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Enhance your looks and feel great with the right rimless eyewear. Please register your interest for a FREE style consultation with Pauline Voce, Colour & Style Consultant of Silhouette who will help you choose a perfect pair of rimless glasses to suit your colouring, face shape and personality. Last September 21st was a big hit at our Blanchardstown practice, but Pauline will be back in Spring 2012. Phone Sandra to make an appointment at 8202900 today.
Sunglasses are fabulous if you just want to hide behind, or stand out as being up with the latest trends.
Tods sunglasses and spectacles are both beautifully crafted and designed, and also have that uber cool look that is right on trend. Tods are hitting all the right notes for discerning sunglasses wearers.
The frames below are just a small selection from our frames in stock today. Come in and see if you can blend in and stand out!.
Deficiency in essential fatty acids such as Omega 3 & 6 can lead to visual problems including poor night vision and other problems with visual, spatial and attention processing.
The retina is the part of the eye that receives light signals which are transmitted to the brain by the nerves. 30 – 50% of the retina should be made up from omega 3 fatty acid DHA. Without this main component, the signalling capacity of the retina can be reduced by more than 1000 times! Omega 3 can be found in oily fish, seafood, wild game, and some organic meats. Omega 6 can be found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, grains and dairy produce.
It is important to have these two Omegas in your diet to help with proper visual development and retinal functions.
If you are planning a journey by air this summer, here are some handy tips for lens wearers:
No, its not what you might think…….
The most common cause of blindness in Ireland is age related macular degeneration. The good news is that there are many steps you can take to avoid being struck down by this horrid disease. Our calculator can identify a variety of strategies to help you make a difference. The motivation to make the changes is up to you. The following graph identifies the major causes of blindness in the Western World. Why not call in and ask about our AMD calculator.
Mozambique Eye Care Project
Donate your old spectacles!
Dr. James Loughman, Lecturer at the Optometry Department of the DIT is our resident Optometrist in Blanchardstown on Wednesday evenings and Sundays. James is also the Chair of the ” Giving Sight National Committee in Ireland”.
James gets out on the ground delivering eye-care to the poorest in the world. Spectacles were dispensed to 600 people in Nampula in November, bringing to a total of 2,838. Most of these patients were new to spectacles and many of them practically blind. Imagine the different to their quality of life.
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Transform lives when you contribute to our repair box for Mozambique.
We do not charge for small repairs which involve our own time only, but we do encourage you to make a contribution to the Mozambique Eye-care project.
The cheap varifocal has a narrow area of clear vision centrally, and a narrow area for computer and reading due to distortions at the lens edges.
Macular Degeneration is an eye condition where your central vision gets gradually worse over time, and fine detailed work like reading becomes more difficult.
Last year we saw a patient in her 80’s who suffered from macular degeneration. She was having great difficulty reading, but assumed that nothing could be done to help her, as there’s no known cure for degeneration. However, when her daughter brought her in for an eye test we found that she also had cataracts. A cataract occurs when a clear jelly-like lens in one’s eye goes cloudy (usually with age), putting a shadow over the vision.
We referred the lady to an eye specialist in that field of expertise who removed the cataracts under operation. The cloudy lens was replaced with a clear artificial one. When a cataract is removed, the vision is no longer as dark and cloudy. Things start to look much brighter, and colours appear more vivid again.
We got a lovely letter from her daughter saying that she is now playing scrabble again! She wrote in the letter ‘Her quality of life has greatly improved. I hope that people in similar situations are aware that there is a chance that their vision can be improved’.
Even if someone feels their vision can’t get better, it’s worth having regular eye checks, just in case. You can also take eye vitamins such as Macushield to help your chances of avoiding macular degeneration later in life.
A 47 year old man recently attended our practice for an eye test. He complained of a cloud over his right eye when driving. He had pins and needles in his hands and feet, and a loss of power over the previous few days.
Alison Blay, one of our permanent opticians, tested his eyes and was concerned about his health. She referred him urgently to his GP, who in turn sent him straight to hospital. He was admitted to hospital immediately, and was there for 3 weeks. Thanks to Alison’s quick thinking, he was in the right place when he developed two blood clots and needed two heart surgeries.
We received a lovely email from him explaining what happened, ending with
‘If it had not been for the brilliant eye check up and lovely polite manner in which it was done I hate to think what would have happened. I wish to point out I am a 47 yr old male who would be fairly healthy so wouldn’t have felt a candidate for such a traumatic episode. Perhaps you could convey my heart felt thanks to Alison for probably saving my life.’
We’re delighted that he is doing well, and wish him luck in the future. Well done Alison!
Catherine ZETA-JONES and Face à Face in the film
« THE REBOUND»
In Bart Freundlich’s latest movie, «The Rebound», Catherine Zeta-Jones wears model MUSES3 Col.097.
The sober, refined sculpture of the MUSES’ front, highlights the subtle two-tone combinations
that will appeal to men and women seeking elegance and comfort.
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Crizal lenses from Essilor allow 99% of light through with their specially patented technology. Experience the difference!
It was truly astonishing to see the number of Maui Jim sunglasses being supported at the Biennial Cork week sailing event. While many sunglasses look the same, the Maui Jim sunglasses case sets them apart.
They are big – so you wont forget them. They are incredible strong so no matter what abuse you give them, you favourite sunglasses are fully protected, when you are not wearing them.
We all forget out sunglasses after sailing – a few drinks to rehydrate and engage in social banter as we re-live the races. The Maui Jim sunglasses do not get lost, you just cant forget them!
Well worth the extra bit. 
In the last two decades the number of people who have had laser treatment to correct their eyesight has risen sharply. Laser surgery involves reshaping the front surface of the eye, the cornea, with a specially equipped laser in order to improve vision. Treatment is available for long-sighted, short-sighted and astigmatic patients. However, there are limits to the degree of each condition that can be treated with the laser. If your prescription falls outside the “treatable” range for laser surgery alternative surgeries may be suitable.
What’s the difference between LASIK and LASEK?
In LASIK: a thin layer of the cornea is lifted back after being cut with a machine called a microkeratome. Then, the laser is used to reshape the internal cornea. After the tissue has been reshaped, the flap is replaced in its original position and heals quickly.
In LASEK: a thin superficial layer of corneal cells is removed and the tissue beneath is treated with the laser. Unlike in LASIK, there is no “flap” created. After laser treatment, the cell layer is replaced and the eye covered with a bandage contact lens to allow it to heal. This method allows higher levels of myopia to be treated than LASIK. However, this treatment takes longer to heal and often provides more discomfort than LASIK.
If I have Laser Can I Throw Away My Glasses Forever?
The most likely answer to this question is No. If you are under 45 and have laser surgery to correct your vision to “20/20” or as close to perfect as possible in both eyes, you will need reading glasses from your mid 40’s or 50’s onwards. If you are over 40 and have already developed a reading prescription or remove your glasses to read, then having bilateral laser treatment may mean you will need a spectacle correction for either distance or near.
I’ve heard people talk about monovision, what is this?
From mid 40’s onwards people develop different distance and reading prescriptions – see Presbyopia. Correcting both eyes with laser treatment to make them “perfect” for distance means that reading glasses are necessary. Correcting both eyes so that they are “perfect” for reading means that distance glasses will probably be needed. In Monovision – one eye is corrected for distance vision and the other for near vision. In some cases this is achieved by performing laser on one eye only and leaving the other eye in it’s natural state.
When this works, it means that reliance on glasses for both distances is done away with. However, having two eyes focussing together and corrected for the same distance is what gives us binocular vision and gives critical depth perception.
Monovision does not work for everyone, some people will be aware of visual confusion as the eyes are focused at different distances and / or that judgement of depth is impaired. This is an important consideration for those people for whom critical depth perception is required in their occupation or hobbies. Often a trial with contact lenses to simulate monovision will be offered and patients can assess for themselves how comfortable they are.
Monovison may work better for early presbyopes with lower reading prescriptions, hence the success and comfort obtained in the first number of years after treatment may not be maintained over time.
Laser Surgery has brought freedom to many spectacle wearers, however, it is a surgical treatment and as such, carries risks. Many laser clinics have opened in Ireland over the past decade and anyone opting for the treatment should be confident and comfortable with the clinic they choose. As some clinics do not perform surgery on a daily basis, the surgeon may only attend once or twice a week and in some cases may fly in and out to carry out the scheduled surgeries. Before you decide where to have laser treatment or indeed if the treatment is suitable for you ask the following questions.
| - | Will I meet the surgeon before I am booked in for treatment? |
| - | Is the surgeon available 24/7 should there be any complications? |
| - | Am I likely to need glasses again and if so in how many years? |
| - | How long has this clinic been carrying out procedures and how many patients have been treated? What percentage of them needed additional treatment? |
| - | If I need a “top-up” treatment, do I have to pay for it? |
| - | If I am comfortable with monovision now, is it a guarantee that I won’t need spectacles again? |
| - | I have dry eye, is this likely to cause me additional problems after surgery? |
Try them out for yourself… you’ll be surprised how much more enjoyable swimming will be!
This is particularly true for many men, who notice dents on their nose or between their eyes and ear.
Great quality frame ranges have models which are comfortable, light and stylish. We believe that our range are a lot wider than most others.
So if you find it hard to find glasses that don’t dig into the sides of your head?
Flashes and Floaters
These can be a sign of retinal detachment, where the inside of the eye peels away from where it should be.
(either from the top down, or from the side coming inwards)
If left untreated, a detachment can lead to blindness in the affected eye.
If you have flashes, floaters or shadows in front of your eyes, seek advice as soon as you can… it could save your eyesight!
Do you worry that every time you go to the opticians you will find out that you need much stronger glasses? Read on!
Myopia is when you have trouble seeing things far away. It happens when light entering your eye is focused before it reaches the back of your eye. It gets worse if your eye gets longer over time.
Glasses can clear your central vision by bending the light so it focuses perfectly on the back of your eye.
However, standard glasses and contact lenses can leave the peripheral image focused behind the eye. This may stimulate the eye to grow longer in an effort to clear the peripheral image, causing you to become more short-sighted.
Professor Brian Holden in Australia has made an interesting discovery. learn more about it!
Breakthrough controls myopia in children from Brien Holden Vision Institute on Vimeo.
New lenses and contact lenses are going into production. These can focus the peripheral image on, or in front of, the retina. This can reduce the likelihood of the eye elongating in an effort to clear it, slowing down the progression of your myopia. Watch this space for their availability at the practice.
Mary Browne FAOI
As it progresses, macular degeneration means a loss of central vision, affecting your ability to read, drive and recognize faces. It is a leading cause of blindness in people over 65. There is no known cure.
Research shows that smokers are up to four times more likely to develop macular degeneration than non-smokers.
One study shows that, just one year after giving up smoking your risk of macular degeneration can be reduced by almost 7%.
Your eyesight is precious. It’s never too late to quit!
Its a beautiful morning, the sun is shining today. Perhaps you will be squinting without even realising it.
These lenses change colour depending on the amount of sunshine (UV light), saving you the hassle of swapping between clear glasses and prescription sunglasses.
Now is a great time to try them out.
From now until September 31st we are offering a
If you’re not happy with them, you can return them within 30 days. We will replace the lenses with an equivalent clear pair and refund the price difference between the two.
Transitions are clear lenses with benefits:
I had them last summer, and loved them. You may need separate sunglasses for driving, as UV blockers in the windscreen prevent the lens changing colour, but they’re smashing for everything else. Why not try them out while this offer is running… you’ve nothing to lose!
Welcome to my blog about eyes. I hope you find it informative and a bit of fun too.
Mairead