Hunstanton T&A November 2023

This month I’m reminiscing about my time at college, which overall I thoroughly enjoyed. Our days were a mixture of theory lectures and practical exercises to illustrate the point. On Monday afternoons, the last two hours of the day were generally in quite a stuffy lecture theatre, no air-conditioning in those days, and the subject was Visual Optics, a bit of a heavy subject for last thing. We learnt about accommodation, which isn’t how to find the best place to stay in town, but the action of the eye when focusing on near objects. Our lecturer, Henri Obstfeld, was insistent on the correct spelling, and just so he made sure we got it, every time he said accommodation, he followed with “double C double M”. However, being Dutch he had a lovely accent and it really came out as dooouble C dooouble M! To this day that phase still rings when I hear that word.

The optics lab was quite fun. Tasks were designed to illustrate the workings of the eye, so this meant building a model eye. The eye is filled with fluid, so that was represented by a clear plastic tank of water, like a small fish tank holding about a gallon of water. This was mounted on a pair of metal rails along with lenses representing spectacles. All these components should slide easily along the rails so that we could see how to bring an image into focus. Of course, there’s always one that doesn’t work as it should and that was ours. Some WD40 would probably have been useful, but I thought just brute force would do it. Placing one hand on the back of the tank I pushed, heard a rather worrying sound as the side cracked and the water started trickling out. As everyone gasped and I froze not knowing quite what to do, the lecturer scurried over to grab the tank off the rails and into the nearest sink. Fortunately, not too much water escaped, but I wasn’t popular for wrecking our experiment.

Our lecturers were all experts in their field. Mr Mo Jalie, now Professor Mo Jalie was the head, and has a brain like a computer. His subject was Optics and spectacle lens design, and although he explained the subject very well, he did get me a bit lost now and again with his complex calculations. One day the board was full of mathematical equations and he was scribbling away as he talked, then all of a sudden said “and Miss Taylor will give us the answer”! Oh panic, nudge to friend next to me, quick Julia get the calculator out! We managed, but I thought that was a bit of a rotten trick, as I was concentrating and not doing anything I shouldn’t have.

After two years full-time at college we had to complete a “pre-registration” year. I had found a Saturday job at a local independent optician, and luckily he offered me a post to complete my pre-reg year. He was a dispensing optician himself and his experience and guidance certainly set me on he right track. One of our lecturers had said “when you leave here you will be as green as the form” he meant the NHS sight test form as it was then. How right he was, dealing with real live patients soon made you realise that you had to drop much of the technical jargon and learn to put your point across in a way that a patient will understand, a skill in itself.

We often bump into friends and former colleagues at the various optical trade shows, Optics is a relatively small world and paths often cross. I feel very fortunate to have a fulfilling career and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Annette

 

Hunstanton T&A October 2023

Following on from Francis last month, I thought you might be interested to hear how I got into optics. As with many twists and turns of fate in life, journeys are rarely as you would expect.

None of my family were in the optical or medical world, Dad spent most of his working life with Ford Motor Company, and Mum did clerical work, finishing work at Marks & Spencers HQ in London as a comptometer (key-driven mechanical calculator) operator, that's something pre computers!

I was never the brightest kid in the class, a “plodder” I think is the term. I went to a Convent junior school, and remember the nuns teaching the 3Rs, grammar and times tables were daily routines, but it was a good standard of education. We even had elocution lessons, don't think that exists these days, and although I spoke quite nicely when I left, it probably didn't last. Time moved on and not long after I left, the Convent closed and the school made way for offices. I think I was just one of two children in the whole class who failed the Eleven Plus exam, so I found myself at the Secondary Modern school for girls. During my time there the Comprehensive system was introduced and we were amalgamated with the girls grammar school nearby. It was a good time and I left with nine good CSE, Certificate of Secondary Education, passes, equivalent to “O” levels at the time. I went into the sixth form, but struggled with A Levels, ending up with just one, Needlework, so what good is that? It is useful when you need to fix the curtains or make your own clothes. I have three French O levels as I couldn't get the A Level! Music was becoming a greater part of my life and at least I could do music O Level in the sixth form. I thought being a music teacher would be a good idea, but as I hadn't got the A Level, I had to get grade 8 in piano. Although I was awarded a place at teacher training college, I only had the one A Level and then failed my grade 8, it was all going wrong! Through a music society that we had joined we met a charming couple, Mr & Mrs Pierson. My mother was bemoaning the fact that her daughter was not turning out to be the talented musician she had hoped, and was rather losing her way, Mr Pierson, a retired Optometrist, mentioned that I had enough qualifications to be a Dispensing Optician. Although we all wore spectacles we had never thought about a career in that field. School had never suggested anything of the sort, as if you weren't bright enough to go to university no-one came up with any ideas. However, I looked into it and it was really a matter of “well I'll have to do something I'll try that”, such enthusiasm! I left school, which was later demolished to make way for further development.

I remember the interview for The City and East London College, Bunhill Row. Armed with proof of my qualifications and necessary paperwork, I remember being quite nervous. It was all over in about five minutes, checked qualifications and “OOH you play the piano, that's good, we need a pianist for the college pantomime, you're in! See you in September!”  So the joke is that music got me into optics and yes I did accompany the pantomime, although I did have to persuade mother that the tone of it would not be to her liking, so please don't come!

The Dispensing Opticians course was two years full-time, I had always enjoyed science and maths subjects, but physics and optics were quite new to me. I was very pleased to meet up with my now long-time friend, Julia, who was more of a whiz with the sums. She could explain that a nanometre was something very small and you can prove a mathematical formula whereas I would be happy to take the lecturers word! I think I'll need next month to tell you of some of the things we got up to at college, apart from the pantomime. After two years we passed our professional exams and then had to do a “pre-reg” year in practice, before we could be let loose on the public. Needless to say, a couple of years after we left, the place was bulldozed in favour of yet more shiny offices!

Dear Mr Pierson was a partner in his own practice and was always interested in my career, he died at the grand age of 101. Mrs Pierson was the pianist and was always interested in my music, and she had a lovely Steinway grand piano. How fortunate was I to have met such lovely people on life's journey.

Annette

 

Hunstanton T&A September 2023

I feel like I have had a month off in September, as our resident Optometrist, Francis, volunteered to contribute his story. I’m always interested to find out how folks end up in the job they do, was it out of choice? or like myself, desperation as I had to do something!  None of Francis’ family were involved in Optics, it was his biology teacher that suggested the optics world might be a subject that would interest him, I’ll let Francis do the talking for a change!

What do you know?

Sometimes as an eye care practitioner, I do get quizzical looks when conducting an eye examination. The process of qualifying, and retaining qualification, has changed quite considerably since I qualified in 1993. This article is to give a brief rundown on how we get to knowing what we know.

Firstly- School. To gain entry to university, we need to have a decent set of “O” levels, and now GCSEs. With lots of hard work (remember I went through my entire schooling as an undiagnosed dyslexic and dyspraxic), I achieved high passes in 9 subjects. “A” levels were a whole different ball game, and eventually I got enough from my 3 subjects to get to university. Bit of a struggle, but we got there. University - This is where things got hairy. I worked long and hard with little academic success. Practicals were much better than written, but again I had to work hard, and yes, you may be surprised by this, we studied contact lenses, as well as associated contact-lens induced eye issues! Post University -We had to do PQE’s (Pre Qualifying Exams) totalling 10 in all. All 10 had to be passed, and there were 3 attempts to pass. Got it on the 3rd go! So, January 1994 I became M.B.C.O.- now it’s M.C.Optom. And my studies were finally finished……………….

CET/CPD - Not so fast my friend!! Thanks to Dr Shipman, Continuing Education and Training (CET) came into being, now CPD (Continuing Professional Development). Over a 3 year cycle, we have to get 36 points, over 8 core subjects, either via online lectures and papers, or Peer to Peer facing lectures, discussion forums etc. As registered eye care practitioners (ECPs), we are constantly studying/ reading to improve our all-round knowledge. My dispensing colleagues also have to attain 36 points in a 3-year cycle too. Let’s not talk about contact lens opticians and IP (Independent Prescribing) Optometrists. So, what do we know? Well, if you have made it this far- WE KNOW ALOT.  I hope this informs you that there’s a whole lot more than “which is better 1 or 2?”. It’s ongoing.

Francis B.Sc., P.G. Dip., M.C.Optom.

Which means, Batchelor of Science degree, Post Graduate Diploma in Cataract and Refractive surgery. Member of the College of Optometrists. Who’s a clever boy then!

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around August 2023

Following on from last months topic, I thought I would continue with the Low Vision theme as the development in technology has brought great advantages to this field.

OrCam A device to assist the Severely Visually Impaired.

There are not many times in your career when you witness a brand-new product that does amazing things, but when OrCam came to the UK market in 2017 it was such an occasion. OrCam is described as “the only assistive reading device in the world” for people who are severely visually impaired. There are two versions, “MyEye” and “Read”. MyEye is the most sophisticated, described as the “wearable assistive companion”, it’s the do everything version and clips onto the side of your spectacles. All you have to do is point to what you want it to read, you hear a click like a camera shutter as it takes a photograph, and then it reads it back to you. OrCam can read any printed text, such as letters, menus, signposts and food packaging. It can be taught facial recognition so you won’t walk past someone by mistake, recognise personal items such as credit cards, bar codes on packaging, and identify bank notes. It’s one clever piece of kit, but I do think you need to be keen on technology to appreciate its capabilities. The other version is “Read” and as the name suggests, it just reads. I was very glad when they brought out this simpler version as most of my patients do just want to read something. This handheld gadget is about the size of a pen and you can wear it on a lanyard round your neck so it’s handy. Again it’s point and click, in this version there is a bright red lazer guide to aim at the text. Of course the clever tech bods that invented it couldn’t just leave it at that, they introduced “Smart Reading”, this is a voice-activated assistant so you just say “Hey OrCam read me the headlines”, or “find me the phone number”! Both versions are rechargeable, they operate completely independently and need no internet connection.  There is on-going support from OrCam if you need them and the two year warranty covers any updates and improvements that might be developed. Hunstanton Eyecare is a practice where “OrCam” can be demonstrated, so if you know of someone who has very poor sight, and loves clever gadgets, then get in touch and we can arrange a demonstration in our comfortable surroundings. Come and see us for the most appropriate eyecare.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around July 2023

My specialist subject in the optical world is “Low Vision”. We class Low Vision as poor eyesight that cannot be corrected by means of spectacles, contact lenses or surgical intervention. This will impact upon daily life and many folks will be registered as Sight Impaired.  I have run Low Vision clinics on behalf of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital since 2010 and this role is completely separate from Hunstanton Eyecare, so you might wonder why I’m going on about it, however, this expertise does come in very handy in our day-to-day practice. As a Dispensing Optician I understand eye disease and the pathology that damages eyesight, why specs will not help and why we need to resort to magnifiers and other Low Vision Aids. From the optical knowledge point of view, magnifiers and telescope systems fit in very well with our study of spectacle lenses, so it is an ideal subject for dispensing opticians. I strongly believe that low vision provision should be part of an optical practice and easily accessible, not something in a hospital environment, but sadly the majority of my peers don’t seem to agree! The last Low Vision course for dispensing opticians had to be cancelled due to lack of folks applying which I thought was very sad. Perhaps there is a perception amongst the optical profession that a Low Vision clinic is depressing because you are dealing with those with poor sight? I wish they would come and sit in with me at times so I could prove them wrong and here’s a little story:-  Last Friday Mrs Cox was booked in, our first meeting was in January 2021, she is a keen needlewoman and enjoys embroidery. That’s always a worry as trying to enable someone to see small stitches when they can’t even read large print is a challenge. Dear Mrs Cox only had useful vision in one eye and the “better” eye could only see the largest letter on the chart at half the usual distance for us fortunate fully sighted folks, but she was desperate to finish a patchwork quilt. Anyway, in my box of gadgets I have little telescopes which can be fitted into a spectacle frame and worn for hands-free close work. Being a telescope, it gives magnification but also allows a reasonable working distance. This beats the single lens of similar power as the working distance would be far too close and you would probably keep stabbing your nose with the sewing needle. We both hoped it would work. So last Friday Mrs Cox arrived, and out of her bag came the most stunning finished quilt of Peter Rabbit and all his friends! it really is a work of art. I couldn’t resist taking a photo of it and Mrs Cox is very happy for me to share it with you. She made my day, as she said she wouldn’t have been able to complete it without the Low Vision Aid I had made for her. This kind of occasion makes the low vision work so rewarding and she reminds me not to underestimate what people can achieve despite their impairments.

At Hunstanton Eyecare we do carry a large range of magnifiers and Low Vision Aids. So if you know of anyone who needs specialist help, hopefully we can provide it.

Annette

 

Hunstanton T&A. June 2023

Well, it’s been just over a month since I have been back to work, following my unfortunate hurtle down the stairs without a parachute, and it’s good to be back. Although not 100% I can do things reasonably well. The joke was that when I came back I wouldn’t be able to find things, all of us have different ways of working and also our funny little ways, like what order the pliers go in on the rack and your favourite screwdriver to hand! Julien did a fantastic job covering for me as well as keeping his General Managers hat on too, I think he deserves a medal!

One major change has been our opening times, or rather not opening, as we will now be closed on Saturdays. It’s wasn’t a decision taken lightly, but as I was out of action we couldn’t cover Saturday morning, and to be honest, not many people noticed !! As our clientele are mainly more mature, have to be careful what I say here, most people can visit us during the week. Saturdays were always very quiet and my absence gave us a chance to “test the water”. We still have our Cromer practice to provide advice if required.

Another big change is the introduction of our Hearing Service, the clinic will be every Monday and we are looking forward to welcoming Sam as our Audiologist, and his first day is already booked. It will be good to provide easy access to hearing services to our local community.

In these days of technology and an App for everything, you may notice a funny little square thing on our advert. It’s a QR code, and by waving your mobile phone in front of it you can be directed to our website, all clever stuff!

Other changes of note are our frame stock. In February this year some of our staff went to “100% Optical”, it was one of the major industry shows of the year held at Excel in London. I think they certainly deserved a jolly weekend away and they came back with some lovely new frame ranges, notably “Face A Face” a collection from Paris and “Woow” which as you might have guessed is a bit different! Come and see for yourself.

We look forward to seeing you soon

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around  May 2023.

Hearing Service at Hunstanton Eyecare.

I’ll let you into a little secret. About 12 years ago I started to wear hearing aids. Of course, I didn’t think there was anything wrong except that folks wouldn’t speak clearly. The problem first arose after my husband returned home from working abroad for several months. He kept complaining that he had to repeat everything to me, of course I said he shouldn’t mumble, shouldn’t expect me to hear him if he was in the other room and there was just too much background noise around including the TV being too loud. Well you know how it is, you have to go and get checked out, and to my disappointment my hearing was not A1. I am now on my third set of hearing aids and over the years I have found they have improved immensely with the quality of sound becoming far more natural. I can even programme them from an app on my phone, this is useful if I attend a talk and I have missed the seats at the front of the room, I can increase the volume a little and direct the focus of the aids to pick up sound from infront of me and decrease sound from the noisy folks behind me. I wear my hearing aids all day long, and I don’t mind if people notice them with my short haircut as they are so small and discreet. The difference in the clarity of sound is wonderful. In the morning I can hear the radio switching on and I know the news is giving us the daily dose of doom and gloom, but it is only when my “ears” go in that I can actually hear what they are saying. Odd things I noticed were a funny whooshing noise in the kitchen, then my husband told me it was the kettle boiling, and that old clock made a right racket with all that ticking !!

Sight and sound are our most valuable senses, and when they are not all they should be it impacts on many areas of our lives. At Hunstanton Eyecare we have looked after your eyes for many years, and feel that hearing care is a very complimentary addition to our service.

We have teamed up with The Hearing Care Partnership, to provide a comprehensive audiology service. Like us they are a family run company and value the bespoke service which is so necessary in health care. They offer a FREE hearing assessment, a great range of the latest hearing aid devices should you need them, and on-going aftercare. There are payment plans should you wish to spread the cost too. Just like spectacles, there are many products to choose from so good advice is essential.

So don’t say eh, what, pardon,!  when you visit it us for your specs, why not book a hearing check too?

We look forward to seeing you soon

Annette

 

Hunstanton T&A April 2023

Diabetes and Eyes.

Following on from our chats about eye conditions, we talked about Macular Degeneration in January and Glaucoma in February, the next major topic is Diabetes as it is the leading cause of preventable sight loss in the UK, so very important.

We hear a lot about Diabetes these days, and we should heed the warnings as it has many effects on our general health and can cause damage to our vision. Our eyesight is so affected by Diabetes that the NHS fund a routine sight test for patients with the condition, so there's no excuse!

“Diabetic Retinopathy” is a complication of diabetes. If your blood sugar levels and blood pressure are consistently high, you can seriously damage the important blood vessels that feed the retina, the sight-giving nerve layer at the back of the eye, they can get blocked, leak or grow randomly. This means the retina can’t get the blood and nutrition it needs and so can’t work properly, therefore this will affect vision. There are lots of things you can do to keep your blood sugars and blood pressure in your target range, I'm sure you've heard it all before, eat healthily, take more exercise and don't smoke. The better you control Diabetes, the lower your risk of developing serious problems with your eyes. If you do begin to develop eye complications, there are treatments to avoid long term problems - as long as they are diagnosed in time. Diabetic patients are offered a screening service, where the retina is photographed to examine for any haemorrhages, but this only views the surface and we can see that when we look into your eye. At Hunstanton Eyecare we would always recommend our OCT scan for all patients as it will pick up any anomaly in the deeper, not visible to the naked eye, parts of the retina too. Our OCT scan is far more detailed than the diabetic screenings, and as records are kept confidential, we have no way of knowing what the screening found good or bad. So don't be surprised if you are diabetic and we still say that the OCT is a very good idea, I would even say an essential part of your eye exam! We keep the records on our system so that at future tests images can be compared with those of previous times. The OCT scan is the only equipment that will confirm your  eyes remain healthy, or if we do notice a change it is likely to be small and we will have plenty of time to treat the condition before it damages your vision. So if you are diabetic, have regular eye tests AND an OCT scan, and let's make sure you have good vision for life.

We look forward to seeing you soon

Annette.

 

Hunstanton Town & Around.  July 2023.

Hearing Service at Hunstanton Eyecare.

My specialist subject in the optical world is “Low Vision”. We class Low Vision as poor eyesight that cannot be corrected by means of spectacles, contact lenses or surgical intervention. This will impact upon daily life and many folks will be registered as Sight Impaired.  I have run Low Vision clinics on behalf of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital since 2010 and this role is completely separate from Hunstanton Eyecare, so you might wonder why I’m going on about it, however, this expertise does come in very handy in our day-to-day practice. As a Dispensing Optician I understand eye disease and the pathology that damages eyesight, why specs will not help and why we need to resort to magnifiers and other Low Vision Aids. From the optical knowledge point of view, magnifiers and telescope systems fit in very well with our study of spectacle lenses, so it is an ideal subject for dispensing opticians. I strongly believe that low vision provision should be part of an optical practice and easily accessible, not something in a hospital environment, but sadly the majority of my peers don’t seem to agree! The last Low Vision course for dispensing opticians had to be cancelled due to lack of folks applying which I thought was very sad. Perhaps there is a perception amongst the optical profession that a Low Vision clinic is depressing because you are dealing with those with poor sight? I wish they would come and sit in with me at times so I could prove them wrong and here’s a little story:-  Last Friday Mrs Cox was booked in, our first meeting was in January 2021, she is a keen needlewoman and enjoys embroidery.

​

That’s always a worry as trying to enable someone to see small stitches when they can’t even read large print is a challenge. Dear Mrs Cox only had useful vision in one eye and the “better” eye could only see the largest letter on the chart at half the usual distance for us fortunate fully sighted folks, but she was desperate to finish a patchwork quilt. Anyway, in my box of gadgets I have little telescopes which can be fitted into a spectacle frame and worn for hands-free close work. Being a telescope, it gives magnification but also allows a reasonable working distance. This beats the single lens of similar power as the working distance would be far too close and you would probably keep stabbing your nose with the sewing needle. We both hoped it would work. So last Friday Mrs Cox arrived, and out of her bag came the most stunning finished quilt of Peter Rabbit and all his friends! it really is a work of art. I couldn’t resist taking a photo of it and Mrs Cox is very happy for me to share it with you. She made my day, as she said she wouldn’t have been able to complete it without the Low Vision Aid I had made for her. This kind of occasion makes the low vision work so rewarding and she reminds me not to underestimate what people can achieve despite their impairments.

At Hunstanton Eyecare we do carry a large range of magnifiers and Low Vision Aids. So if you know of anyone who needs specialist help, hopefully we can provide it.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around.  May 2023.

Hearing Service at Hunstanton Eyecare.

I’ll let you into a little secret. About 12 years ago I started to wear hearing aids. Of course, I didn’t think there was anything wrong except that folks wouldn’t speak clearly. The problem first arose after my husband returned home from working abroad for several months. He kept complaining that he had to repeat everything to me, of course I said he shouldn’t mumble, shouldn’t expect me to hear him if he was in the other room and there was just too much background noise around including the TV being too loud. Well you know how it is, you have to go and get checked out, and to my disappointment my hearing was not A1. I am now on my third set of hearing aids and over the years I have found they have improved immensely with the quality of sound becoming far more natural. I can even programme them from an app on my phone, this is useful if I attend a talk and I have missed the seats at the front of the room, I can increase the volume a little and direct the focus of the aids to pick up sound from infront of me and decrease sound from the noisy folks behind me. I wear my hearing aids all day long, and I don’t mind if people notice them with my short haircut as they are so small and discreet. The difference in the clarity of sound is wonderful. In the morning I can hear the radio switching on and I know the news is giving us the daily dose of doom and gloom, but it is only when my “ears” go in that I can actually hear what they are saying. Odd things I noticed were a funny whooshing noise in the kitchen, then my husband told me it was the kettle boiling, and that old clock made a right racket with all that ticking !!

Sight and sound are our most valuable senses, and when they are not all they should be it impacts on many areas of our lives. At Hunstanton Eyecare we have looked after your eyes for many years, and feel that hearing care is a very complimentary addition to our service.

We have teamed up with The Hearing Care Partnership, to provide a comprehensive audiology service. Like us they are a family run company and value the bespoke service which is so necessary in health care. They offer a FREE hearing assessment, a great range of the latest hearing aid devices should you need them, and on-going aftercare. There are payment plans should you wish to spread the cost too. Just like spectacles, there are many products to choose from so good advice is essential.

So don’t say eh, what, pardon,!  when you visit it us for your specs, why not book a hearing check too?

We look forward to seeing you soon

Annette

 

Hunstanton T&A. April 2023

Diabetes and Eyes.

Following on from our chats about eye conditions, we talked about Macular Degeneration in January and Glaucoma in February, the next major topic is Diabetes as it is the leading cause of preventable sight loss in the UK, so very important.

We hear a lot about Diabetes these days, and we should heed the warnings as it has many effects on our general health and can cause damage to our vision. Our eyesight is so affected by Diabetes that the NHS fund a routine sight test for patients with the condition, so there's no excuse!

“Diabetic Retinopathy” is a complication of diabetes. If your blood sugar levels and blood pressure are consistently high, you can seriously damage the important blood vessels that feed the retina, the sight-giving nerve layer at the back of the eye, they can get blocked, leak or grow randomly. This means the retina can’t get the blood and nutrition it needs and so can’t work properly, therefore this will affect vision. There are lots of things you can do to keep your blood sugars and blood pressure in your target range, I'm sure you've heard it all before, eat healthily, take more exercise and don't smoke. The better you control Diabetes, the lower your risk of developing serious problems with your eyes. If you do begin to develop eye complications, there are treatments to avoid long term problems - as long as they are diagnosed in time. Diabetic patients are offered a screening service, where the retina is photographed to examine for any haemorrhages, but this only views the surface and we can see that when we look into your eye. At Hunstanton Eyecare we would always recommend our OCT scan for all patients as it will pick up any anomaly in the deeper, not visible to the naked eye, parts of the retina too. Our OCT scan is far more detailed than the diabetic screenings, and as records are kept confidential, we have no way of knowing what the screening found good or bad. So don't be surprised if you are diabetic and we still say that the OCT is a very good idea, I would even say an essential part of your eye exam! We keep the records on our system so that at future tests images can be compared with those of previous times. The OCT scan is the only equipment that will confirm your  eyes remain healthy, or if we do notice a change it is likely to be small and we will have plenty of time to treat the condition before it damages your vision. So if you are diabetic, have regular eye tests AND an OCT scan, and let's make sure you have good vision for life.

We look forward to seeing you soon

Annette.

 

Town & Around. March 2023

Did you spot what was missing from February Town & Around? Yes Hunstanton Eyecare blog. Sorry about that, it was entirely my fault. Just as our lovely boss was taking us out for our Christmas lunch, I went and fell down the stairs, and quite a few of them. My name is Ball, but I certainly don't bounce, and unfortunately broke my left wrist and shoulder, and I'm left-handed. A silly trip has resulted in weeks off work, something quite unfamiliar to me, and much inconvenience to many kind folks. You must feel for Mr B at home too, who has had to do ALL the chores and look after silly old me. Everyone at work has rallied round and Julien, our General Manager is standing in for me. I may not be back until Easter time but I can still scribble an article, well tap on my laptop as I can't hold a pen as yet. I also have to say a very heartfelt thankyou to all those at QEH who have been and are still involved in putting me back together.

Let's talk about GLAUCOMA, a common eye condition that can have an impact on vision, but generally only if it is left undiagnosed and untreated. Progressive damage can be caused to the optic nerve, the sensory route which sends visual images from the eye to the brain. The most common cause is a rise in the pressure inside the eye, but we have to look at three factors when considering Glaucoma, Eye Pressure, Optic Disc Appearence and the extent of Visual Field. As part of our routine eye exam, these three factors are always checked at Hunstanton Eyecare. Eye pressure used to be checked with the “puff of air machine” that everyone hated, but these days our modern equipment measures it without you even realising it's been done. The Optic Disc is the head of the Optic Nerve which we can see as we look into your eye. Our OCT machine measures the optic disc size very accurately and takes photographs so sequential records can easily be compared, we will be alerted to any unusual changes in good time. This is another good reason to always have the OCT scan at your eye exam, it is such an essential tool and gives information that we cannot gather in any other way.  Visual Field is the term given to the extent of visual awareness, and we include a visual field screening during an eye exam. If we have any concerns we can perform a more detailed exam but we may book you in at a later date. One of the significant symptoms of Glaucoma is a gradual reduction in visual field, and if the condition is left untreated then patients suffer “tunnel vision”. For those having to renew a driving licence, you will probably be required to have a visual field exam to satisfy the DVLA, as the rules require a certain extent of field of view.

Glaucoma is an insidious condition as it doesn't generally have any noticeable symptoms until the disease is quite advanced, and by then treatment is probably ineffective. Those at most risk are over 40 years old with a family history of glaucoma, so the NHS contribute to the cost of your eye exam. If diagnosed, treatments are very effective and will preserve good vision in the long term. So the message is, have a sight test at least every two years and always include the OCT scan.

We look forward to seeing you soon

Annette.

 

Hunstanton T&A. January 2023

A Happy New Year to you all. There have been, and for many there continues to be, a lot of difficulties and hardship both in business and personally, and we at Hunstanton Eyecare are dedicated to looking after your eyecare as best we can. We know that waiting lists for hospital treatment are longer, but we can offer professional advice and support for many eye conditions at the practice.

Francis has once again offered to write the article for me, and this month he will tell us a little about AMD, Age-related Macular Degeneration. Unfortunately, age takes its toll on our eyes as much as the rest of our body, but as we keep our body fit, we can do our best to preserve our eyesight.

What is the Macula, and how does it work?

The macula is the part of the eye that is designed for best vision. If you are reading this article, the letters are focused on the macula. The greatest number of the retinas’ rods and cones, ie light receptor cells, are situated at this point, a tiny area about the size of a grain of rice at the back of the eye directly opposite the pupil. An OCT retinal scan image shows a dip in the level of the retina at this point, so when you are shown this in the test room, don’t be alarmed, this is exactly what we want to see. “Macular Changes” is the term that we at Hunstanton Eyecare now use. There are two types; Dry Macular changes and Wet. Dry Macular Change is a slow deterioration of the cells of the macula. The term ‘dry’ doesn’t mean you have dry eyes, it is just used as a term to differentiate it from wet. Wet develops when abnormal blood vessels leak into the macula and can cause scarring and loss of central vision. It can develop rapidly, but can be treated if caught quickly, and it can also develop from the dry form. Macular Change is associated with age, usually over 60+, and there is a link to sunlight and smoking as causes. A healthy diet and UV protection in especially in summer with good quality sunspecs has shown to be effective in slowing down the progression. The symptoms of AMD are gaps or dark spots across your vision. Words may become distorted or jumbled on a page or may even disappear when reading. Straight lines, such as door frames, may appear distorted or bent. Reduction in vision may be quick or happen over a number of years. We can’t prevent further changes, but we can monitor your macula through regular eye visits, and it is essential to have an OCT retinal scan at every eye exam to give detailed macular analysis and spot any changes at an early stage.

Next month I will chat a little about what to do if AMD has affected your eyesight and your spectacles no longer give you the vision you would like. My specialist field is in Low Vision and there are many gadgets to assist those who are visually impaired, watch this space!

Annette

 

Hunstanton T&A  December 2022

This month you are having a rest from me! Francis Donaghy is our Principle Optometrist and has kindly volunteered to write the article, he is telling us all about cataracts, very common for most of us. And as my Smart Meters have been fixed, I don’t have any sagas to tell you about!

Cataracts- What are they, when do we refer and how they are dealt with.

As an eye care practitioner, one of the questions I get asked routinely is- Are cataracts genetic? The simple answer is No. Cataracts are developmental changes which happens due to a variety of factors, including Age (Everyone over 65 will have cataracts), over exposure to UV light (hence why we suggest good UV protection for sunglasses and spectacle lenses), diet and general health aspects. Cataracts don’t “grow” but develop, producing less light hitting the macula and retina.

Referral criteria include reduction in general vision, ie when they impair vision for Driving and Safety, imbalance between the eyes from a refractive point of view, and when they are an encumbrance upon the patient’s lifestyle. The most notable of these is glare produced by the internal lens. We, as eye care practitioners, use the driving standard of 6/12, and our clinical commissioning group (CCG) suggest this as the basis for referral.

When we refer, we send your form electronically, and securely, from an NHS email address, so we don’t compromise your personal details. The electronic form is sent to a central office. Prior to this, we discuss what options are available to you. There is the traditional NHS pathway, using the local Hospital Eye Service Department. We are lucky to have private companies offering community ophthalmology services, such as cataract surgery. We, at Eye Care Norfolk, pride ourselves on independence, and therefore we do not have a retainer, or get any fee, from these private companies.

You will be contacted to go to one of your local centres, for a Pre-Op assessment, where they assess your eyes for suitability for surgery. The one big thing that the specialists look at is how healthy your maculae is. If your macula is healthy, prognosis of a good visual outcome is highly expected. How do we know how healthy your macula is- OCT scans of course! This is partly why we encourage each and every person to have an OCT scan performed.

Day of surgery- the pupil is dilated, and possibly some anaesthetics are applied. A surgeon requires a large “hole” for them to conduct surgery, hence dilating drops. To gain access to the anterior chamber, they use a small 5mm blade to cut into the eye. This is why anti-bacterial drops are given, to protect your eye from infection. Use them! The lens is removed and a clear lens inserted. An hour after you get up from the table, your vision should be a lot clearer.

4 to 6 weeks after surgery, it is suggested to have your visions checked, your eyes examined and new glasses prescribed. Trust me, unless multifocal implants are used (Never in the NHS), then you will need spectacles for reading at least. You may benefit from a distance correction too. But speak to your friendly eye care practitioner for further advise.

I hope that this article goes some way to debunk some of the myths regarding what a cataract is, what happens to the referral, and post surgery process.

Fun Fact, Cataract is the Greek word for Water Fall.

Thankyou Francis.

 

Hunstanton T&A. November 2022

SPECTACLES ARE WONDERFUL !

“Oh no they’re not!” I hear some of you cry, a little early for the pantomime season, but I will say “Oh yes they are!”. My mother used a lovely phrase, it was “I know I shouldn’t say this BUT….” And then off she would go. I have to admit that as I get older, I’m probably going the same way, rapidly turning into the Grumpy Old Woman and having a rant at all I think needs ranting about.

My plea to you all is to embrace the good things about a lovely pair of specs, good vision, protection from UV light thus helping to protect your retina to maintain that good vision, enabling you to do the things that are so important to you, driving, close work, various hobbies. Yes I know they can be inconvenient at times, it rains and we haven’t got window wipers, you forget where you left your reading specs etc etc. BUT…  My specialist subject is Low Vision, I run clinics for the Queen Elizabeth hospital assisting patients whose vision cannot be corrected either with surgery, medication or spectacles, and if I could offer them spectacles that would give them back their eyesight, they would be SO delighted. So you can understand when someone says “I don’t like wearing glasses” and won’t, but could actually see brilliantly if they did, I am to say the least disappointed! There are many advertisements promoting “to be glasses free” but this comes at a price, not only monetary, but may involve surgery which is not always reversible if you don’t get the outcome you expected.

We all wear varifocals here, brilliant multifocal lenses which give me four features in one, distance, middle and near vision, and Transitions to act as sunspecs. Just one pair all day. Yes, there are times when other spectacles for particular jobs are a better idea, like the piano practice, but in general one pair does everything. Bespoke spectacles are not cheap items, so do make the most of them, get your moneys worth! I fit a lovely new pair of specs, the client looks across the road and says how wonderful things look, then promptly takes them off and puts them in the case! They don’t work in the case, in your handbag, in your briefcase or in the glove compartment of the car, they need to be on your nose! I look at some of the news presenters, and there they are taking their specs on and off, you would have thought they would have got some nice varifocals and just worn them, it does annoy me watching them fiddling around with specs all the time. Other celebrities like Elton john and Prue Leith have made spectacles their trademark, and colour is certainly in at the moment, but for those of us who are not so flamboyant, we stock everything from loud and colourful to a delicate rimless. A whole fashion industry is built upon spectacles, and at Hunstanton Eyecare we try to keep a cross section of all designs so you have a great choice.

Come in and see us

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around Septmeber 2022

"SPECTACLES ARE WONDERFUL !”

“Oh no they’re not!” I hear some of you cry, a little early for the pantomime season, but I will say “Oh yes they are!”. My mother used a lovely phrase, it was “I know I shouldn’t say this BUT….” And then off she would go. I have to admit that as I get older, I’m probably going the same way, rapidly turning into the Grumpy Old Woman and having a rant at all I think needs ranting about.

My plea to you all is to embrace the good things about a lovely pair of specs, good vision, protection from UV light thus helping to protect your retina to maintain that good vision, enabling you to do the things that are so important to you, driving, close work, various hobbies. Yes I know they can be inconvenient at times, it rains and we haven’t got window wipers, you forget where you left your reading specs etc etc. BUT…  My specialist subject is Low Vision, I run clinics for the Queen Elizabeth hospital assisting patients whose vision cannot be corrected either with surgery, medication or spectacles, and if I could offer them spectacles that would give them back their eyesight, they would be SO delighted. So you can understand when someone says “I don’t like wearing glasses” and won’t, but could actually see brilliantly if they did, I am to say the least disappointed! There are many advertisements promoting “to be glasses free” but this comes at a price, not only monetary, but may involve surgery which is not always reversible if you don’t get the outcome you expected.

We all wear varifocals here, brilliant multifocal lenses which give me four features in one, distance, middle and near vision, and Transitions to act as sunspecs. Just one pair all day. Yes, there are times when other spectacles for particular jobs are a better idea, like the piano practice, but in general one pair does everything. Bespoke spectacles are not cheap items, so do make the most of them, get your moneys worth! I fit a lovely new pair of specs, the client looks across the road and says how wonderful things look, then promptly takes them off and puts them in the case! They don’t work in the case, in your handbag, in your briefcase or in the glove compartment of the car, they need to be on your nose! I look at some of the news presenters, and there they are taking their specs on and off, you would have thought they would have got some nice varifocals and just worn them, it does annoy me watching them fiddling around with specs all the time. Other celebrities like Elton john and Prue Leith have made spectacles their trademark, and colour is certainly in at the moment, but for those of us who are not so flamboyant, we stock everything from loud and colourful to a delicate rimless. A whole fashion industry is built upon spectacles, and at Hunstanton Eyecare we try to keep a cross section of all designs so you have a great choice.

Annettee

 

Hunstanton Town & Around October 2022

"Myopia Control – “STELLEST Spectacle Lenses”

This months’ blog is a bit of a techie one, so best thinking caps on as I try to explain!

When Covid arrived our lives changed in ways we never really thought about before, to be asked to stay indoors for months was quite alien for us social creatures.  In our optical world, one unfortunate side effect seems to be an increase of Myopia in children. Myopia is the name given to short-sight, things are fine close up but distance vision is out of focus. So why has this occurred? The theory is that children have increased indoor activities, especially the use of digital gadgets, such as ipads and mobile phones. The lens in the eye needs to bulge to enable focusing at close range, this puts pressure on the eyeball itself which tends to increase in length, hence the result is that the eye becomes more short-sighted.

What’s so bad about myopia you may ask? A highly myopic eye is at greater risk of retinal detachments and general degeneration of the retina as it is stretched with an enlarging eyeball, this in turn can lead to poorer vision especially in later life. As short-sight increases the spectacle lens edge thickness increases and we end up with the “bottle-bottom” look, although we have many lens materials and anti-reflection coatings to minimize these problems. Other factors that influence myopia are our genetics, if parents are myopic then children may inherit the trait. Research also tells us that the younger a child becomes myopic, the faster will be the progression and the higher the degree of myopia once adolescent growth stops around the age of late teens or even early twenties.

So the question is what can we do to slow the rate of myopia progression in youngsters? STELLEST spectacle lenses have been developed by our lens supplier Essilor and, following a two year clinical trial, shows that the lens slows down myopia progression on average by 67% if worn for at least 12 hours a day. The lens has two zones, a central zone with the full prescription so that everything will be perfectly clear in the distance, and an outer zones of concentric rings creating a “soft-focus” zone which slows down the elongation of the eye. So if you have a young relative who is short-sighted, bear in mind that we have the option to slow down the progression of myopia and therefore maintain healthy vision throughout their adult life.

After all that concentrating, what you really want to know is how my Smart Meters saga is doing? I had to chase them up of course, and an appointment was finally sorted.  We now have meters that actually work, and the new home display gizmo that reminds us to turn something off! It’s only taken four months to get sorted. Hallelujah !!

Annettee

 

Hunstanton Town & Around Septmeber 2022

Check the childrens’ eyesight before going “Back to School.”

Parents do such an important job bringing up their youngsters and looking after their health is one of the prime concerns. Eyesight is often taken for granted, and if there is a defect it can easily be overlooked. Your child may have poor vision but not mention it, as they would assume that their view of the world is the same for everyone. It is not until the error is corrected that they realise things are not always in soft focus, and they may have struggled at school quite unnecessarily. The visual system takes time to develop, and at birth a baby has quite poor vision. At around four months of age the vision has improved to the point that they are aware of colour and can fixate on objects. At approximately nine months the vision is sufficiently developed that they are eager to explore the world around them. However, things can go wrong and I will just mention a few you should be aware of.

“Squints”. A child may look cross-eyed or one eye wanders off and gazes in a different direction to the other. This is often related to eye muscle weakness or uncorrected long sight. Whatever the cause it can be corrected and should be done promptly, to ensure that both eyes develop to their full potential and one doesn’t become “Amblyopic” or blind through disuse. “Long-sighted”, or “Hypermetropia” means that a child has to make extra effort to see things at close range. If there is a large error, your child may complain of headaches and abnormal tiredness and a squint may be induced. “Short-sight”, or “Myopia”, means your child will have poor distance vision and will therefore struggle to see classroom displays. “Astigmatism” is a physical eye condition where the eye is not spherical like a tennis ball, but rugby ball shaped with two different curves. The spectacles prescribed can easily correct this.

The buzz words in the optical industry at the moment is “Myopia Management”. This is an issue for children, especially prevalent post the Covid Pandemic when we were all shut indoors. In a nutshell, children are doing more close work, using phones, ipads, computers etc, and this means that the lens in the eye has to flex to enable clear close vision. This bulging of the lens puts pressure on the globe of the eye and causes the eye to physically lengthen, thus increasing the degree of short-sightedness. If parents are myopic, there is a greater risk of the child developing myopia. There are spectacle lenses and contact lenses which have been developed to slow the rate of increase of myopia and so prevent future visual problems. As it is a fairly new topic I will go into more detail in a future blog, but if you have any short-sighted children you may have different decisions to make the next time we examine their eyes.

All children under the age of 16 and those under 19 who are in full-time education are entitled to FREE Eye Examinations under the NHS. They are also issued with an NHS voucher which is used towards the cost of spectacles. Here at Hunstanton Eyecare we have a great range of modern trendy frames that the youngsters will love, many are FREE of charge with the NHS voucher or a small contribution will give a greater choice. Childrens’ spectacles must be dispensed by fully qualified Dispensing Opticians or Optometrists, this is UK law, Opticians Act 1989. Look out for the qualification FBDO (Fellow of the association of British Dispensing Opticians).

But what you really want to know is have my energy meters been fixed? Short answer NO !! But I did get a £30 payment as the they insisted the engineers didn’t come, although I’m sure they were not a figment of my imagination, so thanks very much EDF!

Annettee

 

We never stop learning - August 2022

There's a familiar phase, and how true it is. In our optical world the General Optical Council, the governing body that must be obeyed, has made sure that we all keep up to date by introducing a scheme. It used to be called CET, Continuing Education and Training, but as everything has to be reinvented these days, it is now called CPD, Continuing Professional Development. As I've been in optics for over forty years, I am very happy where I am and don't particularly want to develop any more, but heyhoe we must go with the flow if you want to keep your job. The idea is that we read articles, go online to partake in webinars, and maybe attend lectures and events at various trade shows, thereby collecting CPD points in various catergories of study. I do agree that it is important that we take on board new discoveries whether it be in treatments, diagnostic equipment or new spectacle lenses. I have seen many changes in my time, perhaps one of the most significant is in cataract surgery. Before lens implants were the norm, folks ended up with spectacle lenses about 1cm thick, nearly half inch in old money, and as the NHS wouldn't allow plastic lenses, a bit too modern at that time! they were glass, so they weighed a ton too. Today, surgery takes a fraction of the time and results are generally instantly wonderful with prescriptions close to zero.

Another major invention must be in photochromic lenses made in plastic material. Some of you may recall the name “Reactolite Rapid” which was the trade name for the glass photochromic. These were revolutionary, darkening down when the sun came out, how convenient! However, it was what we call a “solid” tint, the colour-reacting molecules going all through the lens material, so if you had a high prescription and your spectacle lens varied in thickness, then so did the tint density. If you were quite short-sighted and had lenses with thicker edges, then you might look a bit like a panda on a bright day as the outer areas would darken more than the centre!  Then in the 1990s this new-fangled plastic photochromic material appeared and the trade name of “Transitions” was born. The chemical agent is “imbibed” into the surface of the lens, so it will be an even colour all over no matter what the prescription. The early generations were slow to react and even slower to lighten, they were also very sensitive to temperature, working better in the cold than the heat. This was fine if you went to the artic for your hols but not so great on the caribbean beach. However, we are now on generation 8 and colour changes are much faster, UV absorbtion is 100%, and there are seven lovely colours to choose from.

But I guess what you really want to know is the state of my utility meters at home! Since last month, we have had a visit from two engineers, they came together but each in his own van. They were late which didn't please Mr B, and it started to rain but they ploughed on. After much umming and arring, the result is that the Smart Meters are not smart because they don't work, kept telling them that, and we need new ones. So far I've had no communication as to when that might be. Look out for the next exciting chapter of Annettes' energy conundrum in next months T&A!!

 We look forward to seeing you.

Annettee

 

Hunstanton Town & Around July 2022

Service with a Smile!

We are a jolly bunch of people at Hunstanton Eyecare, and we hope you feel that a visit to us is at least a pleasant experience, and even better an enjoyable one. Automation has its uses, but there are some things that need to be face to face with a real live person.

A recent experience with a certain energy company, better not say who or I might get struck off, highlights this point. We moved house in February, all was fine until the Energy Company decided we must change our gas and electric meters to Smart ones. I received many emails instructing me to click the link to book an appointment, every time I did so a message appeared saying they were fully booked, try later! This happened about six times, so I gave up. Then a person actually phoned me, at last! and an appointment was booked for the end of April. The meters were changed, but he didn’t have the home display gismo that everyone should have in order to monitor your energy consumption, someone would contact us about that, yeah sure they will. Our energy bill arrived and said we were £350 in credit! well these meters certainly do work even without the home display energy saving gismo. Then I noticed that we had not been charged for gas at all. The next part of the saga was trying to talk to the energy company. I did the up to date thing of logging on to our account and spent an hour “web-chatting” to someone who kept asking about meter serial numbers, readings that were impossible to obtain, and now it was getting dark, I needed a torch to see my meter on the outside wall, and its raining, aargh! In the end I said I’m calling it a day, or by now night, and they will have to make arrangements to come and fix the not so smart meters. A week went by and still no contact, so as I am modern and have the app on my mobile phone that takes photos, does banking, tells me where I am by Sat Nav, can google anything, oh yes I forgot, I only wanted it to make a phone call, I connect with the said energy company. After answering the robot, I am connected to a real live person, but not to talk to, a text conversation tells me that their team have been notified and they need some time to sort it out. Well, we are four weeks on and the situation has not been resolved. The gas must still be flowing as the central heating still works and I can cook the dinner on my gas hob, so I’m not going to worry. However, Mr B doesn’t like the idea of getting a massive back-dated bill later on, so I guess I will have to try and contact them soon. As Mr B says, yes Annette is having a rant!

In the optical world we are very conscious of the service aspect of our work. When you come to us for a sight test you may be concerned or worried and that is perfectly understandable, it's your eyesight. Spectacles are essential for many of us and supplying quality products that suit your various needs is our business. Whether it's fixing a tiny screw or fitting a bespoke pair of spectacles, we have the same attitude, everyone should leave happy with their experience and very satisfied with the job we have done. In todays’ world of competition, we believe that you still value the personal service, ie. time in the sight test consulting room, at least 30 minutes, and time with a qualified Dispensing Optician to discuss your spectacle requirements. It's no good the Optometrist producing the most accurate prescription if it is made into spectacles inaccurately, into a poor fitting frame, or without thought for the patients' particular needs. Discussion in the dispensing process is essential. Collecting spectacles should also be done by trained staff to ensure physical and visual comfort.

So for personal service with a smile, come to Hunstanton Eyecare! We look forward to seeing you.

Annettee

 

Hunstanton Town & Around June 2022

Varilux Xclusive 4D = a bespoke tailored suit for your eyesight !

Many of us wear varifocal lenses, enjoying clear vision at distance, middle and near working zones, all in one pair of spectacles. The first “Varilux” lens was produced for the mass market in 1959, the year I was born, so it is over 60 years old, I’m told age is just a number! Over the years research and development have made massive improvements to lens design and the quality of varifocals today is far superior to those in the early days. I compare it to the development of television, the flat screen high-definition models today are totally different to the old black and white sets I remember from childhood when remote controls weren’t even invented, such is the advancement of technology in many walks of life. Now I’m showing my age! Every lens is individually made to a prescription, and the measurements for spectacles are unique to each frame and the person wearing it, so how can we improve on that? What is truly “tailor-made”? Concentrate for the techie explanation!

When we dispense varifocal lenses, we measure where your pupil is positioned in the eyeshape of the frame, vertically and horizontally. However, when lenses are manufactured, the company has to make certain assumptions about the fit of the frame and the wearer, for example, how far away the frame sits from your face, the angle of tilt of the front of the frame and the angle of “wrap” around the face. We are all individual, but the lens manufacturer can only use an average of these factors. For 80% of us that will probably be fine although not perfect. The remaining 20% of us may be quite disappointed with the performance of our new spectacles. Nowadays clothing manufacturers often produce garments in “one size” for example socks, and for us ladies, our nylons. The label says one size fits all! The tall amongst us are always tugging at them to trying to stretch them and the shorter folks are doing the same to stop looking like Nora Battys’ wrinkled stockings, so one size certainly does not fit all. Even if we choose a sized garment from Marks and Spencers, there will always be people who are not quite a size 14 or regular length. If we want something to fit perfectly then measurements for each part of a garment must be taken, and that’s the job of the bespoke tailor. When making spectacles we have many measurements but not enough for the tailor-made option, until now!

“VISIOFFICE” at Hunstanton Eyecare.

Visioffice is a digital optical measuring system using high definition cameras to record 3D measurements of your eye. It takes into consideration your posture, how you move your head, if you have a dominant eye, it will map how you visually track across the page when reading to give the widest field of view in the near zone. All these factors are used in the production of your spectacle lenses, truly tailor-made just for you. By adding all these factors into the lens design and manufacture, we will produce the best varifocal spectacle lenses you have ever worn.

We look forward to seeing you soon

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around May 2022

MEGA MAY SALE!

60% off Designer frames including  Silhouette, Valentino and many more.

I’ve recently moved house and have just about finished unpacking, and it’s amazing what things you find and had forgotten about. I think this “sorting out” mode has drifted into my work as we have had a major sort out of our frame stock.

Designs and fashions come and go and some frames just get left behind, so we are collecting all the older stock together and taking the whole month of May to have a big sale. There will be nothing wrong with “sale” frames, it’s just that if we have had them in stock for a while the manufacturer may well have discontinued the model, meaning that if you break them we may not be able to source replacement parts. The good news is that many designer frames will be available at knock down prices. Silhouette is one of those designers, a major brand name in the optical world, but who now insist we carry a large number of their frames in order to maintain an account. I don’t like being dictated to and together with their increasing prices we have decided not to stock them in the future, so in the sale they will go.  It’s such a shame as I have always loved Silhouette frames, but they are now just pricing themselves out of the market. We have quite a few “sports spectacles”, wrap-around tinted specs that are great for eye protection on the golf course or just a walk on the beach. They will be for sale without prescription lenses.

The “Multilens offer” will run for the whole of 2022, if you order two pairs of spectacles to the same prescription the second pair of lenses will be half price, and it doesn’t have to be the same sort of lens. Varifocals may be fine most of the day, but if you fancy a good read in the evening then reading specs will be far more comfortable. Summer is a-coming, so why not make your second pair a quality sunspec to your prescription, especially useful for drivers.

As Covid is still lurking about please phone for a time slot to come and view the collection. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton T & A.  April 2022.

Prescription Sunglasses - New Range !

“OCEANBLUE”

It’s a glorious day today, the sun is shining, and that reminds me to tell you about our sunspecs. This year we have chosen a new supplier to introduce a new range. We expect most of our clients’ Sunspec purchases to be an additional prescription pair, so we have created a competitive “package price” to suit most prescriptions. The frames will be the same good quality as our normal spectacle range with a choice of plastic or metal designs. Lenses may have a fixed dyed tint or be polarised. The fixed “dip-dye” tinting process is probably the most common, and as the name suggests, the lenses are dipped into a bath of warmed dye solution. The longer you leave the lenses in the bath, the darker the tint. However, the polarised lens is my preferred choice, they are made by polarising material being sandwiched between the two layers of the spectacle lens. It blocks light completely from a horizontal plane and is the best lens to eliminate glare from wet roads and water. The ideal lens for drivers and holidays by the sea. We can make them in single vision, bifocal or varifocal lens designs and the colour choice is grey, brown or green. Our sunspecs are available to purchase without prescription. The lenses are high optical quality with 100% UVA and UVB protection as standard and come with a case and cleaning cloth.

So if you are looking for sunspecs this year, come and view our new range, stylish frames with high quality lenses for your protection and comfort. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around. March 2022

Today we are far more conscious of our impact on mother earth than ever before and I believe that it is up to us, the customer, to deal with companies who take their eco-friendly commitment seriously. Being an independent practice enables us to choose our suppliers, and one we have a great relationship with is WOLF EYEWEAR. You have probably noticed that they produce frames with very jolly colours, gives us all a lift in dull times I think! Wolf Eyewear is a family firm and the frame design is carried out in the UK. The new range is “Inspirit”, and I will let them tell their own story.

Introducing the new Inspirit ethos

Over the past few years, brands have been rushing to bring out eco frames, but we want to go further. Rather than designing a specific line of eco-friendly frames, we want to embrace a shift toward moving all our eyewear and associated product lines to more sustainable materials from the frames, cases and cloths to the business as a whole. That’s why we’ve launched Inspirit, a philosophy and underlying business principle that we will adopt in everything we do.

We’ve already switched our team to an electric fleet; our offices are almost entirely powered by renewable energy, and we continue to look at more ways to lower energy consumption and remove virgin materials from our products.

The integrity of our product is essential to us. We want to ensure that investing in new materials produces quality frames that you, our customers, will love. After much testing and research, I’m delighted to showcase our latest release of frames that now feature bio-acetate, made from renewable sources instead of traditional oil-based ones, a more planet positive material. We understand that this is just the start of our journey, but we’re setting out our commitment now to ensure that what we do going forward puts our Inspirit ethos at the forefront of everything we do.

Over the next few months, we’re going to be working hard to look at more opportunities to be planet positive.  At Wolf Eyewear, our goal is to leave no tracks.

Hunstanton Eyecare have the “Inspirit” range in the practice, so you are welcome to call us to arrange a time-slot to view. We look forward to seeing you.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around. February 2022

Retirement? Well sort of !

All businesses evolve as time marches on and staff changes often present the greatest challenges. We enjoy welcoming new colleagues but are also sad to say farewell to those we have worked with, often for several years. When the boss says he wants to step back, well that is monumental!
Mr Leach has decided it is time to retire from face to face contact lens practice, but we are both delighted and somewhat relieved that he will continue to be the owner and director of the business he has steered so successfully for nearly five decades.
I’ll let Ian tell his own story :– “After qualifying as a Dispensing Optician at the City and East London College, I came to Norfolk in 1974 to become a partner of McCaghrey & Associates Opticians. Six years later I took over the practice and was joined by Mr Parker, we remained in partnership for 20 years until his retirement. My wife and I opened Cromer Eyecare in 1998 and we joined the two practices together under the name of Eyecare Norfolk Ltd. Beverley retired in 2002 and I continued to run both practices. Work was responsible for meeting my wife, Beverley. I was at a practice in Downham Market and she was working in Boots just opposite. I went over to buy something so I could meet her on the till, she made a hash of giving me my change and said she would bring it over later, I knew there was a spark between us.”

Funny things often happen in practice and Ian recounts a story :– “A patient phoned first thing in the morning saying her vision was suddenly much worse and could she have an urgent appointment. I saw her later the same day and on examination discovered that she was double glazed! She had forgotten to remove the previous days lenses and then inserted another pair over the top of them in the morning!”

As well as the many complex contact lens fittings Mr Leach has taken on, he has also fitted contact lenses to his dog, Ross, when he had corneal ulcers. He discussed the option of fitting a “bandage” contact lens to Ross with the vet and they decided to go ahead with it, which turned out to be a success. The ulcers healed and everyone was happy !

Ian says :- “On my 70th birthday I started to think it was about time to retire from contact lens fitting, so from January 2022 I am concentrating on the financial and IT issues of the business. Perhaps I will have time for my hobbies of golf, coarse fishing and photography?!”

To all those who have benefited from Mr Leach’s practice, we can assure you that you will be in the very capable hands of our regular optometrists. As Practice Manager I am always available to answer your queries if any arise. In these days of many practices being swallowed up by the multiple organisations, it is wonderful to be able to work for a small independent company, run by an ethical professional with years of experience and knowledge. We wish Mr Leach a happy, more relaxed semi-retirement but don’t turn the phone off as we will no doubt call when the computer goes wrong !!

Annette

Hunstanton T & A January 2022

Here we are again at the start of another year, and I’m sure we are all hoping for good health in the coming months.

At Hunstanton Eyecare we have had to adapt our ways of working, as have most businesses, due to the Covid crisis. Whilst many things are a right nuisance, like endless cleaning and sanitising, we have come to realise that some new things are actually a good idea. We have had to give clients a time slot for every visit for whatever reason even if it was just fixing your specs, whereas before you could just pop in. However, we realised that giving an allotted time enabled us to give quality time to everyone and not feel rushed, sometimes you are like buses when no-one turns up or you all come at once! So this is a practice we will continue.

The main function of an optical practice is to assess the health of your eyes and correct refractive errors with spectacles. We have many machines and gadgets to use and just like modern technology, there always seems to be something new. A couple of years ago we acquired an OCT, (Optical Coherence Tomography) retinal scanner. The retina is the nerve fibre layer that gives us the gift of sight, you need a healthy retina to see. It is a multi-layered structure and the most important bits are under the surface and not visible to the naked eye, they are also microscopic in size. Thanks to the OCT we can see through the surface and examine all the layers of the retina. Being able to identify and monitor any abnormality within these layers is essential for early detection and diagnosis of some of the major causes of visual impairment such as Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma and Diabetic Retinopathy. The earlier the detection of a problem, the faster the treatment and a happier prognosis for a good level of vision. Therefore, the OCT scan is a vital part of your sight test. The scan will be done before your eye exam so that the images can be discussed with you by the Optometrist. We often hear folks say that they had a scan at the hospital, or the diabetic clinic, but that doesn’t help us. Other agencies do not share their information and that was then and your eye test is now, things could have changed. I know it’s £30, but it is the most important test your eyes will have. We all attend for various other screenings, this is just the best one for the health of your eyes. So make your new year’s resolution to treat your eyes to an OCT retina scan.

We look forward to seeing you soon

Annette.

Hunstanton News 2021.

Covid Continues

We at Eyecare Norfolk Ltd t/a Cromer & Hunstanton Eyecare are looking forward to the relaxation of many of the restrictions placed on us by the Covid-19 pandemic. Understandably opinions are divided between getting businesses going again and the health of everyone. The one thing that is certain is that the virus has not gone away.

At Eyecare Norfolk Ltd like many other businesses, have been greatly affected and we are at the point of considering how we move forward. In our industry we are not only governed by Government legislation, but also our professional bodies, General Optical Council, College of Optometrists, Association of British Dispensing Opticians, and the like, and they all must agree a way forward, as you can imagine they do not’ always sing from the same hymn sheet, or should I say, read from the same eye test chart!

Of course, we have had discussions amongst ourselves, and we have concluded that for the time being we will operate in the same safe manner.  As health professionals we don’t want to be responsible for spreading the virus over the next few months.” So please bear with us as we continue using the “locked door” policy, appointments allocated for everything and gallons of hand sanitiser. We are open, we are here for you and can deal with all your concerns about your eyesight and can provide you with fantastic advice for all aspects of Eyecare. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around July 2019.

Hearing Service at Hunstanton Eyecare.

I’ll let you into a little secret. About 10 years ago I started to wear hearing aids. Of course, I didn’t think there was anything wrong except that folks wouldn’t speak clearly. The problem first arose after my husband returned home from working abroad for several months. He kept complaining that he had to repeat everything to me, of course I said he shouldn’t mumble, shouldn’t expect me to hear him if he was in the other room and there was just too much background noise around including the TV being too loud. Well you know how it is, you have to go and get checked out, and to my disappointment my hearing was not A1. I am now on my third set of hearing aids and over the years I have found they have improved immensely with the quality of sound becoming far more natural. I can even programme them from an app on my phone, this is  useful if I attend a talk and I have missed the seats at the front of the room, I can increase the volume a little and direct the focus of the aids to pick up sound from infront of me and decrease sound from the noisy folks behind me. I wear my hearing aids all day long, I make sure my hairdresser leaves enough hair to just cover them and as they are so small and discreet no-one knows I wear them. At least they didn't until now! The difference in the clarity of sound is wonderful. In the morning I can hear the radio switching on and I know the news is giving us the daily dose of doom and gloom, but it is only when my “ears” go in that I can actually hear what they are saying. Odd things I noticed were a funny whooshing noise in the kitchen, then my husband told me it was the kettle boiling, and that old clock made a right racket with all that ticking !!

 My audiologist is Anne Scott-Wilson of Sound Advice Hearing in King's Lynn. The company approached us as they wanted to partner an optical practice. Our ethics are the same in that they are highly qualified, have years of experience and wish to give our patients the best care and advice, so I'm sure we will get along just fine. The first Hearing clinic at Hunstanton Eyecare will be Wednesday 3rd July, and then every other Wednesday. Anne will be offering a FREE hearing check and if hearing aids would be beneficial a FREE hearing aid trial.  Do be prepared to spend an hour with us, as your hearing is just as important as your eyesight and deserves time and attention.

So if you are struggling to hear the conversations, or the TV is too loud for everyone else, when you visit it us for your specs, why not book a hearing check too?

We look forward to seeing you soon

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around.   June 2019

Varilux Xclusive 4D = a bespoke tailored suit for your eyesight !

Many of us wear varifocal lenses, enjoying clear vision at distance, middle and near working zones, all in one pair of spectacles. The first “Varilux” lens was produced for the mass market in 1959, so it is 60 years old. Over the years research and development have made massive improvements to the lens design and the quality of varifocals today is far superior to those in the early days. Every lens is individually made to a prescription and the measurements for spectacles are unique to each frame and the person wearing it, so how can we improve on that? What is truly “tailor-made”? Concentrate for the techie explanation!

When we dispense varifocal lenses, we measure where your pupil is positioned in the eyeshape of the frame, vertically and horizontally. However, when lenses are manufactured, Essilor has to make certain assumptions about the fit of the frame and the wearer, for example, how far away the frame sits from your face, the angle of tilt of the front of the frame and the angle of “wrap” around the face. We are all individual, but the lens manufacturer can only use an average of these factors. For 80% of us that will probably be fine although not perfect. The remaining 20% of us may be quite disappointed with the performance of our new spectacles. Nowadays clothing manufacturers often produce garments in “one size” for example socks, and for us ladies, our nylons. The label says one size fits all! The tall amongst us are always tugging at them to trying to stretch them and the shorter folks are doing the same to stop looking like Nora Battys’ wrinkled stockings, so one size certainly does not fit all. Even if we choose a sized garment from Marks and Spencers, there will always be people who are not quite a size 14 or regular length. If we want something to fit perfectly then measurements for each part of a garment must be taken, and that’s the job of the bespoke tailor. When making spectacles we have many measurements but not enough for the tailor-made option, until now!

“VISIOFFICE” has arrived at Hunstanton Eyecare.

Visioffice is a digital optical measuring system using high definition cameras to record 3D measurements of your eye. It takes into consideration your posture, how you move your head, if you have a dominant eye, it will map how you visually track across the page when reading to give the widest field of view in the near zone. All these factors are used in the production of your spectacle lenses, truly tailor-made just for you. By adding all these factors into the design and manufacture, we will produce the best varifocal spectacle lenses you have ever worn.

We look forward to seeing you soon

Annette

 

Hunstanton T & A. May 2019

Contact Lenses – An idea from the 16th Century??!

What is she on about now? I hear you say! Believe it or not the idea of contact lenses to correct vision errors may have arisen as far back as the 16th century. The initial concept is recorded by Leonardo da Vinci, yes the chap who painted and sculpted was a bit of a scientist too. In 1508 he wrote a paper illustrating the concept of a contact lens, explaining that a water-filled hemisphere could be placed against the eye and therefore could correct refractive error. His theory was correct, as the liquid in contact with the cornea (the transparent curved front surface of the eye), would neutralise a refractive error. Sadly the idea wasn’t thought credible by his peers, I expect he was probably told to stick to painting! Anyway, the idea didn’t die and in 1636, Rene Descartes proposed placing a glass tube filled with liquid in direct contact with the cornea, the end of the tube was shaped to correct vision. Can you spot the flaw here? Folks didn’t like a tube sticking out of their eye and it did mean you couldn’t blink. We get to 1827 and an English astronomer, Sir John Herschel, proposes the idea of making a mould of the eye. The moulds could then be manufactured to correct the visual error. It was over 50 years later that a German glass blower, F.E. Muller produced the first glass contact lens to cover the whole eye and shaped to correct vision. Perhaps a horrific thought, but it is reported that the patient had improved vision and was able to tolerate wearing it. Arriving at our more modern times, plastic materials gradually replaced glass, but the idea of this “Scleral lens” (covering the white of the eye) was still used successfully.

After I qualified, I thought I would go on the Contact Lens fitting course. Part of the course was to make one of these Scleral lens moulds. My dear Dad volunteered to be my patient, yes I did tell him what it involved. He was one of the most patient and kind men on the planet and I subjected him to popping a shell in his eye and squirting quick setting gunge into it, once set the mould was removed. Although his eye was anaesthetised it can’t have been a pleasant experience. I passed the exams, but didn’t work at a practice that could support the hours of practical experience required, so it wasn’t something I completed. One student on my course made a pair of these scleral lenses for himself. He was a bit of a rebel, made them from a bright red material, and wore them in public places, he looked quite frightening with red eyes and green spikey hair. When you look at the film industry today, you can understand how they achieve the eyes of many special characters.

In the early 1960s we had mass production of hard plastic lenses that just covered the cornea. I remember trying those as a teenager, thinking that my boyfriend would love me more without specs. As the lenses were rigid plastic you had to get over the foreign body feeling in the eye and that meant hours of building up your tolerance, fooling your eyes not to continually produce gallons of tears. Hours of watery eyes and runny nose accompanied by boxes of tissues couldn’t have been very attractive! However, these lenses are still available today and worn by several of our patients.

Contact lens fitting today is SO different. We have soft lenses that you can hardly feel, some are disposable and therefore convenient for busy lives, and we can fit more or less any prescription. At Hunstanton Eyecare our Optometrists are qualified to fit contact lenses, but we hand over the most complex cases to our boss, Mr Leach, who has been a Contact Lens Optician for most of his career. There is no substitute for experience. Contact lenses can be worn full-time instead of spectacles, but many people wear them just for social occasions or playing sport. Whatever your requirements we welcome all contact lens enquiries

We look forward to seeing you soon,

Annette.

 

Hun T&A April 2019

“Service with a smile”

Here I am sitting by the pool, no not the Oasis Centre, the hotel pool in Fuerteventura in late February. All very nice you would say, yes, and I'm still thinking of you! By the time I get back there will only be a few days to “deadline day” so what better way to fill my time than to chat to the folks in Sunny Hunny. The “service” factor came into my head. Generally, holiday companies send a rep with you from the airport to make sure you are delivered to your hotel. On this occasion this didn't happen, not that we need leading by the hand but it's always nice to have that contact. Many a thing goes wrong when the Balls go on holiday and I could probably fill many pages of the Town & Around, but not this month. Anyway, the next day Mr B asks the rep why this didn't happen, to which he launched into a raft of excuses and company facts and made us feel as if we had asked for a private limo! Mr B wasn't happy, and I was surprised and totally unimpressed at his attitude. I don't think it mattered that he had worked for TUI for 18 years, he certainly hadn't developed his customer friendly side. Needless to say Mr & Mrs B didn't go to his Welcome Meeting!

In the optical world we are very conscious of the service aspect of our work. When you come to us for a sight test you may be concerned or worried and that is perfectly understandable, it's your eyesight. Spectacles are essential for many of us and supplying quality products that suit your various needs is our business. Whether it's fixing a tiny screw or fitting a bespoke pair of spectacles, we have the same attitude, everyone should leave happy with their experience and very satisfied with the job we have done. In todays’ world of competition and cost cutting, we believe that you still value the personal service, ie. time in the sight test consulting room, at least 30 minutes, and time with a qualified Dispensing Optician to discuss your spectacle requirements. It's no good the Optometrist producing the most accurate prescription if it is made into spectacles inaccurately, into a poor fitting frame, or without thought for the patients' particular needs. Discussion in the dispensing process is essential. Collecting spectacles should also be done by trained staff to ensure physical and visual comfort.

 I hear the sports lady calling us to do Water Aerobics, don't do it at home and certainly not on my hols!!

 One thing I must mention is that for the rest of the year we have a genuine 50% off a second pair of spectacle lenses. Essilor, our main lens supplier has introduced the scheme and we think it is an excellent promotion. Nothing is ever “Free” in this world however it is dressed up, and something “free” is often of little value. So if you fancy a second pair as sunspecs, driving or reading specs or just a different style of frame, here is your opportunity, a genuine saving without compromising quality.

 Well it's now safe for a dip in the pool as the aerobics lady has gone. You won't see me with a tan as I have my factor 50 slapped on, a silly hat and my polarised sunspecs, of course!

 See you soon

 Annette

 

Hunstanton T & A. March 2019

Spinach & Eyezen.

What an odd title! I was thinking about a topic for this month when I glanced at the calendar from our EYEPLAN colleagues. On 26th March it is National Spinach Day, yes honestly. Spinach is worth a mention as this green leafy veg is very good for our eyes, particularly the macular, the most sensitive part of the retina. I’m not too keen on spinach, neither is my hubby as he has memories of being put in the cupboard at school for not eating his greens. On my travels as an Opticians Examiner, we went to Chennai in India to conduct the exams for Indian students. At our evening meal one of my colleagues ordered spinach curry, I don’t wish to offend any of our friends from other cultures, but it did look like a large dark green cow pat and even had a red chilli on the top! She said it was lovely.

EYEZEN™ START

THE NEW GENERATION OF SINGLE VISION LENSES

Now to the sensible bit. EYEZEN, another innovation from our lens supplier Essilor. In a nutshell, EYEZEN is an enhanced single vision corrective lens designed to prevent or reduce eyestrain when working or socialising on digital devices. Digital devices are shaping the way we live, they allow us to learn, work, play and socialise. Using screens can be hard on our eyes as they have to switch between variable distances and read pixelated characters. Many digital device users complain of tired eyes that feel itchy and dry, they suffer visual fatigue, and even complain about shoulder and neck pain as our posture is not always ideal. This new product is probably most beneficial for the younger generation who have always had a straight-forward single vision lens, but that seems rather out-dated now.

All spectacle lenses have an “Optical Centre”, yes, it is in the middle of the lens, but it is only at this point that the power is absolutely correct. As we move our eye away from the optical centre, we encounter unwanted aberrations, distortions and slight changes in the power of the lens. So what’s so great about EYEZEN? As we look down at our digital device, and hence away from the optimum visual point, the optical centre, our eyes have to work harder to overcome these imperfections in the lens. Essilor have used their “Dualoptim” technology to correct most of the aberrations at this near zone. This gives greater visual clarity, sharper vision and thus reduces eye strain. Embedded into the lens is the Eye Protect System which filters out harmful UV and Blue-Violet light. Top the lens off with a Crizal Sapphire UV anti-reflection coat and your lenses will look super transparent with very little reflection from the surfaces. This lens should be considered for students who generally have school or college work to complete, thus spending a great deal of their time with close work in books as well as the computer or mobile phone.

If your youngsters are complaining about their eyes, book them an eye test and consider EYEZEN as the best lens for this digital age.

We look forward to seeing you soon

Annette

 

Hunstanton T & A.  February 2019

Luxury Prescription Sunglasses - New Range !

I’m writing in the middle of January with all the festivities behind us. I used to know it was January because the holiday programme came on TV and was always something to look forward to. Nowadays there are constant adverts for holidays, but I’m sure many of you can remember the lovely Judith Chalmers presenting her programme from all the exciting places around the globe. There always seems to be somewhere attractive to go no matter what the time of the year. Emma has just reminded me that the theme tune was the Beatles singing “Here comes the sun” and that I’m going back a bit!

At Hunstanton Eyecare we are expecting our delivery of sunspecs to arrive in early February. This year we have chosen a new supplier to introduce a new range. We expect most of our clients’ sunspec purchases to be an additional prescription pair, so we have created a competitive “package price” to suit most prescriptions. The frames will be the same good quality as our normal spectacle range with a choice of plastic or metal designs. Lenses may have a fixed dyed tint or be polarised. The fixed “dip-dye” tinting process is probably the most common, and as the name suggests, the lenses are dipped into a bath of warmed dye solution. The longer you leave the lenses in the bath, the darker the tint. However, the polarised lens is my preferred choice, they are made by polarising material being sandwiched between the two layers of the spectacle lens. It blocks light completely from a horizontal plane and is the best lens to eliminate glare from wet roads and water. The ideal lens for drivers and holidays by the sea. We can make them in single vision, bifocal or varifocal lens designs and the colour choice is grey, brown or green. Our sunspecs are available to purchase without prescription. The lenses are high optical quality with 100% UVA and UVB protection as standard and come with a case and cleaning cloth.

So if you are looking for sunspecs this year, come and view our new range, stylish frames with high quality lenses for your protection and comfort. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around Jan 2019

Retinal photography

Happy New Year to one and all! This year at Hunstanton Eyecare we are offering “Retinal Photography”, photo of the inside of the back of your eyeball, as a routine addition to our eye examination and to provide us with a more detailed record of your eye health. There are structures in the eye which benefit from a photograph so that any changes can be noticed and action taken to prevent loss of vision. The camera takes a flash photograph of the inside of your eye, and although it’s a little dazzling, it certainly does no harm and vision comes back to normal in a couple of minutes.

The retina is the light sensitive cell layer which lines the inside of our eyeball and gives us the gift of sight. I often liken the retina to the film in a camera, yes I am going back a bit to 35mm was it? before all the fantastic digital gadgets were invented! If your film was rather old or damaged in any way, no matter how well you focused the lenses you were unlikely to get a good photo. The same can be said for the eye, if the retina is damaged, no matter what spectacle lens we give you it may not make much difference to your vision. So it is vitally important that your eyes remain healthy. Good habits for healthy retinas are, 1. No smoking, 2. Avoid excessive UV light, wear your sunspecs and/or shield your eyes with a brimmed hat in bright sunshine, 3. Diet, plenty of green leafy veg especially kale and spinach, and the bright fruit and veg like peppers, sweetcorn, carrots etc.

​

The major structures we observe in the eye are the Macula, Optic disc and blood vessels. The Macula is a tiny area of the retina directly opposite our pupil, responsible for detail and clarity of our central vision. The Optic Disc is the head of the optic nerve, this area is usually affected by Glaucoma, a very common ocular condition. It is the appearance and measurement of the disc that contributes to the Glaucoma diagnosis and photographs are the most brilliant record as we can compare disc photos from sequential eye exams and notice any changes. Blood vessels that supply parts of the eye are easily seen when looking at the retina, the appearance of vessels can give a clue to underlying health problems such as raised blood pressure and high cholesterol. Then there are the things that we may not be expecting, just like we have moles on our skin, occasionally they appear in the eye. Most do nothing and are just “normal for us”, however a photo is the best way to monitor it in case it decides to grow into anything sinister. Diabetic patients should have regular eye screening photos, and this has been done for some time under the NHS. Diabetes causes weakness in the walls of the delicate blood vessels and can result in haemorrhages, this can cause major vision loss. We can often see the first signs of diabetic eye disease in the periphery of the retina, it appears as tiny spot haemorrhages. If you schedule your eye exam with us in between regular screening you would have a six-monthly check rather than just annual.

I would recommend everyone to have a retinal photograph at every eye exam. Eye transplants are not possible, so you have to look after the eyes you have. There are many retinal cameras on the market and we have one of the latest to give us a quality image. We do make a charge of £10, unless you are a member of our Eyeplan scheme which includes it, but we believe it is a small price to pay for maintenance of good eye health.

We look forward to seeing you soon,

Annette.

 

Hunstanton Town & Around December 2018

It’s coming to that time of year when we review all that has gone on in 2018. In all walks of life there is constant change and the optical world is certainly no exception. New lenses, new frames to keep up with the ever-changing fashion industry, new drugs and treatments for eye conditions and yet more rules and regs from the NHS, best not discuss that here, I’ll only “have a rant” as my husband would say.

This year we have welcomed new staff members. Hikmat, our locum Optometrist and Michelle, who joined us in May as an Optical Assistant. They have both settled into our happy little team and enjoy working in Hunstanton.

ROAD PILOT LENSES & LAND ROVER FRAMES

10% OFF.  DECEMBER PROMOTION

Yes, the brand names get everywhere! It always seems that us girls have loads more choice when it comes to frames, but this new collection is especially for the boys. LAND ROVER has put its name to a stylish range of quality frames, designed and developed in the UK. Glaze with “Road Pilot” lenses and we believe you have the best driving specs you have ever worn. If you can’t think of what to buy your favourite chap for Christmas, this could be it! Pop in and find out what makes “Road Pilot” so good for drivers. The promotion is available until the end of the year.

The number of clients joining our EYEPLAN scheme continues to increase, and this year we have extended it to our contact lens wearers. Contact lenses are often more complicated than spectacles, but Mr Leach has so many years of experience that nothing fazes him. However, more chair time is often required for the more complex cases. For a small monthly fee paid by a direct debit, Eyeplan provides all the care a client may need, as well as contact lenses at a reduced price. Mr Leach is still our hard-working boss, but he is trying to reduce his hours in the practice, so our Optometrists will take over some of the contact lens work.

WIN A CHRISTMAS HAMPER !

Are you a member of our Eyeplan scheme? if so, this year you have the chance to win a lovely Christmas Hamper. I have been in touch with the Norfolk Deli in Hunstanton and they are going to put together a Hamper full of the best, most delicious Norfolk goodies. Just bring in your “Hamper prize draw ticket” you will have received in the post, to have a chance to win. The draw will be on Saturday 15th Dec.

From all of us at Hunstanton Eyecare wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous 2019.

Annette

Hunstanton Town & Around. November 2018

Welcome to Hikmat.

I can’t understand why we have such a difficult time recruiting staff in this lovely area of West Norfolk. As far as Optometrists go there are plenty of them in the cities, but trying to entice them to come to our lovely countryside is usually a big challenge. Perhaps it’s because they train at Universities and are used to being “Townies”? Anyway, we are fortunate to be able to introduce you to Hikmat, who travels to us from Cambridge, and as long as I remember to pick her up at King’s Lynn station she will be in the practice on time.

Hikmat answered our call for a Locum Optometrist, she qualified in 2011 having attended the University of Bradford. As a child she had various complex eye problems which sparked her interest in Ophthalmology. After qualifying, she spent four years in the South West, Devon and Cornwall, so I can’t really accuse her of being just a city girl! Just to prove we only employ the brightest folk, Hikmat was awarded a scholarship to study for her Phd at the Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. Her thesis was all about Visual Fields in patients with Low Vision. As a Low Vision Practitioner myself this subject is of particular interest to me, I am eager to read it, and I am pleased to say that a summary has been published in the optical press. Hikmat will be with us usually one day a week, the rest of her time is spent mainly in Cambridge teaching undergraduates in Optometry clinics.

Anyone going on a winter holiday? I’m more of a relax in the sunshine type, and as I have mentioned before certainly not a sporty character. I am sure I would be more of a Bridgit Jones on the ski slopes even if I was brave enough to try. However, many of you may enjoy winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding?  If so we have just the goggle to take with you. Adidas has introduced a great Ski goggle which can be glazed to your spectacle prescription, so you will be well protected when zooming down the mountain, at least with great vision and eye protection, no guarantee for the rest of your body! Strong but lightweight, this sportswear company certainly produce the ideal safety eyewear to go with all the other ski paraphernalia.

Our sports eyewear is available all year round, so pop in and see us soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around October 2018

Driving spectacles for all weathers!

This month is looking ahead to autumn and winter. My husband would rather be in the sunshine all the time, but I love Autumn with the changing colours of the countryside and the fresh chill in the air in the mornings. I don’t mind winter either on a bright cold day as long as I have a cuddly jumper and warm boots that don’t leak in the wet.

We often do a good trade in sunspecs in the summer, but I think I wear my sunnies as much in the autumn and winter particularly when driving. At this time of year, the sun is often at an awkward low angle, and although not so strong can be a cause of dazzle and vision impairment. As the days grow shorter, many of us cannot avoid driving in low light or night conditions. So this month I am going to get on my soap box and go on and on about driving!

​

Now is a great time to visit Hunstanton Eyecare for a thorough eye examination. Our eyes are not so sensitive to detail in lower light conditions, and our vision may deteriorate so slowly that we are unaware of it. Bear in mind that 95% of information we receive whilst driving is through our eyesight. Night driving in rural areas is often uncomfortable and any error will cause a blur which is accentuated by oncoming headlights and street lights.

Research and development is on-going in the optical world, and manufacturers have recently put much effort into designing lenses particularly to cope with night driving. Our supplier, Essilor, has come up with “Road Pilot”. There are two options:- Distance only, offers a specially surfaced lens offering high resolution over the entire lens, and a premium anti-reflection coating that offers impeccable clarity of vision. The second is a varifocal design providing wide distance and intermediate zones ideal for the best distance vision and the dashboard area. Both lenses are available in a clear plastic material, or Transitions Xtractive™. The highway code advises us not to use tinted lenses for night driving if they restrict your vision, so Transitions Xtractive™ fits that catergory, providing a slight tint to reduce glare. The bonus is that it will also give you a sunspec in the summer that reacts better behind the windscreen of the car on sunny days. The special anti-reflection coat adds to the lens light transmission qualities reducing lens surface reflections by up to 90%. Just because they are called “Road Pilot” doesn’t mean you can only wear them in the car, they give great vision on many occasions, but especially for driving. The same applies when we say WEAR YOUR SPECS WHEN DRIVING! It means we are advising you of your legal obligations and that your distance vision can be improved. However, those same spectacles will improve vision for other activities such as cinema, theatre or TV, so why not wear them?

Polarising lenses eliminate glare, enhance colour and contrast, whilst protecting our eyes from damaging UV rays. They are great for driving as they totally eliminate reflected glare, particularly from a wet road when the sun pops out again.

We can combine two sunspec properties, photochromic and polarized. This lens is called “Drivewear” and as the name suggests, is great for drivers. In its lighter state it is around 35% tinted a greenish colour (therefore too dark for night driving). In bright sunlight it darkens to around 83% and turns brown in colour. We have a sample in the practice so come and take a look.

So, whatever your driving needs, Hunstanton Eyecare is the place to be. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around September 2018

Watery Eyes or Dry eyes? It could be the same thing!

It sounds daft doesn’t it, you complain about your eyes watering and they tell you it’s a “Dry Eye” condition. Let me explain.

It is estimated that 1 in 5 people in the UK may suffer from Dry Eye, and modern management of this condition means understanding not just the symptoms, but the triggers and associated conditions, including eyelid health. There are a number of different causes of Dry Eye but these can broadly be split into environmental and physiological, these include excessive air conditioning and computer screen use, certain prescription drugs, ageing (that’s always in there isn’t it!) and hormonal influences.

We need to BLINK! Blinking is fundamental to eye health, it keeps the front surface of the eye moist, removes dust and debris, and encourages the distribution and drainage of tears. By refreshing the eye with a smooth layer of tears every few seconds the optical quality of vision is enhanced too. If someone is suffering from Dry Eye, the tears, or as it is known the “tear film” is compromised. The outer oily, waterproof layer of the tear film becomes deficient and essential moisture can evaporate too quickly. It is important to note that Dry Eye is not an infection, however the condition does have some key symptoms to look out for. As well as itchy, gritty and tired eyes, people with Dry Eye experience watery eyes when the tears then go into overdrive to compensate. Symptoms are often worse in air conditioning and on windy days. The eye needs appropriate lubrication, commonly known as artificial tears, to maintain the smooth surface of the cornea, and thus prevent discomfort, abrasion and resist infection.

At Hunstanton Eyecare we are now stocking a new range of products from Thea Pharmaceuticals and there are certain features we like about this range. **Avoids preservatives – many experts agree that long-term use of preservatives can damage the surface of the eye, so all Thea products are preservative free. A bottle will last a couple of months once opened, and if you are using it regularly it will not go to waste. Many older, traditional eyedrops still contain preservatives. **Contains sodium hyaluronate – this is a molecule that is very moisturising for the surface of the eye as well as long-lasting. It behaves in a similar way to natural tears in the way it spreads across the surface of the eye with each blink. **Contains protective ingredients in the formulation, such as Trehalose, these molecules help protect the surface cells of the eye. **Comes in a squidgy, (that is not a technical term) bottle that is soft and easy to handle, the neck of the bottle is also shaped so you can place it on the bridge of your nose and squeeze the drops into your eye and not down your cheek. All these products are also suitable for contact lens wearers.

Good eyelid hygiene is another important consideration. Blepharitis is the name given to inflammation of the eyelid margin, the lids look sore with a red margin and there may be a dandruff-like appearance around the lashes. The tiny glands in the eyelid margin are often blocked or do not function well. This can then lead to Dry Eye and loss of eyelashes. Thea have a range of products to sort this out too. So, if you feel as though you suffer with dry eye, come and talk to us, we can offer a FREE SAMPLE for you to try, and don’t suffer in silence with a dry watery eye!

See you soon

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around.  August 2018

By the time you read this we will be well into the school summer holidays, but as I am writing at the beginning of July, the exam season has just finished to the great relief of many students and their families no doubt.

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I am an examiner for ABDO, Association of British Dispensing Opticians, and so the months of June and July are particularly busy. Exams may be over but there is still a pile of papers to mark. Student Dispensing Opticians also have a whole day of practical exams to complete, and this year we were all quite excited as ABDO has a new home in Birmingham. This newly refurbished building has been specifically designed for examinations and training for everything optical, and it has air conditioning! Our examinations are constantly under review to reflect the changes in our optical world and better prepare the next generation to maintain high quality patient care. One section is the dispensing exam where we employ the services of some kindly folk who act as our patients. However, one area of our expertise is that of Paediatric dispensing, any child under the age of 16 must have spectacles dispensed by a qualified Dispensing Optician or Optometrist. The challenge was how to examine that competency? This is where I ask what do opticians and Madam Tussauds have in common? It’s wax heads! ABDO approached the wax-works makers who produced a selection of childrens heads. There are various ages of wax children, from an eighteen month to a twelve-year old, they include a Downs Syndrome child as their features are particularly challenging for well fitting specs. One student was heard to remark that they were not very realistic, but in your final exam would you really prefer a bored two-year old and be required to fit them with specs?, I think not! My photo shows one head with specs that may look upside-down, but they are actually ideal as the child will not look over the top rim, the bridge fits his face like a glove to be comfortable on his young nose and the head strap holds it all in place. A pass for this candidate I believe.

August is the time for thinking of “Back to school”, and children’s good eyesight is essential for their progress through education. Remember that the eye exam is provided by the NHS, so free of charge to those under 19 and in full-time education. We have a wide selection of frames to choose from, many of which are supplied with the NHS spectacle voucher, so free of charge to parents. Even if your child shows no signs of visual discomfort it is always a good idea to have their eyes tested regularly and at least before they start school.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around.  July 2018

I was looking back at all the topics I have chatted about over the last few months and noticed that the last time I mentioned “Sports Eyewear” was January 2016. As we look forward to enjoying the outdoors at this time of year you might like to take a look at our new Sports Eyewear.

Whatever sport you enjoy you may benefit from custom-made eyewear to give you great visual comfort and even a slight advantage over your opponent? No guarantee though! I’ve never been the sporty type, and although I really enjoy Wimbledon, it’s the watching with a bowl of strawberries and cream which is more appealing than the exertion of trying to hit a tennis ball. I didn’t mind hockey, but there was too much running around and trying to stay clear of girls waving sticks at your ankles. I did enjoy sailing with my Dad, but my usually placid and very tolerant father had to shout at me because I was too slow to pull this rope and that, and by the time I’d done it, it was too late!

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For the more successful sportspersons, the ideal eyewear is a bonus. We have introduced Adidas Eyewear to our practice. The lenses are of particular note, having “Light Stabilising Technology” (LTS). This tint reduces glare to a comfortable level, enhances detail and contours of terrain, it gives improved natural colour perception and high contrast vision, ideal for the golfers. Adidas products are endorsed by Justin Rose no less. Other lens options are available, photochromic to darken in the sunlight and polarized to illuminate surface reflections, ideal for the sailors amongst us. Sports frames need to be comfortable and a secure fit.

Adidas frames are made of lightweight, flexible and allergy-free material, they come in a range of sizes too. In many cases sports eyewear uses highly curved “wrap-around” lenses. This creates significant problems when you try and manufacture a prescription lens into a high curve. Adidas employs a specialist manufacturer to produce high quality lenses in either single vision or multifocal design.

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As well as the Adidas range we can cater for all sports, goggles for swimmers and masks for divers, wrap-around eyewear for clay shooters and cyclists, safety eyewear for rugby players and footballers, all designs can cope with most spectacle prescriptions. So whatever your activity, pop into Hunstanton Eyecare for custom-made Sports Eyewear.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around - June 2018

I’m very fortunate that I don’t visit the doctor much, but on the occasions I have done, the answer is often “well its your age”! We know that the years take their toll on our bodies, we can’t run quite as fast, the stairs seem steeper, our hearing is not so sharp and the same goes for our eyesight. This month I’m going to chat about Age Related Macular Degeneration, which in my Low Vision clinic accounts for the majority of patients I see.

The retina is the ultra-thin nerve layer which covers the inside of the eye. It is made up of millions of light receptor cells sitting on a membrane which are responsible for giving us the sense of sight. The Macula is a tiny area of the retina, directly opposite our pupil and so densely packed with light receptor cells that it is responsible for our vision of fine detail and colour. Moving away from the macula the sensitivity of the retina decreases quite markedly and our peripheral vision is just in black and white. All organs of the body need nutrients in and waste out, and with Macular Degeneration (AMD) we believe that this process slows down as we age. The light receptor cells are displaced and loose their ability to transmit the messages of light entering the eye, therefore vision suffers.

There are two types of AMD, dry and wet. The dry is the most common and thankfully the least aggressive form of the disease. Your Optometrist may notice early signs examining your eyes, but it may be years until it affects your vision. The wet form appears more suddenly with an awareness of distorted vision perhaps, the condition can be treated but needs to be dealt with quickly to preserve vision.

So, is there anything we can do to prevent AMD? There is much research going on all the time and there have been significant advances in treatment and understanding the causes of the disease. We can help ourselves by maintaining a good healthy diet, how many times do you hear that? The macula needs certain nutrients, namely Lutein, which is found particularly in dark green leafy veg such as Kale and Spinach. If a plate of greens isn’t very appealing, there are many vitamin supplements that can be taken on a daily basis. I think Mother Nature made all beneficial things in lovely bright colours to encourage us to eat them, such as green veg, red and yellow peppers, orange carrots etc. She didn’t invent the bargain bucket at KFC! DO NOT SMOKE - If you want to help someone stop smoking, inform them that they will be more likely to suffer from AMD later in life if they continue, surely that must be a reason to quit. Remember your sunspecs when outdoors as UV light is not kind to our eyes. We must look after our eyes as, at the time of writing, there are no replacements.

At Hunstanton Eyecare our Optometrists are expert in examining the health of your eyes to help maintain good vision for years to come. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around. May 2018.

This month I am being really lazy. There are just two days and then I’m off on holiday and I’m busy trying to get things organised. In May we are introducing the latest innovation in spectacle frame design from one of my favourite suppliers, Silhouette. So I asked them to do the artwork. The new range is an interpretation of a rimless, but has a colour highlight around the edge. Still wonderfully lightweight but now with an interesting twist, there are styles for both ladies and gents. So do pop in if you would like to try something new.

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We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around - April 2018

“ECO-Friendly” spectacles ?!!

What does a spectacle frame and Castor Oil have in common? Well apparently they are one of the same if you look at Charmants new range of “Eco-friendly” spectacle frames.  Most of the time I am complaining that my ladies and gents will not be impressed by yet another layer of packaging, the cardboard wrapper around the case, and are you really going to use the bag with the little stringy handles that advertise your latest purchase of designer brand? Here I go again “having a little rant” as my husband would say. We have many spectacle frame manufacturers to choose from these days, and whilst we do like to stock many of the “Designer” ranges, I am always on the lookout for something different. I favour the companies that produce quality frames, give us good service and actually have the courtesy to speak to me on the phone rather than battle through the on-line ordering system with the password etc etc. (Another little rant!)

One of our suppliers is the Charmant Group. For over 50 years, Charmant has been renowned worldwide for its pioneering work in the research and development of new technologies in spectacle frame production. As well as their core range of Charmant Titanium frames, they produce elegant designs under the names of Elle and Esprit.

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Esprit eyewear launched its new and forward-thinking ECOllection at the end of last year. The eco-friendly optical collection is made of bio-based plastic material, resulting in lightweight, flexible and durable frames. The key ingredient is castor oil, which is extracted from the beans of the highly environmentally-friendly castor oil plant: It absorbs carbon dioxide; grows on poor soil in Mediterranean and tropical regions; and doesn’t compete for land with food crops.

Eco-friendly designs deserve ecological packaging: Each ECOllection frame comes in a sustainable case made from recycled paper. It has been specially shaped to be shipped flat and prevent shipping of empty space, reducing the carbon footprint and environmental impact.

ECOllection comprises of four new, on-trend styles for women and men.

If you would like to be Eco-friendly when you purchase new spectacles, come and view the ECOllection at Hunstanton Eyecare.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around -March 2018

At Hunstanton Eyecare, March is traditionally a time when we renew our Sunspec stock for the year ahead. We are all very aware of the damage that Ultra Violet (UV) rays can do to our skin, and it is also very important that we protect our eyes from UV rays. Good protection against harmful rays can help delay the onset of cataract and Macular degeneration, as well as avoiding the wrinkles as we frown against the bright light, (I don’t think any text book mentions that but to some of us that is a very valid reason for some sunspecs!)

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There are several ways that we can create tinted lenses these days. Plastic spectacle lenses can be dyed, vacuum coated or laminated. The “dip-dye” process is probably the most common, and as the name suggests, the lenses are dipped into a bath of warmed dye solution. The longer you leave the lenses in the darker the tint. Vacuum coating a lens produces a mirror tint on the surface of the lens, this type of tint is also used for skiers to reflect the light rays from the snow. By far my favourite sunspec lens is a Polarised lens. Polarising material is sandwiched between the two layers of the spectacle lens. It acts as a complete block of light from the horizontal plane, thus being the best to eliminate glare from wet roads, and water. The ideal lens for holidays by the sea.

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Many of us are wearing photochromic lenses, those that darken in the sun and lighten up when you come indoors. In my early career this material was only available in glass, but glass is heavy and fragile, so not the ideal material for comfortable full-time wear. Also, if your lenses were thicker on the edge than the middle, the thicker parts of the lens turned darker than the thinner parts, making you look like a panda!  Plastic photochromic lenses have been around for the last 30 years or so and are known under the name “Transitions”. The chemical is applied to the surface of the lens thus there is an even colour over the whole surface.

We can combine two sunspec properties, photochromic and polarized. This lens is called “Drivewear” and as the name suggests, is great for drivers. In its lighter state it is around 35% tinted a greenish colour (therefore too dark for night driving). In bright sunlight it darkens to around 83% and turns brown in colour. They are my ideal drivers sunspec.

So come and see our new range and be well prepared for the sunshine! We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around. February 2018

Safer driving at night “Road Pilot”

There are 34 million drivers in the UK and it is estimated that 31% refuse to drive at night. Does that include you? The figures tell us that we might spend 10 hours a week on the road, 3.7 hours walking and 2.7 hours showering! Who compiles this data one wonders! Anyway, I do know from what our clients tell us, that night driving is uncomfortable for many of us. Our eye sensitivity is different in the daytime than at night, so when driving at night multiple light sources, headlights, traffic lights etc, all impact on our vision. The problems created could be glare, low peripheral vision, decreased contrast sensitivity, increased response time and difficulty in motion perception.

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Research and development is on-going in the optical world, and manufacturers have recently put much effort into designing lenses particularly to cope with night driving. Our supplier, Essilor, has come up with “Road Pilot”. There are two options:- Distance only offers a specially surfaced lens offering high resolution over the entire lens, and a premium anti-reflection coating that offers impeccable clarity of vision. The second is a varifocal design providing wide distance and intermediate zones ideal for the best distance vision and the dashboard area. Both lenses are available in a clear plastic material, or Transitions Xtractive™. The highway code advises not to use tinted lenses for night driving if they restrict your vision, so Transitions Xtractive™ fits that catergory, providing a slight tint to reduce glare. The bonus is that it will also give you a sunspec in the summer that reacts better behind the windscreen of the car on sunny days. The special anti-reflection coat adds to the lens light transmission qualities reducing lens surface reflections by up to 90%.

So if night driving is a bit of a bother, pop into Hunstanton Eyecare to see our new lens.

Happy motoring!

Annette

 

Hunstanton T&A January 2018

At the start of a New Year we all make promises that we probably cannot keep, for me it is always must do more music practice, but after a day at work one is not always in the mood. The New Year is perhaps a time to reflect, declutter, re-energise, detox, whatever you like to call it. At Hunstanton Eyecare we are particularly thinking about introducing new frame ranges and sunspecs, so that we can offer something fresh and new to our clients. There are optical trade shows early in the year and this is a good time to explore the new designs on the market.

As an addition to spectacles, have you ever considered trying Contact Lenses? There are so many lenses available today that the old days of “your prescription isn’t suitable” are over. There could be many reasons why Contact lenses are a good alternative to specs; Those with high prescriptions when spec lenses are thick and heavy, just not having to worry about the spectacle frame obscuring your view, no more distortion from spec lenses, the chef in the kitchen won’t be hampered by specs steaming up, and sportsmen and women find them the ideal vision solution especially when playing fast sports. I used to go clay shooting and wore contact lenses instead of specs as it was a safety requirement to wear protective goggles and you usually needed a good tint too. Did it improve my shooting? well I wouldn’t like to say!

One thing we will always stress to contact lens wearers is the need for regular eyecare checks. Afterall, a contact lens is a foreign body that you have put into your eye, and it is our job to ensure your eyes stay healthy. The process to successful contact lens wear will be longer than the spectacle route. A Contact Lens fitting has the minimum of two stages, although more appointments may be required to get things just right, especially if a prescription is more complex. Following the fitting, lenses are issued and then an EYECARE PLAN will be set in place. We have operated EYEPLAN for many of our spectacle wearers for 18 months now and it has been very successful. So, for 2018 we will enrol our contact lens clients on to EYEPLAN CONTACTS. The scheme is designed to wrap up all your visual needs into one monthly payment, Contact lens aftercare, eye exams, the contact lens supply and also spectacles, which yes you will need for the occasions when it is not possible to wear your lenses. Contact Lens practice has always been Mr Leach’s speciality, and he is now delighted to welcome Belinda to continue his good practice.

So if you fancy giving Contact Lenses a try in the New Year, please book in for a friendly professional consultation.

We look forward to seeing you in the practice soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton T&A December 2017

UP & DOWN Varifocals ?

Well that title must have caught your attention! In our modern world there are millions of varifocal wearers, and at Hunstanton Eyecare they are a first choice of lens for most of our “mature” clients, myself included. There is not just one varifocal, there are many manufacturers and each one has a range of varifocals from a basic design to highly complex, which reflects all the research and development that continually goes into the science of ophthalmic lens design. The varifocal lens has distance, intermediate and near vision areas all in one lens on a continuing progression as you work your way down the lens. So for day to day living, the lens satisfies all requirements, but I always say that there is never one lens that will do everything, perfectly, all the time. Generally, problems occur when folks have a particular task in their working life. So take my electrician, he is quite happy until he has to fiddle with the fuse box, which is in the downstairs cloakroom, and on the wall at a height of about seven feet, so an overhead fuse box. Ok he has a step-ladder to stand on, but he also has to look up and at close range. That’s a problem when the close-work bit of your varifocal is down and not up. So why doesn’t someone make a lens with the close work bit at the top? Well they do!

The Up and Down Varifocal, as the name suggests, is a varifocal that increases in power as you work your way down the lens, but also increases in power as you look up the lens. There is a separation between the progressions to allow for distance vision in the middle. So now “Sparkey” can look at the fuse box through the upper part of his lens and see all the detail as clearly as he does when he reads normally. Mechanics working on vehicles may have a similar problem, the car is on the ramp and you need to look up to inspect the underneath of the car. Ever tried matching the wallpaper from the top near the coving? I’m sure we could think of several tasks where these lenses would be just the thing!

So if you have a task where your current specs don’t quite do the job, I’m sure we can find a lens that does. It may mean a pair of specs for that job, but there is nothing better than having the right tools for the job.

Goodbye Sarah, Hello Nicky.

In October we sadly said Cheerio to Sarah, who had been with us for nine years. Sarah was certainly a multi-tasker, but mainly looked after the laboratory and our accounts with great efficiency, she is also a great cake maker! Sarah decided that she needed more time to help her husband with his expanding business, as well as looking after her family. We sincerely thank her for her friendship, enthusiasm and great contribution to Hunstanton Eyecare.

Our new recruit is Nicky, who lives in Hunstanton, so no excuse to be late, with her husband, two children and her dog. We look forward to her joining our happy team and introducing her to the interesting world of Optics.

As we say goodbye to 2017 very soon, all of us at Hunstanton Eyecare wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and good fortune for the New Year.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town & Around November 2017

“OrCam MyEye” A wearable device to assist the Severely Visually Impaired.

There are not many occasions in your career when you witness a brand-new product that does amazing things. I’m very pleased to say that it has recently happened to me with the introduction of “OrCam MyEye” to the UK.

As many of you may know, as well as being a Dispensing Optician, I am a Low Vision Practitioner. In 2009 I embarked on the Low Vision Honours course run by ABDO, our professional body for Dispensing Opticians. My long-suffering husband thought I had left home as he hardly saw me shut away in the study for weeks on end. On successfully completing the course I took over the Low Vision Clinics at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn and set up a new clinic at the Fakenham Medical Centre.  A Low Vision Assessment is quite different from your normal sight test, we discuss the cause of sight loss and how it is affecting daily life. I have a whole armoury of Low Vision Aids and we usually find something to enhance what sight is remaining and achieve many visual tasks that were previously impossible. This specialist work is some of the most rewarding I have ever done, seeing people coming in depressed due to failing sight, but sending them out happier, and able to cope with day to day living again. At Hunstanton Eyecare we stock a range of high quality magnifiers to compliment those useful for hobbies etc. A Low Vision Assessment can be arranged if you would prefer not to wait for an NHS appointment.

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“OrCam MyEye”, is an intuitive wearable device with a smart camera designed to assist people who are severely visually impaired. The camera clips onto the side of your spectacles and all you have to do is point to what you want it to read. The tiny speaker is located just behind your ear and is quite discreet. OrCam can read any printed text, such as letters, menus, signposts and food packaging. It has facial recognition so you won’t walk past someone by mistake, and it can be taught to recognise personal items such as credit cards. Although an advanced piece of kit, you don’t have to be a technical wizard to operate it. When OrCam is purchased, it will be delivered in person by a qualified trainer who will spend a few hours training and programming the device for the purchasers’ own needs

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Hunstanton Eyecare is a practice where “OrCam” can be demonstrated. So, if you know of someone who has very poor sight, get in touch and we can arrange a demonstration in our comfortable surroundings. So even if eyesight is poor, come and see us for the most appropriate eyecare.

We look forward to seeing you soon. Annette

Hunstanton Town & Around October 2017

Have you missed us? I do hope so! Apologies for our absence for the last 3 months but there is always an explanation. We have a sister practice in Cromer, and unfortunately our Optometrist there had to leave very suddenly. An optical practice without an Optometrist is really “up the creak without a paddle” so we had to share our Dr Jo with Cromer until we employed another Optometrist. However, the good news is that we can now introduce Mr Francis Donaghy who will be the resident Optometrist in Cromer from October. Francis first came to us as a locum Optometrist to help us out at Hunstanton just one day a week. He soon realised that we were such a lovely bunch, and that Cromer was just as great as Hunstanton (well nearly) that he agreed to join the company. We will probably see him at Hunstanton a couple of days a month.

In his own words, Francis says; “I’m new to Eyecare Norfolk, but definitely not new to Norfolk or Optics, having qualified in 1994. I’m delighted to be joining the company, especially as both practices are so close to the sea. I hope I bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the business. Outside of Optics, I’m a huge rugby fan, especially all things Irish Rugby. I look forward to helping those who come into my care.”

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Summer holidays may be over, but many of us are autumnal vacationers. Ever tried to buy your sunspecs in the winter, the “off-season”?. It’s a bit like trying to buy a pair of shorts or a new swimming costume, all the good stuff has gone until next year by the time I think about it. Here at Hunstanton Eyecare, we stock sunspecs and quite an array of Adidas and other sports specs all year round.

As the nights are drawing in we may start to think of indoor hobbies that will amuse us on the darker evenings. Those of us who read, sew, draw, paint or make models especially railways, enjoy the excuse to stay indoors. However, sometimes we need a little extra help from our specs, and also a little more illumination. We now stock LED table and floor lamps which give great light to close-work tasks. The LED gives a white light, is economical to run and does not become terrifically hot with prolonged use. In some cases, it may be a good idea to consider a pair of spectacles designed for your particular hobby. A alternative pair for close sewing could give a closer working distance and larger field of view thus making prolonged use less tiring. Musicians who have music to view at an arms-length may need a specially designed lens to cope with this intermediate distance.

So, whatever you optical needs, pop in to see if we can help, a warm welcome awaits you all.

Annette

Hunstanton Town and Around.  June 2017

Say Hello to Dr Jo !

Hunstanton Eyecare is delighted to welcome Dr Jo Loades-Allmond PhD MCOptom as our new resident Optometrist.

I have known Jo for about 20 years, we met whilst working together in Swaffham. Our friendship grew from a great working relationship and I knew our practice would be the sort of environment that Jo would enjoy. It didn’t take her long to realise that the independent practice was where she wanted to be.

In writing this article I had to sit down with Jo to fill in my knowledge of her career history. My first question was why become an Optometrist? She has always had an interest in the health industry but didn’t want to be a doctor, examining anything from the neck up is fine but not keen on other body parts! Her father introduced her to his Optometrist and was guided into the profession with his encouragement.

Jo qualified almost 30 years ago from Aston University in Birmingham. It was here she met her future husband who was a mature student in the pharmacy department. Her pre-registration year was spent at the Queens Medical Centre, a large teaching hospital in Nottingham, where she assisted in research into childrens visual disorders and treatment, plus some contact lens research to help the medics. This lead to her staying in the academic field for a further 5 years at Cardiff university where she studied “Aspects of Tonic Accommodation” and gained her PhD. Please don’t ask me to explain her PhD subject its something to do with the focus point of the eye in darkness?! Whilst writing up her thesis in the early 1990’s, Jo worked part-time as a locum Optometrist in Kent. Returning to her native Norfolk in 1994, she continued locum work in several practices in the area, both independent and multiple chain opticians. Later on she launched out on her own purchasing a practice in Fakenham and running it successfully for several years. I asked her what was the greatest attraction of our practice? she replied it was the air conditioning! On a sensible note she is delighted to work in a professional practice with friendly staff that “did things proper”!

When not at work sorting out folks' vision, Jo helped her husband to renovate their first home, developing tiling and paint stripping skills, there are no end to her talents. Her home is also shared with the pet Axolotl, a type of Mexican Salamanda or walking fish. It is an endangered species and can regenerate limbs, I've seen the photos and it's a really cute little creature.

In our optical world there are often functions to attend. One such gathering many years ago, hosted by a lens supplier was fancy dress, it was entitled “Bravehearts and Saxon Lassies”. Jo and I thought it was rather boring going as the lassies, so we donned our home-made kilts, and made our cardboard axes and shields. We have dared to share the evidence with you!

We look forward to seeing you all soon and promise to be properly attired!

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town and Around. May 2017

Children’s vision.

This month I am going to chat about our children’s vision. Parents have such a great responsibility bringing up their youngsters, and looking after their health is one of the prime concerns. Eyesight is often taken for granted and if there is a defect it can be very easily overlooked. Your child may have a defect with their vision but not mention it, as they would assume that their view of the world is the same for everyone. It is not until the error is corrected that they realise things are not always in soft focus, and they may have struggled at school quite unnecessarily.

The visual system takes time to develop and at birth a baby has quite poor vision. At around four months of age the vision has improved to the point that they are aware of colour and can fixate on objects. At approximately nine months the vision is sufficiently developed that they are eager to explore the world around them. However, things can go wrong and I will just mention a few you should be aware of.

“Squints”. A child may look cross-eyed or one eye wanders off and gazes in a different direction to the other. This is often related to eye muscle weakness or uncorrected long sight. Whatever the cause it can be corrected and should be done promptly, to ensure that both eyes develop to their full potential. If a squint is not treated this can lead to “Amblyopia”, or blind through disuse. If the eye is not given visual stimulus it will not develop, this could create problems later in life, just driving or applying for jobs in the Armed Forces for example, where good eyesight is essential. “Long-sighted”, or “Hypermetropia” means that a child has to make extra effort to see things at close range. If there is a large error, your child may complain of headaches and abnormal tiredness and a squint may be induced. “Short-sight”, or “Myopia”, means your child will have poor distance vision and will therefore struggle to see classroom displays. “Astigmatism” is a physical eye condition where the eye is not spherical like a tennis ball, but rugby ball shaped with two different curves to correct. The spectacles prescribed can easily correct this.

Summer will soon be upon us and many of us escape from our weather to sunny climes throughout the year. Don’t forget Children’s SUNSPECS! As well as protecting skin it is very important to protect young eyes from UV rays. How about a second pair of spectacles made with Transitions, light-adaptive lenses? They protect against 100% of harmful UV rays and will also make a useful second / spare pair.

It is never too early to check your child’s eyesight. All children under the age of 16 and those under 19 who are in full-time education are entitled to FREE Eye Examinations under the NHS. They are also issued with an NHS voucher which is used towards the cost of spectacles. Here at Hunstanton Eyecare we have a great range of modern trendy frames that the youngsters will love, many are FREE of charge with the NHS voucher or a small contribution will give a greater choice. Childrens spectacles must be dispensed by fully qualified Dispensing Opticians or Optometrists, this is UK law, Opticians Act 1989. Look out for the qualification FBDO (Fellow of the association of British Dispensing Opticians). As well as myself, our Dispensing Opticians at Hunstanton Eyecare are Belinda and our general manager Julien.

We look forward to seeing you all soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton T&A. April 2017

“Good, Fast, Cheap.”

This was an interesting phrase I came across recently, the point was that there are three factors relating to goods and services we receive from all sorts of businesses. However, the author pointed out that in reality you can only have two out of the three factors!!!  So, if you want Good and Fast it won’t be Cheap, choose Good and Cheap but you will have to wait, and finally it you prefer Fast and Cheap, it is unlikely to be Good. I found this concept firstly quite amusing but then it made me think about what sort of service our clients expect and deserve from us???

As I’ve got older I have come to appreciate quality and service. We have just returned from a holiday abroad and we travelled to the airport by taxi, Oh joy!!! The journey down and back was so relaxing, no husband criticising that I should have kept going at the roundabout, was in the wrong gear, should have seen the nutcase undertaking on the M11. Then when you finally get to the overnight hotel, after sat-nav taking you down a farm track, find a place to park, heave the bags on and off the transport bus you had to wait for, and then do all this in reverse on our return! I wonder if it is worth the bit in the middle? Taxi-driver Dick was brilliant, on time, met us in arrivals on our return and negotiated the traffic while we dozed off. So the decision to consider the travel to the airport as part of the holiday experience was the right one, he was worth every penny.

In our optical world we pay attention to detail, measurement of your prescription and spectacles have to be to British Standard tolerances and quite rightly so. Other factors such as tints and surface coatings on lenses have to pass strict quality control tests. The optical industry is highly sophisticated and computerised robotic technology is normal in todays’ manufacturing processes.

Upstairs at Hunstanton Eyecare we have our on-site glazing laboratory, efficiently managed by Sarah, who orders spectacles, operates the glazing machinery and keeps a close eye on the progress of jobs. We hold a range of single vision plastic lenses and this enables us to do a “while-u-wait” service in case of an emergency. However, most of our work is ordered as our clients require bespoke lenses. We order most of our spectacle lenses from Essilor, they have a manufacturing plant in Bristol and we are linked to them via our computer ordering system. I must admit it is a clever piece of kit, the frame is “traced” to record its shape and dimensions, we add your prescription details and all the measurements you see us take when dispensing your spectacles. Once the order is complete, at the press of the send button, all the information travels down the phone line straight into Essilors’ factory and the order starts its journey untouched by human hands. We receive lenses via a courier delivery and they are already cut to size and shape ready for us to assemble with your chosen frame. This efficient system enables us to provide high quality optical products in a sensible time-frame, the most complex varifocals may take up to three weeks, but a standard prescription is normally produced within seven working days.

So how do we fit into the “Good, Fast, Cheap”? At Hunstanton Eyecare we aim to provide great quality products, reasonably quickly and at a fair and competitive price. We have a professional job to do, but our staff always offer a warm welcome, cheery smile and enjoy a friendly chat, what price do you put on that?!

We look forward to seeing you soon

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town and Around March 2017

At Hunstanton Eyecare, March is traditionally a time when we renew our Sunspec stock for the year ahead. We are all very aware of the damage that Ultra Violet (UV) rays can do to our skin, and it is also very important that we protect our eyes from UV rays. Good protection against harmful rays can help delay the onset of cataract and Macular degeneration, as well as avoiding the wrinkles as we frown against the bright light, (I don’t think any text book mentions that but to some of us that is a very valid reason for some sunspecs!)

There are several ways that we can create tinted lenses these days. Plastic spectacle lenses can be dyed, vacuum coated or laminated. The “dip-dye” process is probably the most common, and as the name suggests, the lenses are dipped into a bath of warmed dye solution. The longer you leave the lenses in the darker the tint. Vacuum coating a lens produces a mirror tint on the surface of the lens, this type of tint is also used for skiers to reflect the light rays from the snow. By far my favourite sunspec lens is a Polarised lens. Polarising material is sandwiched between the two layers of the spectacle lens. It acts as a complete block of light from the horizontal plane, thus being the best to eliminate glare from wet roads, and water. The ideal lens for holidays by the sea.

Many of us are wearing photochromic lenses, those that darken in the sun and lighten up when you come indoors. In my early career this material was only available in glass, but glass is heavy and fragile, so not the ideal material for comfortable full-time wear. Also, if your lenses were thicker on the edge than the middle, the thicker parts of the lens turned darker than the thinner parts, making you look like a panda!  Plastic photochromic lenses have been around for the last 30 years or so and are known under the name “Transitions”. The chemical is applied to the surface of the lens thus there is an even colour over the whole surface.

We can combine two sunspec properties, photochromic and polarized. This lens is called “Drivewear” and as the name suggests, is great for drivers. In its lighter state it is around 35% tinted a greenish colour (therefore too dark for night driving). In bright sunlight it darkens to around 83% and turns brown in colour. We have a sample in the practice so come and take a look.

Whatever your sunspec needs, Hunstanton Eyecare has a range to suit everyone. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town and Around February 2017

One size fits all?

Do you find it frustrating buying clothes when the item states “One size fit”? Although the fashion industry may like to encourage us to conform to a size and shape, we are all different and isn’t that a great thing? We should be delighted that we all have unique features otherwise life would be extremely dull.

Part of our training to become dispensing opticians is learning to take accurate measurements of faces and spectacle frames. In theory we can hand-make a frame to fit like a glove, like a tailor measures for a bespoke suit. Just for a perfect fit of the front of the frame we can take eleven measurements, for sides there are as many as six for each side and that will depend on the style of that side, and finally add a couple for the width of the frame around the head.

No head or face is symmetrical, so several measurements must be annotated right and left. During my college training it was quite a fun project to measure your best friends’ face, then cut out the frame from a plastic material and actually see if your measurements did create that glove-like fit. It taught us the relevance of accuracy and how our facial measurements matched up with those on the spectacle frame. The subject is still an important part of the optical syllabus today, and although students may think it is irrelevant, as most frames today are manufactured in one size, the dispensing optician should be able to match a suitable fitting frame to the clients’ facial features.

So when you are selecting your next “great look”, you may hear us commenting on why one style or fit is preferable to another. A correctly fitting frame holds the lenses in the correct place to give the best optical performance and hence the best vision, a good fit ensures a comfortable pair of specs.

Frames for Special Faces

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Some faces are rather special and need particular attention, those with Down’s syndrome are one such group. The bridge of their nose is generally flatter and lower, and this often means that a conventionally fitting frame sits far too low. This results in the person looking over the frame and not looking through the lenses at all. A dispensing colleague of mine created a range of frames specifically designed for this special face.

The range is “ERIN’S WORLD” The frames are custom designed with shorter sides and a much lower bridge section, thus the eye of the frame sits higher and the person looks through the centre of the lens where the optical quality is at its best. The frame material can be titanium and memory flex, so very robust and durable. There are even matching sunclips for brighter days. It is particularly important that as children, this group has access to well-fitting spectacles so that they can reach their full potential and not be hampered by poor vision. In adulthood they should be able to wear a quality frame that is not only stylish, but provides good vision and comfort.

We have a great variety of all sorts of frames at Hunstanton Eyecare, so whatever your needs, we look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town and Around January 2017

At the start of a New Year we all make promises that we probably cannot keep, for me it is always must do more music practice, but after a day at work one is not always in the mood. The New Year is perhaps a time to reflect, declutter, re-energise, detox, whatever you like to call it. An eye exam may be a good idea to set you up for the year ahead.

A new look could make you feel like a “new you”. We have so many new frames in stock that there must be something to suit everyone. It is surprising how different a new frame can change your appearance, so forget the botox and anti-wrinkle creams, let us show you how to look “10 years younger” with a stylish frame and quality spectacle lenses. Just because your current specs are OK, it doesn’t mean you can’t have another pair. Have you studied the wardrobe lately? How many pairs of shoes, handbags, suits, trousers and dresses do we have? certainly more than one. So, an additional pair of specs is always a good idea. EYEPLAN is a scheme we introduced last June and makes having multiple pairs of spectacles far more economic. Pop in for information anytime.

New colleague

In December Belinda joined us as a Dispensing Optician, she graduated from Anglia Ruskin University in 1997. During her career, she has taken on training and management roles in independent practices as well as with the major optical chains. Belinda is continuing her studies to become a Contact Lens Optician and will be working with us under the supervision of Mr Leach, lucky girl to have an employer with such extensive experience. We are very pleased to welcome Belinda, she tells us that her interests are Dog walking, Photography, Swimming and Arts and Crafts. Talking of the dog, Belinda was slightly late on her first day and we were getting worried that she may have changed her mind, not so, it was just that “June “ had got her head stuck in the gate and she had to untangle her before she came to work! That's the best excuse I have ever heard.

It was an interesting exercise to see how long the Dispensing Opticians in the company had been practising. The longest survivor is company owner, Ian Leach who qualified in 1973, next it’s me in 1981, then Belinda in 1998 and our General Manager, Julien in 2000. So, all in all we have 112 years of experience between us! so with all that knowledge surely Hunstanton Eyecare must be place to look after your eyecare.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette - Hunstanton Branch

 

Hunstanton Town and Around Dec 2016

Virtual Reality arrives at Hunstanton Eyecare!

We all have our “tools of the trade” whatever line of business we are in. Carpenters have their favourite saw, hairdressers their favourite scissors, and here at Hunstanton Eyecare I have my favourite ruler. We have many different gadgets and sample items to demonstrate the optical properties of the various spectacle lens types, but you will quite rightly argue, that you never know how the finished product will be until it is made up. It’s a case of “Trust me, I’m an Optician!”

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We have an iPad to photograph you in the latest new designer frame but what about the lenses? There I am describing the merits of the latest varifocal, and how wonderful a polarised filter may be, but what does it actually look like? We are pleased to announce that “Virtual Reality” has now arrived at Hunstanton Eyecare.

NAUTILUS is our latest demonstration tool. Nautilus is a small hand-held gadget which is placed over your spectacles, rather like using a pair of binoculars. It is connected wirelessly to our iPad so that we can select the relevant products to demonstrate. So, if you wish to see the benefits of a higher quality varifocal, how a polarising filter cuts the glare, or how an anti-reflection coating can assist night driving, we can show you with the tap of a finger. Although much emphasis is put on fashion frames in an optical practice, I believe the lenses should have equal if not more consideration, afterall, they govern our quality of vision. So whilst you are choosing your next pair of spectacles you will be able to appreciate not only the frame giving you the new look, but also the quality and characteristics of the lenses.

New Designer frames

Hunstanton Eyecare is now stocking new designer frames, names that you will recognise

• TIFFANY
• OAKLEY
• RAY BAN
• SILHOUETTE

Do come and browse through our extensive range of exciting new brands. As we come to the end of a very busy 2016, we would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and New Year from all the team at Hunstanton Eyecare.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town and Around Early Nov 2016

The clocks have reverted to GMT and the trees are displaying their beautiful autumn colours. Winter preparations include ensuring that our car will survive the season. We may be up to date with the MOT with lights working well and antifreeze topped up, but have we given a thought to our eyesight? As daylight fades, the poorer weather sets in and visibility is reduced, it is even more important that our eyesight is as good as it can be. So now is a great time to visit Hunstanton Eyecare for a thorough eye examination. Our eyes are not so sensitive to detail in lower light conditions, and our ability to see may deteriorate so slowly that we are unaware of it. Bear in mind that 95% of information we receive whilst driving is through our eyesight.

Night driving in rural areas is often uncomfortable. Any error will cause a blur which is accentuated by oncoming headlights and street lights. The best spectacles should be large enough to give you a good field of view. Here at Hunstanton Eyecare we suggest that lenses are made of plastic material, so lightweight and safe, and with an anti-reflection coating to reduce reflections from the lens surfaces. Coatings are multi-layered, anti-static, water-repellent and so hard wearing that some are guaranteed against scratches for two years. At Hunstanton Eyecare we go one step further. If you purchase any lens with an Anti-reflection coat we will provide you with unlimited cleaning fluid to care for your specs. We supply the starter bottle, and when it is empty, just pop into the practice and fill it from the canister on the wall. So now there is no excuse not to have the most transparent and optically brilliant lenses.

A warm welcome awaits you at Hunstanton Eyecare. We are confident that you will appreciate our professional eyecare services.  We look forward to seeing you soon.

Annette

 

Hunstanton Town and Around October 2016

When specs are not enough!

At Hunstanton Eyecare we provide you with lovely new spectacles that improve your vision, the world jumps back into focus and is a beautiful place once again. We can read the small print and life can go on as normal. Sometimes spectacles alone are not enough to be able to see. “I’ve got my specs but I still can’t see”, “they are no good”, are phrases we sometimes hear from those whose eyesight is failing.

I often describe our eye as if it were a camera, old fashioned one with a film, not the high tech digital ones of today. If you have a worn-out film in your camera, (yes I know we are going back a while!) no matter how precisely you focus the lens, it is unlikely the photo will be good due to the poor state of the film. Our eye is an optical system and if there is an error, our spectacles correct it, rather like focussing your camera lens. If you have some degeneration of the retina, the light receptive “film” at the back of the eye, the picture transmitted to the brain will not be so good, hence we struggle to see. So what’s the answer? Firstly to get the best spectacle correction, but secondly, make the object you are trying to see Bigger, Brighter and Bolder.

At Hunstanton Eyecare we now have some specialist, high quality magnifiers.  There all types, from those that stand on the page for longer term reading, to those that are lighter weight to carry around with you.  Most magnifiers have LED lighting built into them, but we do sell LED table lamps giving great illumination for close-work tasks. It will be the combination of the best spectacles, good lighting AND a magnifier will enable the poorly sighted person to achieve a small visual task. So even if eyesight is poor, come and see us for the most appropriate eyecare.

We look forward to seeing you soon. Annette

 

Hunstanton Town and Around September 2016

Well the summer holidays have come and gone and life is soon to be back to a routine of sorts. With the autumn season approaching it could be an excuse for something to refresh our spirits. Here at Hunstanton Eyecare we have had a complete review of our frame stock and introduced some new brands that we are sure you will love.

Paul & Joe is a much sought after French brand appearing in high profile advertising campaigns within the best International Fashion magazines worldwide. Having won astounding success in France and abroad, Paul & Joe Eyewear is exquisite, rich and diverse with a touch of Parisian retro Chic.

VANNI is Italian design, 100% made in Italy and quality at its best. The Vanni in-house Style Centre have imaginative ideas inspired by the realms of colour, harmony of shapes, style and contemporary art. The frames produced are very different.

Dutz Eyewear is Holland’s boldest Eyewear brand. Dutz Eyewear is an extremely successful eyewear Brand worldwide. Using the finest of materials in Japanese titanium, matt finished Stainless Steels and Hand-made acetates, they create beautiful eyeglasses that everyone can wear and look amazing in. The Dutz philosophy is that "buying a frame should be fun".

P+Us… P+Us is taking the eyewear world by storm, winning numerous accolades worldwide. This eyewear collection offers frames that are ultra-lightweight with superior comfort.

Even if you are not intending to purchase spectacles at the moment, do come in to have a browse at our new collections. Remember that joining our Eyeplan Scheme not only looks after your eye health by offering you as much eyecare as you need, but also makes spectacle purchases very affordable.

 We look forward to seeing you soon. Annette

 

Hunstanton Town and Around August 2016

The Risk of UV light.

We are frequently reminded of the risk of sun damage to our skin, and the same applies to our eyes. UV exposure increases the risk of premature ageing of the eye and the onset of ocular conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration. Our eyes are constantly exposed to UV light no matter what the weather conditions, and from reflected light from buildings, water and even a cloudy sky. To be sure that your spectacle lenses give you effective UV protection, look for the E-SPF, Eye-Sun Protection Factor rating. We are familiar with the SPF in suncream and it is the same idea for spectacle lenses. So an E-SPF 25 means that your eyes will receive 25 times less UV exposure than unprotected eyes.

“Transitions” is the trade name for latest photochromic (light adaptive) lens manufactured in a plastic lens material. The first lens materials were quite sensitive to temperature, unfortunately they went darker in the cold and didn’t darken much in a hot climate. So if your holiday was skiing in the Alps, fine, if it was the beach in the Caribbean you were probably disappointed. As with all new lenses, research and development improve the product over the years, and now we can offer the seventh generation of this versatile material. “Transitions” is available for all lens designs, single vision, bifocal and varifocal. It has an E-SPF of 25 and can be anti-reflection coated for stunning visual performance. There are two types of Transitions, the “Signature VII” for everyday use, and “Xtractive” which as the name suggests, goes darker and therefore more suited for those who are very light sensitive.

Whilst photochromic lenses are very versatile and can be worn all day every day, they do not perform quite so well in the car as the windscreen absorbs much of the UV light necessary for them react to. For driving in bright sunlight a separate pair of sunspecs are very useful. Here at Hunstanton Eyecare we carry a large selection of sunspecs all year round. Lenses may be dyed with a dark tint, colour and density of your choice. The tints we provide are specially treated to give 100% protection against the harmful UV rays without altering colour perception.

Polarising lenses eliminate glare, enhance colour and contrast, whilst protecting our eyes from damaging UV rays. These lenses have an E-SPF of 50+. They are great for driving as they totally eliminate reflected glare, so on the days when it has been raining and then the sun comes out you will not be blinded by the glare from the wet road. Also as we are by the sea, reflected glare from water is a thing of the past. Lenses come in a choice of colours, grey, brown and grey/green, and are available in single vision and multifocal lens designs.

Come and see us soon. Annette

 

Hunstanton Town and Around August 2016

"Back to school", the phrase that makes many children groan with disappointment that the carefree summer holidays were about to end as it feels like they have only just begun. Time for parents to organise new school uniforms and the many other things that are essential for the start of a new school year.

School work can suffer if a child cannot see properly. One important task on the holiday "to do" list, should be for every child to have a FREE eye examination under the NHS, even if they do not report any difficulties with their vision. A child who may see a blurred and out of focus world may think that is how it is supposed to be, why should they question it when they have nothing to compare it to?

If they are short-sighted they will only realise they can see more clearly once they are wearing their prescription spectacles. Older students who are embarking on intensive study may benefit from spectacles just to ease the strain of prolonged close-work. Whatever the problem, or none, it is important that your child receives an eye health check.

As for spectacles, as well as an aid to vision, they seem to be a fashion statement too. In my school days, the choice was NHS plastic frames of black, brown pink or blue. Today at Hunstanton Eyecare we have a great choice of fashionable frames for children and teenagers.

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Just look for our new ranges of “Basebox” and “Rockstar”. Those under 19 years of age and in full-time education can spectacles free, or you may wish to contribute for a wider choice. Lenses are plastic, so lightweight and safe, and for those with higher prescriptions, thinner and coated lenses are available for an improved cosmetic look.

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So book an eye exam today and make sure your child can see a bright future at school.

We look forward to seeing you soon. Annette

 

Hunstanton Town and Around Late June 2016

There are not many times in your career when you can get really excited about new equipment in the practice. In this fast changing digital age we expect High Definition on our televisions, super colour screens and instant wi-fi on our phones and tablets. MRI scans of our body to diagnose disease are routine functions at our hospitals and x-rays sound a little “old hat”.

Hunstanton Eyecare has invested in some of the most advanced technology available today for optical practices.

Spectralis 4D HD.  Eye Health Check.

One of the reasons you come to Hunstanton Eyecare is for an eye examination to ensure your eyes are healthy. We only have one pair of eyes and they have to last a lifetime, we can only have good vision if our eyes remain healthy. The eye is a complex organ packed with microscopic structures, each one plays its part in giving us our vision to see the world in its great detail. Of course not all these structures can be seen with the naked eye or even with our existing optical equipment.

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Spectralis is a type of scanner, there is no need to use stinging eye drops to dilate your pupil and there is no bright flash of light. Completed in just a few seconds, Spectralis gives us a unique view of the intricate anatomy of the eye to monitor your eye health. Think of it as being able to see through structures. Imagine your birthday cake, the icing and candles are visible but you don’t know what’s underneath, juicy fruit cake or sponge and jam? You need to know! Similarly we need to know what is going on between the microscopic layers of the retina in order to confirm the health of your eyes.

So at your next eye examination at Hunstanton Eyecare, be sure to ask for the Spectralis treatment. Those of you who are members of our Eyeplan scheme there is an opportunity to upgrade your plan to include Spectralis at your annual eye exam.

So why not join us for comprehensive professional eyecare.

However, one thing that hasn’t changed is the commitment to high professional standards and quality spectacles at a fair price all under the one roof at Hunstanton Eyecare. In these days of fierce competition from the “big boys”, we as an independent optician want to offer something different, and hence we are introducing EYEPLAN.

So come and find out more about the new way to manage your eye health and purchase spectacles. A warm welcome awaits everyone and we look forward to seeing you soon Annette

 

Hunstanton Town and Around June 2016

One thing is certain that whether we like it or not, for better or worse, life is always changing. However, one thing that will not change is the commitment to high professional standards and quality spectacles at a fair price all under the one roof at Hunstanton Eyecare. In these days of fierce competition from the “big boys”, we as an independent optician want to offer something different, and hence we have introduced EYEPLAN.

EYEPLAN

EYEPLAN is a comprehensive eyecare package designed to provide you with access to the very best eyecare at an affordable price. Under EYEPLAN you are entitled to eye exams as frequently as you need or want them, we would routinely see you annually anyway. As well as the eyecare, there is a substantial saving on the cost of spectacles, initially 30%, on any type and as many pairs as you wish. All this for a monthly direct debit fee from £10. There are no gimmicks as in the “BOGOF” campaigns, nothing in this world is ever really “free”, and you will probably have to compromise on the quality. With EYEPLAN you select a high quality product and receive a great discount. So for those who need different spectacles for different visual tasks, readers to accompany your varifocals, a special pair for your sport or the office computer work, I think we have a winning formula.

Of course this is particularly attractive to those of us who have to be colour co-ordinated or ring the changes with our specs as well as the rest of our wardrobe! Another bonus is that any spectacles you purchase under EYEPLAN will be covered by an accidental damage guarantee, very useful for those who sit on, fall asleep on, let the dog chew or even put them in the washing machine at 40⁰C. Yes I have heard all the excuses, unless you know different?

So come and find out more about the new way to manage your eye health and purchase spectacles. A warm welcome awaits everyone and we look forward to seeing you soon Annette

 

Hunstanton Town and Around May 2016

Sports Eyewear

At Hunstanton Eyecare not only do we provide eye examinations and spectacles for all occasions, but we are now extending our range of SPORTS EYEWEAR. In any sport it is vitally important that we wear protective eyewear to protect the eyes from injury. It may be a fast sport such as squash where a fast moving ball is an obvious danger if it hits the face, or something slower such as golf, where we should be protected from sunshine and glare and also the sand, should I dare to suggest, whenever you end up in the rough. As spectacle wearers you won’t want to wear goggles on top of your specs, therefore the Sports Eyewear we offer can be glazed to your prescription, single vision or even multifocal lenses. Lenses will be made of a safe material, plastic is fine but these days we do offer Polycarbonate or Trivex which are more impact resistant. The lenses can be tinted against the glare of sunshine or polarized to eliminate reflected glare from water. The goggles will have cushioned bridges and temples and may have an elastic or rubber strap to keep them safely attached to you.

So what sports do we cover? Anything and everything. Water sports such as swimming, diving and sailing, racket sports such as tennis, badminton and squash. The outdoors such as cycling and shooting, and the rough ones like football, hockey and rugby. We can even make you into a Dennis Taylor look-a-like and supply snooker specs. I’m sure someone will think of something I have missed, but Hunstanton Eyecare can be the one-stop shop for both your spectacles and Sports Eyewear needs. Of course we cater for adults and children alike as specialist sports eyewear comes in a range of sizes to suit everyone.

We look forward to welcoming you into our practice.

 

Hunstanton Town and Around April 2016

We are now into April, we have celebrated Easter, and I don’t know where the time has gone. In the optical calendar, April is the time for one of our major trade fairs in the UK, called Optrafair, held at the NEC in Birmingham. I enjoy this annual event, as it is our opportunity to see the latest developments from our own suppliers, as well as looking at new developments in diagnostic equipment, frame designs, and new spectacle lens innovations. There is also a range of informative lectures and workshops to attend in a wide range of optical subjects. Well that’s the serious part of Optrafair. The fun part is that we have an excuse to get away for the weekend with our colleagues, stay in a nice hotel, enjoy being waited on in the restaurant and our lovely boss Ian picks up the bill !! Well I’m sure that’s what he said.

One of our major suppliers is Essilor, a major player in spectacle lens design and manufacture. The company has an interesting history. In 1849 “Essel” were a group of eyeglass assembly workshops in Paris, “Silor” was born in 1931 and was a retailer of ophthalmic lenses and frames before becoming a lens manufacturer. Both companies were responsible for major advances in the optical world. In 1959, Bernard Maitenaz at Essel produced the first progressive power spectacle lens, and we all know the name today as “Varilux”. In that same year, Silor produced their plastic lens material “Orma 1000” which revolutionised the optical world and made plastic lenses the preferred choice rather than heavier and breakable glass. In 1972, after being rivals for many years, the two companies merged and so “Essilor” was born. The 1970s were dominated by the development of plastic Varilux progressive lenses and the 1990s saw the major refinement of Anti-reflection coatings. This success enabled the company to grow into the worldwide company we have today. To ensure they stay as a world leader, the developments continue, and today Essilor has research centres in France, U.S.A and Asia, and spends over 100 million pounds a year in research and development. No wonder they are a leader in the field.

Essilor has a UK base in Bristol, and at Hunstanton Eyecare we are ordering from them on a daily basis. Our workshop has a direct computer ordering link that enables us to order top of the range spectacle lenses, tailor made to our patients requirements.

GET A COMPLIMENTARY SECOND PAIR OF CRIZAL UV LENSES

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From March to October you can take advantage of a fantastic offer from Essilor. By ordering Essilors’ lenses for your new spectacles, you can claim complimentary lenses in a second complete pair of spectacles. If your first pair is Varilux Crizal UV, then you can claim a second pair of Varilux Liberty Crizal Easy UV clear or tinted, or a single vision pair. If your first pair is single vision Crizal UV or Bifocal, then you can claim a second single vision pair, Orma 1.5 Crizal Easy UV. If the terms and conditions sound confusing, yes I did have to read them a few times, just pop in to see us. This promotion has proved very popular in the past, as folks may have a sunspec or alternative pair of specs just for the cost of an extra frame.

Once again I would encourage you to challenge us, any optical or ocular subject you have always wanted to know the answer to but were afraid to ask? Here is your opportunity. You can email us on mail@eyecarenorfolk.co.uk, phone on 01263 512345, or just pop into the practice in High Street.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

 

Hunstanton Town and Around March 2016

We are now into April, we have celebrated Easter, and I don’t know where the time has gone. In the optical calendar, April is the time for one of our major trade fairs in the UK, called Optrafair, held at the NEC in Birmingham. I enjoy this annual event, as it is our opportunity to see the latest developments from our own suppliers, as well as looking at new developments in diagnostic equipment, frame designs, and new spectacle lens innovations. There is also a range of informative lectures and workshops to attend in a wide range of optical subjects. Well that’s the serious part of Optrafair. The fun part is that we have an excuse to get away for the weekend with our colleagues, stay in a nice hotel, enjoy being waited on in the restaurant and our lovely boss Ian picks up the bill !! Well I’m sure that’s what he said.

One of our major suppliers is Essilor, a major player in spectacle lens design and manufacture. The company has an interesting history. In 1849 “Essel” were a group of eyeglass assembly workshops in Paris, “Silor” was born in 1931 and was a retailer of ophthalmic lenses and frames before becoming a lens manufacturer. Both companies were responsible for major advances in the optical world. In 1959, Bernard Maitenaz at Essel produced the first progressive power spectacle lens, and we all know the name today as “Varilux”. In that same year, Silor produced their plastic lens material “Orma 1000” which revolutionised the optical world and made plastic lenses the preferred choice rather than heavier and breakable glass. In 1972, after being rivals for many years, the two companies merged and so “Essilor” was born. The 1970s were dominated by the development of plastic Varilux progressive lenses and the 1990s saw the major refinement of Anti-reflection coatings. This success enabled the company to grow into the worldwide company we have today. To ensure they stay as a world leader, the developments continue, and today Essilor has research centres in France, U.S.A and Asia, and spends over 100 million pounds a year in research and development. No wonder they are a leader in the field.

Essilor has a UK base in Bristol, and at Hunstanton Eyecare we are ordering from them on a daily basis. Our workshop has a direct computer ordering link that enables us to order top of the range spectacle lenses, tailor made to our patients requirements.

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GET A COMPLIMENTARY SECOND PAIR OF CRIZAL UV LENSES

From March to October you can take advantage of a fantastic offer from Essilor. By ordering Essilors’ lenses for your new spectacles, you can claim complimentary lenses in a second complete pair of spectacles. If your first pair is Varilux Crizal UV, then you can claim a second pair of Varilux Liberty Crizal Easy UV clear or tinted, or a single vision pair. If your first pair is single vision Crizal UV or Bifocal, then you can claim a second single vision pair, Orma 1.5 Crizal Easy UV. If the terms and conditions sound confusing, yes I did have to read them a few times, just pop in to see us. This promotion has proved very popular in the past, as folks may have a sunspec or alternative pair of specs just for the cost of an extra frame.

Once again I would encourage you to challenge us, any optical or ocular subject you have always wanted to know the answer to but were afraid to ask? Here is your opportunity. You can email us on mail@eyecarenorfolk.co.uk, phone on 01263 512345, or just pop into the practice in High Street.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

 

Hunstanton Town and Around March 2016

March is a lovely time of year, spring is well underway, the daffodils are bright and beautiful and lambs in the fields are a joy to behold. In the optical world we are concentrating on SUNSPECS. Not only looking forward to holidays in warmer climes, but in “Hunstanton” by the sea you probably find yourself reaching for Sunspecs quite frequently.

The Risk of UV light.

We are frequently reminded of the risk of sun damage to our skin, and the same applies to our eyes. UV exposure increases the risk of premature ageing of the eye and the onset of ocular conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration. Our eyes are constantly exposed to UV light no matter what the weather conditions, and from reflected light from buildings, water and even a cloudy sky. To be sure that your spectacle lenses give you effective UV protection, look for the E-SPF, Eye-Sun Protection Factor rating. We are familiar with the SPF in sun cream and it is the same idea for spectacle lenses. So an E-SPF 25 means that your eyes will receive 25 times less UV exposure than unprotected eyes.

Transitions.

“Transitions” is the trade name for latest photochromic (light adaptive) lens manufactured in a plastic lens material. Are there others, you ask? I have to admit that I am old enough to remember the introduction of plastic photochromic lenses in the late eighties. What great excitement! Previously, if you wanted a photochromic lens it had to be glass which weighed a ton and was not comfortable to wear in the large frames of that era. The first lens materials were quite sensitive to temperature, unfortunately they went darker in the cold and didn’t darken much in a hot climate. So if your holiday was skiing in the Alps, fine, if it was the beach in the Caribbean you were probably disappointed. As with all new lenses, research and development improve the product over the years, and now we can offer the seventh generation of this versatile material. “Transitions” is available for all lens designs, single vision, bifocal and varifocal. It has an E-SPF of 25 and can be anti-reflection coated for stunning visual performance. There are two types of Transitions, the “Signature VII” for everyday use, and “Xtractive” which as the name suggests, goes darker and therefore more suited for those who are very light sensitive.

Whilst photochromic lenses are very versatile and can be worn all day every day, they do not perform quite so well in the car as the windscreen absorbs much of the UV light that they react to. For driving in bright sunlight a separate pair of sunspecs are very useful. Here at Hunstanton Eyecare we carry a large selection of sunspecs all year round. Lenses may be dyed with a dark tint, colour and density of your choice. The tints we provide are specially treated to give 100% protection against the harmful UV rays without altering colour perception.

Polarising Lenses.

Polarising lenses eliminate glare, enhance colour and contrast, whilst protecting our eyes from damaging UV rays. These lenses have an E-SPF of 50+. They are great for driving as they totally eliminate reflected glare, so on the days when it has been raining and then the sun comes out you will not be blinded by the glare from the wet road. Also as we are by the sea, reflected glare from water is a thing of the past. Does anyone remember the advert on TV where the girl dives into the swimming pool? The polarising lens cut the reflected glare so you could see her swimming under the water. Oh dear, showing my age again! Any fishermen around? I’m sure you will appreciate polarising lenses too. Lenses come in a choice of colours, grey, brown and grey/green, and are available in single vision and multifocal lens designs.

We are very pleased to be able to communicate with you through this lovely website, and if anyone would like me to expand on an optical or ocular subject then I would be very pleased to hear from you. You can email us on info@eyecarenorfolk.co.uk, phone on 01485 532 326, or just pop into the practice in High Street.

We look forward to seeing you soon.