Mission Statement Island Eyes: Our goal is to provide high quality products along with high quality services. We intend to do this by focusing on our patients needs and requirements. We intend to take a market oriented approach when deciding on services and products that will be made available whilst fulfilling our professional obligations. We intend to do this by relying on personal service yet remaining at the cutting edge of technology.
The inspiration for Island Eyes Optical Boutique started whilst I was a student at The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) studying optometry. There is a very trendy area of Manchester called Deansgate near the City centre .As a student I would go window shopping on Saturday afternoon. There were several boutiques that carried very stylish, trendy, and high quality products. Mainly clothes and shoe stores .One could rest assured that any of these would be the latest fashions and hi quality and items. Assuming that you were willing to pay the price one was never disappointed with what you bought. This was in 1986 just a year after the dispensing of glasses had been deregulated in England. Glasses were not yet considered a fashion accessory but a necessary evil .

I have always believed that spectacles can be sold in this environment. Subconsciously I began studying what made these boutiques what they were. Subsequently I found similar boutiques in London ,Paris ,Nice, Cannes , Monte Carlo, Milan, Florence etc. all the European cities that I visited as a student.
Essentially the elements are the same. Whilst paying attention to style ,the personal service you received assured that the styles suited you rather than one becoming a fashion victim.

After leaving University in 1989.I was required to work in practice under supervision for three years whilst I wrote my professional qualifying examinations. After successfully qualifying in 1992 I returned to Trinidad a month later to my first job as a fully qualified optometrist.
My eight years working in Trinidad and interrupted only by a year and half in St Lucia .Taught me that whilst the principles are the same, our (the Caribbean) eye care needs are somewhat different from our European even North American neighbors.

We suffer from a much higher incidence of Glaucoma in the Caribbean. This is a chronic eye disease that is virtually without symptoms until the late stages. Classically it produces tunnel vision and will lead to blindness if left untreated. Ironically it is easily controlled by the use of eye drops in most cases especially if it is caught in the early stages. In England you see this disease commonly affects adults 40years and over .In the Caribbean we often see young adults in their mid- twenties developing signs of this disease. In practice I often find it necessary to screen young adults for this insidious disease. However because there are no symptoms in its early stages we find that many people discover problem far too late and lose their sight needlessly. Anyone with a family history of glaucoma should have his or her eyes tested at least once a year 
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Another chronic condition that affects our people in the Caribbean with a much higher incidence than our European and North American counterparts is a disease called Keratoconus .This condition is very rare in England and North America, but we find it a relatively common condition in Trinidad particularly. Not enough research has been done to investigate the cause of this condition. Keratoconus causes a progressive thinning of the clear part of the eye called the cornea. This causes the cornea to bulge forward producing very high spectacle prescriptions and poor vision .This cannot be properly corrected or managed by the use of spectacles, we have to manage this condition using rigid gas permeable contact lenses. Eventually if that does not work the next option is corneal surgery

There is also a high incidence of diabetes in Trindad, diabetes can cause changes in the eye which lead to
blindness , as eye care professionals we have an important role to play in the screening of diabetics .At Island Eyes we recommend that diabetics have a comprehensive eye test at least once a year.

In the tropics we are exposed to a higher degree of harmful Ultra violet light from the sun, this leads to a high incidence of cataracts in our elderly population , along with associated conditions such as pinguecula and pteryguim formation. We recommend that all Caribbean people should wear some form of protective eyewear when outdoors.

It is very important that the spectacles or sunglasses selected inhibit ultra violet radiation as simply wearing a dark pair of sunglasses, “darkers” with no UV inhibition can actually be more detrimental to the eye than wearing none at all. This is because with dark glasses the pupil dilates and allows more UV light into the eye.

These conditions normally develop slowly over a few years,and left unchecked they can lead to a loss of vision. At Island Eyes we are incorporating state of the art digital camera technology to record and monitor these conditions in the eye. This will give our patients and us a truly objective assessment of their ocular health. I predict that this will revolutionize eye care in this country. 

At Island Eyes we recognize that our patients want options to correct their vision. Twenty-first century technology allows us to correct your vision without the use of spectacles. We see ourselves as primary health care professionals whose function is, to advise and present you with attractive options.

The use of contact lenses has become increasingly popular with the advent of disposable contact lenses (coloured and clear). Almost everyone can wear contact lenses now. The change in contact lens technology over the last ten years has been phenomenal. Before we used to ask, are you suitable to wear contact lenses? Now we have to ask which contact lenses will best suit you?The future of contact lens technology is dependent on the introduction of better materials, which can be worn for longer hours on a daily basis ,be produced in any prescription and colour ,without having any harmful effects on the eye.
It is very important to remind people to have their contacts lens fitted by a qualified eye care professional as improperly fitted contact lenses can have a detrimental effect on the eye. 

At Island Eyes we also do evaluations for refractive laser surgery or laser vision consultations.

What is refractive laser surgery? What is laser vision correction (LVC)?
This is a procedure that uses a laser to correct shortsightedness (myopia), long-sightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism. During the treatment, the laser’s cool beam of ultra violet light removes a small amount of tissue, usually less than the thickness of a human hair Short pulses of this cool beam of laser light change the curvature of the cornea allowing images to be more sharply focussed.
There are some restrictions to who is suitable for this treatment however: you must be at least eighteen years of age with healthy eyes and stable vision.
Over one million LVC procedures have been preformed worldwide in the last ten years. Data obtained during exhaustive clinical trials showed that all patients experienced a significant improvement in uncorrected vision. (Vision without glasses or contact lenses) after laser vision correction. 
The most popular procedure currently used is Laser in Situ Keratomileusis(Lasik),combines the precision of the excimer laser with additional benefits of an instrument called an automated microkeratome.
The microkeratome glides across the surface of the cornea allowing the a thin layer (a corneal flap to be lifted up. Then by using ultra violet light and high-energy pulses from the laser the cornea is reshaped .
The cornea bonds naturally and heals rapidly ,therefore no stitches are necessary.
The entire procedure takes less than 30 minutes.

Another option to correct vision without spectacles or contact lenses are devices called INTACS. Intacs other wise known as intra-corneal rings ,are inserted in the periphery of the cornea,( the clear membrane that covers the front of the eye. This leads to a reshaping or flattening of the cornea which reduces shortsightedness (myopia).  There is no removal of tissue from the central optic zone .These are considered permanent implants ,but they can be removed if necessary .The procedure takes about 30 minutes under local anasthesia.  Clinical trials to treat long-sightedness  (hyperopia) and astigmatism are proceeding.

The first procedure developed for refractive laser surgery or laser vision correction was Photorefractive Keratectomy(PRK) it was developed by Professor John Marshall of Moorfields in England during the late eighties. The excimer laser is applied directly to the surface of the cornea, flattening and reshaping the cornea .This procedure is still used primarily for long-sightedness and astigmatism.

Another technique used is clear lens extraction. This technique is a good option for patients in their mid forties or older. The procedure is similar to cataract surgery. The eye’s natural crystalline lens is removed and a new lens with the correct refracting power to correct your vision is implanted .You should experience good distance vision ,but will still need to wear reading glasses. Another benefit is that because the eye’s lens has been removed one does not have to worry about getting cataracts as you age.

Research is continually going on to develop new techniques, in the next few years the Implantable Contact Lens (ICL) may become a reality. This is a contact lens that is surgically implanted inside the eye, where it never has to be cleaned.

These are some of the options available to correct your vision in the new millenium.
It is also noteworthy that research published as recently as 1999 has shown that the inclusion of specific food groups called luteins in your diet have a therapeutic effect in some conditions that affect the eye, for example cataracts, age-related macular degeneration. Several large drug companies have now included these luteins in their vitamins and food supplements.

Access to all of these options mentioned begin with a routine sight test. The simplest way to correct your vision is still spectacles in most cases. We cannot stress enough the importance of having your eyes tested on a regular basis.


At Island Eyes we recognize the struggle that young artists undergo to gain exposure. We feel that this talent must be nurtured and supported. As a service to the artistic community we propose to highlight the work of a young local artist in the practice on a regular basis. The art work to be displayed this month will be that of a young man called Fitzroy Hoyte.  More details will follow CSR