Eye examinations are an important part of your health and well being. Adults should have their eyes tested annually to keep their prescriptions current and to check for early signs of developing eye disease.

At Panoptic Vision, we have access to state-of-the-art imaging systems that offer an unobstructed view of the eyes' blood vessels at high resolution that enable us to detect early signs of chronic systemic conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension.

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After the age of 20, most eyeballs have stopped growing and changing and sight remains relatively stable from this time until the age of around 40 where most people experience problems with near tasks. 

 

Commonly, younger adults not needing visual correction will rarely get their eyes checked. The high use of computers while studying and in the workplace can cause binocular vision issues (2 eyes working together as a team). If not treated this can lead to headaches, eyestrain, fatigue, increased error rates, and poor concentration and attention. Comprehensive assessment of the focussing and eye-aiming muscles will indicate whether the muscles systems are coping well or not. Early intervention often means simple, quick solutions can be provided, rather than waiting for major breakdowns in the system and the symptoms that come with it. 

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Multifocal spectacles and contact lenses are available to allow for both clear distance and near vision. Eye health needs regular monitoring at all ages but particularly after the age of 40. Family history of conditions such as macula degeneration and glaucoma become more relevant and there are many signs of early changes that can be detected through a routine eye examination that can result in early treatment and much better visual outcomes. Many systemic (whole body) conditions such as high blood pressure, and diabetes can directly affect the back of the eye.  Other conditions such as arthritis, and anxiety can have ocular side effects from the medications for these conditions. 

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After age 40 the internal focussing lens starts to harden (cataracts) and the focussing muscles have to work harder if clear near-vision is to be maintained. People tolerate this for a while but as the lens continues to harden, and the muscles have to work harder and harder, vision fatigue symptoms (as mentioned above) start to occur, ending in blur.  Over roughly a ten year period the lens becomes completely hardened and during this time, spectacle support for near vision is gradually increased to keep up. For some people who don't do much reading/computer work, they will notice that they will need an increase in their prescription every 2-3 years but for others who need to do close work for many hours a day, they may need a change in their prescription more frequently. While the glasses themselves don't make your eyes worse, it is very true that your dependency on them increases. Your internal lens will harden whether you wear spectacles or not. Eye exercises can always help to keep the muscles strong and flexible as they can be, but the hardening lens will always end up pushing them past their physical limit. 

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Cataracts are a normal age change that start to become noticeable in your 60s with most people having them removed in their 70s. The same focussing lens that hardens during your 40s, gradually gets discoloured, yellowed and sometimes milky white, making your vision seem as though you are looking through a tint or dirty window. Cataracts are painless and often increase very gradually so it is  quite a surprise after one is removed and replaced with a new artificial lens  to see  how bright, colourful and clear the world now looks. There is about a 12 month wait list for cataract surgery in the public system and our monitoring of cataracts always takes this into account. 

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An optometric eye examination will thoroughly assess the health of all the areas of the eye from front to back and  if needed, a referral  to an ophthalmologist (eye surgeon) will be made. 

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At Panoptic Vision we have specialised equipment for taking digital images of  the back of the eye, a topographer to map the front of the eye and to provide an extensive tear analysis for dry eye assessment, and computerised visual field analysis for detecting any peripheral vision problems, as found in conditions such as glaucoma. 

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If you have any eye health concern we will provide thorough treatment or refer to a specialist as necessary.