Common Conditions

What if you see well, but your brain doesn’t find it easy to process what it’s seeing? This can be hugely frustrating, especially for children in their formative years as they are trying to absorb so much. Tasks that come naturally to so many, such as reading, writing, balance and coordination, can cause huge issues for some.  So much more than good eyesight  For example, catching a ball requires the person to firstly see the ball, process how far away the ball is, how quickly it is travelling and consequently, when it will reach their hands, the brain then tells the hands when and where they need to move to clasp the ball. So much of this relies on quick and accurate visual processing. Similarly, reading requires the eyes to see the letters clearly, group them correctly, tell the brain what they have seen, then the brain has to process these letters in a recognised sequence. As such, we are relying on many processes to take place for each word to be read correctly.      Does your child show signs of visual stress?  Visual stress is what happens when these sorts of processing tasks are difficult resulting in strain on the visual system. The symptoms of visual stress can be headaches, blurred vision, as well as a general reluctance to do those tasks which cause visual stress. Possibly a resistance to read, avoiding sports requiring good hand-eye coordination and struggling in the classroom.    How could Vision Therapy help?  Behavioural optometrist Emma Drewery explains, “We use Vision Therapy to retrain the brain to respond better to what it is seeing – processing what a person sees more effectively. They could have perfect vision but still show signs of visual stress.”   There are currently only two fully qualified behavioural optometrists in Scotland.    Emma continues, “I trained in optometry but as my daughter showed signs of struggling at school, I started to look into whether her issues could be a result of visual stress. I found the techniques fascinating and soon decided to undertake qualifications in behavioural optometry. Over the years I have found Vision Therapy has helped so many people, removing barriers some think they just have to live with.”   Like physiotherapy for the visual system  It is usually support for learning teachers or other opticians who recommend that children might benefit from Vision Therapy, but parents or teachers can also refer children themselves. The treatment options are varied and tailored to the individual. In most cases, after the assessment, the patient is given a number of exercises to go away and do, much like if you went to a physiotherapist with back pain, but in this case it is about strengthening the brain’s connection with the eyes. Slowly but surely, the exercises help retrain the brain to see better, allowing the child to use vision without the effort and stress previously experienced.  In some cases, colorimetry may also be recommended. “Often when there are signs of visual stress a tinted lens or coloured overlay can be given to make vision more comfortable, especially for near tasks such as reading and screen work. Although the tint in the lens or overlay does not solve the reason for the visual issues in the first place, it can immediately help make using vision easier and less stressful, often improving visual performance at school and work straight away, so can work well in combination with vision therapy training.”   Who could benefit from Vision Therapy?  “We find many people experience some form of visual stress, particularly children, and if untreated, they carry the issues into adulthood. As you would expect, there are varying degrees of visual stress and Vision Therapy can have some benefits for many people. However, it is those who are struggling most who usually see the best results.   “Vision Therapy can help reduce the visual issues experienced with specific learning related disorders, such as those found in dyslexia and dyspraxia, and develop the visual skills in children and adults with Asperger’s and autism.”   Just as the brain can learn new languages, good vision can also be learned and developed if given the right training.   Emma Drewery runs a Vision Therapy clinic in Cameron Optometry. For further information visit cameronoptom.com/vision-therapy or email visiontherapy@cameronoptom.com.

A helpful step-by-step guide on how to take photos of your eye, should you need them examined remotely by your optometrist. This guide shows you how to take the six images your optometrist will require. Find out how to access emergency eye care.

Cataract is not a disease. It is a natural ageing process causing the normally clear lens of the eye to become increasingly cloudy. This happens at different ages and different rates in each person. In its early stages, surgery is not normally recommended as the benefits are likely to be small and would be outweighed by the small but real risks of surgery which are: 1 in 50 will for a range of reasons have a disappointing result, maybe worse than the level of vision before surgery 1 in 100 will have a poor result being left dependant on the other eye for useful vision 1 in 1000 will lose sight in the operated eye entirely 1 in ~10,000 will have to have an eye removed due to some devastating complication Left untreated, your vision will slowly deteriorate but you will come to no harm. In early and moderate cataract, the same result will be achieved whenever the operation is done, so there is no advantage to operating sooner rather than later. Only when cataract becomes very advanced does surgery become more difficult. The right time to have the surgery is only when you feel you are sufficiently troubled to justify the risks involved and we will help you to decide when this is. Please do discuss any concerns you have with your optometrist or email vision@cameronoptom.com. Find out more in this informative video.

Our team of optometrists has a strong track record in diagnosing and treating glaucoma patients. Glaucoma is damage to optic nerve at the point where it leaves the eye. Symptoms: Most cases of Glaucoma present with no visual symptoms which is why regular routine eye tests are so important in the detection of this disease. For rarer cases of acute glaucoma, the affected eye may become red, or you may see misty rainbow coloured rings around white lights or just a sudden deterioration in sight. There may also be nausea and vomiting. Glaucoma can cause headaches and tenderness around the eye Most at risk Age – Chronic glaucoma becomes much more common with increasing age. It is uncommon below the age of 40 but affects five per cent of those over 65. Race – If you are of African origin you are more at risk of chronic glaucoma: it may occur earlier in life and be more severe. Acute Glaucoma occurs more commonly in people of Asian origin. Family – If you have a close relative who has chronic glaucoma then you should have regular eye exams, particularly if you are over 40. Short sight – People with high levels of short-sightedness are more prone to chronic glaucoma. Diabetes is believed to increase the risk of developing this condition. Detection There are three tests to diagnose glaucoma all of which are done as part of a routine eye examination. Viewing your optic nerve either with digital retinal photographs or using a special lens and microscope designed to give a 3D view of the back of the eye. Measuring the pressure in the eye using a special instrument. Visual field test – where you are shown a sequence of spots of light or shimmering lines on a screen and asked to say which ones you can see. To discuss treatment please get in touch. Rest assured we have a highly experienced team of experts in glaucoma and state-of-the-art equipment to ensure you receive the best possible care. Find out more about glaucoma in this informative video from The College of Optometrists.

Put simply, as we get older, delicate cells around the macular become damaged and eventually stop working.The macula is found at the centre of the retina where the incoming rays of light are focused. It provides our central vision and the vision needed for detailed activities such as reading and writing, our ability to appreciate colour. Symptoms Because macular degeneration is an age-related process it usually involves both eyes, although they may not be affected at the same time. In the early stages your central vision may be blurred or distorted, with things looking an unusual size or shape and straight lines starting to wobble. This may happen very quickly (Wet AMD) or develop slowly over manymonths (Dry AMD) . You may be very sensitive to light or actually see lights that are not there. The macula enables you to see fine detail and people with the advanced condition will often notice a blank patch or dark spot in the centre of their sight. This makes activities like reading, writing and recognising small objects or faces very difficult. Prevention Macular degeneration is the most common cause of poor sight in people over 60 but never leads to complete sight loss because it is only the central vision that is affected. Vision at the outer edges of the eye is never effected. This means that almost everyone with macular degeneration will have enough side vision to get around and maintainsome independence. The leading risk factors for developing macular degeneration are age, smoking, and a family history of the disease. Other risks include having a light coloured (blue) iris, exposure to UV light, race, BMI and obesity, alcohol, cardio-vascular disease, statins and some hypertensive medication. While some of these risks cannot be prevented there is now good evidence that in some eyes that show the early signs of macular degeneration, nutritional supplements and changes in diet may slow the progression of the disease. Our optometrists can offer you the right advice on when these nutritional changes can help. If you are concerned about macular degeneration, or you have the condition in one eye and are worried that it may be developing in the other eye then you should visit one of our optometrists. They have experience in dealing with macular disease and are equipped with state of the art OCT scanners that in seconds, can look for early signs of the disease and monitor changes in the condition. If a hospital appointment is required they can arrange that for you, as well as providing advice on the best spectacles, magnifiers and lighting for your specific condition. Find out more about AMD in this informative video. Charles Bonnet Syndrome Up to half of all people with macular disease experience visual hallucinations, known as Charles Bonnet Syndrome. These may be quite vivid. They are caused by the brain trying to ‘fill in’ detail in the blind areas. These visual hallucinations can sometimes be quite frightening and confusing for the sufferer. However the symptoms do not last forever and do decrease over time. If you are concerned about macular degeneration, please get in touch.

Myopia Management (also known as Myopia Control) aims to slow the progression of myopia in children through identifying risk factors, making adjustments to lifestyle, specialised contact lenses, and occasionally with specific multifocal spectacle lenses. At Cameron Optometry, our expertise in contact lenses allows us to provide the most advanced options available based on up-to-date research, which has found Myopia Management contact lenses can slow the progression of myopia by over 50%. Myopia management is very unlikely to halt the progression, however the aim is that by the time your child reaches adulthood their prescription will be significantly less than it would have been if their myopia was left untreated, meaning they maintain as good vision as possible without their spectacles on and reduce their risk of serious eye disease in later life. Ian Cameron performing eye examination on girl An example is a nine-year-old patient who started with a low level of myopia (-0.50DS). Using the best available research we were able to predict that wearing glasses or contact lenses would mean they end up with a prescription of -4.85DS. However if they wore myopia management contact lenses from this point then on average they would end up as -2.72DS. What difference does this make to the child? Would they not have to wear glasses anyway? Yes they would however, if you have a prescription of -2.72DS then although your far vision is blurred without your glasses or contact lenses, you can see things clearly at around 35cm which is practical for reading, computer use and many near vision tasks. If your prescription climbs to -4.84DS then your far vision is significantly more blurred without your glasses and close things have to be brought to around 20cm to be seen clearly, which is must less practical for day to day tasks. In addition, with higher amounts of myopia you are at considerably increased risk or eye disease in adulthood over someone with less or no myopia. With a prescription of -4.84 you are around 10 times more likely to have a retinal detachment in the future than a person without myopia. This is reduced to four times more likely if you are -2.72DS. You can see from this that, whilst the contact lenses cannot stop the progression of short-sightedness, they can significantly improve how a person lives.

Colour vision deficiency Colour vision deficiency (sometimes known as colour blindness) is an inability to distinguish colours fully. It is commonly an inherited condition and carried through the mother’s genes (whose vision may appear normal) to sons in the main. Non-inherited colour deficiencycan be a symptom of diabetes, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular diseases (including high blood pressure), some liver diseases and many eye diseases.  These underlying conditions can affect the cones or the nerve pathways from them to the brain. In these cases, colour vision may be temporarily or permanently altered, often in one eye at a time. Difficulty in colour discrimination may be noticed along with other visual problems.Since colour vision changes can be an early sign of disease or a side effect of prescribed medication, if you are aware that your appreciation of colours is changing, it is important to discuss it with your optometrist. Managing colour deficiency Although nothing can replace a faulty mechanism in the retina of the eye, many colour defective people do learn ways of compensating for their difficulty over time. Many people find help, albeit limited, identifying certain colours that they would otherwise misname, with the aid of a small red or red-mauve filter of transparent plastics or glass held in front of the eye. This is best tried at home with a selection of transparent coloured materials, but it is not usual to prescribe tinted spectacles for this purpose, since only one eye must use the filter. A red tinted contact lens (branded the ‘Chromagen’ lens) can be worn in one eye to help colour recognition, but the results cannot be guaranteed. Further information If you would like more information on this special type of contact lens or if you think you or your child may be colour deficient, please make an appointment to see one of our optometrists.

What is blepharitis? Blepharitis is inflammation of the eyelid margins, the edges of the eyelid, which causes a range of uncomfortable symptoms including, dryness, itching, red skin, red eyes, tired eyes, and blurred vision. Blepharitis is commonly caused by an infection of the eyelash follicles and is estimated to affect 50% of people, to varying extents.Other causes can be underlying skin conditions such as rosacea or dermatitis. Demodex blepharitis is a very common sub-type of blepharitis caused by an infestation of the demodex mite.The demodex mites are extremely common and thought to be present in about 20% of people under 20-years-old rising to nearly 100% in people over 70. While they generally cause no problems, but in susceptible people they can cause symptoms of blepharitis. What can I do to treat it? For more severe casesthis chronic condition can be difficult to fully control through treatment at home. Our in-practice eyelid cleaning service offers the ultimate deep hygiene clean for eyelids returning them to their best possible condition which in turn makes home treatments more effective for longer. What is the service? Think of it like a dental hygienist visit but for the eyelids. Our specialist optometrists use state of the art tools and techniques to remove all crusts, debris and dead skin before unblocking any clogged glands and thoroughly cleansing the lashes and follicles. What does the service cost? A one off treatment costs £99 and takes about 45 minutes. Alternatively you can join our Vision+ programme to pay for the ongoing treatment of blepharitis. This includes all your other eye care and regular examinations as well as receiving generous discounts on glasses and contact lenses from £15 per month.

Cameron Optometry is accredited as specialist in the Edinburgh and Lothians for detecting and monitoring diabetes. Diabetes and the retina Diabetes patients are at risk of developing complications with their sight and eye health. The eye has a lens and an aperture (opening) at the front, which adjusts to bring objects into focus on the retina at the back of the eye. At the centre of the retina is the macula, which is a small area about the size of a pinhead. This is the most specialised part of the retina and it is vital because it enables you to see fine detail and read small print. Diabetes can affect the eye in a number of ways. Blurred vision Your vision may become blurred for a few days or weeks while your diabetes is first being controlled. This is due to the swelling of the lens of the eye and will soon clear without treatment soon after the diabetes is controlled. Cataracts Young people with diabetes very occasionally develop a special type of cataract. Older people with diabetes can be especially prone to developing cataracts. Cataracts can be successfully removed by surgery. Diabetic retinopathy The most serious diabetic eye condition involves the retina and is called diabetic retinopathy. It is very common in people who have had diabetes for a long time. There are two types of diabetic retinopathy which can damage your sight, maculopathy, when the blood vessels in the retina start to leak and proliferative diabetic retinopathy,when the blood vessels in the retina to become blocked. Without treatment, total loss of vision can occur in proliferative retinopathy. Prevention Although your vision may be good, changes can be taking place to your retina that need treatment and because most sight loss in diabetes is preventable: Early diagnosis is vital Have an eye examination every year and as soon as you notice any change in your vision Do not wait until your vision has deteriorated to have an eye examination Ensure you go to an optometrist or optician with specialist experience in treating patients with diabetes.

Punctal plugs for dry eyes Anyone who suffers from dry eyes will know just how uncomfortable the condition can be. Symptoms such as burning, gritty, red eyes are common and vision can be reduced in severe cases. The primary reason for dry eyes is either poor quality tears, or too few tears being produced.The use of lubricating drops and ointments play an important role in soothing dry eyes. However these do not cure the cause of dry eyes and even frequent use may not resolve the discomfort fully. How can punctal plugs help? When there is a lack of tears, a longer-term solution could be punctual plugs.Punctal plugs are inserted into the drainage channel (puncta) on the eyelid, preventing the escape of tears from the surface of the eye. At Cameron Optometry we use absorbable, extended duration punctal plugs. These plugs are composed of materials that gradually dissolve in the drainage channels of the eye, and last up to three months. Some causes of dry eyes are not permanent and one benefit of absorbable punctal plugs is that they need only be replaced as required. If the temporary plugs are effective, you may, in consultation with the optometrist, wish to try a permanent punctal plug which stays in place indefinitely but can be removed if required. We recommend this type of plug for people who have successfully worn the dissolvable type first.The insertion procedure is quick and comfortable and is performed in the practice. Once the plugs are fitted you are unable to feel them in your eye. What do punctal plugs cost? Punctal plugs are one of the many treatments covered by Vision+ membership from £30 per month. For non-Vision+ members, prices start at £105 which includes the optometrists consultation and insertion of three-month absorbable plugs. Please contact us at the practice if you wish to discuss your suitability for the procedure.

What are flashes and floaters? Floaters look like small, dark spots or flecks that appear to move around the eye. They are more common if you are myopic (short-sighted) or if you have had eye surgery such as cataract surgery. Flashes look like random flashes of light in the eye, often in an arc shape in your peripheral vision, and more obvious at night or in low light levels. They are usually as a result of the movement of the vitreous jelly which fills the eyeball and is attached to the retina at the back of the eye. Should you worry about flashes and floaters? Both are very common, especially in older people, and more often than not they are nothing to worry about. If they are bothersome, dark glasses have been found to minimise the presence of floaters and you can discuss options with your optometrist. When floaters are new they are at their most obvious but, with time, they become smaller and we learn to ignore them. However occasionally flashes and floaters can be a sign of retinal detachment, a condition which requires urgent attention. You should contact your optometrist for advice if you experience the following: a sudden increase in floaters, especially if combined with flashing lights a large floater that you haven’t noticed before. If you experience either of the following: a shadow, often called a curtain effect, spreading across your vision in one eye flashes and floaters which appear after you have had a blow to the eye, then you should seek advice immediately from an optometrist and if one isn’t available you must visit another medical professional, such as your A & E department urgently. See our page on Emergency Eye Care for further information on what to do if you notice experience any of these symptoms. For more information on flashes and floaters the College of Optometrists has produced this informative video.