Tag Archive for: eye care services

Charles Bonnet Syndrome – what is it?

If you’re a fan of Coronation Street, you may have recently become aware of a storyline involving Johnny Connor, landlord of The Rovers Return, who is living with Charles Bonnet Syndrome. An amazing platform to share this common and yet relatively unheard of condition, the team at Coronation Street, along with Richard Hawley who plays Mr Connor, worked with Esme’s Umbrella in order to portray the symptoms as accurately as possible.

But what is Charles Bonnet Syndrome? The College of Optometrists have released some helpful information on this interesting condition:

Do you have diminishing sight and are you seeing images which could not possibly be there?

If so, you may have developed Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS). This is a natural and very common condition (an estimated 1 million people in the UK) which causes people of any age – children too – who have lost over 60% of sight, to experience vivid, silent, visual hallucinations. These can range from disturbing to terrifying. It is NOT a mental health condition.
It happens because the messages which wing their way constantly from the retina in the eye to the visual cortex in the brain slow or stop – but, for some reason we still do not understand, the brain then fires up and creates its own images. What you see depends on which part of the brain is firing.

During lock-down we heard from many people for whom CBS was exacerbated by the isolation and stress. Images seen became more frightening. Fever, too, can make the hallucinations worse. It is always worth asking your GP to check the side effects of any medication you are taking because sometimes hallucinations are one of them. Another brand might help the situation.

Charles Bonnet syndrome advice, information and support
The Macular Society runs a buddy service for people affected by Charles Bonnet syndrome. Telephone the helpline during office hours (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) 0300 30 30 111.

Esme’s Umbrella

NHS Choices

RNIB.org.uk

What is an OCT scan?

Here at North Opticians we offer an advanced eye test, which includes an OCT scan. But what is it?

OCT imaging is offered to give your eyes a thorough examination using a 3D scan of your retina. OCT is painless and very quick!

Far superior to traditional retinal photography, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is an extremely advanced health check for people of all ages. It is quite different to digital eye photographs offered by your doctor or other opticians, since they only image the surface of the back of the eye. OCT scans all the different layers of the retina revealing parts that cannot be seen by any other instruments at the opticians.

How does an OCT scan work?

It’s similar to an x-ray, though the OCT scan uses light waves rather than sound waves to map the surface of your eye. It’s completely safe as there are no harmful x-rays involved! It’s basically a powerful 3D photo of your eye.

What does it show?

An OCT scan can help diagnose the following:

  • Age-related macula degeneration
  • Glaucoma
  • Macula oedema
  • Macula pucker
  • Central Serous retinopathy
  • Diabetic retinopathy
  • Epiretinal membranes
  • Macula hole

As well as this it can be used to search for nerve disorders such as the beginning of glaucoma, though as it uses light waves the OCT scan is not effective in diagnosing cataracts.

We pride ourselves here at North on offering fantastic in-depth services at competitive prices, so if you’re looking for peace of mind and a thorough exam, look no further!

Why not book an advanced eye test with us today? Simply follow the link at the beginning of this post or use the navigation bar and find advanced OCT scanning under eye care services.