Wardrobe thoughts

Well into spring days in October, so winter clothes are back in the wardrobe and summer colours are not only in the shops but on the streets. I am always amazed that people expect to update their wardrobes with the seasons, but expect one pair of frames to do duty morning, noon and night, summer or winter, going out or staying in, summer or winter, meeting the Queen or washing the car.

I know that updating a whole wardrobe at once can be a huge expense, but many people choose to do it slowly - layby, or buying the skirt one week, the tops the next and the shoes after that.

How many pairs of shoes do you have? Do you wear the same ones for going out, beachwalking, in the garden, at work, to Church...not likely. Not all your shoes will have been bought in the same season, or even the same year - some are old faithfuls, some get downgraded from "best" to "work" to "casual" to "washing the car"...but you always have a spare (or several) and you have different shoes for different tasks or different looks.

I am always amazed (and dismayed) when we have a patient who says that she can't be without her glasses even for half an hour for a repair because she "needs them for driving" and "doesn't have a spare". Often practices can provide a second pair, less fashionable, at a cheaper price for a spare, or keeping an older pair is very practical too. And the time to talk spare pairs is never when the patient comes in having broken her only pair two days before Christmas...the labs are closed and what happens if she is the only driver in the family needing to head away for the Big Day...?

You might not have 2 watches (although a lot of people have), two tiaras, several leather jackets or three motor vehicles "just in case"...but telling your optometrist that you can't go to work because your glasses are broken is similar to saying that you can't go to work because your one pair of trousers is in the wash with your one shirt and one set of underwear.

Maybe you don't need to buy 2 pairs of super high fashion frames with duplicate lenses with all the bells and whistles. But you do need something as a spare that lets you function - driving, cooking, reading - as well (or nearly as well) as your usual pair does. Treat yourself for spring, if you don't have a spare at present.

Or treat yourself for summer, autumn or winter...or because it's your birthday (or will be next year)...or because this frame goes so well with your new hair colour...

Spare pairs...maybe not to match everything in your wardrobe but to at least function and still look good when you leave the house.

Do Children Need to Wear Sunglasses

As we know that the sun can do harmful damage to our skin, so whenever we go out we often put on sun block to protect our skin.

But have you ever consider that our eyes are more sensitive than our skin.

To some parents , they often think how cute and trendy to have children wearing shares but they actually may be more than just a fashion accessory for our kids, it can also protect their eyes from harmful UV rays.

Do you know our eyes are naturally 10 times more sensitive to UV light , children are most at risk.

70% more UV light reaches the retina through a child's un-obscured crystalline lens.

80% of a lifetime's UV rays are absorbed by a child's eyes before age of 18.

The World Health Organization ( WHO) says children are at especially high risk of damage from UV radiation, recommend they wear children sunglasses and states that over exposure to the sun can cause or accelerate;

- inflammation of the cornea

- conjunctiva in the eye

- cataract development

- corneal sunburn ( photokeratitis )

- cancer development

Every year Visique runs Back to School campaign with great hope to educate the young about the importance of eyecare. Good habit starts early.

If your kids are enrolling as new entrant during first term of 2012 , make sure your school have registered with us for the quality free sunglasses with UV400 protection that meet Australian guidelines.

Local/community optometry.

Winnie has been back in Malaysia for the last couple of weeks - look forward to hearing her adventures when she comes back tomorrow. We have had several patients asking after her, hoping that she hasn't left permanently - she's made fans and friends from patients.

That's the thing about community optometry - we all live here, are local and are in for the long haul. Some of the large optical chains like employing graduates who are great clinicians, but get burnt out with seven day a week mall trading and being moved from one branch to another as holiday cover, and they never get a chance to develop relationships with their patients. Most of my day is spent talking to people whom I've come to know over the years, and it is a joy to see a familiar name in the appointment book.

It's the same with other health professionals. Once you have developed a relationship with your GP, dentist, podiatrist, chiropractor or whoever, you want to see that person again as you do not need to "reinvent the wheel" in your treatment or health programme. Seeing the same person for your care means that you know that both you and your practitioner are "on the same page" and you do not need to keep explaining your history again and again.

Hospitals often annoy patients for this reason - they feel that they are not being heard as the medical staff have to keep asking the same questions as new practitioners come on shift. It might be in the notes, but most of us want to hear the story and see it being told by the patient rather than just bald numbers on a chart.

So, your local Visique optometrist (Visique Kapiti Eyecare here) is part of your community and here for YOU, your eyes, your family, your eyecare.

Canine visitors and cataracts

We have had a couple of special guests coming into the practice this week. A lovely bear of a New Foundland dog - we have photos of 60kg of calm sitting in reception - and Oliver, my parents' Shih Tzu, who is more enthusiastic to see us (he's also younger).

Speaking of dogs, it can be obvious when your elderly dog has cataracts. Because they use smell rather than sight (in general) their behaviour doesn't change much until their vision is really poor. My in-laws' dog would only bump into furniture when she was really concentrating on a scent and her vision was poor, to be kind. But you can see a thick greyish sheen inside the eye - the pupil looks light not black - all the time, not just in certain lights.

This is very rare in humans, except in very poor parts of the third world. Most people are very disadvantaged visually with a cataract that is not apparent to the outside observer.

So if someone tells you that they could see a cataract in someone else's eye, it much more likely to be a problem of the cornea or even the conjunctiva, all anterior (front) of the eye rather than the lens (inside the eye).

Nearly spring! And the weather is as changeable as any spring already.

Sunglasses are being put into practices, new frames are being launched in lighter, brighter colours, we are getting enquiries about contact lenses...maybe summer IS on its way!

Optometry is not really a 'seasonable industry". Health care happens all through the year, but many people take stock of their wardrobes and spring-clean their clothes (and make-up) and getting a new look for spring can involve a new hair cut and a new look ....and new glasses or a change to contact lenses.

Fashion is becoming a bigger part of optometry. People don't always have one watch or one handbag, so why not have different frames to match an outfit or a mood? Everyone is different, and some people prefer a classic look that goes with everything they do and everything they wear, but this doesn't apply to every person. Your optometrist will be happy to check your prescription and eye health before you get an updated look, so don't worry that he or she will think you are "vain" at "just wanting new glasses".

You will be surprised at the range of frames as well as the options for lenses (an anti-reflective lens option always looks better than the "blank look" from standard lenses) that we can offer.

Hope to see you soon so you see (and look) your very best!

Visique Conference this weekend!

Visique's annual conference is being held in Auckland this weekend. As you gathered, I'm not attending but I was up in Auckland yesterday for the owners' meeting, which gives us an overview of what Visique's plans are for the coming year.

As all optometrists who are members or who work for a Visique practice are NZAO members, all of us agree with the standards of care being the absolute best for each and every patient. Visique was set up to provide a national network of like-minded optometrists who work nationally together but act locally. Hopefully the new ideas that are being discussed this weekend lead on to better products and service for our patients, which means that Visique will be the first choice for New Zealanders who value their eye health and eye care.

Snow in Kapiti , Yes you can say that again

Sun protection in winter.

We have had some lovely "spring" weather this winter, and some southerly storms, and when it's bright, it's bright! I don't ski, but I know that UV and white light both reflect well from snow, so skiers know that they need to protect their eyes for comfort and to prevent snow-blindness...but what about the rest of us?

With low sun-angles in winter, glare is often more of a pest than in a bright summer's day. If you are driving into the sun. you can "white out" from any dirt on your windscreen and not see even a large van in front of you. It's really important to keep your windscreen (and your glasses!) clean - this matters even more if you have a minor cataract as the effect is magnified.

UV reflects from the snow, concrete and water. Similar to sunburn, you can burn the front of your cornea - this occurs (like sunburn) several hours after you come inside - snow-blindness from skiing (extra UV at high altitudes) can be painful enough to wake a person at 2am. Having well-fitting ski goggles that have an appropriate UV filter is as important as good skis and bindings. Winnie, our dispensing optician, can offer advice here - and we can put your prescription into goggles or use special snow-lenses if you would prefer.

Anyone lucky enough to head north for the winter, remember to pack your sunglasses. Some older Transitions lenses (and their clones) do not darken as well in the warm as they do in the cold, so having a prescription pair of sunglasses can be really useful in the tropics. And with an added UV filter, you will protect your eyes as you see the sights.

I know that some people think that prescription sunwear is a luxury, but when you think that your eyes are protected properly from glare and UV light, as well as giving you the ability to see clearly, I think that it is really valuing your eyes. And if you remember to use your sun protection in the winter as well as in summer, the "cost per wear" is really reduced.

We are happy to announce that Luscombe-Jansen family from Waikanae has just won a Rebel Sport voucher worth $100 from Child's Eyes Exam Draw March 2011.

The Luscombe-Jansen family know the importance of getting their child in for an eye exam. The emphasis for children's eye health is typically on making sure they are able to fully enjoy their learning process and development at school.

Congratulations from Team Kapiti

Visual field defects in glaucoma

Please click on each picture to read article wordings.

Credit to Article from Vol 8 | Issue 2 | July 2011 by Glaucoma NZ