We have had OCT in our Southsea practice since last year and it has been incredibly useful. We are now delighted to have taken delivery of an OCT scanner in our Portchester branch meaning we can offer this amazing technology at both practices.

OCT is part of the eyeplan and private eye examination as well as the enhanced NHS examination.

For more details follow this link to a previous blog on OCT. http://www.cameron-davies.com/news/oct-update-cameron-davies-southsea.html

Christmas Eve Saturday 24th December …………………………………..  Open 9am to 1pm     

Christmas Day 25th December to Wednesday 28th December …… Closed

Thursday 29th December and Friday 30th December ……………….. Open 9am to 5pm

New Year’s Eve Saturday 31st December …………………………………….Open 9am to 1pm

Bank Holiday Monday 2nd January 2012  …………………………………… Closed

Tuesday 3rd January 2012   ……………………………………………………….Open 9am – 5pm  (normal hours resume)

A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year from all at Cameron-Davies Opticians – we look forward to seeing you in 2012!

Please rest assured that our Eyeplan draw has not yet taken place, in fact the letters with the entry slips should be arriving in the post to our Eyeplan clients this coming weekend.

Sorry again for the error – so much for modern technology!

Other news - our annual Eyeplan Christmas letters are being printed right now and will be posted out shortly. We have four beautiful hampers from Barrington’s Delicatessen in Bishops Waltham to give away, so remember to send back your entry slips for our prize draw by Monday 18th December.

The award winning Optifog treatment from Essilor has solved this problem. This is where anti-fog particles are imbedded just under both front and back surfaces of the lens. All you need to do is clean the lens at least once a week in the Activator solution and your glasses won’t steam up again!

It really does work! (We have seen many similar products in the past that haven’t)

Optifog is available as an upgrade on a wide variety of lenses in both Southsea and Portchester branches. Just phone us or pop in for more details.

For more information watch

http://youtu.be/Ww8GO673P8Q

(Images courtesy of Essilor)

What is colorimetry?

The use of colour to alleviate problems with reading and migraine can produce spectacular results for children and adults. Colorimetry is how we measure the specific colour that is most effective at reducing visual stress. This colour varies greatly between individuals. We can then make glasses that are tinted with this precision colour to help with reading, using computers and other concentrated work.

What is visual stress?

Visual stress is sensitivity to visual patterns. It can result in still patterns seeming to move or blur and causes tiredness, headaches and sore eyes. People who suffer from significant visual stress will often miss words, re read lines and have problems with prolonged reading or computer work. This can often cause frustration and low self esteem in children as it makes learning to read more difficult.

Who suffers from visual stress?

25% of us suffer from some form of visual stress. If you stare at the pattern to the left you may notice the lines appear to move and your eyes may feel strained. This is visual stress. 5 % of people suffer from significant visual stress and looking at text in a book or on a computer screen can cause these problems. Visual stress is not the same as dyslexia but it is more common in those who are dyslexic.

How does a colour help?

One current scienfic explanation is that visual stress is caused by an over action of the vision centre in the brain. A precise colour (which is specific to each individual) helps to reduce and dampen this over action. This makes vision more comfortable.

I feel my child may benefit from colorimetry what should I do?

The first step is to book a full eye examination. If after this we feel colour may be of benefit we perform an overlay assessment. This involves reading with many different coloured overlays and assessing which colour helps the most. You are given the most helpful overlay to take home and try. If this makes a significant difference we can perform colorimetry and prescribe precision tinted spectacles.

I work with children that I feel may benefit from colorimetry, what should I do?

We take referrals from a wide range of professionals including teachers and educational psychologists. If you feel colorimetry may be of benefit you should advice the child’s parent or guardian and give them our contact details.

If you would like any further advice please phone us on 02392 825939 for our Southsea branch or 02392 373015 for our Portchester branch.

We will be open as usual on Wednesday morning and for the rest of the week.

Many apologies for any inconvenience caused.

In January we invested in an OCT eye scanner in our Southsea branch. This state of the art technology is allowing us to see your eyes in great detail and monitor conditions such as glaucoma and macular degeneration with more accuracy than ever before.

In the 6 months we have had the OCT scanner it has been incredibly useful. To show some of the benefits of OCT below are examples of some OCT scans that have all been taken by us in our Southsea practice in the last 6 months.

OCT helps us to detect glaucoma earlier. Glaucoma is a common disease that damages the nerves in the eye, if untreated it can result in tunnel vision and eventually blindness. The first OCT scan to the right shows a healthy eye, the second OCT scan shows an eye with Glaucoma. You can see glaucoma causes the nerve layer to become thinner and the light grey area within the optic nerve to enlarge. Early detection of glaucoma allows prompt treatment to take place which greatly reduces the risk of significant vision loss.

OCT also allows us to see the macula in great detail. The macula is the central part of the retina responsible for seeing small detail. It can be affected by a variety of diseases the most common of which is age related macular degeneration. The top OCT scan shows a cross section of a healthy macular. You can see all the layers of the retina are intact and there is a uniform dip in the middle.
The second OCT scan shows a cross section of a macula with 2 problems; fluid under the sensory retina and dry age related macular degeneration (ARMD).

Two common problems that cause fluid to accumulate under the sensory retina are CSR (central serous retinopathy) and wet ARMD. CSR causes the retina to be pushed forward resulting in blurry distorted vision. It doesn’t normally require treatment however it does require close monitoring and the best way to do this is with OCT. Wet ARMD on the other hand does need urgent treatment. Dry ARMD is a very common disease as we get older where the pigment layer of the retina (seen as the orange line on the healthy picture) gets damaged and becomes bumpy. It causes a loss of central vision.

The third image shows a 3D scan of just the pigment layer with all other layers stripped away. You can see the bumpy pimpled appearance caused by dry ARMD clearly. Again the OCT is a brilliant way to monitor any changes with the macula.

As you can see from the images OCT gives us a unique insight into the health of your eye.

We offer OCT as a part of our Eyeplan and private eye examinations in Southsea. It is also included in our enhanced NHS examination.

We are so impressed by the benefits of having the OCT in Southsea that we will be purchasing one for our Portchester branch in the near future.

OneSight are also desperate for donations of ‘gently used spectacles and sunglasses’. Therefore during April both our Southsea and Portchester branches will have a collection box in store. So, if you have any old spectacles and/or sunglasses (prescription or non prescription), that are in good condition and you’re happy to part with, please bring them along – they may just change someone’s life.
www.onesight.org

Polarized lenses have been used by sailors and fisherman for a number of years as they eliminate the glare off water. They have recently become increasingly popular with drivers, cyclists, skiers, runners and other outdoor sports enthusiasts, as they also cut out the glare off roads, snow, pavements, cars and other horizontal surfaces. The polarization enables the wearer to see more clearly and therefore react faster to obstacles and other hazards.

As the technology improves, many more non-sports people are now buying polarized sunglasses because they not only look great, but are highly effective in cutting down everyday glare, which can cause visual fatigue.

At Cameron-Davies we have a wide selection of polarized sunglasses to choose from, including Ray-ban, Oakley, Maui Jim and Bolle. From wrap-around to more traditional, fashionable to sporty styles, you will be able to find a pair of polarized sunglasses that meet your needs and your tastes.

In addition to non-prescription sunspecs, our dispensing opticians specialize in making up prescription polarized sunglasses from Oakley and Maui Jim, or we can make up a pair using your chosen frame glazed with top-quality single vision or varifocal lenses from Essilor or Nikon.

Please feel free to phone, Email or, best of all, drop in to find out more.            

Without polarized lenses              With polarized lenses                           (Images courtesy of Essilor Ltd)