Keeping sight of what's important
Eye Examinations
At Look Eyecare we advise that regular eye examinations are a vital part of any health care program and are essential in maintaining a clear level of vision. So even if you feel your eyesight is good, the health check of the eye is important. We offer both Private and NHS eye examinations. As an independent practice we carry out a thorough eye examination which lasts approximately 45 minutes.
Alongside an assessment of your visual ability, our eye examinations also include tests for conditions such as cataract, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Some systemic conditions such as raised blood pressure and diabetes can also be monitored on our imaging systems. All our eye examinations include Digital Retinal Photography and a Visual Field assessment. We routinely check the Pressure of your eye, which is one of the checks for glaucoma. We offer an OCT scan which is a 3D image of the back of the eye.
After the eye examination, advice is given on the most suitable visual correction, if this is required. Occasionally a second appointment is required for further tests or specialist examinations and if necessary we will liase with your doctor and eye specialists if needed.
We also recognise that it is essential to take extra-special care of older eyes as the risk of eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration and retinal problems increase with age. Eye examinations are free for everyone over 60.
Digital Retinal Photography
The retina is the “film” of the eye. This is the only place in the body we can look at blood vessels so we can often see general health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, sometimes before they are diagnosed by your GP. We can monitor the progression of any diabetic retinal changes to catalogue ocular health.
As we consider it to be essential in all cases, we include Digital Retinal Photography as part of our eye examination at no extra charge.
Normal
Diabetic
Visual Field Assessment
"Visual Fields" is a term used to describe everything you can see, straight ahead and to your left and right, whilst your head is facing forward.
Visual fields are the best way to check the progression of eye diseases like glaucoma. In the initial stages of glaucoma, the visual field is constricted and then if left untreated, can lead to tunnel vision and ultimately total blindness.
Visual field assessments can also be used to identify unexplained headaches and can be used to locate serious conditions, like brain tumours.
Visual Field problems can affect your driving. Drivers must have a full visual field to be legal to drive and any effect on the visual fields can impair your ability to judge distances correctly.
We also carry out an Esterman Visual Field assessment. This test is specifically for drivers.
Eye Pressure (IOP)
Your eye pressure (IOP) needs to be monitored regularly because if it goes high it can cause glaucoma. Glaucoma is a serious eye disease that effects the Optic Nerve and if left untreated can lead to blindness. As we get older, the IOP increases naturally, putting us at more risk of glaucoma. That why everyone over the age of 40 with a family history of glaucoma (parent, sibling or child) have a free eye exam every year.
We check the pressure of your eye using an iCare Tonometer. This doesn't use the "puff of air test" (Non-Contact Tonometry or NCT) that most other opticians use. Most people dread this part of the eye examination (This test was immortalized on the hit TV show Friends, when Rachel couldn't sit still for it). We have invested in a new method in checking the pressure which is much more comfortable than an NCT.
There is no "puff of air" and no need for any drops. All our patients who have had their IOP checked with the iCare Tonometer have said that they find it much more comfortable than the "puff of air" test.