The Eye Practice

Contact Lenses fortunately over the years have had considerable technological advancement.  What is very sad though is that it seems the incidence of severe eye infections caused by them is on the increase.

The irony here is that because they have improved both practitioners and patients have slackened off in hygiene and compliance in replacement schedules.  WHAT ARE WE DOING!

Our vision is our most important sense.  At The Eye Practice we specialise in contact lenses and frequently treat conjunctivitis, dry eyes and allergic reactions to contact lens solutions.  Most of these complications are avoidable but the bizarre perception that contact lenses are somehow similar to putting on a pair of socks is just a frustrating process.

To get to The Eye Practice every day Dr Jim Kokkinakis walks through the Queen Victoria building and in full view of the unsuspecting public is a plasma screen advertising coloured contact lenses that can be purchased without a prescription.

This outrageous situation somehow sneaks through the legislative process in Australia because they are selling contact lenses without a power for vision.  Unfortunately the power of the lenses has nothing to do with its safety.  In the USA it is actually illegal to sell any type of contact lens without a prescription.  The loop hole that exists in Australia does not exist in the USA, yet unscrupulous retailers still try their luck on the unsuspecting public.  The following video highlights the dangers of purchasing contact lenses without a prescription.

Whether you are purchasing contact lenses from a retailer or over the internet make sure you have an up to date contact lens prescription that has been validated by an optometrist.  Your eyes are so precious. Please look after them.

Keratoconus can be a very frightening diagnosis to get if your vision has recently deteriorated.  What is even scarier is that it can be hard to get some good news. 

Here is the bottom line - you do not go blind from keratoconus.

At The Eye Practice keratoconus is what we do.  After more than 20 years of treating patients with keratoconus we have a pretty good understanding of what to expect and exactly the appropriate treatment options at the appropriate time.

The best time for us to see a patient with keratoconus is usually when no one else has tried any treatment.  This by no way is trying to downgrade other practitioners, but the reality is keratoconus is absolutely unique with every individual. It is only after treating thousands of patients that an eye practitioner  will have a great understanding of what option to choose and at what time.

Our experience at The Eye Practice has revealed the following:

• NO ONE GOES BLIND FROM KERATOCONUS

• If an ophthalmologist or an optometrist has advised you that you cannot wear glasses, there is at least a 30% chance that this is not true.  How can this be?  Like anything, practice makes perfect.  Having seeing thousands of patients with keratoconus we have developed a skill in measuring glasses for keratoconus.  This does not mean everyone we see can wear glasses - it means of those that have been told they cannot wear glasses about 30% of the time we can find a very useful pair of glasses.  In these cases it is like winning the lottery!

• If you have failed in trying contact lenses elsewhere, we can fit you successfully 80% of the time.  Why such a dramatic difference?  Again it is about experience and options.  The average optometrist does not have any contact lens templates to try - At The Eye Practice we have over 50 different trial sets under 6 different categories.  Our specialty is keratoconus therefore we have invested in all possible options to give you every opportunity to succeed. 

• It is imperative to follow a process and not leap frog options. The process involves simple options followed by more complex ones.  Why would you want to try a complex option without having first tried a simple option?

• Referral to an experienced corneal surgeon is critical to a good result when surgical intervention is required.

• Only 5% of patients with keratoconus will require a corneal transplant.  Make sure you have failed in contact lenses before moving on to corneal transplantation.  This is because of two reasons:

1. A significant percentage will require contact lenses to see properly after corneal transplantation.
2. 50% of corneal transplants will fail by 15 years. Another corneal transplant can be done, but the second and third transplants will usually fail at an earlier time.

• Collagen cross-linking is very fashionable at the moment.  If you are over 30 years old and are offered this procedure make sure you have progressed in the disease as after 30 it is likely that keratoconus stabilises in most cases.  Crosslinking on average is better suited to some one under 25 years of age and has been documented as having progressed.

• Intacs or Kera Rings have been disappointing procedures.  Before trying them make sure an expert contact lens specialist has tried a number of options, as trying to fit contact lenses over the top of these devices is more complex - it can be done but maybe we have leapfrogged a simpler procedure in the past.

• Keratoconus is an inconvenience it is NOT A LIFE SENTENCE!

Call us on 9290 1899 or Book an Appointment Online Now.