At Valarie Jerome Optometrists, we are pleased to now offer Low Level Light Therapy for our dry eye patients in our new Eye Spa.

Low level light therapy (LLLT) initially began its use in dermatology for wrinkles, skin scars, acne scars, and healing of burns.  In recent years LLLT has been used for treating blepharitis and dry eyes for those suffering with these chronic conditions.
 
LLLT has been shown to reduce inflammation. By reducing inflammation, this therapy helps to improve the function of both the gland which makes tears and the oil producing glands responsible for keeping tears on the eye. 
 
LLLT does not use direct heat and can be used on any skin type. No gel is needed for the LLLT treatment and there is also no need to use suncream after your treatment. LLLT is often used together with IPL to treat dry eyes.
 
The number of LLLT sessions to help treat dry eyes depends on the individual.  At Valarie Jerome Optometrists, we offer LLLT and combined IPL/LLLT for our dry eye patients in our Eye Spa.
 
Our IPL and LLLT treatment pre-assessment sessions will investigate your eye surface and tears in detail.  At each session of your treatment, we examine how your eye surface and tears improve.  Included with any of our IPL or LLLT session is an at home care kit with eyedrops to care for your eyes at home.
 
If you would like to book in for your LLLT session, phone 01635 528844 or book online at www.drvalariejerome.com.
 
 

Short answer - YES!

​How clean are your eyelashes and eyelids? This patient's lashes are looking really clean.

If you are not cleaning your lids and lashes every day, you could develop something called blepharitis.

Blepharitis is when you get dandruff like flakes in your lashes. It can also affect the oil glands by your lashes and clog them, preventing them from producing much needed oil to your tears. Blepharitis can cause your eyelids to become red and itchy.

While it is not contagious, it can be uncomfortable and make conditions like dry eyes worse. People who have skin conditions like eczema and rosacea can be more prone to getting blepharitis. Blepharitis can cause styes. 

Just like you wash your face and brush your teeth before bedtime (and I know you all do), your eyelids and lashes need to be cleaned as well.

Wonder what type of cleaner you should use on your lids and lashes? Ask your optometrist for a cleaner that is gently enough for your eye area. Remember baby shampoo is not recommended and can cause more inflammation and irritation. Baby shampoo is not designed for the eyelids and lashes area.

​Need to book in to see one of our optometrists? Phone 01635 528844. 

Pleased to announce we now offer Ortho K treatment with lenses with Menicon Z Night.

Ortho K allows short-sighted persons to see well during the day without the need for glasses or contacts.  

Sleep in the specially designed contact lenses during the night then take out and wake up to clearer vision!  

It reshapes the cornea and corrects the short sightedness while you sleep.  Then during the day you see great without your glasses or normal contact lenses.  It is great for those who have a moderate amount of short-sightedness and astigmatism.  

With special eye mapping and bespoke lens designs that are altered continually by your optometrist, it's great for those who can't wear glasses or contacts like people who do water sports. 

Ortho K is also a great way to help manage myopia - that is to slow down a child's shortsightedness.  

If you are interested in Ortho K for you or your child, give us a ring on 01635 528844 or book in online.

​Always striving to provide our patients with the latest technology in the treatment and management of ocular disease and vision, Valarie Jerome Optometrists is pleased to announce the new addition of IPL (Intense Pulse Light) treatments with OptiClear at our practice here in Newbury.
 
This clinically proven IPL technology is used to treat those who suffer from dry eyes or rosacea.

Dry eye disease (DED) is one of the most common conditions I see in clinic. Dry eye disease has a significant impact on quality of life because of symptoms including foreign body sensation, pain, blurred vision, dryness or watery eyes. Risk factors for dry eyes include skin disorders, peri-menopausal and menopausal changes, environmental conditions, long hours on the computer and poor hygiene.
 
In more than 80% of dry eyes, the cause is a permanent and mostly unnoticed inflammation of the lid margin called blepharitis. In this case, the oil glands produce too little and at the same time get plugged with solidified secretions. This leads to an unstable tears where the eyes are constantly irritated, burning and watering. Treatment is complex and multifactorial, and in some cases undetected bacteria and mites can also be contributors.
​
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy is the newest and most promising form of in office therapy for chronic blepharitis and dry eyes. IPL can causally stop the chronic inflammatory processes, can eliminate bacteria and mites that live in our lash follicles, and can restimulate the meibomian glands themselves to work better. IPL is a long term solution to dry eyes and can greatly minimise the use of eyedrops. 
 
In addition to treating dry eyes, IPL treatment can also 

• Treat chalazions/styes and provide a fast, effective, and incision-free solution with no scar
• Provide a drug free, drop free, safe, and easy way to manage facial rosacea
• Stimulate collagen which can reduce or eliminate sunspots, age spots and fine lines and wrinkles

IPL clinic dates are open now.  A series of 4 IPL treatments is recommended – each 3-4 weeks apart.  Each IPL session fee will include a 2 week follow up.

Patients will undergo a pre-treatment evaluation to check suitability of this treatment for their individual needs and skin type prior to the first IPL treatment.  The pre-treatment evaluation will include an at home care kit with lid cleaner, hot compress for eyes and the best dry eye drops for each patient.  We ask that all patients receiving IPL treatments have an up to date eye examination done with us or at your own optometrist/opticians.

If you would like to book in for your IPL dry eye consultation, please phone us on 01635 528844 or email hello@drvalariejerome.com.  For prices for IPL please visit ​https://www.drvalariejerome.com/uploads/1/2/6/6/126649528/fee_schedule_-_master_copy.pdf

When someone loses their vision, they could be a risk of suffering from  a condition called Charles Bonnet Syndrome.  This condition causes someone to "see" things that are not there.  These have been termed visual hallucinations which can be in both black.white or colour and can last just moments or hours  These hallucinations can include 

• repeating patterns of lines, dots, or other geometric shapes
• landscapes, such as mountains or waterfalls
• people, animals, or insects
• people dressed in costume from an earlier time
• imaginary creatures, like dragons

Now can you imagine experiencing this and then telling a family member or friend?   Without any knowledge of the condition Charles Bonnet Syndrome, that family member or friend could think you have lost your mind!  Being misunderstood, as you can image, can really make someone feel sad, isolated and hopeless. Often in the case of Charles Bonnet, people suffering don't tell anyone as they don't understand what is happening themselves.  They have not been informed of the condition from their optometrist or ophthalmologist.  They don't want to tell anyone and suffer in silence.

And sadly this is the case of this beautiful lady pictured here, Mrs Bessie Simpson.  

Bessie was my grandmother - my Mamie, as she was called.  Mamie developed wet macular degeneration in one eye years ago when injection treatment options were not available in her rural community in Georgia (USA).  She became legally blind as the other eye was born weak and never saw much.  She lived alone but began seeing things in her house.  She rang my dad in the night to say children were in her house.  Having owned a day nursery for many years, the family thought she was having dementia and recalling memories from her past.  She saw other things as well..some nice..and some not so nice.  Due to the hallucinations and failing eyesight, she was forced to move in with family and in a short time passed away.  

When my grandmother lost her vision, I was a student at the time studying optometry.  While I learned much about wet macular degeneration - causes, treatments and best patient advice - I learned nothing of Charles Bonnet.  And it was only after she passed and I began working as an optometrist in low vision did I learn more about it.  And it is because of my Mamie, that I take extra time with patients suffering vision loss and at risk of vision loss.  I explain to them what Charles Bonnet Syndrome is and what to look out for.  I also advise them to educate their family as well. 

While there is no cure or treatment for Charles Bonnet Syndrome, there may be some things you could do to help when having the visual hallucinations.

• Changing the lighting conditions
• Trying to relax or de-stress if possible
• Close your eyes and then open them again.
• Look up and down, look at the visual hallucinations, look away - try one or all of these

Today marks 16th of November marks Charles Bonnet Syndrome Awareness Day.  If you or someone you know has suffered any vision loss, please read more about the condition at  https://www.rnib.org.uk/your-eyes/eye-conditions-az/charles-bonnet-syndrome/.

Today is World Menopause Day

After much silence on the topic, the "Change" has gone mainstream and we are learning so much more about this condition and its effect on women.  Three quarter of women going through menopause will experience symptoms. And for 1/4 of those women, theses conditions will be severe and affecting their day to day life.

Many women may not realise that changes to hormone levels can be associated with eye health conditions.

Dry eyes is main issue we see in peri menopausal and menopausal patients. A personalised treatment and management program is very helpful to the ways the eyes look, see and feel.

What you may not realise is there are other eye conditions associated with loss of hormones.  For those with early menopause (<45), the drop in oestrogen has been associated with increased risk of open angle glaucoma.  Oestrogen helps to keep the lens in the eye clear and hydrated.  With reduced levels of oestrogen, the lens become less clear and less hydrated leading to cataracts.

If you are going through menopause or peri menopause, make sure to get routine eye exams done and speak to your optometrist about any symptoms of eye irritation or vision loss you may be having.

Speak to your GP if you have any symptoms of peri menopause or menopause.  

No need to suffer in silence.  Help is there.  

For more information visit The British Menopause Society.

If you need an eye exam, give us a ring on 01635 528844 or email hello@drvalariejerome.com.

Clean makeup refers to cosmetics free from harsh chemicals.

Using clean makeup has great benefits for the eyes. These include having less toxins around the eyes and less chemicals to irritate your eyes.  Clean makeup causes less damage to the meibomian glands in lids and less chance of reducing skin cell death.  Wearers of clean makeup will have reduced eye and eyelid redness, irritation, inflammation, allergic reactions.  They are less likely to have watery eyes, and contact dermatitis (scaley/flakey skin)

And perhaps the best benefit of clean makeup is that it slows signs of ageing… that right…LESS WRINKLES
 
Many countries are banning toxic cosmetic chemicals.  The European Union has banned 1300 chemicals in cosmetics which includes makeup, hair dyes, nail polish, shaving cream, lotions, deodorants and more. The USA has only banned 168 chemicals.  
 
The top 10 toxins to avoid in your personal care products
1.  Alcohol
2.  Acetyl hexapeptide-3 (Lipotec, Botox in a jar)
3.  Benzalkonium chloride (BAK or BAC)
4.  BHA and BHT
5.  Butylene glycol and Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)
6.  Formaldehyde 
7.  Isopropyl cloprostenate
8.  Parabens (methyl-, isobutyl-, propyl-, and others)
9.  Phenoxyethanol
10. Retinol and Retinyl Palmitate
 
Best makeup use for good eye health

• Always remove makeup nightly
• No waterproof makeup
• No makeup on the waterline
• No glitter in. makeup
• Avoid powered eye shadow
• Add primer to lids before shadow or liner
• Pencil eye liners better if you tend to not dispose liquid eyeliner frequent enough
• Toss out makeup on time
• Never share eye makeup
• Never moisten makeup or brushes/sponges with saliva
• Never heat up your makeup
• Don’t apply makeup on the go
• Never use products not intended for eyes near your eyes

 
Removing eye makeup can be quite a challenge but it is important to use oil free eye makeup remover.  While it may dry skin, oil free makeup remover has lots of benefits like 

• Removes makeup without irritating the eyes or leaving a residue as contains no oils, dyes, parabens or fragrances
• Gently on skin
• Doesn’t require heavy rubbing
• Water based
• Great for contact lens users

 
If your eyes are irritated from makeup, you may not only need to avoid products but also benefit from seeing your optometrist to treat any eye redness and irritation and calm the eyes down.

If you have any questions, please call 01635 528844 to book in to see one of our optometrists. 

Snoring can be annoying for your bed partner or others in next door rooms but it can also be a sign of a very serious medical condition.

Snoring is associated with a condition called sleep apnea.  

There are 2 types of sleep apnea - central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  

OSA happens when the soft tissue of the throat collapses and causes the airway to become blocked.  This happens on and off during sleep and causes a decrease of oxygen in our blood flow.  There is a pause in the person's breath and then the brain tells them to breathe again and the person gasps.  Despite all this happening, the person doesn't wake up.  

As you can imagine, the lack of oxygen in the blood flow can have an impact on the way our body's organs work and keep healthy.  Heart disease, stroke and even cancers have been associated with people with sleep apnea.  But also the eyes are one of those structures affected. Some conditions such as retinal vein occlusion and non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy can be associated with OSA.  These conditions can cause significant sight loss which can be permanent.  Other conditions of the eye related to OSA are glaucoma, keratoconus and floppy eyelid syndrome.

Wondering if you may have sleep apnea?  Here are some of the risk factors
🌜Age
🌜Male
🌜Snoring
🌜Neck circumference of over 19 inches
🌜Obesity
🌜Smoking
🌜Daytime sleepiness
🌜Morning headaches
🌜Others seeing you stop breathing when sleeping

Treatments for OSA include devices to wear in your mouth and/or using a breathing machine called a CPAP when sleeping. Even playing the didgeridoo can strengthen the throat muscles and help make them less likely to collapse when sleeping.  

If you are worried about your snoring and having sleep apnea, contact your GP and make sure to let you optometrist know of your condition when you visit for your eye exam.