Eye Care

OCT stands for Optical Coherence Tomography.

This machine scans the inside of the eye, providing highly detailed images of your internal ocular structures. This allows a more accurate and in-depth examination of the ocular health, aiding in diagnosis and management of any ocular issues. It also provides peace of mind for yourself as you know a thorough check has been made.

The OCT scanning is included in our Enhanced Eye Exams and your Optometrist will show your scans to you and explain the results.

Contact us to book and Enhanced Eye Examination today!

OCT scans are an excellent tool that can be used to detect and monitor many eye complaints.

OCT allows us to see individual layers of the eyes which are not otherwise visible, allowing us a more in-depth examination of your ocular health. Some eye problems can be found sooner with OCT than they can without it, allowing for quicker diagnosis and treatment.

Examples of ocular issues that can be detected with OCT are:

• Age related Macular Degeneration (AMD) 
• Diabetes 
• Glaucoma 
• Macular Holes 
• Vitreous detachments

If you are under the care of a private consultant, they may request that you attend our practice for OCT scans.

We are happy to provide this service, though you will need an appointment for your scans to be taken.

The cost of the scans will be £40-£60, depending on which scans are needed and whether your Optometrist needs to review the data first.

OCT scans are included in our Enhanced Eye Examinations and for Iris members.

We usually begin testing children at four years old. However, if you suspect that there is a vision issue with your child at any point, please contact us to arrange an appointment and we will be happy to check.

Sight tests are important even if you do not notice any eye or vision problems. This is because children cannot always tell if their vision is blurred and so it’s key that they have an examination to ensure that they are seeing normally.

Symptoms indicative of problems include:

• Rubbing of eyes 
• Squinting 
• Turning or tilting their head 
• Losing their place or using a finger to follow the line when reading 
• Moving their head or mouthing words whilst reading 
• Headaches 
• Red eyes 
• Wandering eyes 
• Complaints of blurred vision. 

We suggest yearly checks for people who are under sixteen years old, as the eyes can develop and change as children grow.

For people who are sixteen to sixty-nine years old, we recommend sight tests once every two years.

People seventy and over usually have sight tests once a year due to the increased risk of ocular problems as time goes on.

If you have Diabetes, yearly tests are best to check for any diabetic changes to your eyes, no matter what age you currently are.

If you are over forty and have an immediate family member (parent or sibling) with glaucoma, we prefer to check once a year as there is a lightly higher chance that glaucoma may develop.

If you start to suffer from headaches, double vision, blurred vision or any other abnormality in your vision, book an eye examination straight away.

You do not need to see your doctor before having an eye test, though your doctor may refer you to us if they feel it is necessary. All you need to do is make an appointment by calling 029 20709526.

You are entitled to an NHS Eye Examination if:

• You are under 16 years of age 
• You are under 19 years of age and in full time education 
• You are 60 or over 
• You or your partner receive Universal Credit, Income Support, Income Based Jobseekers Allowance, Income Related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, or Tax Credit. 
• You are named on a valid HC2W Certificate 
• You are registered severely sight impaired 
• You suffer from diabetes or glaucoma 
• You are considered at risk of glaucoma by an ophthalmologist 
• You are 40 years over and are the parent/sibling/child of a person with glaucoma 
• You are a prisoner on leave from prison 
• You have been prescribed complex lenses under the NHS optical voucher scheme. 

Cataracts are caused when the lens inside the eye clouds over to become misty. This happens to everyone over time, usually from the 60s onwards.

It can be brought on earlier in some circumstances, for example following trauma or surgery, in people with diabetes, or if there is a family history of cataracts developing early.

Early cataracts can be managed with glasses and/or contact lenses. If they progress enough, however, they will require cataract surgery.

Glaucoma is a type of ocular issue where the optic nerve, which relays information from the eye to the brain, becomes damaged. This causes vision loss in the peripheral vision, which can eventually cause missing patches in your sight or tunnel vision.

What causes glaucoma?

Glaucoma is caused by either high pressure in the eye, or because the eye is more susceptible to damage from high pressure in the eyes.

What are the symptoms?

Most kinds of glaucoma do not show any symptoms at all until it is very advanced. This is why it is important to have regular sight tests, especially if you have an immediate family member (parent or sibling) with glaucoma.

Rarely, glaucoma can cause symptoms of red, painful eyes with blurred vision, haloes around lights and nausea. If you experience these symptoms, please contact your optometrist immediately.

What are the treatments?

Glaucoma is usually treated with drops which bring down the pressure within the eye. If these are not successful in stopping the progression of the glaucoma, your consultant may consider other options, such as laser or surgery, though this is rare.

It is rare for people to lose their vision due to glaucoma, as long as it is diagnosed and treated.

Age-related Macular degeneration, or AMD, is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK.

It is caused by age changes at the back of the eye, affecting the macula, which is the most sensitive part of the retina that makes up the central part of your vision. These age changes can alter the vision in a number of ways, most commonly causing distortion in the vision.

What can cause AMD?

Age-related macular degeneration can run in families. It is recommended that you have regular sight tests if you have a parent or grandparent with AMD. We suggest our Enhanced Eye Examination, as OCT scans are included in this test. This allows us to have a more thorough and in depth check of the macula and other ocular structures.

Lifestyle can also affect your chances of developing Macular Degeneration. People who smoke are up to four times more likely to develop AMD than people who do not. Sun damage to the eyes also makes AMD more likely.

How can I avoid developing AMD?

The best ways to avoid AMD are:

• Not smoking and avoiding second hand smoke
• Protecting your eyes from the sun with sunglasses and a brimmed sunhat
• Eating a varied diet with lots of brightly coloured and green leafy fruits and vegetables.

Presbyopia, or the need for reading glasses, is a normal and natural process – though it can be very annoying!

The lens inside the eye is flexible in childhood. This means that it can change its shape, altering the focus so that you can see near tasks like books and phone screens.

This lens is the only part of your body which never stops growing. Due to this, the lens becomes more and more dense over time. It eventually becomes so dense that it can no longer change its shape to focus close tasks – this is when you begin to need reading glasses.

People usually begin to struggle with reading when they are between 40-45 years old. This may be earlier if you are long sighted, or later if you are short sighted. It gradually worsens over time, and you will need to update your prescription every two years or so, until things stabilise at around 70 years of age.

If you have any trouble with your vision, please contact us to arrange an appointment.

Both Bifocals and Varifocals allow you to see more than one distance. This is different to distance and reading glasses, which only focus one distance.

Bifocals

Bifocals focus two distances – far away from you, eg. road signs and television; and near, eg. books and magazines.

Bifocals have a line across the lower part of the lens. Above the line, the lens focuses the distance vision. Below the line, the prescription is designed to help you see close work.

This line is visible to other people, so they can see that you are wearing a bifocal lens. Some people also find it strange having a sudden change within the lens, from distance to near. However, most people get on well with bifocals.

Varifocals

Varifocals focus many distances, including distance, intermediate (eg. computer distance) and close.

Varifocals do not have a line on the lens; instead, the lens changes strength gradually. The lens is designed so that you can see the distance when you are looking straight ahead, you can see intermediate distance slightly below this, and the reading portion of the lens is slightly lower still.

Varifocals do take some getting used to. However, most people find them convenient and easy to use.

If you would like to try Bifocal or Varifocal lenses, please contact us on the number at the bottom of this page!

Most patients are delighted with the results of their cataract surgery, though it can take between three to six weeks to completely recover from the procedure

After surgery, patients say that:

• Things are clearer (once they have their updated vision correction)
• Glare is not as noticeable or as annoying
• Colours seem brighter and more distinct

If you have another condition affecting your eyes, such as macular degeneration, diabetes or glaucoma, you may still have limited vision, even after successful surgery. Your optometrist and ophthalmologist will discuss with you at your appointment.

Cataracts are caused by the lens inside your eye becoming clouded over time. This happens to everyone eventually, though it can happen sooner in people who have diabetes, have been exposed to a lot of UV light, or have had trauma to the eye.

The most common symptom of cataracts is blurred vision. Other common symptoms are: glare from lights at night, eg. while driving when it’s dark; colours looking different (eg. what looks cream to you may seem white to someone else); haloes around lights.

If you notice any of these symptoms, please contact us to arrange an appointment.

If you have cataracts, your optometrist will let you know during your sight test. In the early stages, nothing needs to be done except to have the eyesight and eye health monitored. Eventually, though, the cataract will need to be removed with surgery.

If you require referral, your optometrist will ask you to return on another day for a followup appointment. During that appointment, they will put drops in the eyes which will make your vision blurred – therefore you should not drive to that appointment. At this appointment they will double check their findings and discuss the cataract surgery procedure with you, allowing you time to ask any questions that you might have. Following this appointment, they will refer you to a consultant ophthalmologist for cataract surgery.

You can choose between being referred on the NHS, or privately. The NHS waiting list in Cardiff and Vale Health Board is currently about two years long, though they are working hard to bring this time down. If you would prefer to go privately, you will generally be seen within two months.

At the assessment you will be asked about your vision problems and their effect on your quality of life. The ophthalmologist and their team will examine your eyes and take some measurements of your eye (Biometry) to help them decide which lens would give you the best vision. They will take this into account when selecting the plastic implant lens that will be inserted during the operation. A nurse will go through some relevant health checks and talk you through the procedure and answer any questions you may have. 

If surgery is offered and you decide to go ahead, a date will be arranged for surgery. 

The surgery will normally take 10-20 minutes. Most cataract operations are performed under a local anaesthetic, so you’ll be awake. Most people say that they can only see a bright light during surgery, while some say that they see a little bit of movement (though nothing specific). Your ophthalmologist and anaesthetist will make sure you don’t feel anything, as well as talking you through everything they’re doing. 

Your ophthalmologist will make a very small cut in the eye to remove the cataract and then replace it with an artificial lens. In most cases stitches aren’t needed. After the operation, you’ll initially need to keep your eye covered to protect it from any accidental damage. You can go home the same day, but you won’t be able to drive. Someone will need to look after you for about 24 hours after your procedure. 

After cataract surgery, you will be mobile, but you will need to make sure that you rest. It’s normal to experience some itchiness, sticky eyelids, or fluid discharge during this time.  

Mild discomfort can be managed by taking paracetamol as advised. After a few days even mild discomfort should begin to disappear, and in most cases, healing will take about two to six weeks. 

During recovery you’ll need to wear a plastic shield at night to protect the eye when sleeping. You’ll also need to use eye drops for about four weeks to reduce inflammation and prevent infection.  

Your ophthalmologist will discuss all these details with you during your appointment and will advise on the follow-up care they recommend. Unless you are a complex case, this is usually provided by optometrists (like us!) four weeks after your surgery. 

Cataracts are caused by the lens inside your eye becoming clouded over time. Cataract surgery involves removing this lens and replacing it with a clear plastic lens.

The consultant who does your surgery will measure your eye and take your prescription into account. This will help them choose what lens to put into your eye, as they will usually try to correct your distance vision with the new lens. This means that you should be able to see well in the distance without glasses (though there is sometimes a small prescription left over). You will still need reading glasses to help with the close work.

Your consultant may offer to leave one or both eyes short sighted after the surgery, especially if you were already short sighted before. This will mean that you can see to read close up without glasses on. However, you will need glasses to sharpen the distance vision.

If you opt to have your cataract surgery done privately, you can have a varifocal-style lens used to replace your cataract. These lenses help you to focus both at near and distance, meaning that ideally people do not to wear glasses after having these lenses (though some people do find their vision is a little better with glasses still). These lenses can cause a halo effect around lights, especially in the dark. There is usually an additional cost for these lenses.

You should always have a sight test about four weeks after your cataract surgery so that your vision can be checked and you can be provided with glasses if necessary.

If you have any queries, please get in touch.

Cataract surgery is extremely common, with millions of patients having it done every year. Most surgeries are successful, though there is always a slight risk of infection or other complications.

The risk of complications is estimated at around 1 in 50 cases. These can include: blurred vision, some loss of vision, detached retina – where the thin layer at the back of your eye (retina) becomes loose. 

Most of these serious complications can be treated with medicines, laser treatment or further surgery. 

There is a very small risk (around 1 in 1,000) of permanent sight loss in the treated eye as a direct result of the operation. 

These risks will be discussed with you by your optometrist before you are referred to an ophthalmologist.  They will be discussed again in the Eye Clinic and you will be asked to give consent for surgery.