Blog

It’s that time of year again – the time when we all make new resolutions- how many have you given up on already? How about a new image though? We have some great ranges of glasses, and if you don’t know what suits you our specially-trained, friendly staff can advise you on what sort of frame and lenses suit your face, colouring and prescription. There is no obligation to buy and we make the experience fun and relaxing. Book an appointment and we can help make a New You for 2016.

The practice is looking beautifully sparkly as we run up to Christmas, and we are remaining busy. I seem to do quite a few home visits at this time of year, travelling to patients who, through ill-health, cannot manage to come into the practice. I really enjoy my “days out”- people are very kind, and often cheery in the face of their difficulties.

In the midst of all the activities, spare a thought for your eye-health; eat up all those lovely sprouts (I really do love them) and carrots and don’t spend all day in front of the television- a little gentle exercise can give your eyes, as well as your tummy, a break!

Meanwhile, a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year to you all.

These are interesting articles I’d like to share with you:-

Hit the road with the right lenses for driving:

Vic reeves and the joys of specs:

How to choose a better optician:

Did you know that all Opticians in Scotland offer free NHS Eye Examinations?- so you can come to a small, friendly Optician’s practice like ours and get all the personal, individual attention you need. We tailor the examination to your requirements and explain our findings. If you need glasses we have worked really hard to discover great frame ranges to offer you, and we advise you on the lenses that best meet your requirements. If you don’t need glasses,we are still very happy to see you and reassure you about the health of your eyes. If you have any worries about your eyes or eyesight, or just need a routine eye examination, we are the people to come to- Lindsay and Johnson Opticians and Contact Lens Centre, Dundee.

I’m Alison, the one in the middle, and I examine eyes and fit contact lenses, take measurements and fit glasses, but I couldn’t manage this with out my brilliant support team of Lorna, Vikki and June (not pictured). They’re the ones who will answer the phone, warmly greet you when you come in, help you choose your new frames (and they’ve developed a third eye- pun intended- that seems to see exactly which is the right frame for you) and generally keep on top of the paperwork, boss me around and keep me right. I’m very lucky to have such a great set of optical assistants.

Contact lens materials and design have improved immeasurably over the last few years and people who had previously given up because of discomfort are now wearing contact lenses that they can hardly feel. I can only tell my own contact lenses are in because I can see so well when I’m wearing them! If you would like to discuss options and have a no-obligation trial please call us on 01382 224620 and we’ll be delighted to see (pun intended) you.

We find we’re seeing an increasing number of patients who have been told elsewhere that they are unsuitable for contact lenses- but with all the new designs available nowadays we’re having a great deal of success in fitting contact lenses to people who have been told they’re not suitable for them. We have the expertise, the time and the patience, so if you’d like to try ring us on 01382 224620 and book an appointment. We look forward to seeing you.

This week is National Eye Health week, when opticians all over the UK are publicising the message that VISION MATTERS- we tend to take our sight for granted, but it is very precious. The main messages of the week are-
have regular eye examinations, even if you think your vision is fine;
quit the habit (if you smoke);
be cool in the sun- protect your eyes from UV light;
eat well; we have recipe booklets to give away to the first people who contact us;
be screen-smart- take regular breaks;
keep as fit and healthy as you can.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact us in person, by phone or email.

Did you know that there are certain foods that are good for your eyes? The nutrients in these foods help build up macula pigment- the macula is the part of the eye that you use to look directly at something- and thick macula pigment protects against ageing changes. Good foods for the eyes are:- yellow foods e.g. egg yolks, sweetcorn, yellow peppers; dark leafy green vegetables e.g.. parsley, broccoli, spinach and kale; carrots (the one everybody knows about) and peas; grapes and melon; blueberries; oily fish. See if you can include more of these in your diet for healthy eyes.

In the course of my professional life I have come across two extreme cases where one child had got as far as seeing an educational psychologist and the other was in “Special Needs” because of poor reading- and neither could have read because they couldn’t see! No-one had thought to check! Children often don’t realise that they are unable to focus properly on what they’re reading because of an eye problem and just avoid close work as much as possible- sometimes this even contributes to behavioural problems. We make eye examinations fun for children and if glasses are needed, have a great range of children’s specs. Often all that is needed is some advice, or occasionally eye exercises.