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.