In our comprehensive eye examination we check your vision and we check the health of your eyes. Regular eye examinations are important because they are the best way to detect any health problems such as cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma (the silent thief of sight) in time for effective treatment.

We have invested in the latest technology for detecting eye diseases. This technology includes:- Digital Retinal Camera. Our digital retinal camera takes photos that record the structures at the back of the eye so eye health can be monitored. Retinal photos help us to detect eye diseases as well as any diabetic changes in the eye. GDx VCC scanning laser. This laser enables us to carry out retinal nerve fibre analysis. This analysis is a very sophisticated way of detecting glaucoma up to 5 years before it can be detected by conventional examinations. Computerised visual fields equipment. Our equipment measures peripheral (side) vision that enables us to diagnose and monitor eye diseases like glaucoma and to investigate neurological problems. Non-contact Tonometer for the measurement of intra-ocular pressures. This is important in screening the eye for glaucoma. Our non-contact tonometer has a soft puff of air on the eye and is quite comfortable for patients.

This examination includes a full assessment of your vision status, eye health, eye co-ordination and refractive status. It also includes recommendations and advice. It consists of several parts.

Part one consists of getting an appreciation of any difficulties you might be having with your eyes. We like to know about any past history affecting your eyes or vision, your family’s eye health and any medications you are taking that might affect your eyes. For instance, if you are diabetic or if you are taking Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate, a drug sometimes used for arthritis that can affect your eye health.

We also like to get an idea of your lifestyle. For instance, do you spend a lot of time in front of a computer screen each day? Do you play active sports where contact lenses might be appropriate?

Part two consists of testing your vision.

We test your vision using a trial frame and lenses for conditions such as myopia, hyperopia (also called hypermetropia) and astigmatism, so we can work out the best spectacle and/or contact lens prescription for you.

We check your peripheral side vision and do a more comprehensive computerised visual fields examination using a Medmont automative perimeter if indicated.

We check your eye muscle health to see if your eye muscles control your eyes properly.

We check the health of the outside of your eyes. We do this with a slit lamp, an instrument that is a binocular microscope with a light source. It allows us to view the outside and the inside structures of the eye, all in 3D and in high magnification. It is particularly useful for assessing cataracts and the optic nerve. We also look at how your pupils react to light should there be any nerve damage.

We check the inside of your eyes. Using an ophthalmoscope and a slit lamp we can look right through the pupils to the back of your eyes. We are checking for eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration and for diseases like diabetes that can affect the eyes.

Retinal photography is where we take a photograph of the back of your eyes through the pupils. These photographs are stored digitally on a computer so that we can compare them against any changes at your next visit. Retinal photography is very useful for monitoring eye diseases like macular degeneration. It is also very useful for finding subtle changes in the retina that can sometimes be overlooked. For instance, it is useful for finding and monitoring retinal haemorrhages that may be caused by diabetes.

This analysis is a new and very sophisticated way of detecting glaucoma at its earliest possible stage. It is quick and painless.

We use the latest GDx VCC scanner from Zeiss to scan the optic nerve. This laser scans the optic nerve in infinitely fine detail and analyses the nerve optic nerve fibres down to microns. This analysis helps to detect glaucoma at the earliest possible stage, often four to five years earlier than the traditionally used methods of tonometry (eye pressures examination), optic disc examination and visual fields testing. In glaucoma, a common eye disease that affects 1 to 2% of the population, the optic nerve fibres die off with irreversible damage to vision. Glaucoma ultimately leads to blindness if it is left untreated for too long. It is therefore imperative to catch glaucoma at it earliest possible stage to prevent significant further damage.

Not all eye conditions affect your central vision. Some, like glaucoma, and many of the brain conditions, like strokes and brain tumours, affect your side (peripheral) vision before affecting your central vision.

You can manually test peripheral vision with small targets and LED bulbs but it is much more reliable and accurate to test peripheral vision with a computerised visual field analyser. This analyser tests peripheral vision and works out the point at which you can just see. It also double-checks some of the results to see how reliable the findings are.

It is not necessary to test everyone’s eyes with a computerised visual field analyser but is certainly very helpful, and probably essential, in some cases. In our practice, we use the tried and proven Medmont Visual Field Analyser. This instrument stores your results on the computer so comparisons can be made both with normal averages and with previous visits.

Tonometry is a procedure that allows us to measure the pressure inside the eye. We usually use a non-contact tonometer which puffs a small amount of air onto the eye. It is painless and does not require an anaesthetic.The pressure reading helps us to detect glaucoma, a disease that usually caused by the internal pressure building up in the eye.

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