Eye health and eye pressure
An optician does not diagnose and does not treat. We measure, we examine, we compare against last year, and when something falls outside the expected range we put it in writing and send you to an ophthalmologist. Said plainly, so you know what you are coming for.
What can be seen here, and what cannot
We are optometrists. On the eye health side, what we do is examine the eye front and back, measure the intraocular pressure and write down what we see, with a date on it, so that it can be compared next time.
What we do not do is put a name to a finding or prescribe you anything. A sign that warrants ophthalmological assessment gets explained, written down and handed to you with the name of who should see it, the same day if it is needed rather than at the next check-up.
That boundary is not a limitation we hide. It is what makes the report leaving this shop worth something when a doctor reads it.
Eye pressure: a number that only means something in a series
Pressure inside the eye does not hurt and gives nothing away. It is one of the few things you can only know by measuring, which is why it is part of the eye examination rather than sold separately.
A single reading says very little. The series says something: this year’s alongside the one from two years back and four years back, taken in the same place and kept on the same record. That is where a shop that has been open here for thirty years holds something a new clinic cannot.
One qualification is worth making: pressure is one piece of evidence, not the whole picture. There are eyes with normal readings that are followed closely for other reasons, which is why the examination does not stop at that number.
Dry eye in a coastal town
Four things meet here: wind, salt in the air, long hours of daylight and air conditioning from May to October. All of them evaporate the tear film faster, and past a certain age the tear film arrives thinner to begin with.
The symptoms mislead. The commonest is not a dry eye but the opposite: a watering one, because an irritated surface fires off an emergency tear that does nothing to lubricate. The other is vision that smears and clears as you blink, which plenty of people read as needing new spectacles.
At the examination we look at the surface and at the quality of the tear film, and specific advice on habits and lubricants comes out of that. If what we see calls for more than advice, we refer you.
The sun here is not a cosmetic matter
Cumulative exposure to sun and wind is associated with changes to the surface of the eye: those whitish or pinkish thickenings at the edge of the white that people spot in the mirror one morning and worry about. Long term, it is also associated with changes in the crystalline lens.
Protection is cheap and comes down to very little: category 3 sunglasses with a certified UV filter, a frame that covers at the sides, and a hat in the middle of the day. Anyone who spends the day on a boat or out in the fields needs it most, and is usually the one wearing it least.
When not to wait for your next check-up
Some situations are not an optician’s business and will not wait for an appointment. If any of these happen, go to eye casualty or to your doctor today.
- Sudden loss of vision in one eye, even if it is brief and comes back
- A curtain or shadow moving across one side of your field of vision
- Flashes of light together with a sudden increase in floaters
- Severe pain in the eye, with redness and blurred vision
- Double vision that arrives all at once
- A blow to the eye, or a chemical splash
Common questions
How often should my eye pressure be measured?
There is no single figure that suits everybody. The sensible arrangement is that it goes with your eye examination, so comparable readings build up without an extra visit. If it runs in your family, say so: it changes how often it is worth looking.
My father has glaucoma. Should I do anything differently?
You should say so at the first visit and have it written on your record. Family history is one of the things that weighs most when deciding whether to refer on a reading we would not refer on in somebody else.
I see little specks drifting about. Is that serious?
Floaters are common and many people live with the same ones for years. What does call for an urgent appointment is a sudden increase in them, particularly with flashes of light or a shadow at the side.
Can you tell me whether I have cataracts?
We can see signs while examining and explain what we are looking at, but the diagnosis and the decision to operate belong to an ophthalmologist. What we can do meanwhile is keep your prescription current, which at that stage tends to change more often than usual.
Are phones and computers ruining my eyes?
They tire them, considerably, but there is no evidence that they damage them. What happens in front of a screen is that you blink a good deal less and the tear film evaporates. Breaks, working distance and sometimes an occupational lens bring that fatigue down noticeably.
The information on this site is for general guidance and does not replace a professional consultation. If you have symptoms, please see your optometrist, hearing aid audiologist or doctor.
