World Sight Day 2021 - Love your eyes

World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness to focus global attention on vision impairment, including blindness. This year, World Sight Day will take place on October 14, 2021 with the theme: Love Your Eyes.

Globally, at least 1 billion people have vision impairment that could be prevented or has yet to be addressed. Vision impairment affects people of all ages, with the majority being over the age of 50. Vision impairment and blindness can have major and long-lasting effects on all aspects of life, including daily personal activities, interacting with the community, school and work opportunities and the ability to access public services.

Unoperated cataract and uncorrected refractive error are the leading causes of vision impairment. Other causes such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, infectious diseases of the eye, and trauma, however, cannot be ignored and need to be addressed. 

Recently at the 74th World Health Assembly, Member States adopted two new global targets for eye care by 2030  ̶  a 40 per cent increase in effective coverage of refractive errors and a 30 per cent increase in effective coverage of cataract surgery. These targets will play a key role in not only increasing global eye care coverage in the future but also in delivering quality services.

Do you have a second pair of glasses?

Stuck in Level 4 Lockdown we fielded a number of calls from people stranded when their glasses were broken. In some cases we were able to find a creative temporary fix. But this is not always possible, and often less than ideal. Here’s a check list we recommend you consider:

1. Review how much you rely on your glasses. Take a moment to imagine starting a day without your glasses, how long would you be able to manage.

2. Do you have a back up pair of glasses? These may be an older pair of glasses in an previous strength. Locate these and try using them for a few hours to see if they still suit you.

Here’s another Lockdown observation. If your prescription is not up to date this may not cause you any eyestrain in normal conditions, but it can be different if you suddenly start reading more, or spending more time on a screen.

Often the outcome of an eye examination is a change to your ideal glasses prescription. This prompts the question: “Is it worth getting new lenses?” A ‘small’ change in prescription which we find at an eye examination may not seem worth an update at the time - but that can change when you increase your time reading and on a screen.

The final consideration is whether you update just your lenses, or get a complete new pair of glasses. This is the ideal time to consider how you would manage without your glasses. Consider a complete new pair of glasses and you will have a back up.

Do your glasses fog up when you wear a face mask? We can help.

As we adjust to life with masks, an annoying reality is glasses fogging up - who knew how much warm air we were breathing out! But we have a solution. Zeiss AntiFOG. We are all converts here. So simple, spray on the lenses, dry with the cloth, and fog - free for at least a day or two.

How does it work? The solution spreads a fine layer of moisture repellent across the lens.

Available now in Level 3 through contactless sales, or purchase at our online store.

Maui Jim Bifocals

These are an exciting range from Maui Jim® with a hidden reading segment in the lenses. If you only use glasses for reading and close range, or if you use hobby glasses for reading, then these are perfect for you this summer. You will never again have to switch back and forth between sunglasses and readers, even on the brightest days! Choose from +1.50, +2.00, and +2.50 powers. You can further customize your polarised reader sunglasses by selecting from almost any frame style, frame colour and lens colour.

No one will know that you’re wearing bifocals as the unique bifocal element is nearly undetectable. You shouldn’t have to give up vivid clarity and sumptuous colour just to enjoy some time in the sun – and with Maui Jim reader sunglasses you get the lovely clarity and comfort of Maui Jim lenses. Come and check out our styles. 

My Lens - Great Value Way to Get Your Contact Lenses

A great way to manage your contact lenses and get great value is committing to a year’s supply. This can be a one off order - easy. Or if you prefer, create an automatic payment weekly, fortnightly or monthly to suit.

We look forward to supplying you with lenses. When you order your lenses from us here’s what happens:

• You get accuracy assured - the exact lenses you need for your eyes

• Flexible purchase and payments options to save you up to 25%

• You get free replacements of torn or faulty lenses

• You get guaranteed genuine lenses - our secure supply chain means there is no risk of counterfeit lenses

• Free courier delivery in NZ

• You are ordering from trained eyecare experts, choosing products we understand and know to work

• If your vision changes- no problem, we'll swap any unopened boxes for your new ones

• You're supporting support a local business and local jobs in your community - thank you.

Temperatures too hot for your lenses to handle

Most spectacle lenses are made of plastic. If you went back 30 years, most were then glass. Why the switch? Plastic is a lot lighter, which translates into more comfortable glasses to wear.

Technology continues to improve lens performance with stronger and more durable surface coatings, like Hoya Diamond Finish Anti Reflection Coating, and Hoya Super Hard. Likewise the photochromic performance continues to develop lenses which react faster, both to darken and return to clear, with more colour options. Higher index plastics deliver lighter-weight thinner lenses with improved optical clarity, such as Hoya Nulux Index lenses.

One important consideration for these lenses is watching the temperature. Lens coatings can deteriorate -craze and delaminate - if exposed to heat and to big changes in temperature.

Most lenses can handle 80 degrees, some even hotter. The lenses will be fine with a gradual increase in temperature. Time here is extremely important. If you went from a freezer then directly into a sauna and had a huge increase in temperature in a few seconds then the lenses and coatings are at risk of damage. The same as if you took a glass out of a freezer and then pour boiling water over it, the glass will shatter.

A good rule is if it’s too hot for a person, then it’s too hot for your glasses. Especially important - in a lot of cars there is a glasses compartment above your head near the mirror and interior lights. That is honestly the worst possible place to keep your glasses in summer. It’s right up against the metal roof so the intense heat can, and most likely will damage the lenses.

Read more on every day lens care.