Professional Independent Eyecare Since 1935
Brewood: 01902 850206 | Codsall: 01902 846745 | Tettenhall: 01902 422096 | Wednesfield: 01902 733475
Eye Examination
Each examination, whether private or NHS, takes between thirty and forty five minutes and is conducted in its entirety by your Optometrist – we believe this is important as it allows greater continuity and accuracy.
Using a combination of traditional methods and the very latest equipment, we aim to give you the best possible vision for all your requirements and ensure the health of your eyes.
We offer private and NHS Eye Examinations , each tailored to the individual patient. Our optometrists each have only a small number of appointments per day, ensuring that every patient is given plenty of time and that all assessments can be done by the optometrist, not by unqualified staff.
The Eye Examination can include a wide variety of tests, including an assessment of visual acuity, binocular vision measurement, eye health checks by direct and indirect ophthalmoscopy, objective and subjective refractions, visual field examination, eye pressure measurement, pupil dilation with drops, colour vision testing, stereopsis and tests for macular function.
We offer specialist screening for Diabetes, Glaucoma, Cataract and Age Related Macular Degeneration, and are able to diagnose and manage other conditions such as Dry Eye and Blepharitis. Flint and Partners also perform DVLA screening at our Tettenhall Road practice and are happy to provide assessments for Dyslexia.
The cost of a private examination is currently £32.50 though many people are exempt from this charge:
* Children under sixteen years of age
* Children in full time education aged 16, 17 or 18
* Those on Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance, Working Family Tax Credit or Pension Tax Credit
* Those with Diabetes or Glaucoma
* Those aged 40 or over who are the Parent, Brother, Sister or child of someone with Glaucoma
Some of the above services are funded by the NHS whilst others, such as private Digital Retinal Photography are subject to further costs.
Macular Degeneration
ARMD is the leading cause of blindness in the Western world in individuals over 60 years of age and as yet, the causes are still unclear. There are two types:
DRY ARMD is the commonest, accounting for 90% of cases. It is slow to progress but does not as yet respond to treatment, although stem cell research may hold the key to treating this condition.
WET ARMD is less common but often has severe effects – in some cases all central vision can be lost in a few days due to the damaging effects of rogue new blood vessels in the retina. Read More…
Diabetes Screening
About one person in fifty in the UK is affected by Diabetes Mellitus or “sugar diabetes”. This means that the body cannot cope normally with sugar and other carbohydrates in the diet. (Royal College of Ophthalmologists, 1998) Diabetes is currently the leading cause of sight loss in the United Kingdom between the ages of 20 and 65 years (Kanski 1999) so regular eye examinations are extremely important.
Cataract Screening
A Cataract is the term given to a loss of clarity of the lens inside the eye - it is used to describe even the smallest dot to a complete opacification. It is estimated “65% of people aged 50 to 59 have opacities, and all those aged over 80″ (Elkington, Khaw 1988) The visual effects of cataract depend on the individual person, as well as the type, position and size of the cataract. Only when the vision becomes compromised is removal contemplated.
Glaucoma Screening
The Glaucomas are a group of sight threatening ocular conditions which are characterized by damage to the Optic Nerve, resulting in constriction of the visual field (peripheral vision). Glaucoma can be associated with high intra-ocular pressure, although research shows that this is true in only fifty percent of cases.