History and Symptoms

We will ask several questions about your eyesight and general health -  we are not being nosy! To be able to give you the best advice, it is important for us to know as much as we can about you and your eyes.

Many eye conditions are health-related eg Diabetes. Several geneal health conditions have signs in the eyes eg Hypertension, high cholesterol.  So it is important that you let us know if you receiving treatment. 

Many medications have secondary effects to the eyes eg Steroids can increase risk of cataract and glaucoma, so it is important for us to know whether you are taking any medication (and what you are taking).

Some eye conditions can be hereditary, so we will enquire if there is any history of eye disease (e.g. Glaucoma) or problems (e.g. squints or 'lazy' eyes) in the family. It is useful to know if you have suffered any injuries or accidents involving your eyes.

We will also need to know how you use your eyes at work and for leisure eg if you drive there is a legal visual standard and you may need spectacle to achive this.  If you are a VDU operators it may be necessary to prescribe special spectacles for VDU use.