 | Ian Robertson Optometrist
Optometrist & Contact Lens Consultant
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Hints & Tips
Does Your Optical Correction Affect Your TENNIS Game?? |
A survey showed that some 40% of regular tennis players may require a corrective optical prescription to remove blur or image distortions. Many optical distortions experienced by spectacle wearer could be eliminated by contact lens wear. This is so because contact lenses move with your eyes and stay centred on your eye when the eye undergoes the extreme eye movements in tennis. This is especially so for soft contact lens wearers. Even if you require reading correction as well, contact lenses can still be an option with multifocus contact lenses or what is called monovision. Tennis players can find contact lenses comfortable and less cumbersome than spectacle while playing. There is then the potential benefit of IMPROVING YOUR GAME!!! Call us for any further advice and even a trial fitting.
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What have these got in common? Not a lot – just that they seem to be more common at this time of year. With summer approaching there is the need to protect our eyes from the extra intensity of Ultraviolet radiation. In winter there is still UV present – so we need to be mindful of protection at this time too. Even if the light does not seem bright, you still need to protect the eyes from the unseen, damaging ultraviolet light. Ahhhhhchoo!! Yes, hay fever and other allergies are around also. It may affect your eyes, nose or both. While there are many eye drops on the market, it is better to have the problem diagnosed properly to obtain the best form of medication. There are other tear problems that can occur which may give eye irritation and also a breakdown in the tear layer may in fact make the affects of allergies worse. We can assess this for you. |  |
. . . that is the question.
The importance of T.V. in the normal development of your child cannot be underestimated.
It has taken the place of general play activities involving children in the use of their whole body - important in developing gross motor skills and eye and hand co-ordination.
It has not allowed parents and children to interact in normal conversation as the family sits in front of the TV while eating their meals.
If too much time is spent watching TV or playing video games (or on the computer as well), the childs motor skills lapse. He doesn't go and kick the football, hit the ball, play in the sandpit, build a cubbyhouse, use his / her imagination and play 'pretend' games. The child merely sits in front of the TV and is bombarded with sounds and pictures which doesn't have to be interacted with - the child is a passive receiver. The development of language requires the child to listen and respond to their own verbalisations, not just to an input to their ears.
In terms of the competition that children face these days, they cannot afford to find themselves falling behind. They need more stimulation and practice to develop these skills. If he or she has a visual problem as well then it can add to the childs difficulties. It has been found that up to 23% of school children have a visual disorder which may affect their performance. A comprehensive examination is required to find out if the eyes are functioning well to cope with current demands.
WILL IT DAMAGE MY EYES??
There is no firm research regarding radiation from a TV, so until proven otherwise it may be wise to sit further away.
SHOULD THE LIGHTS BE ON??
The room should be evenly lit so that the TV does not appear to be a bright source of light. Do not have a light on top of the TV which will cause glare. IT is preferable to sit upright facing the screen, not lying on your side.
IS IT BAD FOR MY EYES??
No, but it's not good for your child's general development of motor and language skills if done to excess. Time away from the TV is time well spent. |  |
Does your child show any of these signs? - Covers or closes one eye when reading
- Complains of words moving on the page
- Complains of eyestrain
- Complains of blurred vision on board
- Complains of headache
- Poor reading comprehension
- Complains of double vision
- Loses place when reading
- Complains of blurred vision when reading
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| - Rubs eyes
- Inattentive
- Holds book very close
- Skips words and lines often
- Uses finger to keep place
- Slow to copy off worksheets
- Trouble copying off board
- Reverses letters or numbers
- Untitdy handwriting
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If you answered "Yes" to any of the above - then there may be a visual problem.
These problems can affect learning.
I have a special interest in these problems and can assist your child to improve these skills.
Simply call 9721 2722 for an appointment |  |
We've all experienced this temporary irritation, but it could mean more later on. Smoke absorbed by the body can become toxic and damage the lens in the eye.
Smokers are more likely to develop cateracts - which is a clouding of the lens which impairs vision. Smokers are also more likely to experience stroke which can lead to loss of vision or even death; and to develop macula degeneration which is one of the leading causes of vision loss in the western world.
So smoking, even passively, is not good for your health. On a more positive note, smokers who quit the habit significantly decrease the risk of developing these diseases. |  |
Road Rage.... Drive Safely! |
Many people are enraged by traffic 'offenders'. Most of us are aware that alcohol, fatigue and speed contribute to road accidents. But few consider vision to be important. Some 80-90% of the information the brain receives from around us is visual. Surely an important factor.
Alcohol affects our vision system. Fatigue affects our vision system. Speed affects our vision system. In turn if our vision system is not 100% then it can make us more fatigued and make it difficult to judge distances and speed so we should keep our vision and visual system in top condition so it can cope with the requirements of the driving task.
Especially as we get older there are changes that occur in our eyes that make it more difficult. There is a slower recovery from glare of headlights and loss of clarity and contrast from diseases such as cataracts. There is no second chance unfortunately. One in five drivers has a vision defect which may affect driving. You owe it to yourself and others to have a regular vision examination to make sure that your vision is up to standard - so you wont be the cause of someone's 'road rage'. |  |
Low Vision? High Benefit! |
If you suffer from low vision it doesn't mean 'nothing more can be done' as people are often told. Optometrists play a leading role in low vision care and giving back a persons daily independence.
Low vision does not just affect the elderly; children also are affected. For example, telescopic systems are available to help pick out street sign, bus numbers or the football scoreboard.
We can prescribe special visual aids to help with near tasks such as sewing or working in the kitchen. Some of these magnifying aids are also useful for persons with more normal vision to boost small details such as in embroidery or electrical circuitry.
We have a comprehensive range of specialist magnifiers for these purposes. |  |
For users of binoculars we have a few tips on the correct procedure to adjust them for the best view....
- Adjust the two hinged 'tubes' so that each eyepiece is centred in front of each eye - this should give a single image of the object being viewed.
- Close the right eye and focus the object by turning the central focus only. You may wish to make any small adjustments to the two tubes now to give a single view.
- Now close the left eye and bring the object into sharp focus by turning the right eye focus eyepiece. Generally start at the '+' mark and turn toward the '-' mark.
- So long as the right eye adjustment has not been shifted, future focussing for different objects should be done solely by turning the central focus.
Pleasant viewing!
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Keep Your Eye on the Ball... or else! |
The majority of eye injuries, especially in children, occur through sports activities.
Princess Margaret Hospital for Children finds that the young inexperienced sports person is the more likely to have a severe eye injury.
Most eye injuries occur during social games or in the school playground.
A PMH survey found that 30% of severe eye injuries were tennis related, that is racquet or ball caused. Other injuries can occur through body contact of fingers, elbows etc in other sports.
Injuries range from lid lacerations, corneal abrasions, bleeding inside the eye to permanent loss of sight.
Yes, it is preventable.
To avoid injury during sport, simply wear appropriate eye protection.
For more information contact ian Robertson - Optometrist! | |
Antioxidants can be a helpful supplement to a good diet for protection against certain eye conditions, such as cataract and age-related macula degeneration. They are needed to rid the body of destructive free radicals often occurring in degenerating tissue. There is increasing evidence for the benefit of antioxidants. |  |
Advice to Spectacle Wearers |
Wearers may have at one time or other experienced difficulty getting used to there spectacles. This is more usual for a first time wearer with certain types of prescriptions. But can also occur in 'experienced' wearers for various reasons. Lenses can create create effects the brain has trouble dealing with. This translates as distortion of our previously normal world or as 'eyestrain'. This is normal. It is aso normal for the brain to adapt and correct these ill effects. You should be advised of what to expect from your new spectacles when you collect them - this information can be found by clicking below. | |
The WA Department of Health advises we are on average eating only half of our recommended amount of fruit and vegetables. This lack can increase the risk of a number of systemic diseases as well as eye diseases such as cataract and age-related macula degeneration. In certain people it may be beneficial to supplement this lack with additional antioxidants in tablet form. | |
EYEDROPS - Do you get them in 1st time?? |
Many people have trouble getting drops in their eyes easily. This is important when correct dosage is required as with glaucoma drops. You may think the drop went in but such under-dosage may affect treatment benefits. But equally a difficulty is having to make multiple attempts. This can be done with drops such as tear supplements for dry eyes as the extra dose (gained or lost) is of little consequence, but may cause a problem with glaucoma treatment. Click below for more information on how to correctly instil both drops and ointments. | |
Stress!Stress!Stress!!We seem to have a enough in our lives nowadays. Let's look at how we can reduce some of this stress ... our visual stress. This accounts for loss in productivity in the workplace. | |
Many problems of sore, red eyes (and eye damage that is NOT felt too!!)can be caused by some contact lens solutions. Some products and in combination with some lenses can be more problematic. Your optometrist is the best person to assist you in maintaining healthy eyes with contact wear. To do this regular examination is highly recommended. do not just 'wait til you feel something'! | |
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15A Forrest Avenue, Bunbury WA 6230
Provider Number : 0611293H Mallee Holdings Pty Ltd
A.C.N. 009232946 ABN 76 571 773 540
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