It is essential that you have regular eye checks to make sure that your eyes stay healthy. Some eye conditions can be detected early and treated successfully to prevent loss of sight.
We recommend the following checks:

• Pre-school vision checks for children
• Regular Eye Examination for adults
• Yearly eye checks for all patients with Diabetes
• Yearly glaucoma screening for all adults of 40 and over
• Emergency eye examinations

Pre-school vision checks for all children
It is essential that all children of preschool age, 4 to 5 years, are routinely examined to check that their vision is developing normally. Figures show that upward of 10% of children will have some abnormality that may require treatment, in many cases simply glasses.
Some children can develop a lazy eye (ambylopia) with poor vision. In many cases the early detection of this can improve the vision, with simple techniques such a patching of the eye for a short period of time.
After that, children should have a vision check every 2 years up to the age of 16 years.

Regular Eye Examination for adults
We recommend a routine eye examination every year from the age of 16. This is to make sure that your eyes stay healthy and to check that your glasses are up to date and giving you the best vision.
We offer a full eye examination, which includes a check of your glasses and a complete eye examination.
For our patients over the age of 40 we recommend this examination include some additional tests to exclude glaucoma.

Diabetic Eye Examinations
All patients who have diabetes need a yearly eye check to look for the presence of Diabetic Retinopathy.
Diabetes can affect the blood vessels at the back of the eyes causing diabetic retinopathy, which can cause loss of vision.
All patients who have diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, particularly if their diabetes is poorly controlled, they have high blood pressure or cholesterol, or if they have had diabetes for a number of years.
Additionally women who have diabetes and become pregnant can develop diabetic retinopathy and should have regular eye examinations throughout their pregnancy.
Diabetic retinopathy can cause damage to the back of the eyes without the patient being aware of the problem until it is quite advanced, which is why it is so important that patients are screened for problems yearly. That way, if any problems are discovered they can be treated promptly and the best vision maintained.
Diabetic retinopathy is much more difficult to treat if left until it is in an advanced stage.

The Vision Institute offers comprehensive eye checks for diabetic patients to ensure that any early problems with the back of the eyes are picked up and treated appropriately to maintain optimal vision.
All patients need drops in their eyes to dilate the pupils to allow a full examination of the back of the eye. Ideally patients coming for this examination should not drive for a short while after their visit.

Screening for Glaucoma
It is recommended that every person over the age of 40 has a yearly eye examination to ensure they are not developing glaucoma.
Glaucoma is a condition that causes the pressure inside the eye to become elevated, which in turn causes damage to the optic nerve at the back of the eye and subsequently, loss of vision. The visual loss that occurs starts in the peripheral visual field and most patients will not notice a problem until the condition is quite advanced and they have ‘tunnel vision’.
A yearly check will help to detect the problem early and treatment can be initiated to maintain good vision.
Patients are particularly at risk of developing glaucoma if they have a relative with the disease, are very short sighted or are afro-caribbean in origin.

Emergency eye examinations
Here at the Vision Institute we appreciate that you could have a problem with your eyes at any time and want to be seen promptly by an eye doctor. Therefore we offer an emergency service that aims to see you as quickly and efficiently as possible to give you peace of mind.
We would urge you to see an eye doctor as soon as possible if you have any sudden, persistent loss of vision or pain in your eyes.
Our emergency contact details are available in our ‘contact us’ section.