Sight Testing

Ten years of experience practicing optometry in England, Trinidad & Tobago and St Lucia has taught me that whilst the principles of sight testing are the same, our (the Caribbean) eyecare 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 40 years 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 eyecare 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 eyecare 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.

Access to all of these options 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.

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.