From 1 April 2006 the Scottish Executive has announced a new contract with Optometrists which will see soe significant changes in how eyecare is provided in Scotland.  Everyone will now be entitled to a free eye examination, irrespective of age, ocular history or income.

We were delighted to sponsor Catherine Redgate, a local student who wanted to take part in a trek in the Andes in aid of the local Highland Hospice.  Read about her journey here.

The Healthcare Commission today published a study which suggests that half a million people in the UK may be unaware that they have diabetes, and that less than 50% of diagnosed people in England are receiving regular eye examinations, putting them at risk of going blind.

For more about this report, see the Healthcare Commission website.

We participate in NHS Highland's Diabetic Retinal screening programme which means that any of our patients referred to us by their GP's receive annual retinal screening to detect any changes induced by their condition so they can be referred for appropriate treatment.

Anyone who has seen the most recent version of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" starring Johnny Depp will no doubt have marvelled at the amount of liquid chocolate needed to make the film.

But looks are deceiving, as the "chocolate" is in fact a concoction made by a contact lens solution company called Vickers Laboratories.  The concoction is a formula of hydroxyethyl cellulose, organic pigments and the food grade biocide (if that means anything to you!), and apparently tastes nothing like chocolate - more like water according to the chief executive Julian Driver.  1.25 million litres of chocolate mixture were used in the making of the film.  The company have also made fake blood for the films Band of Brothers and Troy. 

Hot on the heels of the new GDx instrument, we now have only the fourth Optomap® retinal imaging system in Scotland.  Optomap® allows us an unprecedented view of the retina with no drops needed to dilate the pupil.  Click for more....

We now have the very first instrument of its kind installed in Scotland for early diagnosis of glaucoma, a sight threatening condition which if caught early can be treated. Click for more.....

COMPETITION CLOSED END JULY 2005 - thank to all who entered.  £20.05 raised for Guide dogs.

We are participating in the shades for a day fundraising/awareness day run by the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity this month.

We have just taken delivery of some new additions to the very popular Bebe range, a very contemporary look in plastic or metal for the younger female.

Also new to us are Norville's Collection frames, in a range of styles suitable for the guys or girls of all ages. 

25.1.05  Happy Burn's Day to one and all!

These economy frames come in a wide range of styles to suit all ages and both sexes.  They start at only £59.95 for single vision, £79.95 for bifocal and £99.95 for budget progressive lenses. 

It's very easy to test someone's colour vision and make a diagnosis of defective colour vision.  However, to illustrate to a sufferer of defective colour vision or the parents of a colour defective child the practical effects on the vision is rather more complicated.

We have two books newly arrived which illustrate the effects of colour vision deficiency in a most practical way.  These are:

We are happy to lend these books out to any of our patients for a couple of days.  Please enquire at reception when you're next passing.

See our 18 new Harry Potter frames, each of which comes complete with its own extremely nice and tasteful case with Harry Potter on display.  £45 in addition to the NHS Voucher value, single glazing included.  

The weather sadly let down the many people who braved the early morning to go to Dunnet Head and many other Far North locations to witness the eclipse, but we'd like to say to all of you who visited especially from far afield - don't leave it until the next eclipse to come back and visit us here in Caithness!  This is a busier place than many think and the local community website has vast amounts of information about the area so you can't fail to want to come back.  They also have some lovely photographs of the eclipse taken at Strathy. 

The growth of laser eye surgery could lead to an increase in litigation against eye specialists, doctors’ groups said yesterday (26/05/03). The Medical Defence Union (MDU), the UK’s largest insurer for doctors, revealed that lawsuits over the technique have more than doubled in the past six years. The MDU said many claims were due to patients’ “unrealistic expectations" as a result of exaggerated benefits and a higher failure rate than acknowledged by many clinics.
The Independent 27/05/03; p.4

We have just taken stock of some supplies of multivitamin tablets called Visionace®  particularly recommended if you have been diagnosed with macular degeneration or cataracts. The product manufacturers claim the following reasons for its helpful properties:

"Antioxidant nutrients such as vitamins C, E and natural mixed carotenoids also help prevent oxidative stress, which is a leading mechanism of ageing of eye tissues. Both the retina and lens are believed to be at risk of oxidation from free radicals. These are produced by many factors including sunlight or cigarette smoke. Our in-built repair mechanisms which fight such free radical damage become progressively less effective as we get older, and for a significant minority, these signs of ageing lead to degeneration of the macula, the part of the retina responsible for detailed vision. Cloudiness or fogging of the eye lens is also thought to mediated by free radical damage. The antioxidants in Visionace® help to prevent oxidation, and may therefore be beneficial to eye health."

We have been asked if we are stocking any special glasses or filters so people can watch the forthcoming eclipse on 31 May in the early hours.  The eclipse is apparently to be best viewed from along the north coast of Scotland where we are.

Having done some research we have to say that watching the eclipse is NOT something we recommend you do directly as unless you have specialist well fitting equipment there is still a chance you could damage your eyesight.  But there are ways round this and if you want to read more, see our guide which is based on a leaflet issued by the RNIB for the 1999 eclipse.

Of course, knowing the fickle nature of our weather maybe none of us will see anything!

New "Ideals" Two for One offer may be just the answer!

We have now taken in new stock for the latest two for one offer from Norville.  From a range of six frames which come in different colour ways, you can have two complete pairs of spectacles with identical prescriptions made up for the price of one pair.

If you have a hearing aid then you might be interested to know that we have just had a mains powered hearing induction loop installed a the reception counter, to make life easier for those with hearing loss.

The system, supplied by Mini Loop Systems Limited, has a range of 1m which means you can rest assured that if you are discussing personal details with our receptionist they will not be heard by other hearing aid users outwith the 1m zone.  Just switch your hearing aid to the T position when you come up to the desk.

Patients undergoing laser eye surgery are not being told about the possible risks to their sight, according to Which? magazine. Around 100,000 people have corrective laser eye surgery in the UK every year, but a Which? investigation shows that not only can any doctor can carry out the treatment without specialist qualification but some practitioners say the procedure carries no risk at all. The Medical Defence Union and the Medical Protection Society are raising the fees they charge doctors working in this field because of increased compensation claims by patients.
BBC News Online 11/02/03

Our Comments:

Doctors in Singapore have made what they call a “groundbreaking" achievement in growing conjunctival cells. Donald Tan, of the Singapore Eye Research Institute, says, “We think we are the first to grow conjunctival cells specifically to use them for clinical transplantations."

"Open your eyes to possibly the lightest pair of spectacles you will ever wear" say Rodenstock, who have a range of rimless spectacles which we now have on offer at our Thurso practice.

Complete rimless spectacles with mid-index, anti-reflection hard coated lenses and a hard case.  Prices include VAT.

(*Progressiv life XS Perfalit 1.6 or Progressiv AV Perfalit 1.6) 

One of the most visited areas of our site, apart from the section on VDU usage, is the information on magnifiers.  It seems that many people need bigger images.  If you're one of them, make sure you check out our magnifier pages.  Whether you are a jeweller, student, teacher, college tutor, medical technician, stamp collector or other hobbyist, you will be surprised by our range of image increasers.  We can supply by post if that's easier for you.  

January 2003 sees the launch of the thinnest, lightest, resin lens in the world without compromising optics. The SPG 1.74 bi-aspheric is the latest offering from Seiko.

Goodbye and thanks to Deirdre!

Today sees our receptionist Deirdre's last day in the practice.  She is stepping down to do other things from today, and we wish her well on behalf of all the staff and patients. Deirdre has been with us for many years and has built up a good rapport with patients, not to mention keeping us in order!

On behalf of us all, thanks and enjoy your new life, whatever direction it takes, Deirdre!

View Point Highlands

Young visually impaired people in the Highlands now have a new and additional initiative to support them.  Its aim is to encourage them to identify and challenge barriers that they encounter while growing up and to network and support each other.

This initiative has been funded under the Scottish Executive's Innovation Grants Programme.  The bid for funding was made jointly by the Highland Society for Blind People and Highland Council's Education Visions Support Service. 

For more information, contact:

Scott Rae, Youth Worker, Highland Society for Blind People, 38 Ardconnel Street, Inverness, IV2 3EX  Tel 01463 233663    e-mail scottlistens2urviews@hotmail 

Thanks to those patients who bought the lovely Guide Dogs for the Blind Association's sunglasses pin badges, a total of £47.45 was put into the collection box for the Association.   We have rounded this up to £50 and the cheque is winging its way to the Guide Dogs.  Your contribution is much appreciated.

Please note that from Tuesday 1 October 2002 our practice will become a limited company, G A Henderson (Thurso) Ltd, company number SC201018, registered in Scotland.  This is a legal alteration but will not affect our operations or staffing.  To the untrained eye nothing will have changed!

Any legal or financial documents from this date will be assigned to the limited company and its own bank account, details of which can be supplied to other businesses with whom we trade, or to customers who wish to pay directly into our bank account.  A new cheque stamp bearing the title "G A Henderson (Thurso) Ltd" will be available to make the change easy for our patients wishing to pay this way.

If you have any questions about this change, or how it may affect you, please call into the practice and ask to speak to Carole.

Our most recent eyecare newsletter infocus is now available and will be sent out with the regular recall letters over the coming weeks.  Copies are also available in the practice.  If you would like a copy meantime, either check out the Newsletter page here or for a full colour paper version, email us and we're send one to you with our compliments, subject to availability (UK only).

This edition looks at 

Thanks to you all from Vision Aid Overseas

We have received a letter addressed to "All the Patients at this Practice" from Tym Marsh, Director of Vision Aid Overseas.  His letter reads:

The WHO (World Health Organisation) and other global groups have launched a major project aimed at reducing cataracts caused by solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation by promoting protective eyewear.  The initiative promotes protecting the eyes with wraparound design sunglasses or sunglasses with side panels to reduce the risk of the more than two million cases of blindness caused by cataracts worldwide.

Guide Dogs "Shades for a day

The National Association "Guide Dogs for the Blind"  are having a fundraiser/awareness day on 16 July entitled "Shades for a day", where the public are being encouraged to wear sunglasses for the day.   We will be stocking the Guide Dogs' sunglasses pin badges in our practice nearer the time (available for a suggested donation of £1).

 Check the Guide Dogs website for more details.