Good vision gives a better quality of life.  NHS sight tests are available free to people under 16 or under 19 in full time education and to people over 60. People who are on benefits and low incomes are also eligible. Glaucoma sufferers and their close relatives over 40, diabetics and people who are registered blind or partially sighted also qualify.

Our eye sight is so important in our general day to day living, which sadly most of us take for granted.  It is concerning that many people in the UK have never actually been to have their eyes tested!  Some of us are simply apprehensive at the thought of an eye test, but what exactly does happen during an eye examination, and why is it so important.

There are a number of reasons why you would possibly have an eye test – may be a routine eye test, or you may have a specific eye issue you wish to have looked at, or maybe you have been referred by your GP to the optician.  Whatever the reason for your visit, you need to ensure you discuss all your concerns with your optician before the test starts.  You may think you need glasses, so mention this to your optician.  A good option will probe into your health history, and that of your family too. 

After your initial discussion about your situation, your eyes will be tested by using a letter chart, which most of us are familiar with.  However, if you cannot read, there are alternate tests which can be done – making use of images or numbers. 

The next stage will be to check your outer and inner eye.  Your optician will shine a light in the front and back of your eyes to see their reaction to the light, and also to check the general health of your eyes.  This is painless and not unbearable, and does not take long.  Your optician will ask you to look in several directions, so he can have a thorough look at your eyes and ensure they are healthy and that the muscles controlling the movement of your eyes are working properly.

Finally, your optician will make a decision whether or not you require prescription glasses.  You will then be asked to read through various lenses until you are both satisfied you have found the correct and most suitable prescription for you. 

If you do require glasses, don’t be too saddened about it.  Today there are so many glasses and frames to select from – funky colours and styles from contemporary to classic, that will see you through the seasons and any occasion – certainly preferable to poor eye sight.

Good vision gives a better quality of life – A visit to the optician is certainly worth your while.

How often has a loved one told you ‘look after your eyes, you only have one pair’.  How right they are, as your eyes can never be replaced.  The value of an eye test lay in the early detection of any problem.  A problem which could be treated early – and the earlier, the better.  An eye test can even detect any underlying health problems that you were not aware of, eg.  diabetes, high blood pressure, multiple scleroses and life threatening illnesses.

You will normally be guided by your optician as to how often you should have an eye test. As a rule two years is regarded as a safe interval.

Anyone with serious eye problems or fast changing prescriptions will require an eye test at least once a year, and may even be recalled more often if the optician deems it appropriate.

All babies should have their eyes examined by a qualified doctor before they reach six months of age. A babies’ fine stereopsis is fully developed by nine months of age. After nine months of age, intervention to correct any problems found problem may be too late!

After your baby has passed the first set of eye tests they won’t need to have their eyes checked again until they are toddlers. Children between the age of three and five should have their eyes examined.

A Child’s vision is fully developed by the age of six so any disease or conditions which would hinder the child from seeing clearly during this time with both eyes may result in the child having a “lazy eye” or “crossed eyes”. Special testing by an optician or doctor qualified to exam eyes is required to determine any problems at the earliest stage possible. It is imperative for children to perform well at school and without proper eye sight and eye care, it is very difficult for school children to function normally, and therefore, regular eye testing is essential.

Children under the age of 16 (or 19 and in full-time education) are entitled to free eye tests on the NHS as are all adults over the age of 60.

Once you reach the age of 70 and beyond, you should have a full eye examination at least once a year, even if you aren’t having any problems with your vision you should still follow the once a year rule.

Remember it is free to have your eyes tested when you reach 60, so you have nothing to lose.

Age increases the risk of cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration, if detected in the early stages, the development of some diseases can be slowed or in some cases completely cured.

Research undertaken by the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow revealed that of 20 infants born to mothers prescribed methadone during pregnancy, 19 were born with poor vision. 

Methadone is a synthetic opioid prescribed to mothers during pregnancy as a heroin substitute as it helps prevent babies being born underweight or prematurely and helps addict mothers stabilise their lives.  In the study, it was shown that seven in ten of the children had nystagmus, involuntary shaking of the eye which is thought to be the blame of poor vision in some of the cases. 

Twelve of the infants had to be treated for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), where the babies born suffer with methadone withdrawal symptoms; 35% of the twelve children treated for NAS had a squint and 30% were long or short sighted or suffered from other forms of blurred vision.  One in four of the babies suffered with brain function impairments regarding visual development and half of all the infants born to the mothers under examination had delayed visual maturation in which their vision had not yet fully developed, Dr Ruth Hamilton defines this as the children not being able to see in such fine detail as their peers.

A quarter of the children also displayed signs of other brain development impairments such as cerebral palsy.  During the study it was revealed that more than half of the babies examined had been exposed to illicit drugs such as temazepam and heroin while in the womb, which concurs with a growing and rather alarming trend, in which 11-16% of pregnant women are addicted to or regularly take harmful, illegal substances. 

The link between methadone and its effects on unborn infants is still unclear, or even if it is methadone alone that impairs visual development. Further research is being conducted to determine the nature and causes of the complicated developmental effects the drug has at eye level and brain level in unborn children.

The brand new 1.76 double Aspheric plastic lens material is the thinnest lens material available anywhere in the world, however, it is exclusive to an online spectacle store.  These very thin lenses are also available in 1.8 Glass (varifocal only) and 1.9 Glass (single vision only).

Summit Bi Aspheric Single Vision 

These thinnest lenses are individually crafted to your prescription, and are manufactured with Aspheric front and back surfaces to enhance the optical performance but also to flatten both the front and rear surface of the lens. This gives a thinner lens substance and when combined with the 1.76 index material gives the thinnest, lightest plastic lenses available in the world!

This thinnest lens can also be supplied with a Super Duper anti-reflective coating as standard. This is good for prescriptions above +/-6 where you wish to have the thinnest lenses and lightest lenses available, however the real benefit is for people with very high +/- prescriptions.

Summit Bespoke Plus Varifocal

As with all Bespoke Varifocals, Bespoke Plus is a rear surface individually designed varifocal. To enhance and further reduce both the thickness and weight, Bespoke Plus is a double aspheric design on the front and rear surfaces. Aspheric design helps us to flatten the curves whilst enhancing optical performance. When you combine the proven Bespoke varifocal design with the highest 1.76 thinnest lens material and double aspheric technology, you have the thinnest most advanced varifocals available. Good for prescriptions above +/-6 where you wish to have the thinnest lenses and lightest lenses available, however the real benefit is for people with very high +/- prescriptions.

Index Glass Thin Lens (Varifocal Only)

Only available in varifocal, for the highest +/- prescriptions. This is the thinnest material for a varifocal, however it is around two times heavier than both the 1.67 lens and the 1.74 lens index in plastic. Unless you have a minus prescription of between 15 and 20, it is always recommend that you have a 1.76 thinnest plastic lens instead due to the weight disadvantage.

Index Glass Thin Lens (Single Vision Only)

The thinnest lens material available for very high prescriptions. Should really only be used on the highest type of  prescriptions, for example +10 or -17 sphere as the weight disadvantage makes it impractical on lower prescriptions where 1.74 thin lens or 1.76 thin lens plastic would be more suitable. This lens can only be applied with an anti-reflective coating as an additional extra.

There is a popular belief that only after aging we should move to bifocal lenses, but this is not necessarily true as many of our younger generation have combination eye sight problems. 

Bifocal lenses are corrective lenses, commonly prescribed for people with presbyopia, and have two different power areas to provide you with your visual acuity; a distance area and a reading area. However, if correction at intermediate distances is also needed, then trifocals and progressive lenses, also known as varifocal lenses, may be used. This being that a Bifocal lens has no intermediate viewing zone as there is in a varifocal Lens. Bifocal lenses have the fine ‘line’ in the middle of the lens to separate the distance and reading portions.

The bifocal form of corrective lens set were made popular in the late eighteenth century by Benjamin Franklin when he became frustrated at needing two sets of spectacles to deal with each aspect of his impaired vision, namely his distance and reading area.  It is, however, likely that optical craftsmen in London had developed the split lens some years earlier – the design of lenses Franklin commissioned from them came as no surprise.

Originally the bifocal lenses were simply cut in half and combined together in the rim of the frame, bearing in mind the fact that when a person views something at close distance, they usually look down and the opposite is true when they view at a further distance. The early bifocal lenses were designed with the lenses for close viewing in the lower half of the frame and the distance viewing lenses on the upper. Later designs involved the cementing of a bifocal segment onto a larger lens, but now most bifocals are made by fusing a small half-moon shaped reading segment into the lens.

Today bifocal lenses are available with the reading segments in a variety of shapes and widths. The most popular is the flat-top or D-shaped segment which is 28 mm wide.

Since the new age of computers, bifocal users have experienced some problems. Although most printed reading materials are easily viewed with bifocals, computer monitors are generally placed directly in front of users, but still close enough to require corrective lenses, requiring bifocal wearers to tilt their heads up to view the screen.

The definition for presbyopia means “older eye,” also known as the “short-arm syndrome”, and is a normal part of the eye’s aging process that causes the loss of the eye’s ability to focus on close objects. The name presbyopia originates from the Greek word presbus – meaning an old man.

Presbyopia is a condition that occurs as a part of normal aging, and develops gradually over several years. The symptoms of Presbyopia become noticeable by the age of 40 to 45, and is the gradual hardening of the lens taking place over time – until the process eventually stabilises about 20 years from onset. The hardening of the lens is thought to reduce the eye’s ability to change shape and bring near objects into focus.

Symptoms of presbyopia:

• Difficulty seeing clearly for close work
• Print seems to have less contrast
• Brighter, more direct light required for reading
• Reading material must be held further away
• Fatigue and eyestrain when reading

Treatment of presbyopia:

Other than corrective surgery, varifocal lenses are the most effective tool to correct presbyopia. Commercially, varifocal lenses are popular because of the absence of any unattractive line on the lens and the greatest advantage of the varifocal lens is the ability to look at objects at varying distances with only an adjustment of slightly tilting the head. The different levels of varifocal lenses have different powers:- the top part of the lens is used to view objects at a distance, the middle part focuses on objects at an intermediate distance and the bottom part of the lens focuses on the nearby objects, like reading a book. Varifocal lenses also avoid discontinuities, which occur in the visual fields of bifocal and trifocal lenses.

With the increasing demand for varifocal lenses, manufacturers are creating stylish varifocal frames and lenses and the easiest, and most economical, way to buy varifocal lenses today is online. Online stores not only offer the widest range of varifocal lenses, but you can take your time to go through their choice. When compared to the prices charged at retail stores, online stores have surprisingly reasonable rates too.

Simply put, Varifocal lenses help you see clearly at all distances! Varifocal (and Bifocal) lenses are corrective lenses used in glasses to correct presbyopia and any other disorders of eye adjustment. Both varifocal and bifocal have a gradient of increasing lens power. So, essentially, the gradient of power starts at a minimum at the top of the lens and reaches a maximum power at the bottom of the lens.

Varifocal lenses allow you to see near and far using only one pair of glasses, without any abrupt change and the advantage that there is no visible line in the lens, only an even transition from near to far. Basically, varifocal lenses help you see things clearly at all distances. Varifocal lenses take a little time to get used to, but once you are used to them, you will find that you can see clearly at all distances. Varifocal lenses are available in several designs, by design this is referring to the differences between the areas allocated through the distance, intermediate and reading zones.

Varifocal lenses are designed so that when you are looking straight ahead you look through the distance section of the lens. The reading zone is the lower part of the lens and the middle section of the lens allows you to view anything at arms length distance. The wearer can adjust the lens power required for clear vision at the different viewing distances by tilting his, or her, head to view through the appropriate section of the varifocal progression. Because near vision, such as when you are reading, is usually at a low visual field, this is the reason for the lower part of the lens being powered for near visual tasks.

Previous or older varifocal designs had a large distortion zone complexity, which often made it more difficult for the wearer to adjust to. Today, however, newer technology has made way for reduction of the size of the distortion areas, allowing easier adjustment for the wearer. The new varifocal lenses provide much wider viewing zones, therefore, giving a much clearer and more comfortable view. Because these newer designs of Varifocal lenses are easier to get used to, there is now only a small majority of people who may never get used to wearing varifocals.

Stop dirt, dust and annoying greasy smudges from sticking to your lenses – just think, no more marks you can’t get off! Prevent water spots from rain, snow and fog from forming on your lenses! How? By having Anti-reflective (AR) coating on your glass lenses, also known anti-glare coating, improves your vision through your lenses as well as the appearance of your glasses. And, it gives UV400 protection. Now that’s what I call music to the eyes!

Anti-reflective (AR) coating, also known anti-glare coating, improves your vision through your lenses as well as the appearance of your glasses. Anti-reflective coating reduces the glare that you see, as well as the glare that others can see on your lenses.

So why is hydrophobic anti-reflective coating different?

Simply, it is applied to the front and rear surface of the lens to eliminate residual reflections on the lens surface that can prevent clarity of vision.

The coatings on microscopes and camera lenses are very similar to the AR coatings on glasses, consisting of layers of metal oxides applied to both the front and rear of the lens surfaces. The result is a reduction in glare, irritating reflections and halos around lights. AR coated lenses improves night driving vision – a great safety benefit, and increases comfort during prolonged computer use.

Hydrophobic coating combines all the benefits of normal anti-reflective coating, such as enhanced visual acuity and cosmetic appearance – because the anti-reflective coating reduces internal and external reflections on the lenses, this creates a more pleasant cosmetic appearance.

Before the days of AR coating, the internal reflections appeared as rings which made lenses appear thicker, and the external reflections masked your eyes from a clear and complete view when someone was looking at you. However, with AR coating these reflections are eliminated and glass lenses look thinner or even non-existent, lending your eyes more visibility – so you can make better eye contact with others. Anti-reflective coating is also valuable when applied to the back surface of lenses in sunglasses, as it eliminates reflections of sunlight into your eyes from the lenses when the sun is behind you.

The hydrophobic coating also provides enhanced scratch resistance – lengthening the life of your lenses. Additionally, it gives UV400 protection, stops dirt, dust and greasy smudges from sticking to your lens surface – so no more marks you can’t get off – and prevents water spots from rain, snow and fog from forming and, therefore, making the lenses easier to clean.

Tip: Do not attempt to clean AR coated lenses without wetting them first. Using a dry cloth on a dry lens can cause fine scratches which will be more visible on AR coated lenses than on uncoated lenses. Lens cleaners with harsh chemicals can also damage the anti-reflective coating.