News Items from 2010
Mr Burnett Hodd and Sophie Taylor West have had an article published recently in Optometry today:
Read it here: Dealing with complex prescriptions and surgical cases
Staff News
Yvonne is now the proud mother of Chloe whilst Jason is now the proud father of Omar and Hayley is expecting twins later this year.
Our new dispenser Jovi has been with us for a few months now and is proving a great asset to the practice.
Caroline Burnett Hodd and Sophie Taylor West attended the Contact Lens Global Symposium in Las Vegas in January. They also visited the contact lens manufacturer SynergEyes where they received three days of training in fitting their hybrid lenses.
Caroline will be speaking about specialist lenses at the British Contact Lens Association's annual conference in May.
New OCT as part of the normal Eye Examinaton
The new OCT can also analyse the nerve fibre layer near to optic disc and help in the diagnosis of glaucoma.
In addition the new TopCon OCT 2000 allows us to take an OCT of the cornea of the eye for the first time. This will allow us to measure the thickness of the cornea and also to look at the angle of the anterior chamber. Narrowing of this angle is a precursor to developing glaucoma and measurement of this angle has become an important indicator when referring a patient to a glaucoma specialist. We are very excited about this development.
OCT of the cornea can also pick up infections and help judge the depth of any abrasions. It can also help diagnose conditions such as keratoconus. In the future we will be able to take an OCT of contact lenses on the eye which will assist in the fitting process.
An OCT of the cornea showing a foreign body
Currently - this test is charged as a 75 pound extra test and as a result we have only been selectively using it. However - we can now anounce that it is to replace the normal "fundus" photograph machine that we currently use and become the standard test for all of our patients at NO EXTRA CHARGE.
And there is more good news, the OPTOS test to look at the peripheral retina has been reduced in price to £45. Whilst a full visual fields has been reduced to £73.
Dispensing News
Technology in spectacle lenses has come a long way over the past 12 months. The introduction of Hoya's freeform technology has enable Hoya lens to produce a completely individually tailored varifocal. This basically means that this progressive powered lens, the Hoyalux ID Mysyle, allows the individual to see every working distance with minimal distortions. The feedback has been amazing with many wearers feeling as though their varifocals are simply single vision spectacles!
As with all of our varifocal lenses, we are pleased to be able to offer a non-tolerance warranty, giving you piece of mind that if they don't work out - you wont be left out of pocket. Essilor have introduced a brand new coating for their spectacle lenses, the Crizal Forte with Scotchgard. This fantastic multi-coat is like no other, not only do you get reduced reflections and more grease repelling properties but Essilor are so confident that this lens will not scratch, that they are offering a 2 year, no quibble warranty. Brilliant news for those of us who are maybe a little more heavy handed with their spectacles!
Our selection of ophthalmic frames is constantly being updated. We are still one of the few practices in London to exclusively stock the Lindberg Precious Metal range. Solid 18-carat gold and platinum frames available with buffalo horn, diamonds or simply solid gold. Lindberg frames are handmade and individually crafted to fit the wearers face. Diamonds are of the highest quality of Top Wesselton WS diamonds, known for their clarity and beautiful colour. Check out their collection at www.lindberg.com. Due to arrive in April is the new sunglass collection from Lindberg - a must see for those who love Lindberg!
Our latest addition to the fashion range is DSquared2. Launched in September 2009 by Canadian twins Dean & Dan Caten, this high fashion, lifestyle range offers style with the quality of Italian workmanship. Their ophthalmic range is arriving to our practice at this very moment.
Face a Face Eyewear are now part of our collection. Designed in Paris using themes of architecture, international fashion and contemporary design, Face a Face have bought us fun and colourful designs with unbelievable comfort. All frames are hand made, hand polished and a beautiful work of art! Visit their website www.faceaface-paris.com.
We are sure most of you have seen, or at least heard of Rayban - well we have just taken account of their entire collection. Classic sunglasses, high quality lenses and super comfy. One of the few manufactures offering their original G15 lens, the only lens to protect against Infra-Red light rays. We expect the range including their new ophthalmic range in the next week
Contact Lens News
Johnson & Johnson are now making their One Day Moist lens available for astigmatism and we already have the full fitting set in the practice. The Moist lens has a moisture holding ingredient that makes the lens very comfortable on the eye. This daily lens will allow us to offer more of a choice to people with astigmatism who would like to wear daily lenses especially those who suffer from dry eye or comfort issues.
Patients with high degrees of astigmatism, who have problems with the expense and fragility of longer use lenses will be interested in the latest offering from Spanish company, Ennovy. They have a custom-made monthly disposable soft lens called SAPHIR which currently goes up to -8.00D of astigmatism! We are trying them with enthusiasm as the lenses are 100% reproducible.
At the same time specialist lenses for distorted eyes - namely Synergeyes and SoClear (see Specialist lenses) are also suitable for normal eyes and come in a bifocal version with a central reading portion. Again - when they work they work well as the lenses don't move on the eye.
People with advanced keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, post surgery ectasia or very distorted corneas may benefit from the new Synergeyes Clear Kone lens. The lens is designed to vault the cornea differently from the previous design thus increasing our success rate in difficult cases.
New Equipment
Mr Hodd has a new Puffer!
Mr Burnett Hodd has a new toy in his room to replace the old puffer! The new machine still puffs but it also measures the corneal curves, your basic prescription, your corneal thicknesses and the distance between your eyes!
New camera and automated refractor head in Sophie's room
In Sophie's room she has the latest photographic slit lamp to photograph your contact lenses. She also has the latest "Automatic Refraction Head". This is a machine that 'tests' your eyes by twirling lenses in front of you, but in this case, unlike the old machine, it is all controlled by a keyboard and is linked into the test chart to co-ordinate the tests with your responses. Very clever - far too advanced for Mr Burnett Hodd! But Sophie and Caroline love it!