The Coast's Best of Halifax 2017

We make no bones about it, we love being part of the community of Halifax and, in particular, in playing our role as a downtown business.  We also love being in Nova Scotia, our connection with the sea is a strong one!

Practicing optometry in Nova Scotia means that we have to comply with the Standards of Practice for Optometry set by the Nova Scotia College of Optometrists (NSCO).  As such, we have just received a news bulletin from the College which makes it very clear that we cannot participate in any "Best of" award run by media or organisations such as the Chambers of Commerce.

We have only been open for four years and in that short time we have been fortunate to have been nominated for a Chamber of Commerce Best New Business award and several of The Coast's "Best of Halifax" award.  Once again we have been nominated for The Coast's "Best of" awards (although as we placed Gold last year, we were also automatically included).

Having received the above recent communication for the NSCO, we immediately contacted The Coast to ensure that we are withdrawn from their awards.

We are very grateful for everyone who has thought us worthy of their vote and their support since we opened just a few years ago and it is with much regret that we have to withdraw from the contest. 

We never opened Ocean Optometry to win awards though, we opened with the desire to bring the world's finest eyewear made by independent companies to Halifax and to provide excellent optometric care for our patients.  We have done this without relying on promotions, discounts or specials; believing that people appreciate fair and reasonable pricing without gizmos and giveaways.

We wish everyone participating The Coast's Best of Halifax 2017 awards well, we would encourage you to vote for your favourite businesses, venues, places and fine folks. More importantly, we'd encourage you to support the many great local independent business that Halifax has with your custom!

Best of luck, everyone, and thank you for your ongoing support.

What a year, 2015! (Part 2)

2015 was a year filled with just so much awesomeness that we had to split the review in to two parts, madness I hear you cry, but that's just how it is!

July

So for some if you've read the first part of the review (and it would be rude to get to this stage and to

not have done so!), you're probably thinking, "Wait a minute, they've missed out something kind of important ... Alicia!".  You're right, Licensed Optician Alicia Austin joined the merry crew of Ocean Optometry in May.

Alicia came to us with years of experience as an optician, however, the range of unique, handmade products that we have was new to her.  Really loving the challenge, Alicia has been very quick to learn the intricacies of all of the ranges and the special details which make them unique.  It seemed like no time at all, for example, before Alicia was creating tailor made eyewear with the TD Tom Davies range.  It's an incredible experience to receive a pair of glasses which have been made to measure specifically to fit you, crafted with the unique colour palette that you desire; as an eyegeek, there is nothing quite like helping someone through that process and seeing the end creation of all your work being worn by someone!

Come in, say Hi! to Alicia, check out her level of eye-geekiness and see if she can stand up to the challenge!  At the same time she can't help sort out some fabulous eywear for you.

September

This was an incredible month for us, which really set Ocean Optometry apart on the world stage.  We knew that Kirk & Kirk were launching a new collection in the Fall of 2015 and these launches coincide with the eyewear exhibitions at Paris, Vegas or Hong Kong (Spring is Milan or New York).  Just how excited were we, then, to have Jason & Karen Kirk with us as the first optical business in the world to see and show the collection!  Very!

Kaleidoscope is a unique collection of handmade frames, colourful and like they have the appearance of almost being made of glass.  These frames are made from a unique Italian acrylic which makes them lightweight and comfortable to wear.

Jason & Karen Kirk - Designers / Owners of Kirk & Kirk

To be the first location to show off these beautiful creations three weeks before the industry first got to view them was an incredible honour.  Jason & Karen were here to answer questions and chat with people about their amazing eyewear, including the Vivarium and Solarium collections and the new Kaleidoscope range.  They were definitely a hit with Halifax as we had orders for new frames even before the were being hand made in France!

Come and check out the collection for yourself.

November

Just when you think things are going to be plain sailing, another idea pops up and you're off on adventure again!  After all of the excitement of having Kirk & Kirk with us, we'd enjoyed being part of the City Harvest and Nocturne events again and our thoughts were turning to the coming Winter and Festive Season.  

One thing that we always enjoy throughout the year is the space that our window provides for some fun displays, don't forget to check them out if you're walking along Blowers Street!  Here's our pretty winter scene to finish off the year!

Many thanks to everyone who made 2015 such a fabulous year!

What a year, 2015! (Part 1)

It's that time of year when you reflect somewhat and look forward even more, this is exactly what I did when I realised that it'd been a few months since our last blog!  Oops - there's a New Year's Resolution right there!  Must do better!

2015 ... WOW!

What a great year!  As a young business we are always looking for the next milestone, perhaps even the next reassurance that we are on the right path.  You could say it's a little needy, but you pour your hopes and dreams in to the business you create and so it helps to seek reassurance that they're not just going to crash and burn.

January

The year started off in a great way, continuing to create fabulous eyewear for folks to wear.  When

we say create, we really do mean that we can individually make one-off custom frames exactly to the desires of the wearer.

A great example of this is shown with local designer Bethan.  We had a definite look in mind, and starting with a slightly cats- eye  shaped frame, we weaved some wonderful design magic using the TD Tom Davies Supertool CAD system.  The end result - nailing exactly the look we were going for.

One of the great things about working with TD Tom Davies is that not only do you get to have fun with the creativity of designing the frame, you also end up with a beautifully fitting pair of glasses.  Like a made-to-measure tailored suit, the glasses just feel wonderful to wear.  This really set the tone for the rest of the year.

Then do you remember what happened next?  How can you forget!  Snow!  Snow, snow, snow, snow and snow.  With a side of ice.

 

The first few months were brutal and there's no getting away from it, there were some hard old days in those first few months for Downtown Halifax.  Sadly some of our friends on the downtown business scene were not able to make it through.

Getting out in these days and exploring the downtown is an incredible support for all of the many wonderful local small and independent businesses that make up the vibrant scene in Halifax.  If the weather happens again in 2016, you know what you've got to do.

March

On the night that the worst snow storm rolled in to Nova Scotia, our two docs (and owners) Dr. John Wilson and Dr. Euan McGinty headed off in to the wilderness.

Well, not quite, but they started an epic road trip to head to New York.  Driving cautiously in a blizzard all the way through New Brunswick, then travelling further on driving right through the night to get to New York, was definitely a moment which cemented the friendship of the creators of Ocean!

Why were they doing it?  Did they really stop to have a snooze at LL Bean?  Did they learn their lesson that when meeting border guards you are not the one allowed to crack the first joke?  In a snow storm?  At midnight?

The simple reason - to bring the finest independent eyewear from throughout the world back to Halifax.It was time to venture to the Big Apple again, on one of our buying trips looking for incredible eyewear to have exclusively at Ocean.  We seek out independent manufacturers who can produce eyewear which meets our exacting standards.  What are they?  They must be high quality, superbly designed, well made and have that 'X' factor - that they excite us.The trip to New York is a real highlight in our calendar and there is so much that we could share with you about it, here's just a few pictures:

May

Finally the weather started to warm up and, as you know, the sun is always shining on Blowers Street!

As the weather started to play nice, the city started to wake up out of hibernation and one of our favourite events came around - Open City.

This year we were joined by Humble Pies from Dartmouth who came across with a warmer and their most delicious pies.

If your in Dartmouth and looking for some fine food, then definitely check them out - http://humblepiekitchen.ca/It was a lovely day and we met lots of new people who we kind of new through the Twitterverse, as well as spending a fun day with the Humble Pie folks.  Humble Pie is a lovely new business creating the most delicious New Zealand style pies, if you haven't experienced them already they now have a permanent home over on King Street in Dartmouth, they also have a regular Friday pop-up in Fred, Halifax.It really wasn't long before we were starting to enjoy some beautiful evenings as well, as well as working hard, at Ocean, we like to enjoy life and relax as well.

Spending time with the people you love doing the things you love is incredibly important, don't forget to do it.  We love Nova Scotia and the fact that in the winter you can be skating on the lakes, but when summer rolls around you'll be swimming in them. The first six months of the year aren't over and already so much has happened, but to top it all, in May we were also honoured to meet Mayor Mike Savage.  First Dr. Euan and Dr. John were privileged to go to his office and then Mayor Savage came to Ocean to find out all what we were about.I'm not sure he quite got what he was meant to be doing during the eye examination, but it really was a wonderful experience meeting him and we are humbled by the time that he shared with us.

Through out all this busyness we did also manage to help some fabulous folks into some fine, fine eyewear!  We love regularly featuring them as our "Catch of the Day" through our social media feeds, so make sure you give us a follow on FaceBook, Twitter and  Instagram.

Stay tuned, we're only half way through 2015 ... more to come!

Omega 3 Supplements (Part 2)

We continue our series of questions reviewing the benefits of Omega-3 fish oils with Drs. Wilson and McGinty (part one available here).

4. Can I not just eat more fish and not use supplements?

"YES!!!!!!! is the short answer. You would need to eat approximately 3.5oz of fish every day to acquire the desired daily amount of Omega 3 oil. You also need to remember that this figure can vary due to things like the variety of fish you choose or how it's prepared." Dr. Wilson answers, "As with most things fish is much healthier baked or broiled. Deep­ frying may just undo all the good work you're trying to do."

He goes on to add, "With supplements you have the really big advantage of consistency - you can know that you are consistent with your doctor recommended dosing regime.  Another advantage of using a supplement for Omega 3 is all reputable manufacturers screen their product for unwanted elements, like mercury, thus reducing the health risks associated with these heavy metals.  The supplements also make it easier to add in to a busy lifestyle, whereas switching to a fish rich diet may mean a major change for some."

5. So if I'm going to start taking these supplements, is there an omega 3 fish oil that is better quality?

"That's a really interesting question," Dr. McGinty responds, "To answer this it really is best to look at the kinds of fish oil supplements available, there two different kinds:

a) Triglyceride or TG and

b) Ethyl Ester or EE

TG is naturally occurring and the EE is synthesized chemically. Putting it another way. EE omega 3 is like having fruit juice made from concentrate and I for one prefer my juice freshly squeezed. TG
for me then!"

"Great point!" Dr. Wilson adds to the explanation, "There has been various studies into the comparison between the two forms and the long and short is that the EE is not absorbed nearly as effectively as the TG. Some studies showing an absorption rate up to 50 times slower for the EE derivative. Strike 2 for EE!"

"Looking into it further, there's also some debate about the harm that could come from the metabolism of the EE type in the intestines. During it's synthesis the EE form has a single fatty acid molecule bonded to an ethanol “backbone” whereas the naturally occurring TG has 3 fatty acid molecules bonded to a glycerol “backbone”. The ethanol is released when broken down in the gut and this for many is a cause for concern. That said, tests have shown that the amounts of ethanol (an alcohol) should be safe for humans. Not quite strike 3 but that bonding to the ethanol “backbone” also means technically that the EE form isn't a true oil.

That's a home run for TG in my game!"

6. Can I not just take omega 3,6 and 9 combined?

Dr. Wilson is enthusiastic to answer this question, "Firstly Omega 3 and 6 are essential acids and need to be consumed in our basic human diet through food sources or supplements. Omega 9 is non-­essential and as such isn't actually required so why supplement it at all.

Omega 3 has a potent anti­-inflammatory response in the body. This helps reduce the pain and swelling from most inflammatory responses in the body whereas Omega 6 has the complete polar opposite being pro-­inflammatory. Maintaining a balance between these two important acids is critical. The kicker is that Omega 6 is abundant in the Western diet so you're much less likely to need a supplement.

So, yes, you could take an Omega 3, 6 and 9 supplement but in the words of my esteemed business partner, Dr. Euan McGinty, “You can but you'd be wrong!”

In conclusion, I believe supplementation of Omega 3 fish oil in the Western diet is essential, but, as with many things, the simple rule is everything in moderation. Obtaining it in it's most natural form is always preferred and regularity works best. Always check with your doctor before starting any new medication or supplements.

Remember, we're always interested in peoples experiences, comments or concerns and would love to hear from you so please do not hesitate to fill in our contact form or reach us through our social media with a tweet or a post."

Many thanks to optometrists Dr. John Wilson and Dr. Euan McGinty for taking the time to answer these questions.

Omega 3 Supplements (Part 1)

Here at Ocean, Dr's Wilson and McGinty are strong advocates of the use of Omega-3 fish oil for the health of your eyes, especially when a patient has dry eyes.  We decided to interview our optometrists to find out more and answer some of the common questions that you may have about Omega-3 fish oils and the eyes.

1. Why Omega-3 fish oil? Won't flax seed or hemp oil do?

"There are 3 acids that make a complete omega 3 molecule. These are ALA, DHA and EPA.  ALA is found mainly in nuts and plants, e.g. walnuts and flax seed, but to a lesser degree in fish.  DHA and EPA are found to be more concentrated in fish derived Omega 3."  Dr. Wilson explains.

"Until recently, this wasn't considered an issue as all Omega-3 was really considered equally beneficial. More recently, however,  studies have found that the processing of ALA in the human body isn't nearly as efficient. It's conversion to the more usable DHA derivative is limited and slow."

"Now, I'm not saying there are no benefits to the ALA form."  Dr. Wilson adds, "It's still beneficial as a supplement for vegans and vegetarians who may wish not to take the fish oil, but you need to consume approximately 80% more than the equivalent fish oil supplement to achieve the same effect."

2. When should I take my fish oil?

Dr. McGinty responded, "Conventional reasoning states that Omega-3 supplementation should take place with meals, or just prior to meals. Probably to help combat the fishy aftertaste that is sometimes encountered by some and also to promote good uptake through digestion. It is also wise not to take fish oil prior to working­ out as this may cause gastrict distress."  

"Did you know that I used to have really trouble with taking them?" Dr. Wilson asks, "Then I was chatting about them with a retired pharmacist who said “Why don't you just freeze them and take them at night before bed?” I was amazed that this worked so quite often will recommend this to my patients and so far no-­one has complained of any gastric­ distress through the night"

"I had never heard of that" remarked a surprised Dr. McGinty, "every day's a school day!"

"Indeed!  I would value your feed­back if anyone tries it (good or bad I'm interested) so if you do try this tip, please e-mail me with how you get on: dr.john@oceanoptometry.ca."

3. How much fish oil should I take?

"Now, as optometrists we are dealing with the eyes primarily, but have to remember that the eyes are connected to the rest of the body and therefore have to consider any potential side ­effects." explains Dr. Wilson, "I never recommend more than the daily recommended amount of Omega-3 fish oil, which is between 900-­1200mg/day. This amount should contain a minimum of 600mg of DHA so check those labels carefully."

Dr. McGinty adds, "Sometimes you actually have to take 2-­3 times the amount of “oil” to get the appropriate concentrations depending on the quality and type of fish oil you choose. 

There are also times that amounts higher than this that may be recommended by your Physician for other health issues, especially increased blood triglycerides, but this is done in careful consideration of any other medications you're taking at the time. Omega-3 acids can both enhance and decrease the effectiveness of a number of medications."

"Absolutely" agrees Dr. Wilson, "There is even evidence that excessive amounts of Omega-3 can, in some people, increase their risk of stroke. I, for one, believe in everything in moderation so the daily recommended amount values sit well within my ethics and personal feelings."

To be continued .../ (Part 2)

'Tis the season!

Seasonally named eye conditions!

We're sure that you've come to recognise our optometrists, Dr. Euan McGinty and Dr. John Wilson, are eye geeks through and through.  So for this holiday season, our eye guys thought they'd share some seasonal naming quirks for eye conditions!

All of these are real eye conditions ... well ... almost all, for a bit of Christmas fun we're throwing in a fake one - let's see if you can pick out the fake one.

1- Christmas Tree Cataract

Usually cataracts are a haziness or discolouration of the natural lens inside the eye, which sits just

Christmas Tree Cataract - (image Medscape)

behind the iris.  They can look foggy or smokey to look at and can cause a similar effect on our vision.  Christmas Tree Cataracts are slightly different, this cataract tends to form highly reflective particles in the eye, which significantly bend the light or refract it.  These refractive and reflective properties give the cataract a highly coloured, iridescent and sparkly appearance which is where it gets its name from.

Similar to other cataracts, we would monitor this for its affect on your vision and look for associations with medical conditions.  While it is very pretty to look at, its affect on your vision would depend upon how significant it was in size and its location in the lens.

2 - Frosted Angiitis

This uncommon condition gives an distinct appearance to the blood vessels at the back of the eye and can unfortunately lead to significant degradation in the quality of vision.  Perhaps due to its rareness, the cause can sometimes be a mystery (idiopathic); however it is thought to be associated with an immune response from the body.

Frosted blood vessel appearance

3 - Rudolph Vasculature

A normal and healthy eye, which has a slightly unusual presentation in the blood vessels entering and

Classic Rudolph Vasculature presentation

leaving the optic disc at the back of the eye.  The optic disc is the natural blind spot at the back of the eye, where there are no light receptor cells.  At this point the optic nerve leaves the eye to carry the nerve pulse signals to the brain and where the blood vessels enter and leave the eye.

In Rudolph Vasculature the blood vessels all leave going upwards, giving the appearance likened to the antlers of a reindeer, and due to the twisting of the blood vessels there appears to be a "red nose" in the center of the optic nerve.  No known side effects are associated with this condition.

4 - Snowball Vitreous Floaters

Snowball floaters (bottom-left) - (image Optos.com)

Floaters are not an uncommon finding and often we can be aware of them in particular lighting conditions or against blank backgrounds - a white wall or a blue sky.  As floaters can also be a sign of activity in the eye, they definitely should not be ignored and if you experience new floaters always arrange an appointment for assessment without delay.

Snowball floaters are usually inflammatory cells, which are white in appearance, and occur in a condition called Pars Planitis.  The presence of floaters may actually be the only symptom of this condition, which is generally benign and may only cause a small effect on vision, if at all.

5 - Macular Star

Macular Star (yellow star to the right) - (photo EyeWiki)

The macula is the central part of the retina, which is the most sensitive area responsible for fine detail and colour vision.  When we talk about seeing 20/20 vision, it is this part of the retina which is working for us.

A Macular Star forms due to leakage of lipid rich fluid leaking from the blood vessels into the tissues of the retina, often forming a classic star pattern around the macula. 

If seen, it is important to try to identify the cause, although sometimes the cause is unknown.  It can be related to hypertension or to nerve inflammation.  The nerve inflammation, when caused by infection, is most commonly related to cat-scratch disease.

Thankfully, for most of these conditions, they are quite rare to see!

Click here to give your choice as to which condition is our "Christmas Cracker"

This will be our last blog until 2015, we do hope you are enjoying them.

Many thanks to all our friends, followers, supporters, customers, patients who have made 2014 such a fantastic year for Ocean Optometry - we can't wait for 2015!

Happy Holidays from all at Ocean!

What exactly is a comprehensive eye examination?

When you schedule your eye examination at Ocean Optometry, you can be sure that we are going to take very good care of you and your eyes.  Many people may wonder what is involved in an eye examination and may even be a little nervous about it, so let's try to demystify it a little.

We have designed our comprehensive eye examination to be a flexible approach to gathering a range of baseline measurements to best assess the health of your eyes, the best focus for your eyesight and lifestyle and to provide an opportunity to address any concerns that you may have.

To begin with we will ensure all of the basic information that we have for you is correct, for example your address and contact information and then we will take preliminary assessments prior to your time with one of our optometrists.

There are three main instruments that we currently use for our preliminaries: auto-refractor/keratometer; non-contact tonometer and the digital retinal camera.  This gives a range of information which is useful to gather for most people.  We tend not to use the auto-refractor/keratometer and the non-contact tonometer on people less than 20 years of age as it is not the most reliable way to gather this information on younger eyes.

When we gather any information as part of our eye examinations we want to ensure that the information is good quality information and we want to ensure that there is a real need/reason to gather this information.  Perhaps this is a good example, at a simple level, of what we mean by having a flexible approach.  There is little benefit in doing tests for the sake of doing tests, we are not interested in merely performing the test, but in the information that we gain.

Once the preliminary assessments are carried out, you will be introduced to whichever optometrist is scheduled to see you.  Optometrists Dr. Euan McGinty and Dr. John Wilson are not only our optometrists, but also the owners of Ocean Optometry.  With over 30 years experience in the whole "testing eyes thing", they both have a wealth of experience and knowledge to draw on, however, they are not your stuffy/bossy doctors, so feel free to call them Euan and John.  We're pretty relaxed here!

The first thing our docs will do is review all of the information so far and then have a chat about why you have come in for the eye examination, finding out if you had any specific issues needing addressed or have any specific goals that you'd like to achieve.

From here on in, things are really going to get personal!  We will generally ensure that we assess the quality of your vision and find the optimum focusing requirements for any spectacle lenses you may need. (refraction) We will assess the alignment of the eyes, the way they work individually and as a pair (binocular vision).  At times, however, this may not be appropriate to do at this visit and we will discuss this with you as well.

During your appointment we will also carefully assess the health of your eyes.  We will look at the front of the eyes under high magnification, all the time asking ourselves questions about how healthy they look? Are the eyelids working properly? Are the front tissues quiet and clear?

We will then carefully review the internal health of your eyes, looking at the crystalline lens, the fluids inside the eye and right back to the retina and the optic nerve head.  If this is your first eye examination with us we will be looking to establish baseline assessments for all of these features and considering if the appearance falls within the expected normal variations found within healthy eyes.

If it is not the first eye examination we will further consider how this compares to previous visits and look for any signs of change which could indicate any abnormalities with the eyes or even with your overall general health.  There are also indicators linked to neurological assessments which will be reviewed when we are examining your eyes - for example do the pupil reactions function normally?

Once we are satisfied with all of our findings, we will make appropriate notes and then discuss all of our findings with you, where possible sharing the findings with you when we can review it with our digital instrumentation.

We will make sure that any concerns that you came in with are addressed, that we have discussed any issues that we may have found during our examination and answered any questions which you may have.

Once we are sure that all of the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed, all concerns and questions are covered we will then conclude the eye examination and advise when your next eye examination is recommended.  If it is within a reasonable time we will in fact schedule the appointment there and then, so we know that the clinical time has been set aside for you (don't worry, we can always re-schedule down the line if we need to).

What many find surprising, however, is that John and Euan will then accompany you either to help you choose frames, or to discuss your spectacle requirements with our optician, Mike, or to make sure all matters are taken care of with our front desk.

Even beyond this, though, if you go home and think "Oh, I wish I had asked this ..." then please send us an e-mail, contact us through our website, call us or drop in.

We like to consider that once you choose Ocean Optometry to take care of your eyes, then we're going to take care of them exceptionally well and for a long time.  It's not just about a quick "one/two"; "better/worse" rapid appointment every couple of years, or whenever you remember!  We'll be your go to resource for all things eyes and eye-related!

For further information about our eye examinations, please visit this section of our website: http://www.oceanoptometry.ca/index.php/the-collections/the-examinations

Dry Eye - an interview with our optometrists

Dry eye complaints are something both our optometrists, Dr. John Wilson and Dr. Euan McGinty are seeing more and more of in their day to day consultations.

With people spending more time doing visually intensive tasks, working on computer screens for extended periods and working in environments with controlled atmospheres which are often dry, it is perhaps not surprising that it is becoming an increasingly common complaint.

Therefore, we decided to quiz our doctors a little further about dry eyes.

"While the symptoms of dry eyes can be very frustrating", John says, "the clinical issues associated with it can be equally significant.  A dry eye can often be a compromised eye and therefore more vulnerable to infections or even scar tissue formation.  These both can further complicate the picture and early intervention to provide long term management really is key."

"If you suffer from dry eyes, which can often be recognised through its signs and symptoms, then it is important to have it properly assessed so that we can give you the correct advice specific to your condition."

"This is important", Euan adds, "not all dry eyes are the same.  From that point of view we often have people whose symptoms can range from a burning/gritty sensation, an itchy sensation, to just some discomfort.  What is surprising is we also have patients whose eyes are watering, they can find it strange when we start to talk about 'dry eyes'."

"Looking at the eyes, patients can present with red eyes or inflammation of the tissues of the eye and eyelids, at other times the eye looks quiet and healthy, but the symptoms are all there.  From this point of view dry eyes can be an incorrect label, really we are talking about the tear film not functioning properly."

"When we are performing a dry eye assessment we will be looking at all of these factors, taking into account the symptoms, the appearance of the eye and the tear film and the quality and quantity of tears present.  This will help us to arrive at a care plan which is individual and appropriate for each patient."

"I can't agree more", adds John.  "This really isn't a one-size-fits-all type condition.  With an appropriate manage plan, the condition can often be turned completely around.  It does take effort and commitment from both the patient and ourselves, especially in the early days and weeks.  When we review patients and compare their initial metrics to those after appropriate management, the improvements can be marked."

"This can translate into real world differences, not just in their comfort, but also in their quality of vision."

We asked, is there any general advice which could be helpful?

Euan replied, "It's hard to be general, but there are some things which I do keep going back to.
 Firstly, not all artificial tears are the same.  It is important to find one which works well for you, although I would say that preservative free artificial tears are generally all better than others."

"There may be an element of trial and error to begin with, however, my go-to artificial tear at the moment is one called "Hylo".  This contains an excellent agent for nourishing and protecting the eye, Sodium Hyaluronate, which is found naturally in the tear film.  It comes in unique bottle allowing it to be both preservative free and usable for up to six months from first opening."

We have found this to be so successful we have decided to stock it in our office to make it easier to find, it is available at pharmacies and drug stores, however, some patients did comment that it was difficult to find.

As Hylo is preservative free it is also suitable for contact lens wearers to use, even with their contact lenses in.  So if you find that your contact lenses dry out your eyes or have difficulty in handling your lenses at the end of the day, this may just be the solution you are looking for.

"There are two things I keep coming back to as well," responds John, "Omega-3 fish oils and an eye mask"

Dr. John Wilson using a Thera Pearl Eye Mask

"The Omega-3 supplements have been shown to be useful in helping manage dry eye conditions, it is important to choose the fish oil, however, and not the flax seed oil (which may have other benefits).  There are certain things to look for, so a little research is definitely useful to ensure it will fit in with your needs and lifestyle."

"Eye masks are a great resource for patients with dry eyes.  We recommend the Thera Pearl eye mask and again have decided to always have it available here at Ocean, as we were so impressed.  It can be used for both warm compresses, to help open up the meibomian glands and improve their function, and cold compresses, to help calm down an angry and inflamed eye.  I have been so impressed with this simple product that I have one at home for myself to use!"

John concludes, "While this advice may not be for every patient, it may be beneficial for many patients and, at times, I do wonder if we should all be performing eye-lid cleaning and warm compresses as part of our daily routine, like brushing and flossing our teeth."

One final piece of advice from both or our optometrists: Don't forget the 20/20/20 rule - for every 20 minutes you are using your computer (or tablet/smartphone) you need to look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

If you have any concerns about dry eye, please feel free to make an appointment.  The first step is a comprehensive eye examination to rule out other factors and then, if appropriate, we can schedule a dry eye assessment appointment.

New York / Vision East Expo Day 5

Hard to believe that this is our fifth day in NYC, this is turning into quite the marathon event.  Looking at our schedule we knew that this was going to be a busy day, we had a lot of appointments, and quite a special day - we would only be spending half of it at the actual convention centre.

Visiting the stands at the convention centre brings many great things, you inevitably see new things across all of the different sectors that make up the optometric business.  You find some amazing unexpected finds, perhaps hidden away in a smaller booth or tucked away in a corner.  You also see some tremendous showboating by some of the industry giants as they try to prove that my stand is bigger than your stand.  We could go on at some length about how awful some of these are, but that's not why we're here.  When we see these monstrosities, though, it does reassure us that we are absolutely correct to continue to forge great relationship with independent manufacturers, designers and suppliers.

This mornings hidden gem was something that we have been looking for since before we opened, and today we found the solution - literally!  We have been looking for an eyeglass cleaner spray that we were happy with for a long time, we wanted something as environmentally friendly as possible, which did a great job of cleaning and protecting your lenses and fitted our general office philosophies.  Now we have it:

Our very own 'local' eyeglass cleaner

When you now pick up your new eyewear, be sure to pick up a bottle of this spray formulated with Nova Scotia water!  The great thing is, when you have this bottle you can come back any time to get it re-filled - we want you to keep your eyeglasses looking fabulous, after all!

So, where shall we start today? With our only appointment at the show, first thing.  We love working with this supplier who creates our very own line of "by Ocean" eyeglasses for us.  These offer a great value option with frames handmade in Germany in a clean and elegant style.  We updated our selection of shapes and also added in more sunglasses - we are so confident that this winter will end!

Now, with a few hours before our rendezvous in an Airstream, we go for an explore.  This is when we found our eyeglass cleaner.  It also gave us an opportunity to look at some of the eye exam equipment.  We admit it, we are eye geeks through and through and when we are presented with a range of eye-toys it's very difficult to resist.  So, we didn't!  Dr Wilson picked up a new lens for examining the back of the eyes in great detail and we also choose some new tools to help us in our day to day eye examinations and when we have an eye emergency of some foreign matter stuck in the eye.  All of these additional tools add to both the range and quality of services we can provide in the eye care/eye health factor of our business.

Activist Eyewear

With the exploring over, it was time to head out, cross the rainy street and find a polished Airstream.  Inside were our friends Activist Eyewear.  Anthony & Mark gave us a very warm welcome and there's no denying that this is a seriously cool place to come and meet with them.  It is slightly surreal inside with the polished, curved walls creating a funfair hall of mirrors type effect, but with some cool mood lighting and groovy tunes you can get away with anything!

We love how Activist have an exquisite level of attention to detail.  There are so many subtle touches throughout the whole range and within each product that let you know you really have something special.  It really was a simple decision for us to order in more of their ophthalmic frames which people have been loving in Halifax.  Once we are done with the ophthalmic collection, we move on to their sunglasses.  Wow!

These really are fabulous, combining a sense of classic style with modern functionality, you are sure to be choosing sunglasses that not only look great but perform superbly.  Make sure you follow our Twitter and Facebook posts as we'll definitely be announcing when these arrive in our office and we suspect that they're not going to hang around for long when they do!

We shoot the breeze for a while as Anthony & Mark really are lovely people to spend time with, but with our next appointment looming soon enough it's time to head out into a rainy March day in New York.

After a short walk we arrived at the Loft - this time to do business, rather than to party.  Mind you, what a place to do business!

The sparkliest business venue ever!

The exhibitors at the Loft are perhaps some of the most exclusive eyewear ranges available, the cream of the crop.  The Loft was originally started by Bevel to try to provide a better setting to choose eyewear in and to get away from the burden of dealing with the main venue's exhibition red tape.  In so many ways, they have succeeded.  The atmosphere is relaxed and laid back, there are a wonderful collection of exhibitors and you get the sense of both open-ness and intimacy at the same time.  There does not feel any pressure to choose your selection and move on, here.

We start with meeting with Bernhard Wolf, from Rolf.  Rolf are by far the best makers of natural product eyewear globally at the moment, bar none.  With frames made from wood, stone and buffalo horn their selection is exquisite.  When choosing to carry Rolf Spectacles we knew that having a good relationship with them would be important, as a family business Rolf completely get the importance of this.  We spend time with Bernhard, review their offerings and bring ourselves up to date with all of their activities.

We then spend some time with Bevel.  Bevel is a line which we have not reviewed before, however, as they are the innovators of the Loft, it would seem rude not to.  Firstly, they are thoroughly nice people ... thoroughly!  Creative, global, caring and most of all ... nice!  So it's already looking good from the relationship point of view.  In saying that, we already had quite a lot of stock organised and some more appointments to go.  We have good lines chosen for the office already that have been working well for us, do we really need another range?

We get down to the task in hand and start to go through the range - beautiful, simply, beautiful.  Hand made in Japan, their quality is superb.  Oh, go on then, let's chose some of these, they really are wonderful.

Then we go to our final appointment - SALT.  We've been looking forward to this for quite some time, they really are a range of eyeglasses which has become a firm favourite in our office.  After meeting with all the great people of SALT., including designer David who we'd last seen in Paris, it was time to catch up with Amy - our local agent from Ontario.  We went through the new collection, you feel very special seeing the models as they have just been launched and aren't even in the market yet.

What's new for this year for us?  Sunglasses from SALT. Having found their ophthalmic frames to be such a popular range and having found their quality to be exemplary, adding the sunglasses range was an easy decision.

Some of the models are available as both sunglasses and ophthalmic frames and some are just available as one or the other.  SALT. sunnies come with quality polarized lenses as standard and we are able to put prescription lenses in all of the.

Thankfully we also managed to find some wonderful models to help us choose the sunglasses that we wanted to showcase at Ocean.

Okay, maybe it wasn't all about modelling the sunglasses, maybe it was all about just shooting the breeze with a cool California vibe while looking fabulous and feeling 100% the absolute rockstar.  They're not just sunglasses, they're a lifestyle choice, and you know it!

Did we order some?

Absolutely!

We were in New York; we were there avoiding a storm that was burying Nova Scotia in snow; we were hiding from the rain lashing down outside - but we were wearing the coolest sunglasses and in our world the sun was most definitely shining.

Our sunglasses collection.

As a final note we are very thankful for the time that all of the companies give us.  We are fairly intensive about wanting to be completely knowledgeable about the products that we carry and some of our questions are challenging.  It is important to us to know the construction techniques inside out and back to front, we want to ensure that the glasses you  choose from Ocean are second to none.

For more information about these independent eyewear ranges please see:
Activist Eyewear - http://www.oceanoptometry.ca/index.php/activist-eyewear
Rolf Spectacles - http://www.oceanoptometry.ca/index.php/rolf-spectacles
Bevel Spectacles - http://www.oceanoptometry.ca/index.php/bevel
SALT. Optics - http://www.oceanoptometry.ca/index.php/salt

The rainy day finished with a lovely Italian meal in an incredibly busy restaurant right on 7th Avenue near Central Park.  Kindly invited as guests of Allergan again, it is a great chance to catch up with both optometrist colleagues, especially from different provinces, and the professionals from Allergan.

The eye examination ... what do you see back there?

One of the greatest privileges of being an optometrist is to be able to look at our patient's eyes in great detail, including right through the pupil to the back of the eye.  The eye is an amazing organ with many intricate details which we routinely examine as part of our eye examinations and so often we take our sight for granted, but many may wonder what are we actually looking at back there when we examine the eyes.

Examining the eyes isn't as scary as some may think, especially given the popular myth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that the eyes somehow recorded what we saw and that if you photographed the eyes of a dead person you could see the last thing they saw (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optography and http://www.college-optometrists.org/en/college/museyeum/online_exhibitions/eye/optography.cfm).  This popular concept was used as a plot device in some fiction of the time and was even employed as an investigative technique for some actual forensic investigations.

Our digital retinal camera

At Ocean Optometry we are pleased to include retinal photography as part of our standard comprehensive
eye examination* and we use a Nikon DSLR camera back mounted on a digital retinal camera to capture the images even before you see Dr McGinty or Dr Wilson.  These images are seamlessly integrated into your electronic health record at Ocean and will be reviewed with you by our doctors as part of your eye examination.

Here is an example of one of our digital images:

Digital Retinal Image - Right Eye

You can clearly see some very important structures in the eye, although on first glance it may resemble more the appearance of Mars or the Sun towards sunset.  The salmon pink colour of this photograph shows a nice healthy retina, with the blood vessels overlying the retina.  The lighter/thinner blood vessels are the arteries, which supply oxygenated and nutrient rich blood to the tissues.  The darker/thicker vessels are the veins which take the blood back to the heart.  The vessels branch out from a single point, with smaller and smaller branches, nicely resembling a tree in appearance.

In the lighter pink areas, almost yellow, the retina is light enough that the underlying blood vessel structure is visible.  This is from the white of the eye, right round at the back of the eye!

The point where the blood vessels enter and leave is also the point where the optic nerve leaves the eye to take the information to the brain about what we are seeing.  This is the optic nerve head or the optic disc and creates the natural blind spot in the eye which we all have.  Careful examination of the optic nerve head is very important to help to assess for the presence of glaucoma.  Using digital photographs as part of our eye examination allows for careful comparison in appearance of the optic nerve head between visits to help detect change over time.

Central in the picture is a darker area, called the macula.  The macula is the area of greatest sensitivity of the retina, it has the highest density of light receptive cone cells present, the highest density of pigment underlying the macula and has a very rich supply of nutrients provided through the underlying vessel structure.  Unfortunately, if this area is damaged the impact on our quality of vision can be significant and this is why regular assessment to look for signs of diseases such as Macular Degeneration is important.

One final feature we often get asked about when we are discussing the retinal images is "what is that bump/lump in the top right corner?".  This is a historical feature in retinal photographs and is always in the top right corner as a way of saying "This way up!".  Prior to digital photography, retinal photographs relied upon either 35mm slide film of polaroid film to capture the images, once printed a photograph could be rotated and with slide, flipped even, which could lead to confusion over the area of the eye you were looking at or if you were looking at a right or a left eye.  So don't worry about the bump, we want it to be there!

* There is a $25 co-pay for digital retinal photography for MSI paid eye examinations.

Quality ensured using our Nikon camera

We're now open for business

Ocean Optometry opens its doors!

After what seems like a lifetime of preparation, we are finally opening our doors for the first time in a few short minutes.  In the clinic today is Dr John Wilson, with Erin and Mike there to keep everything running smoothly.

All of the preparation will hopefully serve us well, everyone is really fired up to ensure we provide the highest level of attention to detail and service quality possible.

If you would like to make an appointment then please feel free to call on (902) 446-4470 or use our contact form, you can also now call in to the office as we are open!

Many thanks to everyone involved in getting us to this point.