Tell us about the importance of good quality and appropriate eyewear from an early age?

High quality vision correction – whether with spectacles or contact lenses, along with good quality sun protection from an early age is essential for your eye health. At John Rose Eye Care we partner with the world’s leading optics innovators and manufacturers. All Zeiss lenses supplied have 100% UV protection – from clear optical lenses to Sun lenses and spectral filters. We use the latest contact lens designs and innovations available with UV protection, including the new Acuvue Oasys with Transitions.

The Sun provides us with many different wavelengths of light, some essential to our health and wellbeing. Red or warm wavelengths are lower energy than those of blue light which are higher energy. Consequently, the blue (shorter) wavelengths may damage our cells while red (longer) wavelengths provide a healing effect.

UV damage tends to accumulate over time, but, approximately half of all UV damage to the eye takes place by age 18. Although we require certain amounts of blue light for our sleep/wake (circadian) rhythms, over-exposure to the retina is known to contribute to dry macular degeneration, and may be implicated in glaucoma development. Blue light has been demonstrated to damage the mitochondria in the eye and recent research shows that infrared wavelengths can protect and re-juvenate the mitochondria.

Similar to applying Sun cream to our skin, it is recommended to protect your eyes from harmful UV exposure by wearing sunglasses that block UV and blue light and to use polarising lens filters to reduce glare. Long term exposure to UVA/UVB rays can lead to cataract formation, corneal damage and macular degeneration.

A lot of mass-produced sunglasses aren’t designed to last, have inferior UV protection or are unsuitable for driving. Zeiss lenses have introduced innovative Sun lenses – the “Adaptive Sun” range which have a lower base tint than most sunglasses and rapidly transition from indoor to outdoor.

What measures should we be taking to have great eye health?

Eye health is related to general health. It is recommended to eat a balanced diet with a variety of dark green and coloured vegetables, to exercise regularly, cut down on sugar, give up smoking and have regular eye check-ups.

Routine eye examinations from an early age are critical as most eye diseases often start many years before any symptoms arise. This is the reason why the 4D HD Spectralis Comprehensive Eye Health Examination is our gold standard. It enables us to detect any structural changes and establishes a baseline from which to monitor change over time.

What services do you offer to prevent and manage eye damage?

At John Rose Eye Care our goal is to offer a customized range of services to our clients, such as the 4D HD Spectralis Eye Health Examination. This includes individualised OCT scans (including multi-colour and widefi eld retinal imaging) that take into account your unique anatomy and monitor changes that may affect the retina or optic nerve. This is especially useful in conditions such as Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration and Diabetes.

We are currently developing a protocol for the monitoring and treatment of dry agerelated macular degeneration. This is the first approved, innovative treatment and is now available in our practice with the exclusive Valeda Photobiomodulation unit.

What do you consider to be unique about what you offer?

As an independent eye care provider, we allocate around 80 minutes for our thorough, comprehensive Eye Examination. Our technologically advanced practice, holds many years of experience using world leading diagnostic equipment allowing the monitoring and referral to the best specialist care available. Using the highest quality frames for spectacles and lenses, including bespoke brands, such as Tom Davies, we offer a customised solution to our clients’ individual needs.

We strive for the best eye care, along with a personal and dedicated approach.

All Zeiss lenses are under offer until 11th September 2019.

“I can’t recommend John and his team highly enough. John takes the time to explain everything, and I mean everything, that’s going on with your eyes. World class equipment and fantastic service! I wouldn’t trust anybody else with my vision.”

July 2019: Supplement your healthy lifestyle with a free session on the NovoThor Whole Body Light Pod (T&Cs apply and subject to availability, contact for full details)

The John Rose Eyecare Team
1 Eden Street, Kingston Upon Thames, KT1 1BQ,
020 8546 9292, www.johnroseeyecare.co.uk