A cataract is a normal change that happens to everyone’s eyes over time. In that sense it’s a little like getting a grey hair! A cataract is not an eye disease at all. Cataracts can occur at almost any age but they tend to only start affecting vision in your 70s onwards. Where necessary there is a relatively straightforward operation to remove cataract, your optician can easily arrange this for you.

Really, the time to look at getting your cataracts treated would be when you feel your quality of life is being impacted by your vision. Maybe you don’t feel comfortable driving, or you can’t enjoy your favourite book any more, removing your cataracts will usually help. Until then, don’t worry!

Glaucoma is one of the many key reasons for seeing your optician. Most eye conditions cause symptoms, so people know something is wrong. The eye may be red or painful, vision might be recently distorted or blurred, the eyes may be watering. Glaucoma however is different. It causes no symptoms at all, you’re totally unaware you have it until a fairly late stage. By then it is much more difficult to treat.

An optician can identify glaucoma at a very early stage as part of your eye test and refer you for treatment if required. Often, drops are all that are required to treat glaucoma.

Remember if you are over 40 and have a family member with glaucoma you are eligible for a free eye test.

In all honesty, the terms “shortsighted” and “long sighted” aren’t great descriptive terms! They describe your situation while you are not wearing glasses. So if you are shortsighted, it means your “short sight” or your closer distances are usually clear but your distance vision (TV / driving etc) is blurred. If you are long-sighted, it means, without glasses on, your “long-sight”, your distance vision, is better than your close up vision.

There are many exceptions to all this though. It’s possible to be shortsighted yet still need reading glasses for example, but broadly speaking, shortsighted and long sighted describe your vision while you’re not wearing glasses.

Whatever your prescription or how it’s classified, we’ll give you the best possible prescription and vision.

The word “astigmatism” is a medical sounding term which often concerns people unnecessarily. Really it just describes the shape of your eye. The very front part of your eye, the clear part (the cornea) that is directly in front of the coloured part (the iris) is a curved surface. You can see this when you look at someone from the side. When you have astigmatism, you usually have a slightly steeper curve in the vertical direction and a slightly shallower curve horizontally.

Astigmatism is easily fixed with glasses and contact lenses and almost everyone has small amounts of astigmatism. It’s nothing to worry about and it doesn’t increase throughout someone’s life.

This is a commonly heard term and unfortunately can have a big impact on someone’s vision. It can start with just a feeling your vision has got worse over a period of time. Occasionally it causes you to feel that there is distortion on a line you know should be straight. So a window or a door frame may appear to “bow out”.

It’s so important to book an appointment with an optician if you feel your vision has changed or if there is distortion. It may be nothing of concern, but it’s only through a full eye test that you can be certain. One type of macula degeneration, the “wet” variety, can be treated. We work closely with the NHS and rest assured we’ll quickly arrange that for you if you need it.

It’s entirely possible that a person may be completely unaware that they in fact have blood pressure or diabetes. In these conditions, and many others, the eye examination can be the first time these diseases come to light. Both can affect the eyes and give telltale signs that are revealed by a full eye test.

If this happens your optician will refer you for the appropriate tests, usually at your GP and the treatment if required.

At Inner Vision we want your experience to be friendly and relaxed. This includes your eye exam.

Everyone is welcome. NHS and Private. We have the experience of examining all age groups as well as anyone with additional needs. WE will adapt our processes/test times to meet your needs to ensure your experience with us is positive and relaxed.

Your eye examination with us uses advanced technology including retinal photography, this allows us to look in far greater detail at the health of your eye and also allows us to monitor any changes during your successive visits.

All tests during the eye examination are conducted by the Optometrist. This means you will only see the Optometrist during the eye examination process. The test normally take around 45minutes, which allows you to express any concerns with your vision and for the findings to be discussed.