Like any other part of your body, ther are things that you can do to keep your eyes healthy. One thing everyone should do is regularly undergo a comprehensive eye examination which includes looking at the back of the eye, the retina, and the front of the area including the lens and corneal areas.

You may be aware of changes at the front of your eye because these can often result in adjustments being made to your spectacle or contact lens prescription. Retinal changes do not always cause visual symptoms and therefore you could be unaware of any conditions developing. However, by conducting a thorough retinal examination, your optometrist may be able to see these changes at a stage early enough to be treated without loss of vision. The Optomap Retinal Exam in the technology we have chosen to adopt as we believe it gives us the ability to offer you a different standard of care in retinal exams.

A comprehensive retinal exam can also detect signs of other diseases that affect not just your eyes, but also your overall health. These include:

Diabetic Retinopathy - Diabetes affects the small blood vessels in the eyes and kidneys. Retinopathy is damge to the retina due to these diseased small blood vessels - www.diabetes.org.uk

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) - Increased pressure in the blood vessels can result in damage to blood vessels in the eye - www.hyp.ac.uk

Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) - The centre of the retina, the macula, can become diseased as we get older. This results in alterations to our fine, central vision making daily activities such as driving and reading difficult - www.maculardisease.org

Keith Holland & Associates are committed to offering you the latest advances in eyecare. We recommend the Optomap Retinal Exam to everyone. This very simple and painless exam allows us to obtain a more comprehensive view of the retina than ever before. The increased view assists us in reaching areas in the retina difficult to access with traditional equipment and can assist us in detecting early stage conditions. For us, viewing the retina with traditional equipment was like looking through the keyhole - only a very small area could be seen at one time. With Optomap the view we now have is like opening the door and seeing the whole area! All of this can be achieved WITHOUT special eye drops that dilate the pupil.

Taking your Optomap image is fast, comfortable and simple. By looking into the special eyepiece, a digital image of your retina is taken in less than 1 second. You will see a small light when the image is being taken. Nothing touches your eye at any time and you can resume normal activities immediately. The image of your retina which you have probably never seen before, is instantly available for your optometrist to review and discuss with you. Your image will then be stored in your practice records. While one image is useful, to build up a meaningful picture of your retinal health and accurately track changes over time, we recommend that you have an Optomap Retinal Examination each time you visit us for an eye examination. This may be annually, or every two years, or more frequently if you have a pre-existing eye condition. Please discuss with your optometrist the best option for you.

The cost of peace of mind? A comprehensive eye examination including Optomap Retinal Examination is £45

Please Note: Our Optomap machine is currently located at St Pauls Medical Centre practice. If you are a St George's Road patient you may be reffered to St Pauls for an Optomap Examination after your sight test, alternatively you may be offered Fundus Imaging which works on a similar procedure.