Opticians Eye Care

Specsavers voted Britain’s most trusted brand of opticians
Specsavers has been voted the Most Trusted Optician by British consumers. The Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brands 2011 survey place Specsavers in first position for the 10th year running. The award is voted for by the people who experience the service on a day-to-day basis – the consumers. Specsavers came out on top, ahead of Boots Opticians, D&A and other opticians for offering excellent value.

Optician helps hundreds in mercy mission to Ethiopia
AN optician has given the gift of sight to hundreds of impoverished Africans. Lee Davis spent a fortnight travelling Ethiopia, setting up temporary eye clinics and diagnosing problems that would otherwise go unnoticed. Mrs Davis and three other volunteers went with eye care charity, Vision Aid Overseas.

Council warns of ‘substandard eye tests’
HPCSA warns that companies that offer their employees health wellness days are falling victim to unscrupulous optometrists offering substandard eye tests. Mobile optometry units were registered with the council in an attempt to provide optometry services in areas where patients did not have easy access to eye care, particularly in rural areas. However, many of these clinics have instead struck agreements to provide eye car to employees of large companies in urban centres, where eye care is already available.

Opticians donating money to Guide Dogs
Watford Specsavers will donate £1 from every eye examination carried out on Monday to The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. International Assistance Dogs Week was created to recognise all of the devoted hard-working assistance dogs, like guide dogs, who transform the lives of their partners. Through the funds pledged by Specsavers, it will be possible to pay the lifetime cost of five guide dogs, at £50,000 each.

In the UK colour blindness effects between seven and eleven per cent of males although statistics are not wholly clear as many sufferers of colour blindness are never diagnosed.

Colour blindness is a condition which usually described as a deficiency which hinders the sufferer from differentiating between colours that the general population can distinguish. The gene that causes colour blindness id dominant in males and colour blindness is rarely a developed condition. Females are only susceptible to colour blindness if both mother and father are a carrier of the gene.

Adults would probably need to ask for a test to be carried out as tests for colour blindness are not usually included as pert of routine eye tests for those past teenage years. Opticians will carry out colour blindness tests as a matter of routine when carrying out sight test on children.

Anyone who suspects that their child or themselves is suffering from colour blindness should make an appointment with an optician to go through a quick and easy series of tests. Although there is no treatment for colour blindness, changes can be made to make life easier for sufferers. Printing on paper that is not white or changing the settings on a computer monitor can make small tasks that used to be difficult a whole lot easier.

For pre school children it was deemed that the test was not sufficient as in order to make a diagnosis, opticians would need to be sure that the child knew their numbers competently enough to be able to get an accurate reading. A test was developed for children ages three to six that is consistent with the original Ishihara Colour Test but uses easily recognisable images shapes like stars, circles and squares to determine whether the child is able to differentiate between colours.

The test used to test for signs of colour blindness was developed in 1917 by Dr. Shinobu Ishihara. The Ishihara test consists of a series of plates each of which incorporate an image of seemingly randomly placed dots of varying size and shades. A person with normal colour vision would be able to see a number within the image, which would be in a contrasting shade to the background. Someone who suffers from colour blindness would either not be able to see the number at all or would have difficulty in spotting amongst the other coloured dots. There are thirty-eight plates, or images, which are used in the test, each varying in difficulty.

The most common deficiency found in those that suffer from colour blindness is the inability to differentiate between the colours green and red. A more rare form is an inability to clearly define the colour blue; this is apparent in less that 5% of colour blindness sufferers and can be found just as often in females as it is in males.

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists and College of Optometrists recently (Dec 2010) held a major conference that should see significant impact on the eye care sector and opticians. The aim is to gain a consensus within the eye health/care sector’s professional body with regard to the question of glaucoma care commissioning.

Leading professionals in the sector, in addition to policy makers and patients, met in an attempt to thrash out accepted proposals for quality and efficiency in glaucoma care.

The main part of the discussion centred on the Department of Health’s commissioned standard to The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence ( NICE), and its attempt to put into place, along with other quality standards, clear and precise procedures for the study and treatment of glaucoma. The outcome will see a combined college consultation response to the commissioned standard to NICE.

The summit also concentrated on how patients can be ensured of high standards in relation to service quality and delivery, based on efficiency in commissioning. Those in attendance were also able to garner a better understanding of the continued development of commissioning practices by GPs.

Speaking as the president of the College of Optometrists, Dr Cindy Tromans, stated that, ‘We have two main outcomes from the day. A joint response to the NICE draft quality standard on glaucoma and a report from the afternoon session, which we plan to share with the new NHS Commissioning Board.’ Describing the event as a ‘great success’. Dr Tromans added that the day provided ‘a very timely opportunity to help participants to understand how we will fit into the new health landscape and what commissioners will be looking for’.

Professor Stephen Vernon, representing the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, felt the service that community optometrists and ophthalmologists were able to deliver to the public would be maximised by the professions working in partnership. He added: ‘It is only by building relationships and continuing to work in partnership that we will improve eye health.’

I know costs vary but I’m not looking for "it will cost £x", I’m looking for "eye tests cost up to £x, lenses cost up to £x etc."

I just want to know how much to transfer to my debit card when I go so I can have the test and purchase the glasses in one trip.

I won’t be spending more than £125 on the frames, and I live in the North.

none refracting ones (don’t know what the term for that would be XD )

and how much would they cost? and would they show you how to use and maintain them?

Hi there,

Just curious but there is someone I kind of know that lives near to me. I have noticed that he seems to have very frequent eye tests, like every 4-5 months. He occasionally wears glasses but not all the time.

I was just wondering why someone would need eye tests so often? I get mine checked about every two years and am short sighted.

I can’t ask him myself because I don’t really know him that well.

Just curious though. Thanks.
x x x x

right given that we have the nhs, why should we have to pay for the tests on the high street?

views tvm.

Hey guyss ) I’m 14 and i have really bad eyesite im like -3.75 in both..
anyway…does anyone know what to do to improve your eyesight and wat those tests do? you know like the which is clearer red or green? and when they put a magnifying glass thing in front of your eyes then switch it over and then they say which is clearer- one or two?
pleasee help…sorry if this question is so long you got bored reading it XD

i know you are entitled to free dental treatment and perscriptions but ive been told eye tests are included too yet i havent read this is any of my info packs

i cant go to the store till saturday and what if they just say no. i need to spend the day to find a place for work experience fast.