What is OCT? OCT stands for Optical Coherence Tomography. In short, it's a way to look after the health of your eyes. It works a bit like an ultrasound scan, but it uses light instead of soundwaves. It also has much better resolution so gives much clearer images than ultrasound. There are 2 ways to simply explain OCT: Like having an MRI scan or your eyes. Or if you prefer a more real world explanation: Imagine the photo you have taken of the back of your eyes is the top of a cake. Having OCT scans done is like being able to take a slice of the cake and look at the different layers of it. EYE TEST Why have OCT done? In the realm of ophthalmology (medical eye care), few technologies have had as profound an impact as OCT. This imaging technique has revolutionised the way eye care professionals diagnose, monitor, and treat various eye conditions. Practitioners can now see much smaller changes than ever before, which when viewed next to the corresponding photographs of the eye, can be quite surprising when the photos appear deceptively normal. In other words, we can spot things that would otherwise have been missed. It can be incredibly helpful in diagnosing eye conditions such as: Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Glaucoma Diabetic Retinopathy Macula Holes Macula Oedema Retinal Detachment Plus many others besides. Are all OCT Scans the same? Of course some equipment is more sophisticated than others, but I would argue that just as important is the skill and knowledge of the person performing the scans. I believe all scans should be performed by a fully qualified optometrist. That is what we do here at EDGE, in every eye examination. I have worked at the big multiple chains in the past. Some of them do OCT scans, but the procedure is performed by shop floor staff. I've even seen these scans come through to my consulting room upside down! There are many different types of scans that can be performed. The best person to decide which scans are most appropriate is the optometrist. In Conclusion The introduction of OCT has significantly improved the standard of care. At this point, it should be part of any standard eye examination. Here are some key ways OCT has transformed eye care: Early Detection : OCT allows for the identification of eye conditions at their earliest stages, often before symptoms appear. This early detection is crucial for preventing vision loss and starting timely treatment. Accurate Diagnosis : With its high-resolution imaging capabilities, OCT provides precise and detailed images, enabling accurate diagnosis and assessment of various ocular conditions. Monitoring Disease Progression : OCT is an invaluable tool for tracking the progression of eye diseases. Regular scans help clinicians monitor changes over time and adjust treatment plans accordingly. Guiding Treatment : OCT aids in planning and evaluating the effectiveness of treatments, whether it's administering injections for macular oedema or performing surgery for retinal detachment. This guidance ensures the best outcomes for patients. Here are some of the kind of images we can get with OCT. Don't worry if you can't make head nor tails of them, that's my job! If you have any questions about OCT, use the contact forms on this website or email info@edge-eyewear.co.uk .

This is a big deal for me. Short-sightedness (myopia) is a big issue right now, and it's getting worse at an exponential rate. I could talk about it for hours! And write so much here you'd fall asleep before you were halfway through. If you want to know more, then a great place to go is the Myopia Control Awareness website. It's run by parents, for parents. Go and have a look. I'll wait... What is myopia management? What we're talking about here is slowing down short-sightedness in children and young adults. It's a big subject - too much to write about here. I'm happy to talk to people all about it with no cost and no obligation to buy anything. Just get in touch. The basic idea is to stop patients from becoming very short-sighted, and to protect the future health of their eyes. My story with myopia management I was a very early adopter when it comes to myopia management (previously known as myopia control). I've been doing it for over a decade. Considering most high street multiple opticians still aren't doing myopia management even now, this is something I've very proud of. There are multiple different types of glasses lenses and contact lenses that exist now to help slow down short-sightedness. This was not always the case, but even before these options existed I was prescribing contact lenses for myopia management. They were what we term 'off-label', meaning that we were not using them for the purpose for which they were originally designed, but if it helped to slow down short-sightedness and I had no other option, then that's what I did. My choices were always backed up with science and good evidence. Even now with far more options available to me, sometimes I still go 'off-label' in some circumstances. I am short-sighted myself, and so is my wife. We have two young children. The chances are that in future they'll be short-sighted too. I try to treat every child as if they were my own - whatever it takes top help them, that's what we'll do. I have ensured that I am accredited to fit various options to slow down myopia, whether it be glasses lenses, day contact lenses, or night lenses . This Brilliant Futures campaign is by the contact lenses company Coopervision. I actually presented an online lecture for parents on behalf of Coopervision. I still have the presentation, so if you'd like to see it send us a message via WhatsApp or email and I can forward it on. If you book in to see me you can see it live! What can you do as a parent? All children should have their eyes tested, even if there's no history of eye problems or short-sightedness in the family. If one or both parents are short-sighted then it's even more important, and ideally at age 6 your child should have a cycloplegic refraction. This is where drops are put into the child's eyes. Some practices will perform this as part of an NHS test. Some will not. If you are happy to pay to be seen privately then book in to see me. What if my child is short-sighted? Don't fret. As I said, I'm passionate about this so I'm happy to chat with you about it with no charge and no commitment to purchase anything. The good news is that there are optometrists like me (although not as many as I think there should be) that are here to help slow the progression of short-sightedness. The other good news is that if you're old enough to have kids then these options simply didn't exist when you or I were children - now they do! What age will it work until? That's very hard to say. It will be different for each patient. Often eyes will continue to be become more short-sighted until the patient's mid-twenties. So myopia management isn't just for kids. If you are short-sighted and lucky enough to be in you teens or early twenties, contact us and we can talk about it.

Imagine a world where you can experience clear vision without the hassle of wearing glasses or traditional contact lenses during the day. A world where you simply wear specially designed lenses while you sleep, and wake up with perfect vision the next day. Say hello to the innovative world of Night Lenses (also known as Ortho K or Orthokeratology)! What Are Night Lenses? Night Lenses have actually been around for many years. It is a revolutionary non-surgical approach that corrects vision overnight. These specialised lenses gently and painlessly reshape the cornea while you sleep. Simply take out the lenses and go about your day without the hassle of daytime lenses, glasses, or laser procedures. What Prescriptions Do Night Lenses Work For? Night Lenses are for correction of short-sightedness with or without astigmatism. Who Can Wear Night Lenses? Really, most short-sighted patients. The youngest we have fitted is 7-years old. The oldest is in their 50s, but there's no upper limit to age. Modern ortho-k lenses can correct as much as -10.00D of short-sightedness with up to -3.50D of astigmatism. Why Choose Night Lenses? Oh, for so many reasons. No more glasses or daytime lenses. No need for laser surgery. Ease of use. Whether it’s being able to see underwater, play sports without rain-splattered specs, or the fear of losing your lens, working without dry eyes from daytime contact lenses - all of these problems are a thing of the past with Night Lenses. Sick of how much extra hassle and expense is involved with getting prescription sunglasses? That will be a thing of the past. Buy your sunglasses straight off the shelf! There's also the big one of controlling your child’s myopia (see below). Myopia Management Myopia is the scientific term for short-sightedness. Wearing Night Lenses has been scientifically proven to slow down myopic progression. There is a separate blog post all about this. It is called Myopia Management . I have fitted many children with Night Lenses with the intent of slowing down their prescriptions. The results are excellent! I fitted my friend's daughter when she was 8 years old. She's now about to turn 11 and her prescription is the same as it was when she was 8. If she'd been wearing traditional glasses or contact lenses this almost certainly would not be the case, her prescription would likely have increased significantly in that time. . My Personal Experience With Night Lenses? My prescription is not suitable for ortho-k, I am presbyopic. However, I fitted my wife with these lenses over 15-years ago and she absolutely loves them. She hasn't worn glasses once for that whole time. She loves the freedom to not have to worry about removing her soft contact lenses to shower, and they make such a huge difference on holiday. You do not want to be getting into any swimming pool with soft contact lenses on your eyes, and wearing glasses in the pool is a pain. No problem any more. Once she's awake and her lenses have been removed, to all intents and purposes, she has the same vision as a non-glasses wearer. How Much Do Night Lenses Cost? The fitting of the lenses has no upfront cost. The lenses themselves, all of the appointments needed to fit them, all of your ongoing check-ups and eye examinations, and any replacement lenses needed due to loss or damage are all covered by a monthly direct debit payment. Almost all of our ortho-k patients wear Scotlens lenses. The cost of these is £43 if the lenses are changed every 12-months, and £49 if they are changed every 6-months. Most people choose the latter option. For very high prescriptions a different, more expensive, lens is needed. Now, close your eyes, dream of clear vision, and let Night Lenses work their magic while you sleep!

Rules, rules, rules. Don't we have enough rules in our lives? There are supposed to be rules when it comes to picking a frame to match your face shape. I prefer to think of them as guidelines. So let's run through them and you can decide. Round Face Are you a roundy-round face? If so it's likely that the widest part of your face will be the cheekbones with the width and length of your face being around the same. Those with a round face benefit from fuller cheeks, softer angles and a round curved jawline. When it comes to choosing glasses for round shaped faces, angles and squares or rectangular frames are your friends here; the aim is to create contrast so try and steer clear of smaller styles as they may appear tight on the face. Those with a round face need to be wary not to choose styles that accentuate the roundness. A cat eye will lift your face whereas square frames or wayfarers will add angles to even out proportions. Oval Face Could your nickname be Ovaltine? When choosing frames for an oval face shape, think egg! An oval face is typically longer than it is wide and doesn’t have any noticeable sharp angles, much like the shape of your standard chicken egg. The forehead and jawline will be slightly rounded with those great cheekbones making up the widest part of the face. If you’re lucky enough to boast a classic oval shape then we’ve got good news - almost every frame works. Though if you do want to choose glasses that accentuate your well-balanced oval shape, choose frames that are as wide as those enviable cheekbones. Round, rectangle and rimless will all work well for you, so go wild and have fun! Square Face Head like a cube getting you down? Worry not! That broad forehead, wide jawline and strong chin give a square face its defining features and what's often considered a ‘strong’ face shape. You can be proud of a forehead, cheekbones and jaw that are of equal width. A square face will also have length and width of similar proportions. Classic square and angular frames will do a great job of accentuating that amazing square jawline if that’s what you’re after. If not, and you’d like to try something to help slim down your face, making it appear longer, go for a round, or oval shaped style. Heart Face Got a heart-shaped face? Glasses love a heart-shaped face. You'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to eyewear. A heart-shaped face is characterised by a wider forehead with high cheekbones and a slimmer lower half of the face which gradually narrows down to a pointy chin. It’s widely accepted that frames that are wider than your forehead are your friends here, think cat eye styles for feminine styles, and frames with a deeper lens shape. Rounded frames provide a pleasing contrast to the angles of a heart-shaped face, whereas bottom heavy styles such as wayfarers will widen the lower half of your face providing balance. You might choose to avoid semi-rimless (what we call supra) styles as their top-heavy nature will only work to accentuate a heart shape’s wider forehead and narrower chin. Or you could just go wild! Maybe you're still not sure what your face shape is, maybe you don’t care, or maybe your face is just face-shaped. Is that you? Or do you not like being told what to do and want to go against the grain and choose something crazy! If yes then you’re the wild child and I'm all for it! I salute you! Think about clear frames, bright colours, or whatever takes your fancy really! Whether you consider yourself of the feminine or masculine persuasion, or any anywhere in between, the 'rules' work for all.

Here at EDGE we'd like to do what we can to look after our planet. We're already doing what we can to bring our patients greener and more sustainable options when it comes to glasses and sunglasses. You can read about that here. We'd still like to do more, so we're trying to set ourselves up as a recycling centre. Here's what you can recycle so far. 2. Contact Lenses They say you can’t recycle contact lenses, but we say yes you can! In partnership with ACUVUE® and global recycling specialist TerraCycle® we are running a Contact Lens Recycle Programme. Collect any brand of soft, disposable contact lenses, contact lens blister packaging and outer foils at home, bring them into us and we will arrange for them to be recycled for no charge. 2. Glasses Frames We will collect your old and unwanted glasses and, working with Recycline, send them away to be recycled. Recycline's operation is funded entirely by the sale of the recovered materials, allowing them to also donate a proportion of profits to charities to help with local and international causes. Of course, this will be done free of charge. You can recycle: glasses, sunglasses, safety glasses, safety goggles, and swimming goggles. 3. Batteries The UK throws away 600 million household batteries every year. At present only one third are collected and recycled with the remaining batteries being sent to landfill as general waste. These will eventually break down and the dangerous chemicals may leach out resulting in soil and water pollution, in turn causing damage to our natural ecosystems and wildlife. The materials held within the batteries can be recovered and reused. This will reduce the demand for raw materials required each year and help preserve resources. As some of the materials are heavy metals such as lead and mercury, it is important that they do not end up in the waste stream. You can bring your used batteries in to us, and working with recycle-more, we will ensure that they are recycled responsibly. And we'll do it free of charge.

On the 30th of May 2023 EDGE was officially 1-year old. To celebrate we ran an amazing competition to win a complete pair of glasses FOR FREE! A winner has been chosen, so watch out on our social media pages for more information and photographs coming soon. As well as this we had not one, but two birthday parties! There were drinks, nibbles, and hundreds of extra glasses frames and sunglasses to browse, all with £50 off. The Competition! To enter people just had to follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram to have a chance to win a fully customised pair of glasses. They choice between iGreen and OSIX. Hundreds of shapes, colours and sizes to pick from, so the glasses could be as unique as the winner. Eco-friendly cutting-edge Shamir Metaform lenses were included - even varifocals. We even threw in a free eye examination! Party on Saturday the 27th of May Party number 1! There were drinks, nibbles, and hundreds of extra glasses frames and sunglasses from Persol, Bellinger, and Oliver Peoples, all with £50 off. Here's a little flavour of what was here... Party on Saturday the 3rd of June Party number 2! Again, there were drinks, nibbles, and hundreds of extra glasses frames and sunglasses from Tom Ford and Face a Face, all with £50 off. Here's a little flavour... A huge thank you to everyone who entered the competition, and especially to eveyone who came to see us on one of the party days. They were great fun! Here's to - hopefully - another year of EDGE Eyewear success in bringing amazing eyecare and eyewear to the people of Warrington!

I have been teaching at The University Of Manchester for many years. I love being able to share my years of experience and knowledge. I also love that I can teach the next generations of optometrists how things are supposed to be done. I feel that this benefits both me and my patients. Benefits to me Life as an optometrist can get a bit samey. I am in the fortunate position that I don't work for one of the big multiples where (and I talk from experience here) you are expected to be an eye test machine. It's a numbers game. How many patients can you get in and out of the testing room in as short a time as possible? That's not good for the optometrist, and it most certainly isn't good for the patient! At Edge we take a different approach. Our eye examinations are 45 minutes, more than double what you will often get at a multiple. That means we can look after you properly, talk things through in detail, and make sure neither the optom or the patient feel rushed. Even with that said, it's a lovely thing that I can take time out from the consulting room and do something completely different. It's great to give myself the challenge of taking my many years of experience to help the students pass their exams, but also to let them know what's to come once the exams are all done and they've got real patients to see in the real world. Benefits to my patients There are a few ways that I think my patients benefit from the time I spend teaching. Firstly it keeps all of my testing techniques honed. I know from the times when I was qualified, but before I was teaching, that it is easy to let bad habits creep in for the sake of saving time. I'd be willing to bet that there a lot of qualified and experienced optometrists who might struggle to pass some of the exams I now invigilate, due to bad habits and cut corners. Secondly, I need to be able to explain things in such a way that an inexperienced student can easily understand. That skill helps me to explain my findings and results to patients too. After an eye examination with me you'll almost certainly have learned something you didn't know before. Thirdly, contact lenses. This is one of the subjects I specialise in, and that I've been teaching for the longest time. Trust me when I say that some optometrists do not like contact lenses as a subject, and therefore often aren't in a position to recommend the best contact lenses to a patient. I've lost count of the number of patients I've seen over the years who aren't wearing the best lenses for them. It's a lovely feeling when you give those patients new lenses and watch their faces light up when they realise how much better their vision is and/or lenses feel. I've been working at the university for so long now that I actually have input into how the subjects are taught, which is particularly flattering and satisfying. Book yourself in to see me and you too can benefit from the unique perspective that both teaching and working in practice give me.

On Saturday the 1st of June 2024 EDGE Eyewear had a birthday party to celebrate being 2-years old. Time flies! There were drinks, nibbles, music, and a massive Ray-Ban event. Every current model of Ray-Ban glasses and sunglasses were available to view in-store, all with 20% off RRP. We also ran an amazing competition to win a complete pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses or glasses (including prescription lenses) FOR FREE! The winner could decide whether to have the Ray-Bans as they came, or with whichever prescription lenses they wanted - clear lenses, tinted, photochromic, single vision, varifocals, thinner lenses - whatever their heart desired! The winner has been announced. Keep an eye on @EDGEEyewearUK on Facebook and/or Instagram for more information coming soon. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported EDGE Eyewear on our journey so far. We absolutely love our amazing patients, and the way they spread the word about who we are and what we do!

Do blue light filtering glasses work? The truth is, that depends. So far studies have found no provable benefits of wearing blue light glasses while using a computer. That being said it's also certainly true that there are many people who use them and find they are very helpful - including me! Also, there are different types of blue light filters. Depending on the type of blue light filter you have the lenses could be very helpful in protecting your eyes from the sun's rays - see below for more information. Will they work for me? The best first step is always to have a comprehensive eye examination. If you are suffering with eye strain or fatigue from computer use it might be due to something other than the blue light. Once we have done an eye examination we can discuss with you the best lenses to help you, and whether a blue light filter is appropriate. Should I try blue light filtering glasses? There's no reason why not. While there is no definitive proof that they work there is definitely no way that they could cause you any harm. My advice would be that if you think you could benefit from them then it's worth a try. There are two types of blue light filtering we can do at EDGE. We can help you decide which is best for you. A blue light coating. Our main supplier Nikon does the excellent SeeCoat Next Blue coating that will give improved contrast when viewing a computer screen. Although many blue light filtering coatings can give an unpleasant purple colour on the lens surfaces, Nikon's SeeCoat Next Blue has a subtle blue colour that is much more aesthetically pleasing. If you find your eyes feel tired and strained after computer use then these lenses are worth thinking about. A light purification lens. Nikon's Pure Blue UV lenses, for example. These lenses filter harmful and uncomfortable UV and blue-light rays to give you all-in-one protection and superior clarity, without compromising lens aesthetics. In other words, no unsightly purple or blue reflections on the surfaces of the lenses, and excellent protection against the sun's blue light rays.

Have a frame that you'd like to put new lenses into? In the optical business this is known as reglazing. There are lots of opticians these days who won't do it. I can see where they're coming from, I guess. We make some of our money from selling frames after all. But if we're going to look after our planet then we should be trying to reuse where we can, rather than just throw good frames away. So, at EDGE we've made the decision to let patients reuse their own frames. We will have to charge a fee for this because we have to pay the laboratory to do the work. The price to reglaze your own frame ranges from £30 to £50 depending on the frame. If you buy a complete pair of glasses you can reglaze your own frame for half price. Reglazing a frame at EDGE is now even quicker and easier since we got our tracer machine. This machine means if we order from our main lens supplier (Shamir) we don't even have to take your frame away from you while we make new lenses for it. We trace the shape of the frame and Shamir send us the lenses all ready to be fitted. It is always up to you, but what a lot of people have done is buy a complete new pair of glasses and then used our 2nd pair offer (more info here) to get lenses put into their old frame. This is a great, cost-effective and sustainable way to have a spare pair of glasses, or another look to be able to mix things up. Email us on info@edge-eyewear.co.uk or use the contact us directly button at the bottom of this page if you would like more information.

Are your glasses lenses thick? Would you prefer it if they weren't? Of course you would! They don't look great, they're heavy, they're uncomfortable. Do you know what you need to do? You need to come and see us at EDGE. We can do things that most opticians can't. Award Winning Technology In September/October 2022 Silmo happened in Paris. It’s been running for over 50-years and is the world’s number 1 optical show. Part of the show is the highly prestigious Silmo d’Or (Golden for those whose school French is as rusty as mine) Awards. Winning one of these awards is a very big deal. Here at EDGE, we were delighted (although not surprised) to see that Shamir’s Metaform lenses won the much coveted ‘Vision’ award. It came as no surprise to EDGE because these lenses are incredible. They are exclusive to Shamir and only certain opticians can supply them. Whether you wear distance glasses, reading glasses, occupational lenses, or varifocals, you need them in your life. And if you have a high minus prescription (in other words, are very short-sighted/your lenses are thick at the edges) you definitely need them in your life. Because these lenses are up to 18 times stronger than a standard lens, they can be made up to 40% thinner and also 40% lighter. You’ve probably had your lenses thinned down by other opticians in the past? These lenses are called high index lenses, and generally speaking the higher the index the thinner the lenses. This is still true, but with Metaform any index of those high index lenses can be made even thinner. Ground Breaking Technology If you happen to be very long-sighted (your lenses are thick in the middle) then have no fear! Here at EDGE we've got you covered too. With lenses for long-sighted people the thickness of the lenses comes down to the index of the lens material. As mentioned above most opticians can supply lenses up to 1.74 index. For long-sighted lenses the Metaform technology won't help, but going to a higher index will. EDGE can go to 1.76! We use lenses from Japanese company Tokai. They use this higher index material plus cutting edge lens designs to give you the thinnest possible plastic lenses on the planet. Don't Forget The Frame Choice Choosing the right frame is just as important as choosing the right lenses. With over 75 years experience between Graham, Joan, and Danielle we can certainly help you there. And even if we can't find a frame that's just right for your prescription, we'll make one that is! We use a range of frames called iGreen. They are fully customizable. So, we can specially select the exact size and shape of frame that will give the best results. Once that's done then there are hundreds of colours and patterns to choose from. They can be matt or shiny. They can have nosepads or not have nosepads. If you would like, they can even have your name embossed onto them. Sounds pricey? Maybe not as pricey as you think! They are £250 (or £225 if you are on an Eyecare Plan). Not bad for a one of a kind custom made frame! The Results The proof of the pudding... These lenses are -13.75. Can you see how much smaller the bottle is through the lens than above the lens? Can you also see how thin the lenses look?! Challenge Us So, if you’ve always wished your lenses could be thinner, or know someone who has, then EDGE is the place to come. We can do things that the high street places simply can’t do. Come and test us. We love a challenge!