While many people are frustrated that optician services and eye care is not something provided on the NHS for everyone, eye care is vital and looking after your sight is something you need to stay on top of. Being able to see clearly is a gift and you should ensure you have regular eye tests as this is the best way to detect any problems before they become too serious.
Screen Use
Many of us spend long periods of the day staring at computer screens and mobile phones and this can be very hard work on the eyes. If you ever got to the end of a long day in the office and ended up with a headache across the front of your forehead you could well be dealing with eye strain. Subtle changes in how well your eyes can see can be undetectable to you. Straining to read something close to you or struggling to see far away is something the brain gets used to and you may be unaware that your vision has deteriorated slightly. Thankfully a routine eye test will be able to determine whether you need glasses for close work or seeing distances or in some cases a combination of both.
The Importance of Eye Care
Thankfully wherever you are in the UK you will find experienced opticians happy to help, and their services don’t just end with a basic eye test. They are highly skilled professionals who are trained to look at the health of your eye including optical pressure, early signs of glaucoma, and other health-related issues that can affect your vision if not caught and treated in time. One test you will probably be offered is called an OCT scan. This stands for optical coherence tomography and this is a state-of-the-art way for your optician to have a look at the health of your eye behind the surface. As mentioned already this can pick up on issues such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration all of which will fare better if caught and started treatment early
Glasses and Contacts
Once you have been issued with a prescription that states the correction your eyes need to offer perfect vision you will be presented with a wide range of frames. The great thing about wearing glasses is that you can make the experience unique and choose frames that suit your personality from a range of designer frames to something a little less heavy on the pocket. Contact lenses are of course an alternative, and if your vision is correctable using contact lenses no one will ever know you even have a problem. Contact lenses come in many different forms from disposable daily lenses to longer-term reusable lenses and again your optician is there to guide you in making the best choice for your eye care.
It is important that despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic you still take the time to go to your eye test when they are offered. Many opticians are working as normal again using a range of PPE for their staff so you can continue to look after the health of your eyes.
