Have you been struggling with your Eyesight during the COVID pandemic and Lockdown? This may be a sign that you need new glasses. Here are some signs that you need new glasses from your optician:
Any type of blurred vision requires you to have an eye examination. This will determine what glasses you need to be able to see more clearly.
An outdated prescription or an undiagnosed eye condition may be a possible reason for headaches. To explore the possible reasons, it is important for you to book an eye examination with us.
Experiencing double vision can be very unpleasant and you need to speak to your optician as soon as possible. Double vision can be caused by Strabismus – commonly known as crossed eyes. Following an appointment with your optician, you may require a new pair of glasses with greater prismatic power. This prismatic power helps to correct issues with eye alignments including double vision.
Digital eye strain can be caused by staring at computer screens, phones and other digital devices. This can occur at any age. You may need to acquire a pair of glasses for computer work. These glasses are designed to help focus on the screen more clearly. They can also help to block out the blue light that screens tend to emit.
If you have had your glasses for a while they may be scratched or damaged. Scratches will affect your vision and may cause your eyes to have to strain to see clearer. This may signal time for you to invest in a new pair of glasses.
If you have any of these issues, we are here to help you. Inline with government guidelines we are able to see you safely.
Please speak with one of our team at the practice on 01993 822 291 to arrange your appointment.
We are proud to announce that we now have ‘Outspoken Frames‘ from MAC and PURE Eyewear in stock.
Outspoken frames are definitely daring glasses featuring bold, colourful designs. Frames from Outspoken always try to emphasise the pronounced personality traits of the wearer and both men and women can satisfy their desire for individuality with the unique colour combinations.
With a lot of passion, different acetates are combined into unprecedented and individualistic colour combinations. The exuberant colours will not be found in other brand collections.
These are the frames to put a smile on your face and stand out in a crowd! And let’s face it, we all need something to put a smile on our faces in these difficult times!
Why not come and see for yourself? You can book an appointment here today.
We are thrilled to be able to offer you exquisite optical frames from the Tom Ford Eyewear collection once again.
Tom ford frames exude the fashion designers’ style and embody a classic look with an inimitable modern twist.
Tom Ford Eyewear features generously proportioned, well-defined shapes, inspired by the 1950’s and 1970’s fashion. The range models acetate and metal combinations that make silhouettes unique and immediately recognisable as the Tom Ford brand.
The styles we have for you in store include the iconic detailing and concepts like the metal ‘T’ logo on the front. So why not drop in and take a look?
We are so excited to be able to offer you the most fabulous range of frames from the WOOW collection.
This collection with its playful shapes, cool colours and unique patterns is just WOOW! Like you the WOOW collection are always classy and elegant but certainly very different. Show up in WOOW frames and everyone will be asking where you got them from.
These witty and playful frames all come with an individual name, unique just like you.
Seeing is believing how beautiful theses frames actually are.
Now available for you at Michael Lowe Opticians.
Why not come and see for yourself? You can book an appointment here today.
We are reopening our doors on Wednesday 24th June!
Whilst the past few months have been very testing for us all, we are looking forward to being able to be of service to you all again.
We have undertaken a risk assessment of our practice and have made changes to conform with government guidance and practice standards issued by our professional bodies in relation to being COVID safe. These modifications will help us to maintain the safety of our patients and staff. These additional measures will naturally slow the pace at which we are able to work, therefore we ask for your patience during these unprecedented times.
Recently, we have been skilling and training our team on our revised protocols and the appropriate use of PPE, to ensure that we are ready to welcome you safely and comfortably.
With guidance we’ve taken from the government and our professional bodies’ guidelines, we are glad to announce that you can now book an appointment with us.
Please contact us on 01993 844 291 or by email at info@mlopticians.com and we will be happy to arrange a time and date to see you.
Our associations are requesting us to prioritise our appointments. So when booking, our staff will guide you through a simple triage to ascertain the necessity of your visit, as well as the type of appointment you require.
We look forward to welcoming you back and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us on the above number.
In order to meet the recommended COVID safety measures, we will be making changes to the way the practice operates when you attend your appointment, the following will provide you with an insight to how your visit to us will be:
• You will be met by a gatekeeper at the entrance to the practice who will ask you a series of COVID symptom related questions.
• The gatekeeper will than take your temperature to ensure it is less than 37.4 degrees Celsius.
• You will then be asked to sanitise your hands and put on your face covering prior to entering the practice.
• The gatekeeper will then explain your journey through the practice maintaining the 2-metre distance rule where possible and the need for the staff to wear PPE.
• Only the patient will be allowed to wait in the practice, unless you need a chaperone.
• You will note that all clinic staff will be dressed in appropriate PPE according to their role.
• Once you are called, you will then be accompanied to the consulting room for your appointment.
• More time will be allowed in-between appointments to avoid patient cross over and to allow for thorough cleaning of equipment in-between patients and change of PPE.
• Once your eye examination is completed, if you need glasses, you will be shown to the dispensing area via the 1-way practice flow markings.
• During your dispense, any frames that are handled will be thoroughly cleaned pre and post handling.
• Once you have completed your appointment time in the dispensing area, you will be guided to the reception desk.
• Any payment to be contactless or card please.
• Your hands will be sanitised prior to you leaving the practice.
Having watched the video and read the information as to how your visit will change, please be reassured that your safety is of paramount importance to us.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
As many of our regular patients have glaucoma we wanted to share a little more information about the condition. The week commencing 8th March is World Glaucoma Week so now is the perfect time to tell you some of the key facts surrounding it. Early detection is key to slowing the progression of glaucoma and regular eye tests are the only way to detect symptomless glaucoma early. At a late stage glaucoma is irreversible and results in sight loss and blindness.
Those most at risk are those people over 60, and those with a family history of the disease.
Glaucoma is the name for a group of eye conditions in which the optic nerve is damaged at the point at which it leaves the eye. The nerve carries information from the light sensitive layer in your eye, the retina, to the brain where it is perceived as a picture. Your eye needs a certain amount of pressure to keep the eyeball in shape so that it can work properly. In some people, the damage is caused by raised eye pressure. Others may have an eye pressure within normal limits but damage occurs because there is a weakness in the optic nerve. Eye pressure is largely dependent on blood pressure.
Glaucoma is a disease that damages the optic nerve, the part of the eye that carries the images we see to our brain. In a healthy eye a clear liquid circulates in the front portion of the eye. If you have glaucoma, the fluid does not flow properly. Fluid pressure increase and this extra force presses on the optic nerve in the back of the eye causing damage.
As we said EARLY DETECTION IS KEY!
REGULAR EYE TESTS ARE THE ONLY WAY TO DETECT SYMPTOMLESS GLAUCOMA EARLY
Why not come and see us for an eye test? You can book an appointment here today.
Thanks to emerging technology we have been able to offer our valued customers an OCT scan for several years. Did you know that this hospital-quality scan can be carried out at our very own practice. Opticians can use cutting edge technology to look more closely at your retina.
OCT technology uses light waves to take images of your retina; similar to how an ultrasound scan uses sound waves. During an OCT scan, you will be asked to sit in front of a small machine with your chin placed on to a support. The machine scans your eyes without touching them, one at a time and is completely painless. By attending multiple OCT scans over the years your optician can notice subtle changes in the thickness of the layers. This can indicate early signs of eye conditions. With regular testing it is easier to diagnose, treat and manage conditions.
An OCT scan can help our optician see what’s going on beneath the surface of your eye, providing a picture of the layers of your retina. Many common eye diseases can creep up on you without significant symptoms. Even if you think your vision is ok, its useful for an optician to gain a full understanding of your overall eye health. In particular an OCT scan can help detect eye conditions like glaucoma, age related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. It is also advisable to have can OCT scan even if your eyes are healthy in order to provide a baseline image.
Get in contact with us to book an appointment for an OCT Scan today.
Everybody leads busy lives and it is easy to get swept up in the day to day of living to think about things like eye tests. But how often should you have your eyes tested and what are the telltale signs that you may need to book yourself an eye test?
Here are a few signs that you may need to book an eye test.
If your eyes are straining to focus, it may be giving you a headache. For patients over 40, that may mean that it is be time to consider glasses that provide correction at distance, intermediate and close range.
Changes in vision can mean different things for different people. For a child, difficulty in reading the blackboard often indicates myopia is starting to develop. For an adult, not being able to read road signs may mean that your distance prescription needs updating. Unfortunately, as you get older you start to need correction different from the one you need for distance or reading. It is therefore important to keep a regular check on your eye health.
It is important to understand that any time you notice a change in your vision it is important to book an eye test.
As woman mature, their eyes appear drier and this can lead to a number of problems, from blurred vision to excessive tearing. This is a common symptom of dry eyes and is treatable. A visit to an optician can help you to correct any symptoms you may be experiencing.
In general, it is harder to drive at night as we have mentioned in our previous blogs. If you are struggling to see at night whilst driving it is important to talk to us about applying an anti-glare lens to your driving glasses. If the discomfort from glare persists even with the correct anti-glare glasses, it may indicate cataracts especially if you are over the age of 50.
If not then surely that’s a great reason to book a test today? Get in contact with us or book an appointment.
Winter is here and you can guarantee that when the cold weather hits we all pile on our winter coats, hats and scarves before stepping out. The one thing we are all guilty of is not thinking about protecting our eyes as much as we should. When going out in the winter, whilst it’s not always obvious, it is important to remember that a lot of the time you are going to be heading out into the sun.
Although its colder, the sun shines with the same force as it does any other time of the year. That means that UVA and UVB rays are emitted, which can be harmful to your skin and eyes which are vulnerable if you don’t protect them. While the winter sun might not feel as strong in the winter due to the cooler air, it sits lower in the sky at a different angle which actually creates more exposure than in summer months.
No matter what you are doing outside, you should always remember to wear protective sunglasses in winter. Not just to block out the harmful UV rays, but also to protect your corneas and protect your eyes from the cold dry air.
Remember whether you are driving or away on a ski holiday you will experience blinding glare from certain angles. Much like in the summer when near water, the reflection from the sun’s light can impede your vision. If snow is on the ground an astounding 85% of the suns UV ray’s direct straight to your eyes. Without sunglasses or some kind of eye protection harmful UV radiation bounces up to your eyes when you are outside. These rays can actually burn your corneas and irritate them for long periods. Skiers call this snow blindness.
Cold temperatures and windy conditions can make winter an especially dry time of year. Most people feel it on their skin and lips which may require balm or lotion but many people don’t realise that this type of dry climate can also impact upon your eyes. You can avoid dry eyes by wearing sunglasses that will shield your eyes from the cold and the windy weather. In fact, wearing sunglasses can make the difference between comfortable vision and irritated eyes.
Whilst you are putting on your winter layers before heading out, remember that your eyes need protection too! We stock sunglasses all year round, so whether you are going aboard for some winter sun or staying at home and this blog has got you thinking, we can help you.
Why not come and see us and let us help you protect your vision this winter! Or alternatively you could book an appointment today.
Coco Song Eyewear has been an amazing addition to our Eyewear collection at ML opticians. So much so that we are very excited to now be able to introduce CCS, a new fresh take on the famous Coco Song eyewear designed for the modern woman.
Replacing the adornments and oriental inspiration, while highlighting natural elements such as silk, dried flowers and feathers, this exciting new modern Eyewear collection really is beautiful.
They really are the most stunning frames with fantastic detailing and we absolutely love them.
Why not come and take a look for yourself!
