Fitovers - handy & convenient

Why We Recommend Fitover Sunglasses

Fitover sunglasses are a simple and practical way to add sun protection over your regular glasses. Gone are the days of the bulky, boxy black designs — today’s styles are sleeker, available in a range of colours, and come in smaller fittings for a more comfortable look and feel.

There are three lens options to choose from: Grey, Amber, and Yellow.

• Amber lenses are popular for enhancing colour contrast.

• Yellow lenses are often preferred by people with early cataracts, as they can help improve clarity of vision.

• Grey lenses offer classic, all-round sun protection.

Fitovers are especially handy if you wear photochromic lenses (the type that darken in sunlight). Because these don’t fully activate behind a car windscreen, adding a pair of polarised Fitovers can make a big difference by cutting glare and keeping your eyes more comfortable while driving.

Come in and try on our range of Fitovers — find the style and lens tint that suits you best.

Subsidy for Children’s Glasses

Glasses Subsidy for Children 15 Years & Under

Did you know there is government funding available for children’s eye care? Through Enable NZ, families can access a subsidy that covers the full cost of an eye examination for children aged 15 years and under.

To qualify, families need to have a current Community Services Card or a High Health User Card.

The subsidy can also go toward the cost of prescription glasses, if they’re needed.

Most Kiwi children have their vision screened for lazy eyes around age 4 as part of the B4 School Check. While this is helpful, it isn’t as detailed as a full eye exam, but it can pick up some vision issues. The next routine screening happens in Year 7 (around age 11).

If you have any concerns about your child’s eyes or vision, we’re here to help. You can book online with Emily, Claire, or Sally, or give us a call on 09 425 9646.

Don’t wait until the next school vision check — book an eye exam today and give your child the best chance to see clearly and thrive.

Watery eyes?

Why Are My Eyes Watering All the Time?

If you've been using lubricating drops and warm compresses but your eyes are still watering, you may be dealing with a tear drainage issue—not dry eyes.

Normally, tears drain through small openings in the inner corners of your eyelids, flowing into a tiny channel that leads to your nose. This process happens with each blink. However, if any part of this drainage system becomes narrowed or blocked, tears can overflow, making it feel like your eyes are constantly watering.

Introducing Lacrimal Lavage

We’re now offering lacrimal lavage—a quick, in-office procedure that can help assess, and in some cases clear, partial blockages in the tear drainage system. It’s ideal for patients experiencing excessive tearing (also known as epiphora) due to obstructed tear ducts.

What Does the Procedure Involve?

Lacrimal lavage is usually quick and well tolerated. After numbing the area with anaesthetic drops, your optometrist will gently insert a thin, blunt probe into the tear duct opening. A sterile saline solution is then flushed through the drainage pathway.

• If the system is clear, the fluid will pass through to your nose and throat—you may even taste the salty solution.

• If there’s a blockage, the fluid may resist flowing or may backflow from the eye, helping us pinpoint the issue.

In some cases, the flushing action itself may relieve the obstruction and restore normal tear drainage. Many patients notice an improvement shortly after the procedure.

Contact us to learn more or book an assessment today. We’re here to help you find relief.

Driving Licence Vision Testing

Is Your Vision Road-Ready?

Good vision is essential for safe driving. If you can’t see clearly, you can’t react quickly—and that puts everyone at risk. Studies show that 1 in 14 drivers has a vision problem that could affect their driving ability.

When it’s time to renew your driver’s licence, you’ll need to prove that your eyesight meets the legal standard for safe driving. But don’t wait until renewal time—if you’re noticing changes in your vision, get your eyes checked now.

How to Prove Your Vision Meets the Standard

You have three options to confirm your eyesight meets the required standard:

• ✅ Pass a vision screening at the AA

• ✅ Have an eye test with an optometrist

• ✅ Have a vision test with your GP

The AA test is convenient, the equipment used does not suit everyone. If one eye is weaker than the other, your stronger eye might compensate during the test, leading to inconsistent results. It’s not uncommon to fail the AA test but pass at the optometrist.

If you’re unsure, see your optometrist first—especially if you suspect a vision issue.

Special Cases

• Monocular Vision (vision in one eye only): You must be tested by an optometrist, GP, or ophthalmologist.

• Night Vision Issues or Cataracts: Your licence may come with restrictions, such as “no night driving,” depending on your condition.

Planning Ahead

If your licence renewal is coming up, we recommend scheduling your routine eye exam at least a couple of months in advance. We’ll check your vision and if everything meets the standard, provide the official certificate you need. Certificates are valid for 60 days.

Need an eye test for your licence—or just want to make sure your vision is safe for driving?
Book an appointment today and enjoy peace of mind. If you think your eyesight may not be good, or you are not able to see clearly while you are driving, get it checked now.

Glasses Poetry

I enjoyed this four line poem, called a quatrine, by British Poet Lemn Sissay. A collection of these poems, which he wrote each morning for over ten years, has been published: Let the Light Pour In. The poems are untitled.

Where are my glasses? Where are my glasses?

My glasses are gone my glasses are gone

I have lost them again I have lost them again

I have got my glasses on.

Polygenic Testing for Glaucoma Risk

SightScore testing is a polygenic risk score which estimate a person’s genetic risk of developing Primary Open Angle Glaucoma. This can be the risk of future glaucoma, or, if someone already has glaucoma, the risk their glaucoma might progress to more severe disease, relative to others in the community.

How does it work?

SightScore assists us to identify individuals at highest genetic risk of glaucoma. This means these people can be appropriately prioritized and managed, to increase the likelihood that any glaucoma or glaucoma progression can be detected earlier. It may also help us identify those at lower genetic risk of glaucoma.

How can genetics be used to assess glaucoma risk?

Humans share the same genetic code apart from some differences, called genetic variants, that make each of us unique. Some of these variants are known to increase the risk of developing glaucoma, while others reduce the risk. It is possible to combine the risks from hundreds or thousands of these genetic variants to estimate a person’s genetic risk of developing glaucoma, either in the future or, if they already have glaucoma, the risk their glaucoma might get worse, relative to others in the community.

Clinical uses

This information may be useful in a range of patient management decisions. Used in combination with a your medical history, clinical risk factors and eye examination the Sightscore information can help in considering:

• How often someone should be monitored for glaucoma,

• Management strategy for someone with glaucoma, including some treatment decisions such as whether to begin medicine (drops) to lower eye pressure, and

• Whether blood relatives (parents, brothers/sisters, adult children) should be checked for glaucoma.

What is involved to do a test?

Sightscore is a saliva test. We have the kits here, and you can either do the test at home or we can do it here in practice for you.

Results come through after 2-3 weeks, in the form of report, see the example below. You can discuss this with us, and take the report along if you see an ophthalmologist.