With the recent good weather, I have seen an increase in patients reporting light sensitivity in clinic. This is termed photophobia. You may experience a sensitivity to very bright light, such as sunlight, or low light, such as incandescent lighting. Depending on the severity of your sensitivity, you can have a little discomfort or experience unpleasant eye pain.

You might have experienced it yourself; your arms are not long enough and you can’t read a book or text on your tablet or phone as easily as before. Starting at about the age of 40, your eyesight starts changing. It is called presbyopia. This is what happens.

When cared for properly, contact lenses can provide an effective way to correct your vision. Taking proper care of your contact lenses is essential. Conversely, failure to wear, clean and store your lenses as directed by your eye care professional increases the chance of getting germs in your eyes and causing complications.

According to figures released by the College of Optometrists, approximately 70% of the UK population wear spectacles to correct vision. For the swimmers out there fortunately there is a solution, prescription swimming goggles.

At Arthur Hayes, we have always invested in the very latest technology to help us identify sight-threatening conditions as early as possible. 20 years ago, we invested in a retinal camera producing a static photograph of the retina in great detail. In 2011 as optical technology continued to evolve we got our first OCT 3D retinal scanner and in 2022 we have now introduced the addition of Optomap.

Have you ever wondered why water comes from our eyes when we’re sad or tired or frustrated? Interestingly crying (or lacrimation) is one of the most unique and perplexing of human behaviours and it is the only physiological function that is unique to humans.

If you need glasses for reading or you have presbyopia whereby you need lenses for both reading and seeing things clearly in the distance, there are several choices of lenses to suit your needs. It’s important to make sure your lenses meet your vision needs to ensure the sharpest and most comfortable vision throughout the day.

Have you ever thought about cleaning the cloth that you use for cleaning your spectacle lenses? You should always use a proper cloth for your spectacle lens cleaning, but after a while, it does get dirty. Do you throw it away and get a new one? It is not necessary. Here are a few tips on how you can wash your cloth and reuse it.

Sometimes, we tend to forget how much we depend on our vision. Maintaining good health includes the protection of our eyes. Even though vision problems are often caused by age-related eye conditions, it does not mean we can neglect to care for our sight, even when we are youn’re young.