Clarity Optometrists

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness and vision loss in Australia. One in seven Australians over the age of 50 (1 million people) show some evidence of macular degeneration and this will rise 70%, to 1.7 million, by 2030 in the absence of prevention and treatment measures.

Well known Australian of the year, ITA BUTTROSE is also Patron of the Macular Disease Foundation leading the fight against macular degeneration and is encouraging all Australians to:

• Have an eye test and make sure the macula is checked
• Never ignore any changes in vision
• Eat an “eye friendly” diet and lead a healthy lifestyle
• Donate to Macular Disease Foundation Australia Research Grants Program

Know the symptoms of macular degeneration, which can include one or more of the following:

• Difficulty with reading or any other activity with fine vision
• Distortion where straight lines appear wavy or bent
• Distinguishing faces becomes a problem
• Dark patches or empty spaces appear in the centre of your vision

Test for symptoms

Every Australian over 50 should have an Amsler grid in their home to test for symptoms of macular degeneration. The grid should never replace an eye test and any sudden changes in vision noticed while using an Amsler grid should be reported immediately to your eye care professional.

See your Optometrist on a regular basis to monitor changes in your visual system.

Back to school in a couple of weeks here in Australia! We have eaten our fair share of Christmas food, played beach cricket and welcomed in the New Year. Now we turn our attention to buying school books, new shoes, the next sized uniforms and we should all be thinking about getting our kid's eyes checked.

Australian charity, OneSight, estimates that up to 40% of children may have vision problems which affect their learning. OneSight estimates that more than 660,000 Australian school-age children have an undetected vision defect. Surprisingly we see children present every year with previously undetected visual problems that could have been impacting on their ability to learn. 

Kids should have their eyes tested before starting school and then regularly after that. The time between visits will be advised by your Optometrist based on family history and the presenting condition.

The most common vision problems affecting children are:
myopia (short-sightedness)
hyperopia (long-sightedness)
astigmatism (distorted vision)
Once recognised, these problems are usually easy to correct. 

A serious condition that affects about 2% of all children is called amblyopia, or “lazy eye”. Early treatment of lazy eye is important as it is not possible to correct after about the age of five and can result in permanent loss of vision from one eye.
In simple terms, lazy eye is when both eyes don’t see equally which can be caused by a squint or one eye being stronger than the other.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists strongly urges all parents get their child’s sight tested before the age of 5.

Do the right thing by your kids and give them the best chance at learning by getting an eye test before school goes back! 

Oue staff, headed by well know Paediatric Optometrist Dr Ann Webber, are ready to assist in any way we can. Call 3899 4044 to make an appointment.