Merry Christmas! This will be our last post until 2013 (!) as I usually post every fortnight, and that will be after Christmas, when we shall be closed for our break. I hope that everyone has a great Christmas season, a wonderful break and a bright and prosperous 2013. And I hope that you come by and admire the Christmas lights we have installed for "Light Up Kapiti" - I enjoy all the decorations (even the air pump for the inflatable Christmas tree isn't too annoying) now they are up. Suddenly "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas".

Christmas is coming....

...but no geese to get fat! We have a plan to put up the lights for "Light Up Kapiti" in the next week, sorting out Christmas closed hours and Visique is running a pre-Christmas promotion for prescription sunnies. And I had a good day in the garden yesterday, a good year for the roses (have some at work - just lightly scenting the air) and a neighbour's cat to talk too. Christmas is the season of peace and goodwill - I hope that this year, everyone can calm down , stop and smell the roses and enjoy the blessings that we all have been given. After a fairly hard year for everyone, it is lovely to take time and celebrate with friends and family. Or just quietly give thanks in your own quite way. Most people in Kapiti are organised and we don't have a "Christmas rush", which is good. Just ensure that you have enough contact lenses, solution and a spare pair of glasses for the break!

Christmas present ideas?

We all have hard-to-but-for people in our lives: people we want to honour with a present at Christmas. There are many places to buy things that are good for humanity (Oxfam, Save the Children, World Vision) but occasionally we have patients who mention their hard-to-buy-for relatives and have mentioned that so-and-so really needs an eye exam or new glasses or complains of blurred vision or is squinting in the sun or whatever. And I will put the 2 pieces of conversation together and suggest a voucher for eye care or eye wear for Christmas. In many cases, the recipient is mum or aunty, always thinking of others, never herself, and her frames are falling apart or she is using hobby glasses as he good pair broke (months ago) and she "hasn't got around to replacing them" yet - "After Christmas dear". So, giving her a voucher is a good idea to ensure that she has an eye exam, and a solution to her visual problems, without making her spend money she feels should be spent on someone else. We do one or two eyecare or eyewear vouchers each year, and I am sure other practices do the same. Just a thought - and if you haven't given your nearest and dearest your Christmas list yet, maybe putting an eyecare or eyewear voucher on it is a good idea.

Sunglasses for summer

Spring sunshine is here - in fact, it has felt like summer for the past few days. And Visique is running a sunglass promotion for this year, similar to that of summer 2011-12, in that we can provide prescription sunglasses from $299 for the frames and lenses. And the beauty is that the sunglasses are fitted into sunglass frames, so someone needing a prescription doesn't have to "just" wear tinted lenses to a standard frame, which look like a prescription pair. Each Visique practice has chosen which promotional ranges to stock, and we have chosen Bill Bass, as they are a good quality, reasonably priced classic range for men and women. We can, of course, supply these with non-prescription lenses too, and many of our other sunglasses can also be glazed. Some of these are older stock, but as I tend to buy "classic" rather than "high fashion", they still look good. One thing many patients tell me is that they do not want to spend too much on sunglasses because "I'm so rough with glasses", "I go through like three pairs a year cos I'm always losing them" or "The ones at the petrol station are good enough for me". I believe that, if you pay a bit more for better quality, it will benefit you much more in the long run - including financially. If you spend $120 on a pair, which last you three years, that is better than 3 years times three pairs at $20 each ($180). And if they last a fourth or fifth year.... Prescription sunglasses, like any prescription, cost more that planos do initially - just as ordinary prescription glasses have a cost - but they are designed to be of benefit for years, not months. And we can supply special-use sunglasses or lenses for ski-ing, boating and fishing too.

Happy Labour Weekend!

It seems ironic, doesn't it, that the holiday celebrating the 40 hour week is one of the busiest weekends of the year. We have many people booking in, whereas Labour Weekend Saturday is often very quiet - patients are away or expect us to be closed so it's hard to encourage bookings, and I hope we don't come in to answerphone messages on the Tuesday from patients who forget the day is a public holiday. It does add a day to getting spectacles made up, but most people understand this. And it goes back to the old "you will need to wear your spare pair for a day longer"...if you don't have a spare, how will you manage when the labs shut down over Christmas/New Year? The weather doesn't look like it will be the best, but hopefully I can get out in the garden at some point. And spend time with my family - that's what a day off is about!

Well, I have finished my four half-weeks in New Plymouth, and it seems I missed the better weather here when I was there, and there to-day. Never mind, the practices are both warm and dry, and the patients warm and friendly. Business is tough for most people at present as it is for most consumers. So Visique Kapiti continues to offer value for money solutions for eye care - we're not the cheapest but we guarantee our products as we use suppliers who have a good track record with both product and service. Everyone can have an off day, but we don't like dealing with companies that blame the patient if the frame breaks when it should be a warranty claim. We tell patients how to look after their contact lenses or glasses when they first get them (but don't teach our grandmothers to suck eggs when they have had glasses for as long as some of us have been on this planet) and reinforce this if a frame is brought back frequently for TLC. And we can tell if something has been abused. If it should be a warranty claim, we will back you up with our suppliers - that's our place (and an obligation under the CGA). But warranties do involve care - if your car isn't serviced as per the schedule, the warranty might be invalidated. Frames and lenses don't always come with a guarantee card, but if they are looked after well, the guarantee that we offer (we keep your records) won't be necessary. And cleaning lenses dry, and by rubbing on your shirt, is never a good idea, never been recommended, and even if "I've always done it", it still means they scratch. And that's handling, not guarantee.

At work...in Taranaki....

Well, I've done two stints of three days each in New Plymouth, and have really enjoyed it (but it's nice to be home). First day up there, New Plymouth was the windiest place in the country, so I didn't get to appreciate it until this week when the sky was blue and it was warm. Really nice practice - wonderful colleagues and staff and the patient mix is different to that at home. I see people who are even younger than I am! Many of them are long-established farming families, so they have a familiarity with the province that comes of living there and visiting generations of family in the cemeteries. Kapiti has a few families like that, but most of us are "immigrants" - I've been here 22+ years and I think 25 makes me a local. I wonder what my children think, and will they stay here and marry other Kapiti people?

At work...in Taranaki

It's very quiet at work at present, but that is a good thing as I have agreed to work at a friend's practice in New Plymouth. I've only been up there about twice in my life, so it will be exciting - and flights to a new airport are always exciting. So, looking forward to meeting different people - and trying to get my head around farming lifestyles....each practice has a different mix of patients from all others. Even in the same town, the practice has a tone that sets it apart. It attracts people who want slightly different things from people who choose to go elsewhere. So, in Kapiti Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays for the next few weeks. Looking forward to going away. And to being back.

Spring again!

A lovely warm spring day, in August - long may the weather last! Visique is promoting a new prescription sunglass programme for 2012-13, so that will be exciting - new ranges,Hoya lenses and still very good value for the person who wants good sunglasses and needs a prescription to see through them. And I was working at a friend's practice yesterday - in Wellington - definitely didn't feel like spring. And each practice has a different group of patients - very obvious when you start working as a part-time locum and seeing several practices in a short period of time. It's not just geographical - Sercombe and Matheson has many people who live up in Kapiti but choose to work in town - but many of their patients are involved in central government, of course. It's more than that - each practice takes on the personality of its principals - young and trendy, older and more conservative, time for a chat, "get it done quickly 'cos I'm busy"....all different horses for courses. So, with several new practices opening up in greater Wellington, I know patients often ask if that is affecting business. The advertising is very obvious, and patients comment on how much they are aware of ads that just weren't there a few years ago. Yes, it can be a problem, especially if you want to retain staff in quiet times. And the advertising often tells only part of the story....*terms and conditions apply....but in the long run, I know our practice will be OK. Because we have so many lovely, loyal patients who have chosen me as their optometrist, their primary carer for their eyes. Not everyone shops at Kirk's, not everyone shops at the Warehouse.Some people like the impersonality of a large medical centre - there is always a doctor to see you, even if it is a different one each time. But many prefer a long-term relationship with one health provider - I'm like that - and I enjoy seeing patients over many years so I can know them and their eyes better. It improves my advice to them, and so the outcomes they get. Glasses aren't just glasses - more info you give your optom means that the most appropriate glassesare the ones you get.

A wet Monday...

...but we were busy this morning with patients, booked patients as well as walk-ins for frame adjustments and advice, and this afternoon it seems to be "rep day". All the "other" things that make optometry interesting. Our income comes, of course, from patients - we are not subsidised by the Government for any exams. (The Enable NZ subsidy, for children under 16 with a Community Services' Card, pays towards the cost of an eye exam, repairs and/or glasses, but that is not universal, only for people meeting certain criteria.) So, anyone who comes in and has an eye exam, visual fields exam, purchases contact lenses, lens solutions or spectacles, pays our wages (and the tax-man, and the bank and the suppliers and the landlord and ....) But in much of optometry, like any other "business", much of the time is spent doing "admin" - contacting suppliers, writing letters to specialists and GPs, tidying up the practice, calculating GST returns, doing continuing education, etc, etc. All necessary, but "doesn't pay the bills" directly. And all the extra work with patients - adjustments, helping select frames, appro-ing frames from suppliers - all fun but again "not paying the bills" directly.But it's all part of the profession, all part of the business. And it's all part of full-scope optometry, and that makes life interesting. Just refracting eyes, checking the power of glasses a person needs and saying "next!" is boring. It's part of the whole, but far from being the whole. I must need a cup of tea - too much philosophy for a wet Monday.

World Council of Optometry Meeting

Missed blogging for a couple of weeks as I was away in Chicago, then catching up and helping a couple of friends at their practices. Back to normal now! Chicago was an amazing place - we had a heat wave so temperatures well over 30 each day - and over 100 Fahrenheit one day too. Brilliant museums - didn't have much time in any of them - and the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd aquarium, which I went to when badly jet-lagged so don't remember much. But some brilliant displays (including the Amazon basin - can't believe how high the water comes in the rainy season)and very tranquil admiring the jellyfish. And the venue for the meeting - the ballroom at the Blackstone Renaissance Hotel on South Michigan Ave - the room was straight out of a fairy tale. The meeting's theme was "Advancing Optometry Worldwide" and presentations dealt with the levels of practice in various countries, with the aim of improving education and legislation to improve the level of optometric care world-wide. Some countries still have a huge shortage of basic eye care, but the feeling of the meeting was that, to call a person an optometrist, there needed to be a minimum standard of education involving refraction and eye health. The eye health needs to be at the level of understanding, diagnosing and (often) treating, not just "detect and refer" - noticing something out of the ordinary and sending the patient on to someone else. This has been an issue in NZ over the past decade, because my training (1980's) was at the "detect and refer" level, simply because we were not allowed to use some techniques and drugs that let us diagnose. Now we can, and we are all expected to be able to diagnose eye conditions, then treat or refer to someone appropriate. Faster, better referrals mean that the patient is served better - seeing an optometrist locally rather than waiting months to be seen at the hospital. And primary eye care, in local communities is the province of optometry. World wide.

Latest TV ads

Better technology, better outcomes

Better technology, in terms of lenses, coating and frames, leads to better vision. Well, if your optometrist has done her job well! But assuming that, I don't know of anyone who wants to go back to pre-1995 for their glasses technology by choice. Are you still using your VCR? (Transfer your tapes now as you can't buy them now). Are you still using your 1990's cell-phone? Why ask for 1990's glasses?

I'm not just meaning the fashion look of the frame. Modern materials are lighter, cheaper for the features (titanium frames are no longer double the cost of standard nickel alloys), more durable in terms of plating or colours, and there is more choice.

The lenses are better too. It is rare we use glass - it's heavy and can chip, and too heavy for the modern, large, light frames. Coatings to prevent scratching on both standard plastic and thinner plastics work well now. Anti-reflective coatings last well.(Essilor's Crizal family have a 2 year warranty as they are confident that there will be no problems with the coatings).

Modern technology does cost - the lens and frame manufacturers need to recover their R&D costs. But in terms of value for money, features are present that could not be imagined  a generation ago. Modern progressive lenses have been designed for optimizing near or intermediate vision (great if you spend a lot of time on your computer) rather than just improving distance. And they don't make people nauseous when moving around or moving their heads - in the last 12 years I have felt happy to recommend progressives to people who tend to get motion-sick - just wouldn't have done that prior to 2000!

We can always provide "basic" standard frames and lenses, for people on a budget or people who are happy with something robust, serviceable but without all the bells and whistles. (My cell phone calls and texts only). But remember that you do get what you pay for - and if the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Transitions lenses are up to generation 6 now. Anti-reflective coatings are on their fourth or fifth generation. And no-one wants to return to thick "milk-bottle bottom" lenses with a high prescription.

Enjoy your eyewear - people look at your face more often than your watch so wear something that you enjoy and that others admire.

Back at "home" !

No posts for the last couple of weeks, because I have been working for a couple of friends in their practices, so have been out of town.

It's been really interesting - seeing a different group of patients, doing different tests (I have been taking photos for the diabetic retinal screening programme), using different equipment ("Where is the on switch?) and in one case a different computer programme. All a challenge and good fun.

I realised that every practice is different. Most of it is personality-driven - most optometrists have similar skills, so you choose yours because you get on with him/her. Some pracitces just feel "right". Others attract patients for a different reason - perceived price, location, "the only one wh had an appointment to-day and my glasses broke last night". Hopefully, these patients will be happy in their choices, but there should be no embarassment if the patient then decides to return to her previous practice or stay with a new one, if it is a better "fit" for her.

Price isn't everything. But I know that perceived price makes a difference - just ensure that if you want to change practices, make sure you are comparing apples with apples. Feeling at home, knowing that your optometrist welcomes you and is happy to see you (even if you feel that going back for a minor adjustment is wasting her time - it isn't), being remembered and treated as a unique person...all make the experience really what it should be.

May Madness

May Madness!

We are having what is effectively a practice-wide autumn (well, it feels like winter to-day) sale! Apart from 2 brands (Silhouette and Convertibles - and we are the exclusive retailers of Convertibles in Kapiti), everything else is $99 or $199.

We are clearing out older stock but much of the $199 product is very new (still current models). So it is a chance to get a good quality frame at a great price. We are happy if you take a frame away for glazing elsewhere, of buy a frame now and have it glazed here in the future. But if you have a full eye exam in May or June, you can go in the weekly draw for Visique's "Quality of Sight" promotion to win one Mystery Weekend each week. So, come in this month, get a quality frame at a bargain price and enter the draw to win a break.

The national Visique promotion carries on until the end of June, but this May Madness is only until the end of May.

It's floor stock only, so if you want another colour or size of a stock frame, we can order it in for you, but it would be at the standard price.

Introducing OPTIFOG

Optifog official website

Winner of the 2012 Lens Product of the Year at the Optician Awards & 2011 Silmo d'Or award in the Vision Category

Optifog with Crizal UV is the most advanced and durable no-glare anti-fogging lens on the market with everyday UV protection. 

All spectacle wearers have at some point encountered what we commonly refer to as our ‘glasses steaming up’, or fogging. It doesn’t matter where we are, our glasses steam up or fogg when we move from a cold to a hot environment.

For many, this can be problematic as well as being unsightly. It’s also a major inconvenience as we rely on instant vision at all times.

 Although there are sprays and solutions available to buy over the counter that reduce the effects of steaming up or fogging, there has never, until now, been a total solution that will prevent it.


Optifog lenses deliver unique lens technology that gives long lasting fog free vision to all patients.

Credit to

http://www.essilor.co.uk/Lenses/treatments/Pages/Optifog.aspx

Easter!

A time to relax and contemplate life. Those of us with a Christian faith, if gives us a chance to reflect on and be thankful for the great sacrifice Jesus made for us. Those without, there is still a lot to be thankful for - a time to enjoy family and friends, special treat food (eating Easter eggs before Lent even starts seems so wrong to me), spending a few days in the garden....taking time out from our usual busy routines....

Routines are great as they get you through the ususal day almost on auto-pilot so you can spend mental energy on thinking of the things that are unusal or important. Making school lunches is routine, so you can spend the mental effort in actually checking if your 10-year-old has done her spelling...but having a break from then gives you a chance to reflect, recharge your bnatteries and contemplate seomthing higher than the day to day.

We close the practice on Good Friday, Easter Eve, Easter Day and Easter Monday. A break is good. Enjoy yours.

It's nearly the financial year end so everyone is having stock-take sales - not as many as in the past as everyone seems to be doing deals all the time. Value-for-money has always been our practice belief - and we do special off older frames, still warranteed but we know that there are unlikely to be parts available. Lenses are ordered for a specific patient, so are not "floor stock" so are unlikely to be on "special" unless the wholesaler is trying to promote a particular product or service (for example, Optifog has been added free to some progressive lenses in February and March as a launch benefit).

The other thing about "year end" is that people "forget" about booking eye appointments. Christmas, tax time, "after we get back from our trip", "once the visitors leave" are all reasons that I've heard for people delaying their routine eye exams. I suppose the same thing happens to dentists, and maybe doctors too. But I suppose that people are more motivated to see their GP regularly as the medicines run out! Bit of a hint when there are no more pilss left!

We encourgae patients to return for regular eye exams - and discuss at the time when we would like to see them again. The recall appointment can be anywhere from 6 months to three years - there is no "standard" as it is to benefit each individual. We believe that each person is unique and although many people are happy with generic products, generic service is never the best (even when it strives to be really good). So we can offer packages, but prefer to offer these only to people who would benefit. Ans not everyone wants to be seen in town with the same frame as six others!

The races went well!

Well, the weather was lovely, the horses ran well, out 1400m race was excting (and a well-deserved win). The connections said he'd been unlucky before, so it mushr have been his day.

We have had some feedback from having a presence at Otaki. A couple of patients saw our ad, and commented that they didn't see me there (we were in the marquee village) so we had a good chat about the day.

We have had a quieter year with the free-sunglasses-for-new-entrants than ever before. Maybe it's because we had a lot of cloud and parents didn't think of taking up the offer. But the frames on offer were really nice and about 25 local boys and girls are looking sharp in their new shades.

There are always new and excting frames on offer from the reps, and the newest lens techology is Optifog, and we are getting some really poistive comments about that. At your next lens change, be sure to ask about it, as it is a really useful feature to add to the lesn coating. Definitely not a "solution looking for a problem"...mind you, I said that texting was a "solution looking for a problem" and I was wrong.

Going to the Races

In trying to connect with more people around our local area, and because Tim and I love racing (watched the movie "Secretariat" last night), wehave decided to sponsor a race at the Otaki Maori racing club meeting at Otaki this Saturday 25 February.

If it's sunny (not that the forecast says it will be), everyone will be out in force in hats, sunglasses and sunscreen. If not, inside wearing raincoats and fewer happy smiles. However, binoculars to watch the action will still be the order of the day.

I will have my Transitions lenses, if it's a dull day as they will be clear unless the clouds break, when they will darken. And my Convertibles frame with clipon sunglasses in case the Met Service is wrong. All set.

I know that I am lucky enough to have several pairs of spectacles for different uses, but in many cases, a clear or Transtions pair isn't quite dark enough (especially behind the windscreen of a car) and having just a dark pair is too limiting when you walk inside or at night.

And it's fun to wear something a bit different - high heels, fascinator, racewear, elegant but fun sunwear....or a rain coat and something "practical". And happy smiles if my $1.00 investment comes in!

Computers and glasses

Most of us are using a computer now - at work or for leisure. Those of us with long memories can remember monochrome screens with bright green text and data entry workers with sore eyes, headaches and inability to work comfortably. Now the colours are better, the contrast isn't so shocking and most patients with binocular vision problems have these detected before they get a 9-5, Mon-Fri job.

Computers don't cause visual problems but can show up ones that are latent in "everyday life". If your eyes don't co-ordinate well, or you have a slight visual prescription, using a computer will be between harder than it is for your colleagues to impossible. As more of us use computers, this can be shown up as early as primary school, so these people can be helped before they get put off reading or screen use.

Sometimes visual training can be a help. Other times changing the work-station (for example, eliminating glare from the screen or a reflection seen in it) can help. Some people just need a mild visual aid (spectacles for example) while using the machine for a prolonged time. Your optometrist can advise you.

There are modern lens designs for people who use computers. Bifocals (again, those of us wotrking in the 80's) were often a problem on the screen due to head-up screens and the dividing line came across the screen - not to mention that the reading part was focussed too close for the screen and the distance part too far...Progressive lenses were a great improvement as they gave clear vision on the screen (as well as the text to be imput - it was the 80's, remember) and bank officers could still see their customers in the queue...And now we have lenses designed for the way we use computers now, with wider clear areas for the wider screens, some closer-focussed parts for desk work and a range of options for the top part of the lens depending on a person's prescription and visual needs.

Computers are being designed to give better human-machine interfaces. Lenses are being designed to also hep the human in the system. See Winnie or me at your next exam to discuss your needs on the computer, and remember, what was modern 3-5 years ago has been superceeded now.

Summer in February

Well, after a few days of sunshine I am impressed to remember how many people I have seen wearing sunglasses. At the Paekakariki Waitagi day celebrations, very few of the crowd hadn't "slipped, slopped, slapped and wrapped".

Hopefully all the sunglasses, like the sunscreen lotions, met the Australian/New Zealand standards for UV protection. Dark tinted lenses that don't block UV can be more of a problem to the eyes than no glasses at all, as the pupils enlarge behind a tinted lens and this lets in more UV to the eye (and there is evidence that cumulative lifetime exposure to UV causes cataracts in the lens and retinal changes at the back of the eye).

I think I have said it before, but getting a cheap frame that can't be adjusted leaves the sour taste of poor quality long after the sweetness of the cheap price is forgotten. Paying a little more, and getting something robust and that can be adjusted, makes sense - unless you want to replace broken glasses several times a season! And we have patients that tell us that - they don't want to spend a lot because they go through several pairs - I always wonder why they don't spend a little more, take more care with them and have them last a year or two!

Brand names always cost more (unless they are parallel imported - where there might be no support interms of parts - or "copies"). It is buyer beware, even with the Consume Guarantees' Act. Our practice likes to sell value for money product - should last several seasons and still look good. I'd love to have a practice that could sell hundreds of high-fashion sunglasses each year, but Kapiti is too small a market.

So I'm happy to provide good quality products and excellent service - and know that patients will be happy with their choice for years...not days.

Dispensing Opticians

Well, Winnie is back in Borneo for lunar (Chinese) New Year with her family and friends. So I am seeing my patients for full, FULL-service optometry.

Having a DO around is great. Winnie knows her stuff and has a really good eye as to what suits a patient. And because she is younger than I am, she is a little more on-trend - I do "classics"!

The hardest part of dispensing again is the advancement in lens designs in the past 3 years since she's been with me. Essilor is a very innovative company, so they release what is really a quantum leap in technology every 2-3 years, with a whole new philosphy of design, and I am having to research these. I trust Essilor that they all work, but some lenses are designed for improved near vision at the expense of arm's length (or vice versa) and that is the sort of detail that you need to know to advise a patient on lens design.

This morning I received a visit from the local Essilor rep - they have released Optifog, a new anti-fog treatment for lenses (it needs to be applied at the time of manufacture - it's not a retro-fit product) and a new lens design (well, new to me) that is great for someone who needs good near and computer distance, but not compromising their distance vision. Nikon Home and Office sounds great!

I am looking forward to Winnie's return in April with all of her traveller's tales. But in the meantime, I am re-learning the dispensing part of my profession. Dispensing opticians are our sister profession, and have an advanced skill-set in dispensing compared to most optometrists, but I am lucky that I get the fun of doing both.

Welcome to 2012!

Well, we're well into 2012 now - nearly two weeks gone already - and we have been back at work for 3 days. Good to be back.





We have had several patients who broke their glasses over the break, and in one case she had no spare as that had been broken a few weeks before Christmas too! How many spare pairs does one person need?





I hope that you had a relaxing break, as I did, pottering in the garden and reading. Also worked on upping my store of Vitamin D (working on a tan sounds so 1970's).





Hopefully 2012 will be way less challenging than 2011 (or 2010) was. We are already seeing patients who had recalls in either of those years coming in for exams. Everybody knows that that "the buck stops here" with health - no-one will look after you better than you do yourself, and there is a substantial amount of research saying that as folk get older, poor visual and dental health are correlated with poor health in general. We all can "see" that if you see poorly, you are more at risk of falls and falls and broken bones are strongly related to early death or loss of life quality at the very least.





So, lifelong eye care is a good thing. New Year's resolution - book an eye exam if you haven't had one within the last 3 years.