘The idea is to have an impact on me, and also mean something to the people who are going to listen to it.’

Although it’s early days, now that he’s discovered his voice he’s keen to see how far he can expand on this gift.

So are we Cam.

We can’t wait to see where this next chapter of your life leads. If you like this piece of extra content, check out Cam’s MiniDoc and watch his full Documentary.”

Leave a comment Posted on August 14, 2014 Vision

Some reasons to book an eye exam Part Two. Check out this brilliant infographic!

Last week we share a blog post which gave some reasons for booking an eye exam. You can read the post here.

Since they we have been asked to share this brilliant infographic which gives some great background and to why you should visit your optometrist a couple of times each year!

Reasons to have an eye exam

6 Comments Posted on August 12, 2014 Patient Talk, Vision

Optometrists notice increase in young people suffering from potentially serious eye conditions

Going to the opticians

A Survey of Optometrists shows two thirds have seen an increase in the number of younger patients presenting symptoms of eye conditions
Almost half are concerned that people will start losing their sight, or suffering from conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts at a younger age
Increased use of screens is considered one of the major reasons for deterioration in eye health
Consumer survey shows one in 10 people would only have an eye test if they were experiencing problems
Around 45% wouldn’t get their eyes tested if they were struggling to read road signs and one in ten have even got behind the wheel of a car with blurred vision.

The number of young people who are being diagnosed with serious eye conditions is thought to be growing, according to a survey of Optometrists released today. The study saw two thirds of Optometrists say they have seen an increase in conditions such as Dry Eye disease and Blepharitis, while almost half are concerned that people will start losing their sight or suffering from conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts and age-related macular degeneration at a younger age. The Optometrists surveyed say the increased use of screens in our daily lives is one of the major factors in the deterioration of the nation’s eye health (63%).

Also the increasing prevalence of diabetes in the UK (72%), poor diets (70%), smoking (74%), not wearing sunglasses (75%) and not following a proper hygiene routine for contact lenses (62%) all contribute to the worsening of our eyes.

Three quarters of Optometrists say that they are concerned generally about the eye health of their patients, while more than 90% say they don’t think people take their eye health seriously or look after their eyes as much as they should.

Furthermore, consumer research also released today by Spectrum Thea shows one in 10 people would only have an eye test if they are experiencing problems, with less than half saying they would get checked out if they had blurred vision from screen-time, while a third wouldn’t even if they were unable to read small print.

Worryingly, for road users, around 45% wouldn’t get their eyes tested if they were struggling to read road signs from a distance and one in 10 have even sat behind the wheel of a car with blurred vision. Watch the following video for more details of the report.

Readers may also be interested in our recent blog post to celebrate National Eye Exam Month which gave five great reasons to have an eye test.

29 Comments Posted on August 7, 2014 Patient Talk, Vision

National Eye Exam Month – Five great reasons to have an eye test!

Why you should have an Eye Exam?

As August is National Eye Exam Month we thought we would share with our readers five signs that you may need an eye test.

As a person with vision issues (I’m now both long and short sighted) I know the value of regular eye tests. Being in my late forties mean that my eyesight is changing fast. So regular check ups from my optician mean that I reduce otherwise significant vision problems.

So we thought we would share with you five great reasons to have an eye test!

a) Regular and unexplained headaches. This is often a sign of worsening vision. If this applies to you them we would suggest a trip to your optician.

b) Improve your performance at work at at school/college. Regular eye examinations help children from some learning difficulties especially with reading.

c) Certain condition such as multiple sclerosis (eg optic neuritis) are often first discovered by an optometrist . Others include high cholesterol, diabetes and glaucoma. As we know early detection means early intervention.

d) Find out if you need spectacles or maybe contact lenses.

e) Finally the eyes act as a window to overall health and wellbeing.

So This August when not get you eyes test!

Leave a comment Posted on July 30, 2014 Vision

Cataract Awareness Month 2014 – when actually is it or maybe was it?

Cataract Awareness Month

Well better late than never ( or maybe too early!)

As you can see by some of the links Cataract Awareness Month kicks off in just two days time. (Or does it?)

As I mentioned before cataracts are a big issue for my family. Both my parents have had cataract operations as have two of my aunts.

I covered what to expect from a cataract operation in a previous post which you can check out here. It also gives an overview of of what a cataract actually is.

If you want to find out a bit more about Cataract Awareness Month itself then I can suggest you visit the Friends for Sight site.

Here you will notice something that rather confuses me. This page says the month is in June while Vision Texas give August as the month.

Which is correct? Does anyone care? More to the point does it matter?