Clinical Services
The NHS Sight Test is the basic test available to eligible NHS patients. The NHS stipulates the minimum standards and tests that should be included.
If you are entitled to the NHS Sight Test, you can still access the additional benefits included in our Private Enhanced Eye Examination for a small professional fee (please ask for details when booking). Our optometrists would always recommend this.
To find out more about NHS Sight Tests please click here
Regular eye examinations ensure that you have the best vision possible. They also give reassurance about your eye health.
Our Enhanced Eye Health Examinations is a comprehensive evaluation of your ocular health lasting approximately 45 minutes.
The Enhanced Eye Health Examination includes
- History and symptom assessment
- refraction – assessment of your prescription
- External eye examination by slit lamp biomicroscopy
- Internal eye examination by indirect slit lamp biomicroscopy
- Intraocular pressure assement by ICare or Goldmann tonometry
- Suprathreshold visual field testing
- Topcon Maestro Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scanning
- Optomap Daytona Ultrawide field Retinal Imaging
- Anterior Eye OCT assessment where indicated
- Discussion of our findings and recommendations
- Referral for further investigations if deemed necessary
- Ocular health and nutrition advice
If you are entitled to the NHS Sight Test, you can still have the additional benefits included in our Enhanced Eye Health Examination for a small additional fee ( please ask for details when booking). Our optometrists would always recommend this.
To find out more about Enhanced Eye Health Examinations here
Does the wind leave your eyes streaming? Does your vision blur when you read? Does staring at a computer make your eyes dritty? Do you wake with sore eyes? If the answer to any of these is yes, you may be suffering from Dry Eye Syndrome – commonly referred to as dry eye.
Dry eye is a common condition, affecting up to 40% of the population at some time in their lives. It is particularly common in those over 40 and is more common in women than men. The condition causes symptoms such as gritty feeling eyes, irritation, burning, itching, blurred vision, eyes sticking together at night and, surprisingly, watery eyes. The excessive watering is caused by the dryness. The eye naturally produces more water in order to try and combat the dryness, however this often leads to over tearing. This can be a problem for most people on very cold windy days, but those suffering from dry eye, experience it more often.
Dry eye is caused by a problem with the make up of your tear film. If the tear film balance is incorrect, the tears do not stick to the eye but instead evaporate. If you don’t produce enough tears, they are not of the right quality or not spread across the front of your eye properly, then you may develop dry eye. Conditions such as blepharitis (an inflammation of the eye lids) and meibomian gland dysfunction (blockage of the oil secreting ducts in the eye lid) can exacerbate dry eye symptoms.
Dry eyes can be affected by many factors including environment, occupation, age, laser surgery, hormones and the weather.
Certain conditions such as arthritis, thyroid problems, Lupus, Sjogren’s and certain medications can cause dryness.
You may also be more prone to dry eye if you wear contact lenses, read a lot or work on a computer. But the good news is that you do not have to live with the symptoms.
Dry eye is worth treating, even if you feel you can live with the symptoms. A dry surface to your eye, a little like dry skin, makes you more prone to infections such as cysts, styes and conjunctivitis. If you receive treatment early it can stop further damage to your eyes. Long term dryness can cause ulceration of the cornea and scarring, so it is best treated long before it gets to this stage.
Even if you have tried GP prescribed or over the counter drops before with not much success, our Dry Eye Consultant, Mr Andrew Price can prescribe far more effective treatments which can alleviate your symptoms. He will fully examine your anterior eye and develop a tailored treatment plan for you. This plan will be carefully monitored and regularly followed up to ensure you remain on the best treatment.
Find out more about our Dry Eye Clinic here
The scans can be compared to a cake. When we look into the eye, we normally see icing on the cake – the retinal surface. With OCT we can take a slice out of the cake to see all the different layers that make up the retina, focus on a certain sections and pinpoint any unhealthy changes or abnormalities.
We recommend that every patient has an initial baseline OCT scan at the least. An OCT scan is particularly useful for any patients who have concerns of Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration .
OCT scanning is included within our Enhanced Eye Health Examination fee is available as an upgrade for NHS funded patients.
The Optomap Retinal Exam – view the peripheral retina without dilation
The Optomap Retinal Exam provides a panoramic view of the back of a person’s eye (the retina). This panoramic view displays over 80% of the retina at one time. The Optomap captures its image in only 1/4 of a second.
Is This Better Than Dilation?
The Optomap is not necessarily better than dilation. The Optomap Retinal Exam is a great tool to use in addition to dilation or when a patient can’t, or doesn’t want to be dilated. In some cases, the view provided by the Optomap is superior to that of pupil dilation. The dilated view of a very photosensitive patient is often poor because it is difficult for the patient to keep their eyes open or to look in the appropriate direction. The Optomap captures an image with a brief flash that even light sensitive patients find acceptable. The panoramic view allows the optometrist to view the retina without discomfort to the patient allowing for a more comfortable retinal exam.
For Whom is the Optomap Recommended?
Optomap is great for everybody. We find, however, that some of the best candidates are those patients that can’t or don’t want to be dilated, children, anyone with a history of eye problems such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and people that are light sensitive.
Optomap Ultra Wide Field Retinal Imaging is included within our Enhanced Eye Health Examination fee is available as an upgrade for NHS funded patients.
Find out more about contact lenses here
What is Orthokeratology or Ortho-K?
Our Ortho-K contact lenses can help you have clear vision through the day without glasses or contact lenses. Ortho-K is a non-surgical treatment which corrects short-sightedness (myopia). Custom designed overnight contact lenses are worn while you sleep and then removed each morning, resulting in clear, natural vision all day long.
Clear vision all day and all night.
With Ortho-K you can see while wearing the contact lenses, but just as importantly, when you take them out in the morning your vision will also be clear and crisp.
How does it work?
Short-sightedness (myopia) is effectively when the eyeball too long. Overnight Ortho-K contact lenses act like a mould to gently flatten the cornea by less than a hair’s width. This is sufficient to alter the angle at which the light enters the eye so that it focuses correctly on the retina rather than in front of it. To maintain this effect the lenses must be worn each night.
Overnight vision correction gives you all the benefits of laser surgery without the expense and pain. Unlike refractive laser surgery,it is also completely reversable.
Ortho-K is ideal for
Children – it provides daytime clear vision without the fuss of lenses.
Research has concluded that it is great in myopia control; to stop the worsening of shortsightedness.
Allergy sufferers – allows glasses-free vision, even during hay fever season.
Sports enthusiasts – remove the risk or damaging/losing eyewear whilst engaging in physical activity.
Dry eye sufferers – avoid the irritation that can sometimes be caused by day time contact lenses.
Why have I not heard about Ortho-K before?
The science of overnight vision correction – or orthokeratology – is not new, but it is only in recent years that the technology has allowed for the accurate measurement of the eye which can be used to create precisely manufactured, personalised contact lenses.
Find out more about myopia management here
Myopia can have a very negative impact on your child’s learning, athletics, and overall school performance. Additionally, having myopia as a child can significantly raise the risk of developing serious ocular complications such as glaucoma, cataracts, and retinal detachment in adulthood.
While regular soft contact lenses can provide clear distance vision, they don’t slow or halt the progression of myopia.
NaturalVue lenses are multifocal lenses that were originally developed to help older people read without reading glasses. However recent research and clinical trials have shown that these lenses may also help patients with myopia.
Studies have found that children who wear multifocal contact lenses have a significantly slower progression of their myopia compared to those who wear regular contact lenses. A study published in Eye and Contact Lens Journal: Science and Clinical Practice found that children who wore NaturalVue Multifocal contact lenses for 5 years had lower rates of myopia progression.
NaturalVue Multifocal lenses provide clear and comfortable vision while slowing myopia progression.
Find out more about myopia management here
This screening is important to detect early changes to the retina caused by diabetes. These changes have no visual symptoms and can only be treated if detected early.
We monitor patients with stable glaucoma as part of a local pathway with Leighton Hospital.
