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Optomap is an innovative new technology that gives eye doctors the ability to perform ultra-wide retinal imaging that is far superior to what can currently be achieved using conventional retinal imaging options. In contrast to conventional retinal imaging, Optomap captures at least 50% more of the retina in a single capture, and with Optomap’s multi-capture function, up to 97% of the retina can be viewed. This gives eye care professionals greater opportunity to monitor the health and condition of patient vision.
 

Why is Optomap important?

Optomap is another great preventative eyecare technology tool. By allowing your eye doctor to have a comprehensive view of your retina, they will be able to detect any developing eye diseases early on, before they have a detrimental impact on your vision and day to day life. Not only can Optomap detect eye conditions such as retinal holes, retinal detachment, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, but it can also be used to identify some general health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer.
 

What to expect from Optomap scanning

Optomap is a fast, painless and non-invasive procedure that is suitable for patients of all ages, even children and pregnant women. Many patients require their eyes to be dilated ahead of the scan and will be given eyedrops which will widen their pupils and make it easier for the camera to see the structures inside the eye. Pupil dilation is painless, but patients may feel more sensitive to light both during their Optomap scan and afterwards for up to 24 hours. You may also have slightly blurred vision for a few hours. Once your eyes are dilated, you’ll be sat down and asked to look into a small device that will take the pictures of your retina. A short flash of light will let you know that the image has been taken, and the entire imaging is over in just a few seconds. The results will be sent digitally to your eye doctor who will then evaluate them. The results will also be stored on your personal optical record for future information.  
 

If you would like more information about what is involved in Optomap, or to schedule an appointment for this effective screening technology, please contact our eyecare team.

Visual field testing is an important part of most standard comprehensive eye exams. Also sometimes known as perimetry testing, Visual field testing is a method to measure the entire scope of vision of an individual, including their peripheral/side vision.
 

The importance of visual field testing

Visual field testing is one of the most effective diagnostic treatments in the detection of glaucoma. This is because when patients are affected by glaucoma, it is usually the peripheral vision that is affected by their condition first. However, it can also be used to detect central or peripheral retinal diseases, eyelid conditions such as drooping, optic nerve damage and conditions that affect the visual pathways from the optic nerve to the area of the brain where this information is processed into vision.
 

Visual field testing is also an important part of monitoring for people who are considered to be at risk for vision loss from disease and other problems, including those who have been diagnosed with the following:

• Multiple sclerosis

• Hyperthyroidism

• Pituitary gland disorders

• Central nervous system problems (such as a tumor that may be pressing on the brain)

• Stroke

• Diabetes

• High blood pressure
   

What to expect from visual field testing

There are a variety of methods that can be used to perform visual field testing, including:
 

Static automated perimetry. This is where a machine is used to quantify how well the patient is able to detect flashing lights of varying size and brightness in different areas of their visual field, while they concentrate on a central point. The patient responds by pushing a button when they see the light.

Kinetic perimetry. This involves points of light that are fixed in size and intensity and are presented along the patient’s peripheral vision, before being gradually moved inwards to determine their field of vision. 

Visual field testing is non-invasive, painless and doesn’t require patients to have their eyes dilated. The results, which are usually presented in a series of charts, are digital and sent directly to your eye doctor for interpretation. Depending on the outcome of your results, you may be recommended for further diagnostic testing which could include blood tests. If you have been diagnosed with glaucoma, you will probably be recommended to have several visual field tests each year, which will help your eye doctor to monitor the progression of your condition and recommend treatments to slow it.

If you would like more information about visual field testing, or if you have concerns about your peripheral vision, please don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with our experienced and knowledgeable eyecare team today.

In September 2025, the FDA approved Stellest lenses for children ages 6 to 12 to correct and manage myopia, a major milestone for myopia care. These lenses have been successfully used in countries across Europe, Canada, and Asia since 2020, showing promising results in slowing eye growth associated with myopia.
 

The Importance of Early Myopia Management

Myopia typically begins in early childhood, often between the ages of 6 and 10, and tends to worsen quickly during the school years as children spend more time reading and using digital devices. The sooner it begins, the higher the risk that it will progress to more severe levels. Every increase in myopia level significantly raises the risk of eye health complications later in life, such as retinal detachment or glaucoma.

By beginning myopia management as soon as possible, parents can help slow eye growth and protect long-term vision. With innovative options like Stellest lenses, families now have effective, science-backed solutions to take control of their child’s myopia.
 

What Are Stellest Lenses?

Stellest lenses are a groundbreaking innovation in myopia control, developed by Essilor. They look like regular eyeglass lenses but are designed with specialized optical technology to both correct vision and slow the progression of myopia.

Our eyes are extremely delicate, yet they can be subjected to harsh conditions and other environmental factors that affect their health. One of the problems that can affect our eyes is an accumulation of dirt, debris and bacteria on the eyelids. This can cause a range of issues, including stopping tear film from reaching the eyes and being properly dispersed over their surface – which is necessary to keep them healthy and comfortable. Fortunately, a new solution called BlephexÔ can help.

What is BlephexÔ?

BlephexÔ is a handheld electro-mechanical device that is applied to the margins of the eyelids with the purpose of cleaning them and improving the effectiveness with which tear film flows onto the surface of the eyes.

BlephexÔ has a disposable, surgical-grade sponge tip which rapidly oscillates to create a cleaning action. Before the sponge tip is placed onto the eyes, it is soaked in a gentle exfoliating solution. This solution provides soft abrasion to help remove dead skin cells and debris that could be irritating the eyes and interrupting tear film progression. The BlephexÔ device is manually applied to the eyes and moved gently across the eyelids, with the entire, painless process taking approximately 6 to 8 minutes per eye. A different sponge is used on each eye, ensuring that no bacteria is passed between them. After the procedure, patients are given instructions on how to maintain the cleanliness of their eyelids with daily/nightly eyelid hygiene at home.

Most patients experience a significant improvement in tear film production and dispersal, and a reduction in unpleasant symptoms that they may have been experiencing within 48 hours of their treatment. While a single treatment is normally enough to produce excellent results, many patients are advised to have BlephexÔ every 4-6 months.

What conditions can BlephexÔ help with?

BlephexÔ can be used to clean the eyelids at any time, and people who suffer from dry eyes or eye allergies may find it is particularly beneficial for helping to reduce the symptoms that they experience. It can also be combined with Lipiflow – another technological solution – to help counteract the effects of dry eyes.
 

Unsurprisingly, BlephexÔ is particularly recommended as a treatment for an eye condition called blepharitis. Blepharitis is characterized by the inflammation of the eyelids, which causes them to become red, swollen and itchy. Although the condition is not usually serious, it can lead to further problems if it isn’t treated.
 

Symptoms of blepharitis include:

• Sore eyes

• Itchy eyes

• A gritty, irritated feeling affecting the eyes

• Redness

• Flakes or crustiness around the roots of the eyelashes

• Eyelids that stick together when you wake up in the morning

If you are suffering from the symptoms of blepharitis, dry eyes or eye allergies and feel that you would benefit from BlephexÔ treatment, please contact our team to schedule a consultation appointment.

A tonometer refers to the equipment that is used in tonometry – a test that measures the pressure inside your eyes, also known as intraocular pressure or IOP for short. Tonometry is rarely performed at your average comprehensive eye exam unless you are at high risk of or have been already diagnosed with glaucoma. Fortunately, tonometry can be used to detect changes in eye pressure before they cause any symptoms, enabling prompt action to be taken before your vision is affected.

About Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a common eye condition that occurs when the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, becomes damaged. It’s normally caused by fluid building up in the front part of the eye, which causes the pressure inside the eyes to build. As the pressure increases, the optic nerve becomes increasingly damaged, and this prevents messages from being transmitted between your eyes and brain effectively. As a result, the patient’s vision becomes compromised. Without treatment, the level of vision loss will continue to increase. Unfortunately, any vision that has been lost as a result of glaucoma cannot be restored.
 

Most of the time, glaucoma develops very slowly which means that many people don’t realize that they are affected until some damage to their vision has already occurred. However, occasionally glaucoma can develop quickly, and symptoms do occur.

These can include:

• Red eyes

• Intense headaches

• Tenderness around the eyes

• Eye pain

• Seeing rings/halos around lights

• Blurred vision

• Nausea and vomiting

If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s important that you make an appointment with your eye doctor right away so that you can be assessed. You are likely to have a tonometry test as part of this assessment.
 

What to expect from tonometry testing

There are various methods of tonometry testing, but many eye doctors use either Goldmann tonometry, which is the conventional technique to measure eye pressure, or electronic tonometry.
 

Goldmann tonometry testing is carried out using the Goldmann applanation tonometer, which is attached to a slit lamp microscope. This requires anesthetic eye drops to be used which numb your eyes, before a small probe is pressed gently against the eye, indenting the cornea. The pressure that the cornea pushes back onto the tonometer is what is measured to give your IOP reading. Electronic tonometry is where a handheld, mobile device is gently and quickly applied to the cornea to check the pressure, providing an accurate reading. Some eye doctors also offer non-contact tonometry which is where a puff of air is used to flatten the cornea, although this is reported to be less accurate than the Goldmann technique.
 

If you would like to find out more about Tonometry testing, please call our office to speak with our dedicated eyecare professionals.

Whether people like it or not, fine lines and wrinkles go hand in hand with the aging process. However, they typically appear sooner and look worse for those who spend time in the sun. Fortunately, TempSure Envi offers a solution that improves the skin’s appearance and health.

Instead of having invasive surgery, experts in the field of aesthetics can offer their patients something better. Not only is TempSure Envi non-invasive, but it’s also safe and effective. Simply put, it provides optimal improvement without any pain or discomfort.

Beyond Fine Lines and Wrinkles

Eliminating fine lines and wrinkles is just one of many benefits associated with TempSure Envi treatments. This same treatment works incredibly well to reduce the appearance of cellulite. Overall, it smooths skin, making it look more youthful.

However, even leading ophthalmologists and optometrists rely on TempSure Envi to treat patients with dry eye disease. Usually caused by Meibomian Gland Disease or MGD, the combination often makes a person look tired. In addition to dealing with uncomfortable symptoms, this causes bags to form beneath the eyes.

Because TempSure Envi is a gentle and safe treatment, it’s ideal for giving people with dry eye disease from MGD a fresher appearance.

How Does TempSure Envi Work?

This treatment uses a radiofrequency that gently and safely heats the skin for a specific amount of time. The body naturally reacts by producing new collagen. Because the new fibers are tighter and denser, they fill in voids in the form of lines, wrinkles, and cellulite. It also diminishes bagginess associated with dry eye disease from MGD.

Benefits of TempSure Envi

Experts in the field of aesthetics can use TempSure Envi on many different parts of the body. At the same time, optometrists can use it on patients with dry eye disease.

Most people notice an improvement after just one session. Initially, their skin looks more toned and feels tighter. With each treatment, new collagen will continue to grow. To achieve optimal results, most individuals need at least four sessions.

Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved TempSure Envi as a viable treatment for all the reasons mentioned. Specifically, it stated that even as a non-invasive solution, TempSure Envi is capable of rejuvenating a person’s appearance, and with no downtime.

Keep in mind that everyone responds somewhat differently. It may take a few more sessions to see desired results. However, most enjoy tighter and more youthful-looking skin for about six months after just four sessions.

To maintain their appearance and continue the cycle of collagen growth, people can have additional TempSure Envi treatments done without any problem. Usually, people have much the same experience. That consists of redness that appears in roughly a day or two. However, it goes away quickly.

The Bottom Line

TempSure Envi is an FDA-approved and non-invasive treatment that helps people achieve tighter and more toned skin. Additionally, it doesn’t cause any real side effects, and it doesn’t involve any recovery time. Many individuals who opt for this treatment can have it done during their lunch break and return to work with better looking skin appearance.

Wearing contact lenses gives patients the flexibility and freedom to live life to the fullest, without some of the difficulties presented by wearing glasses. Many people who choose contact lenses do so because they don’t like the way that glasses look or feel, or because wearing glasses compromises their ability to perform certain tasks or activities, such as sports or jobs that require the use of safety goggles. 

There are lots of different contact lenses to choose from, with two of the most popular being daily disposables and toric lenses. 
 

Disposable Lenses

As their name suggests, these daily contact lenses are disposable. This means that they can and should be discarded at the end of each day rather than re-worn. Disposable lenses do tend to be a little more expensive than some repeat-wear varieties, but the benefits usually outweigh the cost. 

Some of the advantages of choosing daily disposable contact lenses include:

• You don’t have to clean them, which saves patients a great deal of time and hassle. It also helps save money in terms of the ongoing cost of cleaning solution. 

• Disposable lenses are also great for people with eye allergies. This is because with ordinary lenses, there’s an opportunity for deposits and microorganisms to build up. With daily disposables, allergens have less chance to attach themselves to the lenses and cause irritation and other allergy symptoms. 

• You don’t need to schedule regular replacements either, which makes wearing contact lenses easier on your schedule. 

• Disposable contact lenses are particularly good for people who have busy lives and are likely to cut corners when it comes to caring for their eyes or contacts since there is no cleaning or maintenance required.

Daily disposable contact lenses are available in a wide range of prescriptions, including those for patients with nearsightedness and farsightedness. Your eye doctor will be able to advise you if you are a candidate for disposable contact lenses. 
 

Toric Lenses

Toric contact lenses are recommended for patients who have a refractive eye problem called astigmatism. Patients with astigmatism have corneal abnormalities that cause the refraction of the eye to be different between the vertical and horizontal planes, causing blurred vision and difficulty seeing fine details. Toric contact lenses are shaped in a particular way that creates the different focusing powers needed in each part of the lens to correct your vision. For this reason, it’s essential that Toric lenses are placed into the eyes in the correct position.

Fortunately, manufacturers design Toric lenses with features that help them to stay in place, including:

• Thin/thick zones

• Creating areas of the lens that are thicker or heavier which helps secure it in position 

• An area where the bottom of the lens is slightly cut off 

To keep them stable, Toric lenses are a little firmer than conventional soft lenses. This means that some patients can find them a little less comfortable, but the superior vision they obtain outweighs this. Your eye doctor will be able to advise you if you are a good candidate for Toric contact lenses and which variety would best suit you. 

To find out more about daily contact lenses, speak to our friendly and knowledgeable team. 

Corneal refractive therapy, also known as CRT, is a simple, painless treatment for refractive eye errors like myopia and has two core benefits. First, it can be used to help patients see clearly during the day without using glasses or contact lenses, giving them the freedom and flexibility that they need to live life to the fullest. Second, CRT has been shown to help slow the progression of myopia, keeping prescriptions under control and potentially reducing the likelihood of patients developing serious eye health problems associated with high myopia in the future. 

Here’s everything that you need to know about corneal refractive therapy and what it means for you. 

Understanding refractive eye problems

Refractive eye problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism are extremely common, with nearsightedness – also known as myopia – being the most common of all. Patients with myopia can see nearby objects clearly, but those further away become progressively more blurred. Refractive eye errors occur when the shape of the clear dome covering the front part of the eye, called the cornea, impair the light-bending and focusing process in your eyes. This leads to the light ending up in the wrong place inside the eye, and the message that is sent to our brain from our eyes is muddled, causing blurred vision. 
 

What is corneal refractive therapy?

Corneal refractive therapy was initially developed as a treatment to correct and slow the progression of nearsightedness. However, it has also been found to be effective at controlling other refractive errors, including farsightedness, astigmatism and an age-related refractive condition called presbyopia.

CRT is a non-invasive, painless and straightforward method of correcting patient vision so that they don’t need to wear contacts or glasses, and they don’t need laser vision correction surgery to see clearly. CRT uses special contact lenses that are worn overnight and apply light pressure to the cornea in order to reshape it so that light is refracted correctly, and the image sent from the eyes to the brain is clear. The cornea is able to retain this new shape even after the contact lenses are removed the next morning, meaning that you can continue to see clearly for several hours. The more consistently you wear your CRT lenses overnight, the longer your eyes will learn to retain their new shape and eventually, patients can enjoy up to 48 hours of clear vision without using prescription lenses. However, the effects aren’t permanent so if you stop wearing the lenses, your vision will gradually return back to normal over the course of a few days. 

Slowing the progression of myopia with corneal refractive therapy

Another key benefit of CRT is that it can actually help to slow the progression of myopia. Most people who are nearsighted find that their eyesight gets progressively worse as they get older. This deterioration may not be rapid, but it can end in patients requiring high prescriptions. Studies have found that patients who have high myopia are more likely to develop serious eye problems in the future, including glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts and a detached retina. Regular use of your corneal refractive therapy lenses could help keep your prescription stable and lower your risk of developing these problems. 

Am I a candidate for corneal refractive therapy?

You may be a candidate for corneal refractive therapy if you:

• Have a myopia prescription within specific parameters

• Have a prescription for hyperopia, presbyopia or astigmatism within specific parameters

• Have stable vision, which means that your prescription hasn’t changed during the last two years

• Are not a suitable candidate for laser vision correction

• Have a job that makes it impractical or unsafe to wear glasses or contact lenses

• Enjoy hobbies that make it impractical or unsafe to wear glasses or contact lenses

• Have healthy eyes and are generally in good health

For more information, please contact our friendly and knowledgeable team today.  

If you find it difficult to tell colors apart, you may be color blind. Color blindness, or color deficiency, is estimated to affect around 8% of men and about 1% of women, but for those affected, it can significantly impact the quality of their day-to-day life. Contrary to popular belief, being color blind doesn’t mean that you can’t see any color at all. Instead, patients simply struggle to differentiate between certain colors. The vast majority of people who are color blind find it impossible to tell the difference between varying shades of red and green. You may hear this referred to as red-green color deficiency. However, this doesn’t only mean that they mix up red and green. They can also mix up colors that have some green or red light as part of their whole colors, for example purple and blue. This is because they are unable to see the red light that forms part of the color purple. 

As you can probably imagine, this type of visual impairment can be a problem for things like traffic lights, taking medications and even looking at signs and directions. For example, someone who is color blind may find that the green on a traffic light may appear white or even blue.
 

EnChroma lens technology is specifically designed to counteract red-green color deficiency and enable patients to better identify the difference in these colors or shades. They do this by selectively filtering out the red and green wavelengths of light at the exact point where the color sensitivities overlap before hitting the retina, creating far greater contrast between the colors so that the patient can distinguish between them successfully. Most cases of color blindness respond well to EnChroma’s innovative spectral lens technology, giving patients the ability to experience life in bright, vibrant technicolor.

EnChroma lenses are made from leading edge, Trivex material, and this helps to give them the best possible quality and clarity of vision. These lenses are also extremely light, strong and offer patients 100% protection against UV light, helping to keep your eyes healthy as well as improving your vision.

If you or someone you know is color blind or color deficient and could benefit from EnChroma lenses, contact us today to learn more about how they can help!

Thanks to the advancement of lens technology, glasses lenses are no longer a single, one size fits all solution. There are a variety of different lens types that can be used in glasses, giving patients greater flexibility and control over their vision than ever before.
 

Single Vision Lenses

Also known as monovision lenses, these lenses are designed to correct the wearer’s vision at just one distance, and have a single prescription covering the entire surface of the lens. They are most often recommended for people who are either nearsighted (myopia) or farsighted (hyperopia) and who need glasses for a specific activity, such as driving or reading.
 

Progressive Lenses

Progressive lenses are multifocal lenses that can correct a patient’s vision at different working distances, ranging from far distance to reading distance. However, rather than designating different areas on the lenses for different distances with visible lines separating them, progressive lenses have a gradual change so that the wearer can smoothly transition from one lens power to another.
 

Bifocal and Trifocal Lenses

As you may have guessed from the name, bifocal and trifocal lenses have either two or three lens powers depending on which type you choose. Bifocal lenses support distance vision in the top half of the lens, and near vision in the lower half. Trifocal lenses support distance vision in the top third of the lens, intermediate vision in the middle segment and near vision in the bottom third. Whichever variety you choose, you will see visible lines separating each segment.

Bifocal and trifocal lenses are recommended for patients who are near or farsighted, and those who develop presbyopia, which is the natural hardening of the eye lens, that occurs as we get older. Presbyopia makes it harder for the lens of the eye to adapt to focus at different distances.
 

Multifocal Lenses

Multifocal lenses are the alternative name given to bifocal, trifocal and progressive lenses.
 

Computer Lenses

Computer lenses are prescription lenses that are specifically designed to be worn when doing computer work. This is because they place the optimum lens power for viewing your computer screen exactly where you need it – which is closer than intermediate vision, but further away than reading material is usually held. Wearing computer lenses can significantly reduce the negative effects caused by the high visual demands of computer work, including blurred vision, redness, dry eyes, double vision and dizziness.
 

Transition Lenses

Also known as photochromic lenses, transition lenses are a special type of lens that darken when in the sunlight and lighten when in softer light or the dark. This versatility gives the wearer the convenience of being able to move between different environments without needing to change their glasses. This makes them extremely cost effective and prevent the wearer from needing to take multiple pairs of glasses out with them. Transition lenses also filter out many of the harmful UV rays that are emitted from the sun, helping to keep eyes healthy too. They are ideal for people who spend a lot of time going between inside and outside, or who work outside in varying weather conditions.
 

Blue Light Lenses

Blue light lenses are specially crafted lenses that contain filters that block out much of the artificial blue light that is produced by digital devices like computers, smartphones and tablets. Natural blue light is actually good for balancing our sleep-wake cycle, boosting our mood and enhancing our cognitive abilities so that we can function better day to day. However, too much blue light, especially from artificial sources, can have the opposite effect. Many people who fail to use blue light lenses can go on to develop digital eye strain, which produces symptoms like eye fatigue, dry eyes, blurred vision, headaches and more. Blue light lenses are recommended for anyone who spends a lot of time working on a digital device.
 

Polarized Lenses

Polarized lenses are used to reduce eyestrain and improve the quality of vision in patients on especially sunny days, making them ideal for anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors. They can do this because they have a special filter that blocks some of the light from passing through the lens. Vertical light is allowed to pass through, while horizontal light, such as that which bounces off of water and can be blinding, is blocked. Polarized lenses are most often used in sunglasses since they are worn outdoors, and the wearer also needs to protect their eyes from UV damage.

Still have questions about which lens is right for you? Contact us to schedule an eye exam or an appointment to evaluate your individual needs.