The Eye Practice

Glaucoma is a complex disease.  To be comprehensively tested for glaucoma can be a complex process.

Like most people, you're probably familiar with two kinds of glaucoma tests – checking inner eye pressure (called tonometry – the warm puff of air that is blown into the eye), and getting your pupils dilated so the doctor can check the shape and color of your optic nerve and detect any damage (called opthalmoscopy).

Some people greatly dislike tonometry – the warm puff of air is uncomfortable to them or it surprises them too much. Luckily, tonometry can also use a tiny tool that applies pressure to the eye instead of the puff of air.

There are many different tests – more than just the above-mentioned two.  Glaucoma can be a tricky disease to detect – which is why it's important for us at The Eye Practice to run additional tests if we find something that looks out of the ordinary.

Remember, there is no cure for glaucoma, but early detection can mean that you keep your eyesight longer, and prevent further damage to your eyes.

A third test that you might be familiar with (some doctors like to perform this one on a regular basis) is called a perimetry test. Basically, it “maps out” a pattern of your peripheral vision (side vision).

You may have been through this test before – you sit and stare straight ahead into an instrument called a field anaylser. A small spot of light is switched on and off many times at different positions. 

Each time you are aware that the light is on you hit a buzzer that tells the instrument you have seen the spot of light.

This test is useful to see if there has been any “tunneling” of vision – a common symptom of glaucoma that needs to be monitored. If you've been diagnosed with glaucoma, this test is an absolute necessity once or even twice a year to check for vision changes.

Another test that is used to diagnose glaucoma is called a gonioscopy. With this test, the eyes are numbed with drops, and a contact lens is placed on the eye directly – which is why the numbing drops are necessary. The lens has a mirror that shows what kind of glaucoma is affecting the eye, either acute, closed-angle glaucoma, or chronic, open-angle glaucoma.

Corneal thickness also can be measured to determine if glaucoma is a problem, or if your corneas are just thick or thin. An instrument called a pachymeter is placed on the corneas to measure their thickness, and then the measurements are taken into consideration when interpreting eye pressure readings. This test is known as – you guessed it – pachymetry.  The thinner your cornea, the more likely a given pressure in the eye can cause damage.

Finally the optic nerve can be scanned with an instrument called an Optical Coherence Tomographer (OCT).  This very advanced technology has been in use at the Eye Practice since 2005.  Not only does it have use for glaucoma, but is also useful in macular degeneration assessment and monitoring for Diabetic Retinopathy.  It truly is a marvelous piece of technology that is invaluable in glaucoma management.

When it comes to glaucoma, early detection is vital for protecting your sight and ensuring proper treatment is administered. Of course, once glaucoma has set in, the damage that has been done cannot be undone, but further damage can be prevented to save your sight.

Hopefully what should be evident from this post is that glaucoma testing can be quite a specialised process.  If you have visited your optometrist and the eye test is completed in 15 - 20 minutes, it is unlikely that you have had a comprehensive glaucoma assessment, unless the whole 20 minutes was spent looking for glaucoma!

At The Eye Practice our passion is preserving your vision.  Call us on 9290 1899 or CLICK HERE for an online appointment.

Optometrists are the primary eye care providers.  They should be the first place you go to if you have an eye or vision problem.  But which one to go to?

There is a saying that goes like this:

"You can be the best carpenter in the world but if you have a blunt chisel you will not make a great bookcase".

The same applies for delivering great eye care.  Using high end technology allows a great optometrist to deliver great eye care.

There is equipment that can be considered basic and then there is advanced equipment that allows the optometrist to make subtle observations or follow eye health over time and detect subtle change that can represent the beginning of eye disease.

Basic equipment includes:

• Refractor Head - this instrument measures extend of vision blur and is responsible for obtaining your spectacle prescription.
• Biomicroscope - magnifies the front of the eye up to 45 times.  It is responsible for diagnosing what type of conjunctivitis might be affecting an eye or detecting cataracts.  It can also be used with sophisticated lenses to observed the back of the eye called the retina.

At The Eye Practice we have upgraded these two very important pieces of equipment, which is not common to find at other optometrical practices.  Our refractor head is similar to the one in this picture. It is fully automated.

Having a fully automated refractor head means that the eye testing procedure is far easier on the patient.

The old spectacle prescription can be transferred into the instrument at a press of a button.  Once the testing process is complete it is possible to compare the vision of the old prescription to the new prescription instantly.

Subtle prescription changes can be judged by the patient.  It involves the patient in the decision making process.

Once the final prescription is measured it can then be transferred accurately into the patient's computerised record without the optometrist having to type anything in.  Apart from being much quicker it is also does not lend itself to the optometrist accidentally copying the prescription down incorrectly into the patient record.  If this occurs it is likely that the glasses will be made incorrectly and then need to be re-manufactured.

At The Eye Practice our Biomicroscope is hooked up to a digital camera, which allows us to photograph anything we see that is clinically significant.  The old saying: "A picture says a thousand words" is very true when it comes to documenting observations.  It is very difficult to describe in words what we are seeing, whereas if it is photographed we will know exactly what we are comparing from visit to visit.

Even basic instrumentation can be upgraded to use the latest in computerised technology, but it does not end there.  Eye testing has come forward in leaps and bounds with all sorts of instruments available to upgrade the quality of the eye test.

Instruments such as the Stratus OCT, Cirrus OCT, Visante OCT, Matrix Visual Field Analyser, Medmont Corneal Topographer, Rodenstock Impressionist are just some of the unique instruments that are not available in most eye care facilities that are available at The Eye Practice.

In future posts we will discuss each of these instruments in detail and why we believe they add value in giving our patients peace of mind about their eyes.

The human eye is an organ that is truly a combination of, a work of art and scientific genius that most people find intriguing. Human beings have duplicated this organ and its principles to make some practical items such as the camera. 

The human eye is incredibly important. Approximately 70% of what we perceive of the world around us comes from our eyes.

Its therefore important to have regular checkups by optometrists for the eyes so that if they require medical treatment or correctional devices such as contact lenses, then one can get them promptly, before any harm is done. 

               

There are many eye conditions that can affect the human eye over the course of time. Some are as result of carelessness while others are due to age related factors. Other factors such as eye infections are completely unavoidable and hence one can hardly be able to prevent them.

In order to get the best out of the eyes one needs to have them regularly checked in order to be sure that all is well. At the same time corrective items for the eyes such as eye glasses need to be used only when prescribed by a qualified eye care professional. This will protect the wearer from causing harm to their eyes through use of improper eye aids.

More importantly the eyes can be screened for eye-sight threatening diseases like Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy and Cataracts. All of these eye diseases do not exhibit symptoms until very late in the process.

Most optometrists recommend that everyone should attend regular eye examinations; however people with eye problems need to have their eyes examined at least once in a year. This is to preempt any problem that might occur or was in the process of happening that is likely to adversely affect the eyes.

Regular Eye exams for people with known problems will take care of minor issues that might have deteriorated with time to cause greater complications.

Eye problems have become quite common today; this is due to the many issues and pollutants that the modern human is exposed to.

Eye strain is one of the major factors that is known today to contribute a lot to many eye complications. Mostly this is due either to ignorance about how to take care of the eyes or due to the modern pressures of life that have been driving the human race into a frenzy, as they seek to achieve higher and higher goals with excessive reading and computer work.

Another contributing factor to the challenges that are facing these vital organs that human beings rely on so much are the many pathogens that have multiplied and reinvented themselves with the overuse of antibiotics. Eye infections can range from simple irritations to sight threatening conditions that may lead to blindness if they are not addressed.

All these challenges mean that human beings must rise to the occasion and take care of their eyes in order to be sure that they maintain this great gift that is so precious yet so vulnerable to harm from so many areas.

Optometrists, Ophthalmologists, Optical Dispensers, Orthoptists, Optical Mechanics, Ophthalmic Nurses.  These professions all have something to do with eyes.  What is unique about eyes is that they can be looked after from:

1. A Vision perspective
2. A Health perspective
3. A Fashion perspective

What is unique about an Optometrist is that depending on their training and experience, they can look after someones eyes from all three perspectives.  Think of them as the GP of eyes.  There is no question that they are the Primary Eye Care Practitioner.  GP's we know are the Primary Health Care Practitioner - they will look after your general health, but when it comes to eyes that is where Optometrists excel in all areas.

This is especially true when you see a therapeutically qualified Optometrist.  They have had extra training in eye health, as well as measuring and correcting vision. They are also able to issue prescription only medication to treat glaucoma, conjunctivitis and contact lens related eye infections.

 

Dr Jim Kokkinakis is a therapeutically qualified optometrist with over 25 years of experience.  The Eye Practice not only has the latest technology in Eye Testing equipment but also has the latest in fashion frames and using the lightest in thinnest lens technology.

When it comes to contact lenses again you have come to the right place. From the simplest to the most complex contact lens designs - we fit them. An optometrist should be your first port of call when it comes to anything about eyes.

If surgery is required it is important to be referred to not just your local general ophthalmologist, but to an ophthalmologist that specialises in the eye condition that you require treatment in.

Most people do not realise that there are ophthalmologists that have been specially trained in:

• Laser Eye Surgery
• Cornea
• Retina
• Glaucoma
• Inflammation
• Neurology of the Eye
• Strabismus (Turned eye)
• Paediatrics
• Eyelids and associated structures

At The Eye Practice we believe that it is better and more efficient to be referred to an ophthalmologist that has had specific training in the eye disease that the patient is suffering. 

Often if a person develops an eye problem they will visit their local GP. 

Most GP's will then refer on to a local general ophthalmologist.  At least 95% of eye issues that go to the GP, can be easily managed by a therapeutically qualified optometrist, without having to make an unnecessary visit to a general ophthalmologist. 

In the event that something more complicated is at play, an accurate diagnosis is likely to occur and then a more relevant referral to a sub-specialist ophthalmologist can occur, which often will mean more effective treatment and therefore a more successful outcome.

It is obvious that the first visit you should have for your eyes is to the optometrist.  They can handle the vast majority of eye or vision issues.