So it’s annoying isn’t it? Your eyes stream when you slice through those onions. Every time. And as your eyes fill, it’s harder to see, so you s l o w d o w n, Which is worse, because you just want to get it over with. Why is this? When you cut through onions, it starts a number of chemical reactions which results in a gas that irritates the eyes. Syn-propanethial-S-oxide, to be exact, So why do you cry more than others? Some people have better tears than others - a better m

During your sight-test our aim is to assess your vision and, if necessary, use spectacles (or contact lenses) to make your vision as clear as possible. Our other aim is to assess the health of your eyes and detect any defects – OCT (which stands for Ocular {or sometimes Optical} Coherence Tomography) is an invaluable tool used to achieve this. As technology has improved it has helped us to carry out our assessments with much more accuracy. OCT is a perfect example of this and

Many people suffer from this but are not sure what to do, apart from use drops to help relieve it, only to find it come back again. Our every day life is changing and more and more people are experiencing it. Many factors can cause dry eye syndrome but simply covering them up is not the answer. The most common form of dry eyes is what we call evaporative dry eyes. This is where the tears evaporate quickly. Less commonly is aqueous deficient dry eye. This is where we fail to p

A cataract is when the crystalline lens inside your eye becomes opaque, or cloudy and no longer transparent. This can occur at birth (congenital cataract) or following an accident (traumatic cataract). The most common type of cataract forms just as part of the normal ageing process and is mainly due to the accumulation of UV light exposure over the whole of your life. Proteins gather together inside the lens and once enough of them ‘clump’ together they will begin to make yo

We were lucky enough to enjoy a trip to Chamonix in the French Alps this year. What a perfect opportunity to try a pair from our Maui Jim Polarised Sunglasses Range! These amazing shades block 100% of harmful UVA and UVB rays while eliminating 99.9% of glare. I had a non-prescription pair of Maui Jim Sunglasses and our dispensing optician had Maui Passport Prescription Sunglasses that gave her all the great benefits of a regular Maui Jim combined with a custom prescription. W

Keratoconus is the most common dystrophy of the cornea, affecting around one person in a thousand although some reports indicate prevalence as high as 1 in 500 individuals. It is typically diagnosed in the mid to late teens and attains its most severe state in the twenties and thirties. Keratoconus in detail Keratoconus is a degenerative non-inflammatory disorder of the cornea (the front window of the eye) and generally affects both eyes. The underlying problem is weakness of

Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, is an inflammation of the outermost layer of the white part of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelid. Itching of the eye is more common in cases due to allergies. Conjunctivitis can affect one or both eyes. The most common infectious causes are viral followed by bacterial. Viral conjunctivitis is an infection of the eye in which one or both eyes become red and uncomfortable. The condition is not normally serious and in most cases

I think one of the most frequently asked questions I am asked in my daily practice is am I suitable for contact lenses? The short answer is, yes you are. It might not be the first lens you thought of – your friend may have just bought some daily disposable lenses but that might not be your best option. There are many factors to consider. How often would you want to wear your lenses? Do you want to sleep in your lenses? What is your budget? Are your lenses for a specific sport