020 7938 1251 | Opening Times | info@specsofkensington.co.uk
Initially in the examination we will ask you a few questions regarding your reason for visiting us and your current state of health including any medication that you may be taking. This information may affect some of the tests we carry out and we may need to do extra tests. Please find below the eye examinations and assessments we offer.
At Specs of Kensington we are committed to providing you with the highest standard of eye care available. The latest in advanced imaging is Ocular Coherence Tomography which is a 3 Dimensional eye scan for people of all ages. Similar to ultrasound, OCT uses light rather than sound waves to illustrate the different layers that make up the back of your eye in 3D.
It is totally painless and everyone should have baseline scans as this will allow us to monitor your eyes for any change.
Detailed structures of the eyes are shown to us in ways not previously possible.
Bringing the most advanced technology to our patients, we recommend optomap® ultra-wide digital retinal imaging as part of your comprehensive eye exam today.
The optomap ultra-wide digital retinal imaging system helps you and your optometrist make informed decisions about your eye health and overall well-being. Combining your optometrist’s expertise and optomap technology, optomap brings your eye exam to life.
What is your retina?
The retina is a delicate lining at the back of the eye similar to film in a camera. Light strikes the retina through the lens in your eye and produces a picture which is then sent to the brain, enabling you to see.
Why is a healthy retina important?
An unhealthy retina cannot send clear signals to your brain which can result in impaired vision or blindness. Most retinal conditions and other diseases can be treated successfully with early detection.
Although you may see clearly, a comprehensive eye exam is essential to check the health of your retinas. The retina has no nerve endings so you may not feel any pain and therefore be unaware of a potential problem.
What can happen to the retina?
Your retina is the only place in the body where blood vessels can be seen directly. This means, in addition to eye conditions, signs of other diseases (for example, stroke, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes) can be seen in the retina. Early detection is essential so treatments can be administered.
Diabetic Retinopathy (DR).
Diabetes affects the eyes and the kidneys and is a leading cause of blindness. Retinopathy occurs when diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels inside the retina.
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
The centre of the retina (the macula) can become diseased as we get older. This results in alterations to our fine central vision making daily activities such as driving and reading difficult.
Glaucoma (Increased Eye Pressure).
Glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve and almost always develops without symptoms.
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure).
Increased pressure can result in changes to blood vessels in the eye, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease (stroke or heart disease).
How does your optometrist normally examine the retina?
Examining the retina is challenging. Your optometrist looks through your pupil to examine the back of your eye. Traditional viewing methods can be effective, but difficult to perform and are carried out manually without any digital record.
How does the optomap help?
The optomap ultra-wide digital retinal imaging system captures more than 80% of your retina in one panoramic image. Traditional methods typically reveal only 10-15% of your retina at one time.
The unique optomap ultra-wide view enhances your optometrist’s ability to detect even the earliest signs of disease that appear on your retina. Seeing most of the retina at once allows your optometrist more time to review your images and educate you about your eye health. Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated the power of optomap as a diagnostic tool ¹.
1. Data on file
Do all optometrists have an optomap ultra-wide digital retinal imaging system?
Not yet, optomap is a standard of care for evaluating eye health at this practice and millions of people worldwide have benefited from optomap.
How often should I have an optomap?
Your optometrist will advise you based on your individual circumstances, but the general recommendation is that you have an optomap every time you have an eye exam. This will ensure you have a digital record of your retinal health on file which can be compared for changes over time.
Should my children have an optomap too?
Many vision problems begin at an early age, so it’s important for children to receive proper eye care from the time they are infants.
Will I need to be dilated and does it hurt?
An optomap takes only seconds to perform, is not painful, and typically does not require dilation. However, your optometrist may decide dilation is still needed.
A Digital Retinal Camera allows us to take photographs of the inside of your eyes. The procedure is comfortable and the image is captured in seconds – nothing touches the eye. This enhances the way we check the back of your eyes to ensure they are healthy.
It enables us to view the retina and check the nerves and blood vessels. This may enable us to detect diseases such as Diabetes, Glaucoma, Macula Degeneration and high blood pressure.
This is essential for examining the front surface of the eyes. We can see signs of dry eye, allergies and especially contact lens complications.
With extra lenses we can also get a binocular view of your retina to judge the height and depth of structures.
The peripheral nerves of the eye may suffer damage that you may not notice as your central vision can remain clear.
Diseases that affect peripheral nerves include Glaucoma, Multiple Sclerosis and Strokes.
We use an auto refractor and a retinoscope to assess your prescription, whether you are short sighted, long sighted or have astigmatism. This reflects light off the retina, the back of the eye, and calculates the power of lenses you require. This is particularly useful when seeing young children as we can assess their prescription without their co-operation. Then we refine the results by asking you a few simple questions to achieve clear, precise, comfortable vision.
Children don‘t have to know their letters to have their eyes examined. Some tests can be done from the age of about six months old. It is very important that children are seen early as problems need to be found and corrected before the age of 5 yrs as this is when they start fixing their adult levels. The NHS pays for children‘s eye examinations.
One of the most important things to test for in children is if the two eyes are working together to make sure there is no squint.
With this test we can assess and grade the cooperation between the eyes. Squints, if found early enough, can be corrected to prevent lazy eyes.
Colour vision defects occur in 4% of men but only 0.25% of women due to the genetic inheritance.
Generally it only causes a problem with some career choices, eg police. We have a list of the current requirements.
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