Prize Your Eyes...

Professionals in the healthcare field very often use long complicated words, and this can sometimes confuse their patients. We provide here an attempt to demystify some of the language.

Amblyopia

The medical term for "lazy eye".

Astigmatism

A condition which occurs when the front of the eye is toric (shaped like a rugby ball) instead of being spherical (regularly curved like a football). Both distance and near vision may be distorted. Sometimes people with this condition may suffer from headaches or be unduly sensitive to light.

Bifocals

A Bifocal lens has two portions of different focusing power. Usually the upper part is used for distance vision and the lower portion, which is smaller, is used for reading. Bifocals are increasingly being replaced by Varifocals.

British Optical Association

Founded in 1895, the BOA provided examination qualifications for ophthalmic opticians until 1980, when this role was taken over by its successor body, the College of Optometrists, which is today the single examining body for qualified optometrists. (Until that date it had been common for aspiring ophthalmic opticians to pursue qualifications from both the BOA and the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers).

Cataract

A loss of transparency in the crystalline lens of the eye. In everyday language terms, it is the slow onset of "misty" vision. There can be a number of causes, but by far the most common is age-related. If the cataract is impinging on your everyday life, your optometrist can refer you straight to an ophthalmologist.

College of Optometrists

The Professional, Scientific and Examining Body for Optometry in the UK, working for the public benefit. Its aims are:

• The improvement and conservation of human vision;
• The advancement for the public benefit of the study of and research into optometry and related subjects and the publication of the results thereof;
• The promotion and improvement for the public benefit of the science and practice of optometry;
• The maintenance for the public benefit of the highest possible standards of professional competence and conduct.

Conjunctivitis

The technical term for Pink Eye.

Cross eye

See Strabismus.

Dispensing Optician

A dispensing optician advises on, fits and supplies the most appropriate spectacles after taking into account each patient's lifestyle and vocational needs. A dispensing optician is not qualified to perform eye tests and prescribe lenses, but is able to fit contact lenses after undergoing further specialist training. Dispensing Opticians hold qualifications from the Association of British Dispensing Opticians.

Entropion

A condition in which the eyelids turn inwards, so that the eyelashes scratch the eye. Your optometrist can pluck your eyelashes to relieve this condition (we charge £10 per session).

Exophthalmia

The eyeball bulges forward, giving a pop-eyed appearance. The late actor Marty Feldman suffered from exophthalmia.

Eye Test

Eye examinations are carried out by qualified optometrists to check for sight deficiencies and eye problems. They normally take between twenty and thirty minutes, and usually have the following elements:

1. General information.  The optometrist will ask you questions like your age and occupation. He will ask why you want your eyes tested: is it a routine checkup, or have you come for a specific reason like a VDU screening;  have you got any particular symptoms or any problems with your current glasses?  If you have got problems with your eyes or vision, the optometrist will need to know what the symptoms are, how long you have had them. He will also ask about your general health, whether you suffer from headaches, currently wear spectacles or contact lenses, or have any close relatives with a history of eye problems. Additional information which helps the optometrist to make an accurate assessment includes your occupation, whether you play sports or have any hobbies.
2. External examination.  Next he will test your visual acuity (how clearly you can see) by showing you a chart and seeing how far down you can read. Your vision will be measured both with and without glasses or lenses in front of the eyes to check for any problems. The optometrist will do a series of tests to measure the type and extent of any problem with your vision. You will then be asked to choose between different lenses to see which ones help the quality and clarity of your vision.
3. Internal examination.  The optometrist will next examine your eyes internally, using an instrument called an ophthalmoscope. This involves shining a light through the pupil to show the interior of the eye.
4. Refraction.  The next step is to test the refractive properties of your eyes using a collection of standard lenses mounted in a refractor head. This enables the optometrist to find out your prescription.
5. Other tests may be carried out according to the circumstances. For example, those with an increased risk of glaucoma will have the internal pressure of their eyes may tested using a tonometer.
6. Prescription.  After the test the optometrist will discuss your sight and the health of your eyes with you, and make recommendations if you have any special requirements. If required he will make out a prescription for you for glasses or contact lenses and advise on the interval before you next need an eye test. If no correction is needed you will be given a statement to this effect. If the optometrist feels that the test has suggested a medical condition, he will refer you to an ophthalmologist.

FBOA

The Fellowship Diploma of the British Optical Association.

FSMC

The Fellowship in Ophthalmic Optics of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers

General Optical Council

The General Optical Council is the statutory body which regulates the optical professions (dispensing opticians and optometrists). The GOC's main aims are to protect the public and promote high standards of professional conduct and education amongst opticians.

The Opticians Act 1989 details the GOC's powers and duties. The education and training of optometrists and dispensing opticians is an important aspect of the GOC's work, and it manages all matters relating to optical training and examinations, including continuing and post qualification education.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is often characterised by raised pressure inside the eye which can damage the optic nerve - the nerve at the back of the eye. This causes a reduction of the field of vision and the ability to see clearly. If detected early enough, glaucoma can usually be treated. In most cases, eye drops will be prescribed to reduce the pressure in the eye, although in some cases an operation is needed.

There are three glaucoma tests that may be carried out by an optometrist to check for glaucoma:

1. Ophthalmoscopy - checking the appearance of the optic disc using an ophthalmoscope, a special torch for looking into the eyes.
2. Perimetry - testing the field of vision using small points of light to check for blind spots.
3. Tonometry - this test measures the pressure within the eye, using either an instrument that emits a puff of air against the eye, or by a probe that is placed against the eye, after it has been numbed with anaesthetic drops. (This latter method is the one we use in our practice because it is more comfortable and much more accurate.)

To aid detection of glaucoma, the College of Optometrists recommends an eye examination every two years, or more frequently if there is a family history of the condition. If glaucoma is suspected, the optometrist will then refer the patient to their GP, who will then refer them to an ophthalmologist.

Hypermetropia

The same as Longsightedness.

Hyperopia

The same as Longsightedness.

Lazy eye

This condition (technically called Amblyopia) involves a reduction in visual clarity, sometimes brought on by poor muscle control in one eye, and often both. The result is often a loss of stereoscopic vision and binocular depth perception. It is often accompanied by or associated with a "cross eye" or "squint" (Strabismus). Although it was once believed that the condition had to be treated at a critical age (up to about eight) it has been found that treatment can be effective at any age, though the duration of the treatment will depend on how long the condition has existed. This is another reason to recommend eye examinations in early childhood.

Longsightedness

This occurs when the natural tendency is to focus light beyond the retina rather than on it, and the eye has to make a compensating effort to re-focus. Younger people may find this effort less stressful than older people, but the compensation can often cause headaches when reading, even in younger people. In an older person, as well as making reading very difficult, it may also cause distance vision to become blurred. The technical term is Hypermetropia; Hyperopia is used as well.

Myopia

The same as Shortsightedness

Ophthalmic optician

A slightly old-fashioned term for Optometrist. The term is still in use by some but was largely abandoned because of the possible association with unqualified opticians after deregulation of the optical market

Ophthalmologist

A medical doctor who specialises in disease and conditions of the eye. Ophthalmologists often work in eye hospitals and hospital eye departments.

Opthalmoscope

See the entry for Glaucoma.

Optician

An unqualified seller of spectacles. Anyone can call themselves an optician without having any qualifications.

Optometrist

Optometrists are trained to test sight and examine eyes for signs of ocular disease or abnormality, as well as to prescribe spectacles and contact lenses. They also fit spectacles or contact lenses and give advice on visual problems. Optometrists may also share with appropriate medical practitioners the care of patients who have chronic ophthalmic conditions. All optometrists must be qualified and registered.

Perimetry

See the entry for Glaucoma.

Pink Eye

Infection of the conjunctiva (the membrane that covers the eyeball) which causes redness, itching and discharge.

Presbyopia

Literally, "ageing eye". As people get older, the lens of the eye thickens and loses its flexibility. This leads to a gradual decline in their ability to focus on close objects.

Shortsightedness

A condition which occurs when light is focused in front of the retina and causes distance vision to become blurred. Near vision, however, is usually clear. This condition often develops in childhood or adolescence and is commonly noticed for the first time when writing on the school blackboard seems blurred. The technical word is Myopia.

SMC

Abbreviation for the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers.

Strabismus

Commonly called "cross eye" or "squint", Strabismus is a visual defect in which the two eyes point in different directions. Because of this condition, the eyes do not aim simultaneously at the same object. This results in a partial or total loss of stereo vision and depth perception.

Tonometry

See the entry for Glaucoma.

Toric

A toric eyeball is shaped like a rugby ball, rather than like a football (see also Astigmatism).

Varifocals

Lenses with a change in power either over the whole lens, or with a change over an intermediate region between areas of uniform power. The shape of one of the surfaces produces this progression. They are the modern alternative to Bifocals (or to having two pairs of glasses). Their great advantage is that they give excellent vision at all distances: reading, intermediate, and long distance.

Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers (SMC)

One of the Livery Companies of the City Of London, dating back to 1628, the SMC awarded qualifications to ophthalmic opticians until 1979 when it joined forces with the British Optical Association and the Scottish Association of Opticians to found the College of Optometrists as a single examining and registering body for the profession of optometrist.