THIS ISSUE

SERVICES

EMERGENCIES

EYECARE PLUS

Evans and McMahon optometrists are members of the EyecarePLUS network.

EyecarePLUS is a selected group of independently owned practices across Australia. To be accredited, these practices have met stringent membership criteria to ensure that they provide professional eyecare plus quality optometric goods and excellence in service.

EyecarePLUS practices must be up to date with the latest techniques and instrumentation for vision examinations and offer all treatment options. They must also provide a wide range of quality optometric frames to suit all budgets and provide a warranty on all spectacle frames.

EyecarePLUS practices are also inspected on a regular basis to ensure that they maintain the highest standards of quality optometric care and service.

As members, EyecarePLUS practices share resources for staff education, as well as exclusive ranges of good value frames and high technology lenses. We are confident that this will then further improve the services that we provide.

Together with the other optometrists in EyecarePLUS practices across Australia, we will be able to offer the advantages of being part of a large optometric group, yet remain independent and able to provide the personalised optometric service that our patients have come to expect.

SNOW SPORTS

Planning a trip to the snow this season? Many eager skiers and boarders will be enticed to the slopes for winter fun. However, don’t forget the importance of good eye protection.

The high levels of ultraviolet radiation at the snow can mean a fun day turns into a nightmare evening. Forgetting to wear sunnies or goggles can cause exposure keratitis (snow-blindness).

Don’t forget the kids either! The more ultraviolet exposure eyes receive when young, the greater the chance of cataracts later on.

Even when sunglasses are worn (close fitting wrap-arounds are best), the wind that can occur on the snowfields can cause dry eyes. Artificial tears can improve dry eye symptoms dramatically.

TEN REASONS TO HAVE AN EYE EXAMINATION?

1. Most Eye Diseases Have No Symptoms. Serious eye conditions such as glaucoma and retinal conditions can be detected earlier, before causing permanent damage to your eyes.

2. Family History. Many eye conditions are genetically linked.

3. Systemic Disease Affects The Eye. Hypertension, diabetes and other chronic diseases often damage the circulation of the eye.

4. Prevention Is Easier than a Cure. Eye disease damage can be permanent. Fortunately, many conditions can be prevented if detected at an early stage.

5. Environmental Concerns. Environmental conditions such as computer use, UV exposure, and smoking can all play a role in affecting the human eye and vision system.

6. Prescription Drugs Can Affect Your Eyes. Many drugs including prednisone, some cholesterol-lowering agents, diuretics and others can cause side-effects or discomfort to the eyes.

7. Vision Is Our Most Important Learning Sense. The overwhelming majority of information we obtain from around us is through our eyes. A child’s learning is 80% visual. Therefore, it is highly recommended that all children be seen before 4 years of age to rule out any ocular development problems.

8. Contact Lens Wearers. Contact lenses can cause subtle changes to the cornea. Patients wearing contact lenses should be inspected at least every 12 months to determine their integrity and wearing safety.

9. Previous Surgical Patients. Patients who have had cataract, retinal, or laser vision correction treatment (LASIK/PRK) require close monitoring for future changes to the surgically altered eye tissue.

10. Maintain Clear, Comfortable and Efficient Vision. The human eye is a finely-tuned instrument, a ‘wonder of nature’, that requires expert attention on a regular basis.

Regular maintenance and examination of our eyes is an integral part of your overall health. Some patients require assessment every 3, 6, 12 months or more. This depends on factors such as those listed above. Your eye health is a partnership between you and the optometrist. In our offices we practice Preventative Care to detect problems before they arise or at their earliest of stages when treatment success is highest.

Do your spectacles fit properly?

People who wear ill-fitting spectacles can develop neck problems. They tend to adopt poor posture which leads to neck strain. For instance, if your glasses have a tendency to slide down your nose, you will unknowingly hold your head back slightly to stop them slipping. If you wear bifocals, the positioning of the near-vision section can force you to tilt your head slightly forwards or backwards when you are reading. If you think you might be doing this, ask the opinion of our trained staff. At Evans and McMahon EyecarePLUS we offer free adjustments for the lifetime of your spectacles.

For people who suffer from neck pain there is a general exercise which can help strengthen your neck. Slowly tuck your chin backwards and inwards, in effect making a double chin. Then slowly return your head and neck to their normal positions. This chin-tuck exercise helps to stretch and loosen the ligaments and muscles that tend to tighten up at the back of the neck.

Transition is the most widely recognised brand of photochromatic plastic lenses. Photochromatic lenses change colour with the sunlight. Go outside into the sun and they quickly get darker, step back inside and the dark tint fades.

Depending on the weather conditions and the type of lens, it takes about 30 seconds for the lens to darken and about two minutes for the lens to return to its colourless state.

Temperature will vary the performance of photochromic lenses. In colder climates such as on the snow fields, they get darker than in the hotter temperatures you find in the tropics.

For some people, photochromic lenses are the best thing since sliced bread. While photochromic lenses are available in glass or plastic, the advantage of plastic is that the lenses are lighter in weight and therefore more comfortable to wear.

How do you decide which frame style, shape, material and colour suits you best? We will help you, of course.

Your glasses are an integral part of you and your personality. So choosing the right frame is very important. Not only do you want to look good, you want to feel good too. The right frame can enhance your best features and the best way to find out how to do this is to obtain expert advice from Evans & McMahon EyecarePLUS.

Frame Shapes:
The shape of your face is an important consideration when choosing spectacle frames, as each shape, whether round, square, oval or round, suits certain frame shapes and styles. A knowledge of frame shapes can help to minimalise the appearance of some unwanted facial characteristics such as a plump face or long nose.

• High cheekbones can be emphasized by slightly upswept frame styles

• Noses can appear shorter with frames having a lower or coloured bridge

• Heart shaped faces appear better in shallow oval frames.

• Someone with close set eyes should choose a frame with a clear bridge and an extended decorative outer (temporal) area.

• A round face requires the opposite to that above to minimize facial width.

• A patient with a square face, a wide chin and angular jaw, will need a frame that makes the face appear shorter such as a frame that is wider than the face.

Frame Colour & Materials:
The spectacle frame colour is also important. Gold has a generally warm appearance although silver sometimes tones in with silvery hair. With the greater variety of colouring available today, frames in grey, black or gun-metal colour, will often look better on people with black or grey hair.

For pale complexions, lightweight metal frames and those with a hint of colour are usually preferred. Dark complexions look better with gold, silver or clear spectacle frames.

If you have an allergy to some frame materials such as nickel or cellulose acetate choose titanium, stainless steel or special plastics materials.

Lens Types:
Selecting the best frame is ineffective if the design of spectacle lens does not match your optical prescription or the type of work you want to use the spectacles for. Our staff are trained to identify the best lens type that can be accommodated in your spectacle frame.

For a birthday or special occasion gift with a difference, we have Gift Certificates available to suit any price range.

Please ask one of our receptionists or dispensers for further information.