EyeMark Newsletters

From the moment we open our eyes as newborns to the challenges of age-related visual decline in later years, the journey of eyesight is a remarkable testament to the complex sense of sight. Vision evolves and changes throughout our lives, adapting to the needs and challenges of each life stage and shaping how we perceive the world around us. Understanding how our eyesight changes over time can help us protect and optimise it, ensuring clear vision and eye health at every age. INFANCY       Newborns enter the world with limited vision. They are able to focus on objects only about 20 to 30 centimetres away, just enough to see their caregiver’s face during feeding and bonding. In the first few weeks the baby appears to be cross-eyed as the eyes learn to work together. Over the first few months of life, the visual system develops rapidly. By 6 months of age most babies have achieved visual acuity, eye coordination, depth perception and the ability to track moving objects, skills that are crucial for the development of hand-eye coordination. Newborn babies are unable to perceive colour, and it takes a few months for colour vision to develop. Infancy and early childhood are critical periods for eye health. If not detected and treated early, eye problems at this stage can lead to developmental problems. An eye examination at six months of age involves observing how the eyes react to light, work together and are able to follow a moving object, ensuring...

There’s a crazy little thing called love, and it’s with us every month of the year. In fact, some might say love is all around. (You feel it in your fingers, you feel it in your toes...) But if you want to know what love is, or what love has got to do with it, just visit any store in the weeks leading up to February 14th. A long time ago, four guys in a band reminded us that you can’t buy me love. Clearly, they’d never been to a mall or an online shopping platform. But is it really about balloons and flowers? Is that the true power of love? When someone asks how deep is your love, are they really asking how deep are your pockets? Surely, we’re talking about endless love. The many-splendoured thing. Because where do we begin to tell a story of how great a love can be? If you can’t help falling in love, you’ve probably heard that love hurts. It’s blindness. It’s a drug. Sometimes it’s summer lovin’ and, well... sometimes it’s love on the rocks. But that loving feeling. You know that loving feeling. When someone says love me do. When someone asks, can you feel the love tonight? When someone’s told you lately that they love you. When someone loves you tender. Always forever. Even when it must have been love but it’s over now. (Bye bye love, as they say.) So when someone just calls to say they love you (instead...

Many people, both adults and children, suffer from headaches which may vary in severity and frequency, and many of those people struggle to establish the cause and suitable treatment. Some headaches or medical conditions, such as migraines or head trauma, may cause visual symptoms such as blurred vision, a visual aura, or light sensitivity, but the headaches themselves are the primary source of pain. Other headaches may be caused by a visual problem and may be a sign that the eyes are changing or have difficulty focusing, for example with eye strain or an uncorrected refractive error such as short-sightedness. EYE STRAIN       A typical headache as a result of eye strain usually occurs after over-using the focusing muscles of the eyes for extended periods of time on tasks such as reading or sewing. When the eye muscles become tired, a headache can develop around or behind the eyes. A common cause of headaches that seems to be on the rise is digital eye strain, a condition that can arise from prolonged periods of digital screen usage. This can present with a headache, commonly felt behind the eyes, blurred vision, and sensitivity to light. DIFFICULTY FOCUSING       Both adults and children may experience headaches resulting from uncorrected refractive errors, including shortsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. The eyes are required to work harder as they try to compensate for being unable to focus clearly. The appropriate prescription for glasses or contact lenses to correct the problem will generally alleviate...

The eye is a delicate and complex organ which is often exposed to factors which cause visual problems. Some of these problems can be managed safely with simple home remedies, but these remedies are supplementary and should not replace professional treatment. It is important to be aware of the symptoms that require medical intervention and is always best to consult an eyecare professional before using home remedies. DRY EYES       Dry eyes occur when the eyes don’t produce enough tears or when the tears evaporate too quickly, leading to a dry, gritty or burning sensation in the eyes, itching, redness, watery eyes and sensitivity to light. Use artificial tears which are similar to natural tears and help to lubricate the eyes and reduce inflammation. Place a warm cloth gently over closed eyes for 10 minutes to help increase tear production. Slices of cucumber placed over closed eyes has a soothing effect. Foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, walnuts and flax seeds, can improve tear quality. Maintaining hydration in the body by drinking water benefits tear production. To help spread moisture evenly across the eyes, be aware of blinking regularly particularly during screen use. CONJUNCTIVITIS (PINK EYE) Pink eye is an inflammation of the eyes that can be caused by bacteria, viruses, allergens, or irritants. It is characterised by redness, itching, irritation, a burning sensation, tearing, discharge and often crustiness on the eyelids. Viral conjunctivitis typically clears up after a few days, while conjunctivitis caused...

The term “presbyopia” comes from the Greek word meaning “old eye”, which accurately describes the condition which affects people over the age of 40. Along with greying hair and stiffening joints, presbyopia is one of the inevitable aspects of the normal aging process. As we get older, our eyes gradually lose the ability to focus clearly up close. When light enters the eye, it passes through the cornea, the pupil and the lens before it reaches the retina at the back of the eye. In younger eyes, the lens is able to quickly and easily change shape to focus the light on the retina, allowing us to focus on objects both near and far. However, the lens becomes less flexible with age, losing its ability to change shape as easily. SYMPTOMS OF PRESBYOPIA       The gradual deterioration of vision typically begins around the age of 40 but is often noticed only sometime later. Common symptoms include difficulty seeing close objects, eye fatigue or headaches after doing close work, needing brighter lighting when reading or doing close work, blurred vision at normal reading distance and needing to hold reading material at an arm’s distance to focus properly. Even if you are not experiencing symptoms, it is advisable to have an eye examination by the age of 40 to check on your visual health. It is possible to have presbyopia in addition to or in combination with other types of vision problems, such as shortsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Farsightedness, hyperopia, is...

Does the colour of our eyes have a meaning and symbolism of its own, which might tell us a little about the person behind the eyes? Of course there are numerous factors that contribute to who we are. Can eye colour be a factor that reflects certain aspects of a person’s personality? There is the belief that eye colour holds a deeper meaning about a person and may literally be a window to our personalities. Eye colour is determined by genetics and pigmentation. The pigment responsible for eye, skin and hair colour is melanin. The more melanin in the iris, the more light is absorbed, making the iris appear darker; the less melanin, the less light is absorbed, and the eyes appear lighter. No two people have the same makeup of melanin in their eyes, making each iris as unique as fingerprints. The four most common eye colours are brown, blue, hazel and green. Almost half the world’s population has brown eyes, while less than 10% have green eyes. Less common colours include grey and amber. Although some people may appear to have black eyes, this pigmentation cannot naturally occur in the eyes and may be very dark brown eyes that appear black under certain light conditions. BROWN EYES       Brown eyes are often associated with warmth, kindness, strength and stability, and studies have shown that brown-eyed people tend to be sociable, confident and ambitious. People with darker eyes are seen by others as intelligent, practical and easy to...

GLAUCOMA AWARENESS WEEK 9 – 15 MARCH 2025 World Glaucoma Week is a global initiative organised by the World Glaucoma Association. Their goal is to alert everyone to have regular eye and optic nerve checks in order to detect glaucoma as early as possible because there are available treatments for all forms of glaucoma to prevent visual loss. The theme for 2025 is “See the future clearly”. WHAT IS GLAUCOMA? Glaucoma is a group of chronic conditions of the eye which slowly, silently and progressively damage the optic nerve which carries visual information from the eye to the brain. If untreated, it can lead to irreversible vision loss. It is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. HOW DOES GLAUCOMA AFFECT THE EYES?       The eyes constantly produce a clear fluid called aqueous humor which circulates in the front part of the eye and drains out through the drainage angle, keeping the pressure within the eyes stable. In most types of glaucoma, the eye’s drainage system becomes blocked, and the intraocular fluid cannot drain. As the fluid builds up, it causes pressure to build inside the eye, which can damage the optic nerve. If the pressure remains too high for too long, the damage to the optic nerve can lead to permanent vision loss. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GLAUCOMA? Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma, characterised by a gradual loss of vision due to damage to the optic nerve. Angle closure glaucoma,...

Not to be dramatic or anything, but it's tempting to leave this page blank. Because what does one say about 2020? Last year this time there were lots of jokes about 2020 vision. Then 2020 rolled around and we certainly saw things we'd never seen before. Not to minimise the loss and the struggles of so many people. But the unimaginable situation that was 2020 most certainly had its memorable moments. Last year this time most of us had never heard of Zoom. Who'd have thought it would come to play such a vital role in our lives? Cats, dogs and spouses inadvertently crashed our meetings. Kids walked in at the perfect moment and said the perfect thing. Just one of those things came from the 3-year-old who walked into a Zoom meeting and announced: "Big boys don't care about nappies." (I won't say whose 3-year-old that was...) The eye-opener that was 2020 gave us the experience of seeing people queuing for groceries. We saw sports matches played in empty stadiums. We saw deserted streets during rush hour. In fact, we could spend the holiday season making a very long list of the things we never thought we'd see. We saw virtual gym training, virtual yoga, virtual classrooms and virtual weddings. There had been predictions that this would be the decade of virtual reality. I'm just not sure this is quite what they meant. And then there was that moment when the eyewear profession thought there was a new product on...

Of course, the primary purpose of glasses is to improve our vision, but there is evidence to suggest that eyewear also has the power to influence how others perceive us and even how we perceive ourselves. While the eyes may be the windows to the soul, glasses may be the windows to the person. When we first meet someone, our brains make instant judgements based on physical characteristics, behaviour and other small elements of which we are not even consciously aware. Within seconds, impressions are formed on characteristics including personality, work ethic, potential for success and trustworthiness. Eyewear is one of the factors that has an impact on that first impression. High Intelligence Whether it's true or not, wearing glasses implies that people read more often, suggesting that they are more intelligent and more successful. Even though the connection between wearing glasses and being smart is not necessarily valid, the opinions and decisions of people who wear glasses are taken more seriously. One study found that when the participants were shown images of males, they matched the pictures of the males wearing glasses with occupations associated with high levels of intelligence, for example physician or professor. The findings of another study revealed that even children as young as 8 years old make this connection and it strengthens with age. The older a child gets the more likely they are to depict someone wearing glasses when asked to draw a scientist. Honesty People who wear glasses are perceived to be honest because...

As 2020 draws to a close, many people will be breathing a sigh of relief to put this difficult year behind them. But for many the coming festive season brings mixed feelings with it. There is the anticipation of celebrating with family and friends, albeit under strict rules, but also the financial anxiety of having to spend wisely. Children look forward to the excitement of receiving gifts and many families need to cut back on those. However, with careful thought by parents, the choice of gifts and toys can still delight the young family members. Play is not simply a matter of having fun. It is important for the social, mental, physical and emotional development of children. Children use play to process information and make sense of their world. It stimulates the development of crucial skills for learning and helps children to understand their thoughts and feelings and learn how to deal with them. Toys that help facilitate this are not simply playthings but are tools on this important childhood journey. The visual system is the most complex sensory system in the body but is the least mature system at birth. The progress from the blurry world of the newborn to the sophisticated ability to handle complex visual tasks is enhanced through the careful selection of toys and activities which stimulate this process. By following certain guidelines parents can choose toys that are appropriate yet fun, toys that offer a good balance between enriching the child's skills and providing opportunities for...