Prescription Glasses

Prescription Glasses – Good looking eyewear

The following eye conditions can be easily corrected with prescription glasses:

Long Sighted

Myopia (short sightedness)

Long Sighted

Hyperopia (long sightedness)

Long Sighted

Astigmatism (rugby ball shaped eyes)

Long Sighted

Presbyopia (aging changes requiring reading glasses)

These conditions are the common conditions requiring corrective lenses. We stock great eyewear. You’ll be looking good wherever you are.

Myopia

Myopia – (Nearsightedness)

Myopia is the medical term for nearsightedness. Nearsighted eyes see objects close up well but have trouble seeing objects far away. Myopia is known as a refractive disorder.

Refraction is the bending of light. When a light wave enters the eye, it is bent by the cornea as it makes its way through to land on the retina. Two different factors can contribute to myopia: the curvature of the cornea and the length of the eye. If the curvature of the cornea is too great, the light wave lands on the wrong part of the eye. Similarly, if the length of the eye is too long, the light will land in front of the retina instead of on top of it. The result is blurred vision; far away objects becoming blurry and out of focus.

Causes

Myopia is often inherited. There is also some evidence that a lot of close work such as typing, reading, lab work or sewing may cause myopia.

Symptoms

The first signs of myopia are the decreased clarity of a distant screen, problems driving at night, squinting or frequent eye rubbing. A diagnosis of myopia can be through a vision test by optometrist. If a vision problem is detected during an eye chart test, the retina may be examined using a retinoscope. This device shines light on the retina so one of John O’Connor’s optometrists can examine it more thoroughly.

Onset and Treatment

Myopia most often appears in children between the ages of eight and twelve and may worsen through the teenage years. Between the ages of 20 and 40, there may be little or no change in vision. After 40, vision may begin deteriorating again.

Common options for treatment are the use of prescription glasses or contact lenses. When other causes of nearsightedness, such as eye disease are ruled out, our optometrists in Newmarket and Henderson will use a phoropter; a machine through which our optometrists can present a series of lenses, switching back and forth between them to determine the best fit for corrective lenses. Full eye exams with our experienced optometrists start from $70 and if you get yourself a pair of great looking glasses from either of our Newmarket and Henderson optometry practices your eye test will be free.

There are other options for myopia which include Orthokeratology, also known as corneal refractive therapy: a re-shaping of the cornea using rigid gas-permeable contact lenses. Ortho-k is used by people with active lifestyles to give them freedom from having to wear prescription glasses or contact lenses during the day. These night time corneal moulds reshape the cornea while you sleep and they are removed when you awake to give you clear vision for the day. The optometrists at John O’Connor have had great success with this approach, particularly in children. Ortho-k has been shown by research to be effective for myopia control. These ortho-k lenses can reduce the rate of myopia progression by approximately 50% in children compared to spectacles.

Risks and Eye Care

People with myopia are at a higher risk for glaucoma and cataracts. Because of the ties between close work and myopia, it is best to limit the amount of screen time and make sure that any areas where close work is carried out, are well-lit. Give your eyes a break. Take frequent “eye rests” by staring into the distance about every 10 minutes or so for about 30 seconds when performing close work.

People under forty, should have regular, scheduled check-ups about once every two years with one of our eye care professionals. Those over forty should go once every year for regular eye checks. Schedule a consultation today with any of our qualified Auckland optometrists for a comprehensive eye examination. We have optometrists in Henderson and Newmarket.

Always see an eye care professional immediately if you have any sudden changes in vision. This includes darkening around the edges of your vision, dark spots in front of your eyes, halos around bright lights, a loss of vision in one part of your field of sight or any other noticeable change.

Hyperopia – (Farsightedness)

Hyperopia is another name for farsightedness. Farsighted people have trouble focusing on objects in general due to a refractive error in the eyes. In a farsighted person, either the eye is too short or the cornea is too flat causing the point of focus to occur behind the retina instead of on top of it.

Causes

Hyperopia, or farsightedness, is generally present from birth. However, the eye can correct itself naturally as it grows, the lens of the eye may change its shape to fix the eyes’ vision, a process called accommodation.  A long sighted person may need to wear glasses or contact lenses to correct their vision or they may need no treatment at all. Symptoms of hyperopia include headaches, aching eyes, eye strain and trouble seeing objects that are up close.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of hyperopia can be made with a complete routine eye exam by one of our Auckland optometrist. The exam consists of questions about the patient’s eye sight and a physical inspection of the eyes. Using a phoropter one of our eye doctors will determine the best fit for corrective lenses. When you choose a pair of great looking prescription glasses from either our Newmarket or Henderson optometry practices your eye test will be free.

Treatment

Prescription glasses or contact lenses will both correct your vision:

Presbyopia

Presbyopia

Presbyopia is also known as the “short arm syndrome”, the need to hold a newspaper or tablet at arm’s length to see it, and comes from the Greek meaning “trying to see as old men do”.

Presbyopia is the eyes’ diminishing ability to focus. Presbyopia is a natural part of aging and affects everyone eventually.

Around age forty the eye lens can lose its flexibility, resulting in a condition called presbyopia. People start having trouble with close work; any work that requires the eyes to focus on an object close to them. They may also have trouble seeing objects far away.

Causes

As the eye ages, the elasticity of the lens decreases and the lens itself may thicken. The ciliary muscles that hold the lens in place also decrease in elasticity. Another symptom of presbyopia is eye strain when performing close work, such as typing or reading in poor light.

Diagnosis

A diagnosis of presbyopia can be made during the course of a comprehensive eye exam. Reading glasses are a common solution for mild presbyopia. You can purchase reading glasses just about anywhere, but they are only temporarily effective because the lenses are not your prescription and over time that may do more harm than good.

Because the lens of the eye is slowly changing over time, periodic examinations by one of our optometrists are needed to update corrective prescription glasses.

 Treatment

Progressive addition lenses are the common treatment for presbyopia. Progressive lenses have three points of focus with a gradual transition in between for distance, intermediate and near vision to help with presbyopia. These progressive lenses have largely replaced bifocals lenses which have two points of focus, one for distance and one for near vision. Multifocal contact lenses can also be prescribed.
Reading glasses can also be worn for presbyopia and are normally only worn for close work. If the patient already uses contact lenses, the optometrist can prescribe reading glasses that can be combined with their contacts.

Because the process is continuous, our need for reading glasses will increase whether we wear them or not and whether we like it or not. Reading glasses do not weaken our eyes. Our stylish eyewear will make you look more youthful and even more stylish in the blink of an eye. Get yourself a pair of great looking glasses from either our Newmarket optometrists or our optometry practice in Henderson and your comprehensive eye test will be free.

If you have any sudden changes in vision, you should see an eye care professional at John O’Connor as soon as you can. Book an eye test by calling a Newmarket optometrist on 09 522 1283 or a Henderson optometrist on 09 836 1731. Free parking is available at Newmarket and both practices are open six days a week.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism is a very common disorder and is easily corrected with prescription glasses or contact lenses.

Most of us have some degree of astigmatism. In astigmatism, blurred vision occurs due to either an irregularly shaped cornea or lens. While slight cases of astigmatism may not need to be corrected, large amounts of astigmatism can cause blurred vision, headaches and eye strain.


Causes

Corneal astigmatism is much more common and caused by an irregularly shaped cornea. The cornea is normally symmetrical, but in astigmatism the cornea can become elongated like a rugby ball. This causes the light rays to split in the eye, never achieving a singular point of focus. Lenticular astigmatism is less common and is associated with diabetes as blood sugar levels can result in a change in the lens’ shape.

Astigmatism can be caused by injury to the eye and subsequent scarring of the cornea. Keratoconus, a disease of the eye that causes a thinning of the cornea, can cause astigmatism by changing the shape of the cornea.

Diagnosis

A complete eye exam will test for astigmatism. If you are experiencing headaches, fatigue, eye strain or blurred vision, you may have astigmatism and should be examined by an optometrist from John O’Connor. Treatment options for astigmatism include eyeglasses or contact lenses.

To check your vision is 20/20, book an eye test by calling a Newmarket optometrist on 09 522 1283 or a Henderson optometrist on 09 836 1731. Free parking is available at Newmarket and both optometry practices are open six days a week.

We deliver peace of mind about the way you see the world, your sight.

We offer high quality eyecare and friendly service at our optometry practices in Newmarket and Henderson. For your convenience both stores are open 6 days a week.