Hi all,
I know it was a long time ago now but in some respects it is nice to get back to normality as my eating and drinking habits over Christmas & New Year have been very bad, far too much food and drink which has played havoc with my BG levels so I need to pull my finger out and get back on track 🙂
As you may or may not already be aware I have had numerous problems with my eyes and ensure I have regular eye checks to make sure nothing is missed, for my Diabetes Care I attend the Western Eye Hospital in London where I go each year – this is my last blog Western Eye Clinic.
I have also been to Specsavers for the past 5 years to basically check my vision where as the Western Eye Clinic is looking at issues with my eye health and any related Diabetes damage like Retinopathy etc. The reason I chose Specsavers is that the service I have received from Maidenhead Store has been superb and they give a great range of tests not just interested in selling you a new pair of glasses.
So I received my yearly reminder in the post and called to book my appointment at Maidenhead which as always is very easy and at a time to suit me. My appointment was on Saturday 3rd January and I was luck enough to be seen by the Branch Manager Lisa which at the time I was unaware of. Lisa went through the eye checks with me “s last pair of glasses to get an idea of how much her eyes have changed since her last eye test”, I also had a Visual Fields Test due to the amount of Laser I have had done previously for the treatment of Retinopathy – this basically involves resting your chin on the edge of a large round ball which the lights up small lights inside at different positions, you then push a button to tell the computer when you have seen each light. All these test went very well in my eyes “Sorry excuse the pun”
I was then taken in to see a very nice Optometrist called Helen who spoke to me first about my lifestyle and Medical history, Helen then went through various checks as follows and these details were taken from the Specsavers web site which is very helpful :
1. The Retinoscope
The optometrist may use an instrument called a retinoscope, which bounces a light beam off the back of your eye and back into the instrument. Different lenses focus the reflected light beam until it is steady, giving a close guide to the prescription you need.
The retinoscope is very accurate – it is used to test the sight of very small children, or people with communication difficulties who can’t easily describe how clearly they can see.
2. The test chart
The optometrist fine-tunes his findings by asking you to read the test chart through different strength lenses. The results for one eye often vary from those for the other, so each eye will be tested individually before both eyes are finally tested together.
The optometrist flips different lenses in front of your eyes that change how clearly you can see. Depending on your answers, the optometrist changes the lenses until you have the clearest, most comfortable vision possible.
3. Using the ophthalmoscope
The optometrist uses an ophthalmoscope to examine the retina at the back of the eye, including the blood vessels and the front of the optic nerve. This important test can detect changes which can indicate diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
The optometrist darkens the room and sits quite close to you, while they shine a bright light into each eye in turn using the ophthalmoscope. The light may leave shadows on your vision, but these soon fade.
4. The oxo box
You are also asked to focus on an oxo box, and say whether the illuminated lines are in line horizontally and vertically.
This indicates whether your eyes work well together – balanced and co-ordinated eyes are essential for clear comfortable vision.
5. Testing your focus
The optometrist may test your ability to focus at varying distances to decide if you need different prescriptions for distance and reading.
After this I sat down with Helen to go through her findings which for me was all okay, the only issue I have is sitting in front of a laptop all-day and having to strain to see the words clearly, we decided pair of specific VDU glasses could help. We then looked at the digital images of the backs of my eyes which are incredible to see as I could see all the scarring from the laser treatment I have had going back about 7 or 8 years – all this laser also affects my night vision massively but nothing I can do about this.
Finally, I was then introduced to Jamil who showed my lots of different frames some good and some not so good unless you are someone like Will I Am, we decided on two pairs of frames one for VDU work and one pair for normal day to day wear. I collected my glasses 1 week later and I was extremly pleased with the quality/price and service so I would highly recommend giving them a try.
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