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eye care

blure eyecare

WHAT do WE DO AT BLUR EYECARE?

At Blur Eyecare, we are a team of optometrists and dispensing opticians who know our stuff! We are able to diagnose and manage eye conditions and offer tailored solutions for your eye care needs. We offer eye tests at our Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Rotorua and Papamoa.

What is an Optometrist?

In a nutshell, an optometrist is a registered health professional that performs eye tests.  An optometrist examines the eye and visual system in order to diagnose, treat and manage eye conditions.

Optometrists can prescribe glasses and/or contact lenses to correct a person’s sight. Therapeutic optometrists can also prescribe medications to treat a number of eye ailments.

If you have any concerns at all with your eyes, an optometrist should be your first point of call. Haidee, Stuart, Shannon and Lynn are our therapeutically qualified optometrists.

What is a Dispensing Optician?

A dispensing optician is a registered professional that transforms a spectacle prescription into real life eye wear.
The most important aspect of a dispensers' role is the interpretation of your visual needs and the communication of all options available to you.
The role involves frame & lens selection and all after-purchase services such as repairs. Our dispensing opticians have a keen eye for matching frames to faces and especially enjoy the process of matching your visual needs to the perfect lens solution.

WHY DO I NEED GLASSES?

As no two people are the same, no two sets of eyes are the same. Like people, eyes can come in all shapes and sizes. This results in what is known as a 'refractive error' (a need for visual correction by way of glasses or contact lenses.)

Myopia - aka short sighted

In a myopic eye, the image is focused in front of the retina causing objects at a distance to appear blurred. Short sighted people may have difficulties with driving vision, seeing the TV or reading the board at school. In some cases, buying a bigger TV doesn't solve the problem and glasses are needed!

Hyperopia - aka long sighted

In a hyperopic eye, the image is focused behind the retina. People with hyperopia often experience eye strain and/or blurred vision during near tasks. In some cases, distance vision is also blurre.

Presbyopia

Presbyopia is basically an 'old eye'.
With age, the crystalline lens loses its ability to focus or ‘accommodate’ which results in blurred vision at near. Arms aren’t quite long enough anymore? The culprit? Presbyopia. The main thing to realise is that everyone gets presbyopia and it is absolutely normal. Just remember: ‘three things in life that are inevitable are death, taxes and presbyopia’.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism is not a disease!
In an eye with astigmatism, the cornea or crystalline lens is toric in shape – i.e. more like a rugby ball than a soccer ball. Astigmatism can occur with myopia, hyperopia or presbyopia. Most people have a little bit of astigmatism.


BOOk an EYE TEST in tauranga, mt maunganui or rotorua

EYES ARE THE WINDOWS TO YOUR HEALTH

At Blur Eyecare, ensuring you have the best possible vision throughout your life is what we are all about. Many sight threatening eye diseases are symptom free, so we recommend an eye test every 2 years. As it is sensible to visit your GP for a check up for blood pressure and cholesterol even if  you are symptom free, it is also important for regular eye tests even if there are no apparent problems. Having an eye test is something that you should do on a regular basis, especially as you get older. Come in and have an eye exam today. You can book online or give us a call.

Even if you are experiencing no problems with your eyes or vision, a regular eye test can provide genuine insight into your overall health. Recent studies suggest that in the coming years retinal photography will be a better indicator for hypertension (high blood pressure) compared to even taking one’s blood pressure! An eye exam is important to address any visual issues, but it is also important from a health point of view. Therapeutic optometrists are even better equipped than your GP for any eye problems at all, including; red, sore, infected, itchy eyes or any form of eye discharge.

Below is a run down of some of the tests to expect during your eye exam:

  • Visual acuities – how you see with and without your glasses.
  • Detailed history – this will include questions about your visual tasks, past eye history, family eye history, general health and medications.
  • Phorias – this tests how your eyes work together making sure that the eye muscles are balanced at near and distance.
  • Motility – checking your eye movements.
  • Pupil function and response
  • Retinoscopy – a way for us to determine your glasses prescription without asking you any questions – an objective test.
  • Refraction – the good old ‘better 1 or 2′ part in which the optometrist finalises your glasses prescription based on your responses. Many people worry about giving a wrong answer. Don’t stress…we double and triple check everything and just remember…there is no wrong answer.
  • Tonometry – measuring your eye pressure as part of the glaucoma test.
  • Pachymetry measures the thickness of your cornea which is very important to accurately determine your eye pressure and your risk of developing glaucoma.
  • Slit lamp examination – high powered microscope that allows us to examine the front and back of your eye e.g. macula, optic nerve and cornea.
  • Visual Field Testing – to test your peripheral or ‘side vision’ if indicated.
  • Dilation – dilates or opens up the pupil of the eye so that we can have a better look into your eye if indicated.
  • Retinal photography – a picture tells 1000 words. Two yearly photos are taken on every patient for comparison throughout the years. This should be done on everyone!
  • OCT – measurements of ocular tissue with optical coherence tomography are performed on all patients. We use this machine to see what is going on underneath the tissue. Most other optometrists charge for this but we believe it should be part of any regular eye exam.

At the end of the exam we will discuss the results with you and any management options/treatment plans. 

Book your eye exam online today.