Mind, Body & Soul 


Is your sight important to you?


Do you want to make sure you can see well throughout your life? Do you want the peace of mind that your eyes are being well looked after?


Most people assume because it says optician above the door, you are going to get the same level of service wherever you go. While there are standards in place ensuring you get a basic sight test, technology has moved on at a rapid pace. Looking after your sight is not normally something we think about until it goes wrong, and then it’s often too late. If you are reading this then it has probably dawned on you that there is a better option.


Shining a light into your eyes has traditionally been the way


to assess the health of your eyes. This is similar to the basic photos of your eyes that most opticians now take. You can compare this to a dentist looking into your mouth and looking at the surface of your teeth. They look OK, but there may be some decay or an abscess developing which can only be seen with an X-ray, which is why most dentists on your first visit carry out an OPG (a full teeth and jaw X-ray). It is the same with your eyes, the traditional eye test offered by most opticians only takes a cursory look at your retina, however they should also be looking within and underneath the retina at the layers, nerves and blood vessels to ensure they look healthy. The difference between opticians and dentists is that we don’t use X-rays, you simply look at a small blue flashing light. It goes without saying that everyone should have this type


of comprehensive ophthalmic examination, but as yet, not all opticians have invested in the kit to carry this out. Buchanan Optometrists in Kent are one of the first opticians to offer a comprehensive ophthalmic examination.


Editorial by Buchanan Optometrists, Snodland


Sight Saving in Kent Do you want to maintain healthy eyes?


Is your sight one of your most important senses?


Do you want to ensure you have the crisp- est sharpest vision possible?


It amazes me how little val- ue people put on their sight. We all take things for grant- ed, until they are no longer there. Our sight


ception to this, but


is no ex- this is


one thing you would be lost without. Once your sight is gone that’s it - it isn’t com- ing back. This can be a grad- ual loss through age, glauco- ma, diabetes or any number of other conditions, most of which you wouldn’t realise are a problem until they start to encroach on your day-to- day life.


It isn’t all doom and gloom. Realistically the percentage of clients that have problems is small, but for those that do, it is incredibly important we detect these early, so we can treat and prevent any visual loss or try to prevent


any further progression of visual loss.


Isn’t a sight test enough? You would like to think so, but there is more to it than that. Having a basic sight test (often paid for by the NHS), is like looking at a second-hand


car, seeing


there is no smoke coming out of the exhaust, would you buy it? Of course not, you would want to know more about


it, you would


want to look at the engine, the service history, the inside of the car - everything you possibly could before you made a decision.


So why is just having a quick look at the top surface of your retina enough? This is what


sight test, your prescription is ascertained and there is a


is done in a basic


Alisdair Buchanan - Clinical Director, in his practice in Kent


cursory look at the health of your eyes - it can’t tell you whether there are any prob-      within the eye, it doesn’t al- ways identify glaucoma ear- ly enough, it doesn’t identify the early stages of macula problems, that’s just to name a few reasons!


When I started Buchanan Optometrists 14 years ago I decided we would invest in the best


equipment to


aid us in saving sight - and that’s what we did and con- tinue to do today. We have equipment able in


that isn’t avail- local hospitals. We


by Alisdair Buchanan


can screen your eyes much more


accurately, ensuring


you get the very best vision, and giving you the peace of mind your eyes are healthy, and someone is in control of monitoring your eyes, help- ing to maintain your vision throughout the rest of your life. Doesn’t that sound like a better way to look after your eyes?


This is why our comprehen- sive ophthalmic examination is so different. In total it takes about 60-90 minutes - much longer than a basic sight test, we discuss and resolve any problems you may have and explain all the results - isn’t that how you should be look- ing after your eyes?


Book your comprehensive ophthalmic examination


Call 01634 757307


Buchanan Optometrists 56 Malling Road,


Snodland, Kent ME6 5NB www.optometrists.co.uk


Mid Kent Living 35


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