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Artist Profile: Ron Clark - Optomeyes Art Exhibition

30/9/2011

It has now been over 30 years since Ron first picked up a paint brush and stepped out into the difficult subject of seascapes. He is challenged by a desire to capture the constant 'change and movement of the ocean, as well as reflection of light'. Today, his subject matter includes seascapes, landscapes, portraits and still life. He has been featured in International Artist magazine and on the ABC program, Stateline, as well as being voted winner of the 'People's Choice Award' at the Royal Hobart Show on four occasions. Ron has also achieved placings in a number of other competitions around Tasmania. This is first time he has participated in the Optomeyes Art Exhibition and we are thrilled to have his work on display for viewing and purchase.

Lorraine Snadden - Optomeyes Art Exhibition Artist Profile

27/9/2011

Lorraine Snadden is a Tasmanian water colour artist who finds inspiration for her paintings in the environment and in particular, "from the varying and moody landscapes of the Central Highlands and the Tasman Peninsular". She is a member of the Art Society of Tasmania and The Colour Circle and has exhibited at: LadyFranklinGallery, Not Yet Famous Exhibitions, School House Gallery, Cosgrove Gallery, The Royal Hobart Show, Eskleigh Combined Societies Exhibition, Hobart City Council Travel Expo and Optomeyes Art Exhibitions. Lorainne won 1^st Prize for Watercolours, Mixed Media and Acrylics at the Not Yet Famous Exhibition 2006 and recently received commendation from the Art Society of Tasmania for her work exhibited at the Society's Annual Exhibition 2011.

Max Angus - Optomeyes Art Exhibition Artist Profile

21/9/2011

At Spring Beach, East Coast Tasmania- original watercolour

Max Rupert Angus AM (b 1914), is a Tasmanian born landscape and portrait painter, specialising in oils and watercolour; as well as an author, illustrator and commercial artist. He studied under Lucien Dechaineux and Mildred Lovett, 1931-2, then studied graphic design in Melbourne, 1938-41. Joining the army, he was attached to general intelligence headquarters, Brisbane. On returning to Hobart, he studied under Jack Carington Smith and gained a fine art diploma in 1950. From 1956 to 1972 he designed and illustrated ABC Broadcast booklets, and in 1962 he won the Crouch Prize for Watercolour. In 1975 he designed and wrote The World of Olegas Truchanas, and Simpkinson de Wesselow which won the Galley award in 1984. He also published A Salute to Watercolour in 1996. Awarded the Order of Australia in 1978, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (London) in 1988. He has exhibited constantly since 1946, and is represented in Australian gallery collections and overseas.

Max Angus is perhaps best known for his watercolour landscapes of the coastline around Tasmania, of which this piece is one.

This piece is one of several to be auctioned at the Gala Opening and Preview of the Optomeyes Art Exhibition 2011 at Long Gallery, Salamanca on Thursday 6 October. For all enquiries or tickets to the Gala Opening event, please contact Joy at Hobart City Mission on 62154200.

Optomeyes Art Exhibition

20/9/2011

The countdown is on to the Optomeyes Art Exhibition - a major fund-raising event in the Hobart City Mission's calendar and we are looking forward to this occasion which will open at the Long Gallery - Salamanca Place on Thursday 6 October at 6pm. Gala Tickets are $30. At the Gala opening we will auction paintings by leading Tasmanian artists. Make a date in your diary to come along and enjoy food, wine and music and take the opportunity to be one of the first to buy a beautiful piece of art at a fantastic price! If you wish to receive an invitation to the Gala evening please telephone Joy Clements at the Mission on 62 15 42 00.

In the lead-up to the exhibition, we will be 'leaking' sneak peaks of some of the pieces that will be up for sale on the Optomeyes Blog, along with the artist bios, so check back regularly if you want to be quick to secure a bargain when the exhibition opens.

First up in our series of "MissionLeaks" is Max Angus, who needs no introduction. Enjoy!

Floaters - there's something in my vision

26/8/2011

The big three questions first about new floaters:

Are floaters common? Yes
Do they need to be taken seriously? Yes
Can they be a sign of something that needs urgent treatment? Yes

Where do floaters come from?

The inside of most of the eyeball is filled up with a jelly-type substance called vitreous. Various things can happen to it to make parts of it just opaque enough to cast a shadow on the back of the eye. Its the shadow of these vitreous opacities that make up the variety of shapes and forms that we call floaters, and degree to which the opacities are fixed in position or mobile that determines how much we see them moving across our vision.

People experiencing floaters for the first time call them all sorts of things

a dot
a spot
a bit of thread
like a bit of a spider's web
like a piece of hair

The further back in the eye the opacity lies, the more distinct a shadow it will cast, and so it will be seen as blacker and more definite in shape. The further forward in the eye it lies, the less distinct will be its shadow, often appearing ghosty, faint, and its shape will be harder to describe.

Get floaters checked out

Floaters need to be checked out because they can be a symptom of retinal damage, and because it's not just vitreous opacities that can cause spots or dots in the vision. The worst case is when they are a symptom of a retinal tear, which can lead to a retinal detachment, with loss of vision. Most of the time that's not the case, but because it is sometimes, and because retinal tears need to be seen to straight away, you should always take new floaters (especially when accompanied by flashes of light or a feeling of restriction to your field of vision) seriously. Most of the examination of a person with new floaters is not about looking at the floaters in the eye (they're not too hard to find), but looking at the health of the retina.

Then what? will they go away?

If there's nothing more serious going on, then what? If a floater is fixed in position, you may notice it for quite a long time. Sometimes a floater will 'sink' to the bottom of the eye (which in vision terms means it floats 'up' out of sight). Sometimes the opacity will gradually move further forwards in the eye, gradually getting more and more indistinct.

Watching your floaters

Floaters are more easily noticed against bright uniform backgrounds - computer screens, walls, the sky. A bright blue sky is the best place to look at your floaters.
Floaters, for some reason I'm not sure of, are more noticed when people are tired. Maybe it's just easier to get distracted or irritaed by them when you're tired.
A fairly common position for a floater is about 10-15 degrees 'out' from your line of sight (ie opposite side to your nose). This is close to where you're blind spot is, so a floater in this location can easily move just a little and suddenly become visible, or not visible.
If it is fixed in position, that's the sort of floater you can chase across your vision with your eyes but never catch up to.
If it is mobile, it may at times drift across your line of sight. Sometimes a sudden movement will bring the floater back into view.

Why talk about how to view your floaters? Because once you've got a floater, the thing you have to keep on the lookout for is changes to that floater, or new floaters. So the more familiar you get with your 'normal' floaters, the better you'll be able to notice if the situation changes, requiring re-examination.

Are contact lenses for me?

22/6/2011

Contact Lenses have been around for a long time now. In fact, it was Leonardo da Vinci in 1508 who first sketched and described the concept of a lens placed directly on the eye. But it wasn't until 1887 that German glassblower FE Muller made the first lens to cover an eye, that could be both seen through, and tolerated by the wearer! His lens was made of glass.

An American Optometrist, William Feinbloom, started using plastic contact lenses in 1936. And today, we have ultra high tech silicon materials that are soft, breathable, give great vision, and can be worn continuously, even when sleeping.

There are literally dozens of different contact lens styles available.

Lenses can be made of hard or soft materials. They can be disposable, or kept for a longer period of time. And they can correct long or short-sightedness, as well as the problem of blurry close-up vision, known as presbyopia. There are even contact lenses that will change the colour of your eye, for that special occasion, or every day.

Your optometrist will advise you on which lens is best suited to your eyes.

Some vision problems, such as astigmatism, are slightly more complicated, and require a more advanced lens. Many vision problems can be corrected with a simple disposable lens, which are both comfortable and inexpensive. If you currently wear glasses, and would like to experience clear vision without them, speak to your optometrist next time you have an eye examination.

Contact lens technology moves extremely quickly these days. One of the most common lens fitted today is a 'silicon hydrogel' lens that can be worn continuously for up to 30 days. There are lenses that suit people with dry eyes, or with complicated vision problems. In fact, there is an eye condition known as keratoconus which can only be corrected with contact lenses! If you tried contact lenses in the past, and did not succeed, ask your optometrist if there are new options for you.

There are many reasons to want clear vision without glasses. Sports such as tennis and golf can be easier with contact lenses. Special occasions, like weddings and holidays can be more enjoyable without your frames. You don't have to wear contact lenses every day; in fact, many people only wear lenses once or twice a week. There are single use daily disposable lenses that are perfectly suited to the occasional wearer. Once worn, they are discarded, eliminating the need for storage solutions, cases, or cleaning.

There are very few general health conditions that prevent contact lens wear.

Lots of people with diabetes are also contact lens wearers. As we all know, diabetes is a condition which can affect the health of the eyes. People with diabetes need their eyes examined at least once a year. So do people with contact lenses! In a routine eye examination, your optometrist can check for diabetic retinopathy, assess your contact lens fit, and measure your vision.

Why not ask about contact lenses today?

Avoiding Macular Degeneration

16/5/2011

Many people, particularly as they get older, worry about getting macular degeneration. And it's not surprising, with it being here in Australia a major cause of legal blindness, and at less severe levels than that, a major cause of impaired lifestyle, difficulty with reading, blurred vision. The vision loss in macular degeneration is annoying because it affects the vision that you most want to use - the straight-ahead, line-of-sight, right where you're looking vision that you use to look at people's faces, read from a book, watch TV or drive.

I spend time with people who already have vision loss, trying to help them out with magnifiers and visual aids, and while they can help a little, the look of struggle and frustration on so many faces says that they'd much rather just have their previous good vision back. The more people that can avoid degeneration of their macula, the better.

Recently there has been some good treatments become available that, for the wet type of macular degeneration, can often maintain or improve vision. But even then the treatments need to be repeatedly given, so the fear of vision loss can still hang over someone whose doctor is 'very pleased' with the way things are going. (Having said that, it's far better than just a few years ago where there was very little that could be done.) In the more common, dry type, there are no mainstream treatments yet. Overall, prevention if possible is the way to go with this condition.

Some of the risk factors aren't modifiable. You can't change your genetics, or your age, which are two important risk factors.

But you can stop smoking. If you smoke, that will be the single biggest thing you can do to reduce your risk of macular degeneration. (… and although they may not like it much at the time, if you can stop someone else smoking, that will also be the biggest thing you can do to reduce their risk of macular degeneration). Even if you (or they) have been a smoker for a long time, quitting reduces their risk, so it's not too late to stop.

Other things you can do:

UV protection: there is some link between UV light exposure and macular degeneration. Sunglasses, hat outdoors.
Nutrition : Fats - people with lower overall fat intake have reduced risk. Of the fats you do eat, omega-3 fats (fish and some nuts) are better, and always choose less processed fats over highly-processed.
Nutrition : Antioxidants - Vitamins A,C,E and zinc were tested in a large scale study and found to be beneficial in reducing the worsening of vision in people with moderate macular degeneration. Lutein and zeaxanthin, yellow pigments as you'd see in egg yolks and corn, and some of the dark leafy green vegetables like kale, are being tested in the next stage of the study.
Nutrition: Overall - go for unprocessed foods, go for brightly coloured fruit and vegetables.
Keep up regular eye examinations, especially as you get older, even if your vision feels fine. Ask 'how's my macula?' at the end of the appointment, and make sure you get an answer.
If you notice any sudden vision change, get it checked without delay.

Top 10 things to preserve your vision long term

19/4/2011

I don't know if I'm going to get to ten, and I may come back at some stage and adjust this list, but here goes. What are the top ten things that can help preserve your vision longer term?

Don't smoke, or stop smoking. Smoking is the biggest modifiable risk factor in macular degeneration, the biggest cause of legal blindness.
Wear eye protection. It only takes a second for a eye injury to occur.
Get your eyes checked. Some eye conditions, and especially glaucoma, don't give symptoms until the condition is advanced and harder to treat. Early detection and treatment is important.
Know your (family) history. Find out from your parents, and older generations before it's too late, if there are any hereditary eye conditions in the family.
Try to not develop diabetes. Diabetic eye disease is a major cause of vision loss for people of working age.
Take contact lenses seriously. Follow instructions, clean them well, get any concerns checked out right away.
Don't hang around on eye symptoms. If something feels wrong about your eyes or your vision, get it looked at. Some conditions need immediate treatment.
Chemical burns in the eye need to be flushed with lots of water straight away.
Protect your eyes from UV. UV exposure has both acute and long-term effects.
Take extra care over an only eye. If you've only got one eye that sees well, the rest of the list above is even more important.

What's that thing growing across my eye?

26/8/2011

Most people seeing a whitish thing growing across the front of their eyes imagine that it's a cataract.

Actually, you would have to be a pretty good observer to see a cataract in your own eye. That's because the eye's lens, the tissue that goes cloudy in cataract, sits behind the pupil, right inside the eyeball. A quite advanced cataract may be seen as a slight greying of your pupil (rather than the normal black), but it wouldn't generally be noticed.

The two most common things that are seen growing on the front of people's eyes are either a pingueculum or a pterygium.

A pingueculum is an accumulation of fatty tissue, that stays on the white of the eye, not getting onto the clear cornea.
A pterygium is a growth of connective tissue that can gradually move across the front of the eye, in advanced cases right across the pupil.

Both are usually white in colour but my get inflamed. Both can irritate the eye because they interfere with the normal wiping function of the eyelids. Both are more common in people that spend lots of time outdoors exposed to UV, and in countries with higher UV levels.

Treatment

Pingueculae are not normally treated, although they could be removed for cosmetic reasons.
Pterygia are surgically removed once they get to a stage of interfering with the vision. Historically there is quite a high rate of recurrence, and so a variety of surgical options are available to reduced the chances of it coming back.
For either condition, lubricant drops may be helpful to reduce irritation when inflamed, and reducing exposure to UV and dehydration by wearing sunglasses outdoors is also advisable.

Pingueculae and pterygia, whilst being the most common things that grow across people's eyes, are not the only things that can do that. There is also a whole range of other growths, both benign and malignant, so if you've got something growing across your eye, it's best to get it checked out.

Choosing the best glasses for computer use

26/8/2011

When it's time to get some visual correction for computer use*, it's worth your while to be aware of some of the issues involved… these are the things that are going through your optometrists' mind in finalising the best possible glasses for computer work for you.

* N.B. if you're still in denial and you want to do anything but wear glasses for the computer we will tackle this in an upcoming post...

For the under 40s (roughly)

Most of the time correcting your vision for the long distance will be sufficient for use at the computer. Occasionally an occupational lens will be used, that gradually puts a little bit more strength into the lower part of your lens.

For the (roughly) 40s+

Once you're in the age range for reading glasses, there's a bit more to getting glasses made for computer use.

The strength you need for seeing the screen clearly may be different to what you need to see clearly across the room.
The strength you need for seeing the screen clearly may be different to what you need to see close-up (eg reading a book or document).
Both the distance of the screen from your eyes, and how high/low the screen is.
The type of usage you have for computer work - which of the below is most you?

I'm at the computer for long periods of time, just looking at the screen and nothing else
I'm at the computer for long periods of time, looking at the screen but also reading documents/ other close work.
I'm at the computer for long periods of time, looking at the screen, reading, and interacting - with people on the other side of my desk.
I'm at the computer for long periods of time, but also have to be able to easily look across the room.
I'm at the computer often, but also up and walking around, doing other things as well.
Most of my work doesn't involve the computer, but I do need to use it from time to time.
I use multiple monitors.

Whether you want just one pair of glasses to do everything in your life, or whether you don't mind having a separate set of glasses just for your computer use.

It may look complex, but these are important factors in sorting out the best type/ design of lens. Often when people have problems with glasses prescribed for computer use, it's because the lens type and the nature of a person's computer usage are not well suited.

Here are the different lens types that can be prescribed for computer use: (all of the comments below are assuming the glasses are an up-to-date prescription).

1. Single focus reading glasses (usually set for about 40cm)

Whole lens has your reading focus.

Generally: great for reading | may be great/ may be OK for screen | may be OK for across the desk |often poor for across the room/walking

When you first start to need reading glasses, a simple set of readers will work well for the screen too. You'll probably find yourself taking your glasses off/ sliding them down your nose to see across the room though. Once you've needed reading glasses for a few years though, reading glasses will be a bit too strong for the computer distance, and you may find yourself leaning close to the screen.

2. Single focus VDU/screen glasses (usually set for about 70cm, or your measured screen distance)

Whole lens has your computer screen focus.

Generally: good to slightly weak for reading | great for the screen | may be OK for across the desk | may be poor for across the room/walking.

A pair of lenses set up just for the screen is ideal for people that look only at the screen. You'll find youself taking them off for walking around/ looking across the room, so not really ideal when your computer work is in an interactive setting.

3. Regular bifocal glasses (top half set for long distance, bottom part set for reading distance)

Generally: good for reading| uncomfortable for screen | OK for across the desk | OK for walking around in

Regular bifocals and computers don't generally get along very well. Watch most people with regular bifocals working at the computer, and you'll see them leaning forward, and bending their neck back, in order to get the screen in focus - not ideal for prolonged computer use. There are two bits 'wrong' with regular bifocals and screens - firstly the lower section is set for reading distance not screen distance (hence the leaning forwards), and secondly screens are usually higher in your line of sight than the bifocal section (hence bending the neck back).

If you have to use bifocals at a computer, set yourself up with the screen as close as useful, and as low as possible.

4. Custom VDU bifocals (top half set for screen distance, bottom part set for reading distance)

Generally: good for reading| great for screen | may be OK for across the desk | may be poor for across the room/walking.

Bifocals designed for use at the VDU work quite well for people who spend longer periods looking just at the screen, but need a little extra strength for their reading/ close up work. Because the top part of the lens is all set up for the screen, that bit works well, and the bifocal segment at the bottom gives good reading vision. They are great while you only need to be at the computer, but they aren't very good for looking across the room or walking around in.

5. Occupational/ 'extended near focus' lenses (a special-purpose progressive lens)

Generally: good for reading| good for screen | can be set to be good for across the desk | may be poor for across the room/walking | progressive lens, therefore some distortion to the sides.

The lens is set for reading at the bottom of the lens, gradually changing in strength higher in the lens, so that looking ahead can be set for either 'screen' or 'across the desk'. They are a type of progressive lens, so new wearers will often take some time to adapt to the varying strengths in the different parts of the lens. As a progressive design, they are optimized to give as wide a field of view as possible in the screen portion of the lens. The prescription in these can be varied to include good vision for the 'across the desk' distance. Often people can walk around the office OK in these once they are adjusted to them, but they wouldn't generally be prescribed for full-time wear.

Quite often these are prescribed to people who have previously just used reading glasses at the computer, if updating their reading glasses would make them too strong for comfortable screen use.

6. Regular progressive/multifocal lenses

Generally: good for reading and screen, but clear zone not as wide | good for across the desk | good for distance (once adjusted to progressive lenses) | progressive lens, therefore distortion to the sides.

The lens is set for reading at the bottom of the lens, gradually changing in strength higher in the lens, so that looking ahead is set for long distance/across the room. The screen distance will be found about mid way between 'straight ahead' and 'looking down through the bottom of your glasses'. Because there is quite a bit of lens strength change from top to bottom in the lens, it may take new wearers some time to get used to 'finding' the best part of the lens to use for computer work. In all progressive lenses, there is some distortion out to the sides, which affects the width of the clear zone. If having a wide zone of clear screen viewing is the most important thing - especially people working in creative/art, or with multiple screens, then you may want to look at one of the other options.

These lenses are ideal for people who need to wear glasses fulltime, and who come and go from the computer during the course of their work. The work quite well for people doing longer term computer work, as long as they are adjusted to the limitations of the clear zone in the lens. For people whose work is solely at the computer, and who don't mind having a set of glasses just for their computer work, one of the other options may give better performance.

There is quite a range in both design and quality in progressive lenses, and accurate lens centring is important. This involves an element of trust on your part, good ethics on the part of the person making the glasses, and careful fitting once you've chosen your frames. One good little litmus test - accurate lens centring can only be done once your chosen frames are fitted on you, so the level of carefulness that is taking in getting the frames sitting right on you first, before the lens centring measurements are taken, is a good indication of the level of care.

For everyone

Putting an anti-reflective coating on the lens reduces annoying reflections - as long as you keep the lenses clean.
Choosing a glasses frame that is well-suited to 1) your strength of lens 2) the type/design of lens prescribed 3) your head, as well as 4) your sense of style.
Optimizing the physical set-up for working at the computer - how far/close you sit, how high/low the screen is, getting things as comfortable as possible.
Giving your eyes (and fingers) a little rest periodically.
Looking out for 'dry eye' symptoms. Dry eye symptoms are more commonly reported in screen based work than traditional office work, for a number of reasons.

So,

as you can see if you've reached this point, there are quite a number of different factors involved in getting the best possible computer correction for you, and coming to the best solution needs input from both you and your eye care practitioner. I've consciously put 'generally' or 'often' in what I've written as things vary from one person to another. But hopefully, by reading this, you'll have more of an idea of what to ask about, and what to report when you next get your eyes tested and admit that you may need some help to see the computer clearly.

Orthokeratology and Myopia Progression

28/1/2011

It is well known that children and teenagers can be prone to Myopia (shortsighted) progression during their growing years and some can end up with high prescriptions once they have finished their growth years.

New Research has shown that the correct fitting or Orthokeratology (Ortho K) contact lenses can reduce Myopia progression in some teenagers by up to 70%. The research is ongoing, but certainly these results give us confidence that Optometrists can not only offer correction for myopia with glasses and contact lenses, but also now offer a treatment to try to reduce the progression of myopia. Ortho K contact lenses are an advanced form of specially designed contact lenses that are worn only while you sleep. They are removed upon waking and you see clearly all day without glasses or daytime contact lenses.

Orthokeratology

1/12/2010

Have you heard about Orthokeratology? Orthokeratology , or Ortho K, is an advanced form of contact lens fitting that allows you to wear a specially designed contact lens only when you are asleep. When you wake up, you remove the lenses and then see clearly all day without glasses or daytime contact lenses. It is a good choice for active and sports people, particularly aquatic sports like swimming and kayaking as they wont get lost in the water. They are also great for people who experience dry eyes or itchy eyes with regular day wear contact lenses. Ortho K lenses can be fitted for most low to moderate shortsighted (myopic) people and some low longsighted (Hyperopic) prescriptions. Ortho K is able to be changed if your prescription or visual needs change as it is fully reversible. They are also a great alternative for anyone considering laser corrective eye surgery. Optomeyes has Optometrists who have completed extra training to enable them to fit these advanced designed contact lenses.

Silhouette Virtual Mirror

5/10/2010

For those of you who are looking for some fresh frame ideas while browsing online - this link from Silhouette is definitely worth checking out:

http://www.silhouette.com.au/#/vm_face_select

In three easy steps, the Silhouette 'Virtual Mirror' allows you to upload a photo or use a webcam snapshot to see how you look in Silhouette's extensive range of effortlessly elegant and innovative rimless eyewear.

This brand has been a long time member of our frame selection and it's great to see this tool on their website.

Of course as with all eyewear, once you have found some possibilities, please be sure to talk these through with your optometrist to ensure they are correctly fitted and tailored precisely to your lifestyle needs

Driving, Diabetes and Your Eyes

27/4/2010

Everyone knows that diabetes can cause blindness, but in the words of that old spiritual, 'It ain't necessarily so'.

When people think of losing their eyesight they think of many areas of their lives that would be affected, such as not being able to see the grandchildren, the garden or the racing form, but they tend to forget that important privilege which is also lost, and its impact makes a tremendous difference to our ability to live normal, independent lives and in many cases to make a living.

Driving. Something so normal most of us take our ability to drive completely for granted. Yet if vision becomes impaired we can lose our licence to do so. This can be difficult for the average person who drives to work, the shops, to visit people or for recreation, but for commercial truck drivers it can be devastating.

Optomeyes and Diabetes TASMANIA strongly advise people with diabetes to protect their vision by management of their diabetes having annual check ups with their GPs and ensuring that their:

Blood glucose levels are within the recommended levels (4 - 8 if the person is less than 70 years old and 4 - 10 if older)
Blood pressure is 130/80 or less
Cholesterol levels are less than 4 mmol/L total cholesterol, with low density lipids 2.0 or less, triglycerides less than 1.5 and high density lipids more than 1.0 mmol/L
And do not smoke

A further and equally important strategy is for people with diabetes to have their eyes checked annually by an Optometrist.

This is a vital check because optometrists are able to check the front of the eye for cataracts, eye pressure for glaucoma and the retina at the back of the eye for retinopathy. They can also detect macular degeneration. At the first sign of any problems the Optometrist will refer the client to an Ophthalmologist for immediate treatment of the problem.

If people with diabetes follow these guidelines, and have regular eye checks with an optometrist, the risk of becoming blind is greatly reduced. They will be able to continue enjoy all their previous visual pleasures and importantly, driving the grandchildren around, visiting botanical gardens and parks and the race course, and of course, driving for a living.

Maggie Lasdauskas RN - CDE

Manager Diabetes Education Services

Diabetes TASMANIA

Staying in contact...

30/7/2009

I have just returned from a contact lens conference in Sydney. The presentations centered on the newer silicone hydrogel materials, i.e. the "second generation" extended wear lens materials. These materials have been shown in our practice and also in studies presented at the conference to improve comfort, and when matched with the correct solution for disinfection the improvement is even better.

All these are now available in most prescriptions and for those not wanting to have contact lenses for wearing every day due to business or laziness the daily lens options have improved. (ie astigmatism can now be corrected with a daily lens). The outlay initially on daily lenses may be more if you are wearing them every day but even then the convenience of no solutions (or cost of those) and the no cleaning appeals to the lazy part of my nature.

There are much better visual solutions for my age group also i.e. the over 45yrs (you are not getting any more information than that!) in terms of contact lens styles. There has been another increase in the number of multifocal lenses on the market and better blended vision options. The daily lens has also branched out into the multifocal range allowing us to wear cls out just for the odd occasion when we wish to read a menu in poor light, or for that visit to the gym etc when specs just fog up too easily. These options are still a compromise on the vision that can be obtained through glasses for us over 45s but the advantages of having the spec free freedom is tremendous.

So when next you are in seeing one of our optometrists ask for more information and a trial of the new improved lenses.

Regards,

Sue Sluce

The Tradegy...

2/6/2009

Now that the weather has turned cold and a little wetter, it's a good time to stay inside, stoke the fire and reflect on the passing of summer and also the trout season that was. Sadly, I am a fly fishing tragic. I blame Rob Sitch and Tom Glisner. They produced an incredible series of short films under the title of A River Somewhere. I was hooked after the first series. And, similar to the sentiment of the series and also because I don't catch a lot of fish, for me the sport is all about getting out there, roughing it, being at one with nature. The romance. The story behind the story. That sort of thing. I take solace in the words of a one of the earliest Tasmanian trout guides who no longer fishes. Being able to find a fish takes far greater skill and knowledge than landing it. It's not because I don't see the fish that I can't land them, it's my complete lack of finesse and talent that takes care of that. Finding the critters is made much easier by wearing a pair of polarised sunglasses. Even better, is a pair of photochromatic polarised sunglasses. Enter DriveWear. I know it sounds odd, but DriveWear are fantastic for driving, but are even better on the water.

Ok, here's the technology bit

DriveWear brings together two leading lens technologies, NuPolar polarisation and Transitions Photochromic Materials, to create an entirely new category of lens.

Although standard polarised lenses do a good job of blocking glare, often they are too dark to meet the range of conditions encountered in driving, fishing and other outdoor sports (think of those overcast days); and while traditional photochromic lenses have worked well for people moving between outdoors and indoors, they do not darken significantly behind the windshield of a car (since the windshield blocks the ultraviolet (UV) light that activates the photochromic material. These lenses are different, reacting to blue light). Nor did the photochromic lenses offer polarisation, which is the only way to block blinding glare off reflective surfaces like roads and water.

What you get when you combine the 2 technologies is a lens that adapts to the conditions it's in. They're perfect for just about anyone looking for a more versatile lens and particularly good for….

Seniors - enhanced vision in varied conditions is perfect for ageing eyesight
Outdoor enthusiasts, walkers or bike riders - will give clear vision under trees, in tunnels and in strong outdoor light
Golfers - perfect for following the ball in the air and seeing it clearer on the green
Fishermen - ideal for reducing glare on the water's surface, so you can find the fish, you know that skilled part I was telling you about.

Try It

This is truly impressive lens technology and there is simply nothing else like it on the market. The effect of the lens in blocking glare is best demonstrated by actually trying on the lenses in person, so feel free to ask one of our friendly dispensers for a demonstration at one of our 12 practices around the state.

For more information on DriveWear™, check out their website at: http://www.drivewearlens.com/home.php.

Wishing you clear and healthy vision!

Heath.

How's Your Macula?

18/5/2009

Hi there and nice to be driving the new blog,

As you may have read about in our Eye Disease page, macular degeneration is an eye disease and Australia's leading cause of blindness and severe vision loss.

Recent research shows an alarming number of Australians are unaware of the importance of diet and lifestyle in reducing their risk of developing this disease.

As an optometrist, I have to say this is a concerning finding.

The Macular Degeneration (MD) Foundation is running Macular Degeneration Awareness Week during 24-30 May, and I'm urging all of my patients to use this as an opportunity to become better educated about this disease.

There are some simple guidelines you can observe to keep your macula healthy.

For a start, eating a healthy diet containing lots of fish and dark green leafy vegetables is critical. These foods include nutrients such as omega-3 and lutein that help promote eye health. The MD Foundation also advises that having your eyes tested by an optometrist is also essential to ensure any problems are detected early and to have an accurate historical record of the retina. You can find out about Digital Retinal Photography here.

In addition to this, not smoking, reducing your overall intake of fats, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight can also play a part in reducing the risk of developing MD. Essentially the rules we all know already for keeping the entire body healthy apply to eye health as well - not complicated, but easy to overlook.

A healthy lifestyle can also assist those who already have MD. Supplements may slow the progression of the disease but you should always ask your eye health professional which is the best one for you to take.

I trust this information was helpful and if you have any questions or concerns about the health of your macula, please don't hesitate to call in to see me or any of the team at Optomeyes for a thorough eye exam.

Best regards,

Andrew Eastaugh - Optomeyes Burnie & Somerset

Optomeyes Blog Opens its Eyes!

4/6/2009

Welcome to our blog!

Join us on a journey into the fascinating world of your eyes, of eyewear fashion, and for a behind the scenes look at what makes Optomeyes tick. Over the coming year, we will also be sharing the latest developments in our field that we think will be of value to you - so that you can continue to See Life Differently with us.

By now you would have seen that we are passionate about what we do. We also hope this blog will be an opportunity for you to get to know our team of optomestrists as people, to come to see why it is that we find our profession exciting and stimulating.

On this blog, you will also have the opportunity to pose questions to our professional optometrists via our Enquires Page and have answers posted online. If its a question about your vision, a fashion question, or anything else vision-related- please write to us and we will respond.

There may even be the occasional optemetric joke. Or, if you know Andrew Hogan from our Macquarie St Practice, the odd Batman reference!

It gives me great pleasure to open this forum and open it up as a dialog bewteen you, our valued clients, and ourselves so that we can understand and service your needs better. I'm look forward to seeing you online and doing the virtual introductions!

Kind regards,

David Miklos

(Blog Administrator)