Take a look at our fab new website!

We’re very excited to share the exciting news about our new website – https://www.alexgagevision.com to replace this site.

The new site includes lots of important vision information and a super easy way to make appointments at both Crosspool and Woodseats practices online.

We’d love you to have a good look around the site and tell us what you think on facebook – on either the Woodseats or the Crosspool pages. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks to John Mounsey for his expertise and guidance.

 

 

Congratulations, Cara on your 20th anniversary of joining us!

Congratulations to our Practice Manager, Cara (pictured centre with Alex and Sarah Gage) who has celebrated 20 years of loyal service with us.

Cara Smith joined our Chesterfield Road, Woodseats practice in 1998 and was promoted to Practice Manager in 2006.

Cara reflects on the last 20 years: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with Alex, the team and our lovely patients over the last two decades.

“Much has changed, notably computerisation and doing our own glazing, a skill that I was delighted to learn. More recently, it was great to see the difference that the refurbishment made to the practice.”

Speaking about Cara’s long service, Alex Gage said: “Dedicated staff members like Cara are an increasing rarity nowadays and she is a very valued and respected member of the team and a real credit to the business.”

Cara concludes: “Optical assistant, Rachel Ireson and I seem to have made a great team. When I first joined, it was just us two with Alex for a long time. Then the business grew and we have taken on more staff. I enjoy working as part of the Alex Gage team and look forward to many more happy years to come.”

Cara and husband, Carl, will celebrate with a meal at Sheffield Steakhouse, Miller and Carter.

When she’s not working, Cara enjoys spending time with her husband and girls, aged four and six, catching up with friends and, when time permits, long walks and trips to the gym.

Rachel Ireson celebrated her 20^th anniversary at Alex Gage’s Woodseats practice in May, 2017.

Here’s how our eyecare plan can help you to save money on your glasses and contact lenses

Spreading the cost of a Comprehensive Eyecare package – for people who value their eyesight

The Problem

The cost of providing eye examination is underfunded by the NHS.

The NHS does not fund investment in advanced instrumentation such as digital retinal and anterior eye cameras, corneal topographers and optic nerve scanners that we use in our eye examinations. These are things that help us take better care of your eyes!

A large part of the cost of providing our eye examination and the advanced instrumentation we use has to be subsidised by the sale of spectacles.

If everyone has an eye exam with us and purchases spectacles elsewhere, we will not survive to provide that service in years to come.

The Solution

You can help us to address these shortfalls, to secure the further development of your unique practice and save you money too!

By paying the true cost of an eye examination, you would benefit in return from huge savings on your spectacles. Makes sense doesn’t it?

As a member of our exclusive Purple Spectacle Eyecare plan, you pay just £8.00 per month and receive:

Unlimited eyecare appointments with access to all additional tests and instrumentation at no extra charge (value £100)

25% off ALL spectacle frames

25% off ALL spectacle lenses when glazed into a new frame

25% off ALL prescription sunglasses

20% off ALL non-prescription sunglasses

AND… if you are entitled to a free NHS sight test, then we will further reduce the cost of your spectacles by the value of the NHS sight test fee!

AND you can even use an NHS voucher towards the cost of your spectacles, if you are entitled to one.

Example of spectacle savings

Cost saving of an average pair of branded spectacles frames (sold at £120) = £30

Cost of saving of an average pair of Essilor branded varifocal spectacles (sold at £320) = £80.00

Total Saving = £110.00

And don’t forget you do not need to pay for an eye examination up front, and we can also use ALL NHS contributions towards your glasses too.

Special Offer

You’ll have to be quick…

Join the Purple Scheme today and receive your first month’s Purple membership absolutely free! This offer will only apply to the first 10 customers who join each month so don’t delay – sign up today!

It’s simple! Just call us on 0114 274 8582 (Woodseats) or 0114 266 7066 (Crosspool) or speak to a member of staff at either practice. To read more, click here to view our spectacles plan leaflet, or click here to view our contact lens plan leaflet.

Our Purple guarantee to you

Our purple eyecare plan will include unlimited consultations and professionally dispensed high quality spectacles. Our Purple Eyecare package gives you peace of mind and complete confidence in our service. If we don’t meet the high standards you expect from us, we will give you a courteous exchange of your spectacles within 30 days, no questions asked.

 

We’re one of a few to offer the Varilux X interactive personalisation experience

We’re proud to be one of only four practitioners in Sheffield to offer a sophisticated personalised service for patients with Varilux X varifocals.

Our practices in Woodseats and Crosspool can now dispense Varilux X lenses using the revolutionary Near Vision Behaviour measurement.

“Your posture and the way you look at things up close have changed. You’re now drinking coffee while texting the kids, sending an email via a tablet on the train or checking your social news feed every other hour. In short, everything that matters today happens within arm’s reach. Before now, no varifocal lens has been designed to accommodate these modern day behaviours and therefore you had to, ‘point your nose to where you want to look at’.

“The Varilux X series has revolutionised wearers’ near vision depth but you can elevate what you see to a whole new level by personalising your Varilux X series lenses using the unique Near Vision Behaviour measurement.

“Near vision reading is unique to the individual. Knowing your patient’s body posture and visual behaviour is now key to dispensing the best possible lenses. That’s why we’ve introduced the interactive personalisation experience that recreates familiar near vision tasks in practice and captures four measurements that are then integrated into the lens.”

Personalised Varilux X series lenses are engineered to sharpen vision, speed up lens adaptation time, significantly improve visual comfort and ensure that Varilux X series lenses are in perfect synergy with your eyes and frame.

Created by Essilor in 1959, the Varilux® brand is the world leader in progressive lenses. In the last 60 years, Essilor has deposited more than 50 patent families to protect the technical characteristics of Varilux lenses.

For more information about Varilux X lenses and Near Vision Behaviour, contact us at 857 Chesterfield Road, Woodseats, 0114 274 8582 or at 48 Sandygate Road, Crosspool, 0114 266 7066.

Outdoor play benefits myopia say optometrists ahead of Get Outside Day

Sheffield family optometrists Alex and Sarah Gage are urging children to take part in the first national Get Outside day this Sunday for the sake of their eyesight.

#GetOutsideDay is the brainchild of Ordnance Survey who has teamed up with supporters across the country to organise guided walks, cycling and other outdoor activities in a bid to encourage more people of all ages and abilities to get outside more often.

Ordnance Survey is urging one million people across the nation to get active outdoors on Sunday 30 September in a bid to improve health and wellbeing, but Crosspool and Woodseats Optometrist Alex Gage advises that the benefits of outdoor play go beyond general health and are documented to slow the progression of myopia in children:

“There has been a huge rise around the globe in short-sightedness, or myopia, over recent decades and research suggests that lack of natural light seems to a key factor.

“Spending 90 minutes a day outdoors can help to reduce the risk of myopia and getting involved in the free Get Outside Day activities is a great way to do this.”

To find out what events are taking place nearby, people can visit the National GetOutside Day page. From foraging to cycle rides, there are a range of activities to suit anyone, from 8 months to eighty years old.

Ben Fogle, GetOutside Champion said: “We want to get everyone moving and people should spend more time outside. You’ll feel better for it. When I’m outside I smile more, and it’s the one place that’s repeatedly proven to be good for both body and mind.”

Eye examinations are free for children and students in full time education up to the age of 19. Please call or pop in to either Woodseats or Crosspool if you would like more information or to book an appointment.

Pioneering contact lens approach slows myopia progression in children

We’re proud to be a part of the pioneering MiSight trial into shortsightedness in children and are delighted to bring you the four year findings, courtesy of Cooper Vision.

SINGAPORE, September 18, 2018–New four-year study data shows the significant impact of a pioneering contact lens management approach to slowing the progression of myopia (nearsightedness) in children, including those whose treatment begins later. CooperVision is presenting the multi-year study’s latest outcomes during the BCLA Asia conference in Singapore this week, at which the globally increasing prevalence of myopia is among the most widely discussed issues.

The ongoing clinical trial is assessing a specially-designed, dual-focus myopia control 1-day soft contact lens in reducing the rate of progression of juvenile-onset myopia. The lens is commercially available as CooperVision MiSight® in select countries.¹

“Four-year results on the efficacy of our innovative myopia control lens represent a landmark in slowing myopia progression. The treatment is continuing to work for children who have been wearing MiSight® contact lenses for the entire study, and their axial length progression in this last year has slowed further. This illustrates the benefits of beginning myopia management as early as possible to maximize the benefit,” said Paul Chamberlain, BSc (Hons), MCOptom, Director of Research Programs for CooperVision.

After year three, myopia progression slowed in children wearing the MiSight® contact lens: 59% as measured by mean cycloplegic spherical equivalent (SE) and 52% as measured by mean axial elongation of the eye when compared to the children in the control group wearing a single vision 1-day contact lens.

In year four, children in the original control group were refit with the myopia control lens, and then continued to be tracked separately. Use of the dual-focus contact lens — which has alternating visual correction and treatment zones — was effective in slowing myopia progression in both groups:

• There was a significant reduction in myopic progression for the previous single vision 1-day wearers, indicating that MiSight® contact lenses are also effective when beginning myopia management at an older age.
• There were no significant differences between groups for change in Spherical Equivalent Refractive Error and Axial Length over 12 months.
• Axial length growth of 0.07mm in the MiSight® group and 0.06mm in the previous control group, compared to 0.10mm seen in the MiSight® group in year three, represents further myopia slowing as the children age.
• There were no significant differences in myopia progression rates for two demographically matched populations in their first versus fourth years of MiSight® contact lens wear.

No other prospective randomized controlled study has offered conclusive data for such a high degree of continued efficacy in myopia management using a 1-day soft contact lens over four years. The contact lens-based approach does not induce common side effects exhibited by some alternative pharmacological therapies.

The prevalence of myopia is projected to increase from approximately two billion people worldwide in 2010 to almost five billion people in 2050², bringing with it near- and long-term health challenge Not only does it create blurred vision, but also increases the likelihood of conditions later in life such as glaucoma, cataract, retinal detachment and myopic maculopathy if not addressed.

“The four-year results are another great learning for CooperVision and the entire optical industry on the capability to slow the progression of myopia in children. Though children benefit at whatever age the treatment is started, the sooner their myopia is managed with MiSight® contact lenses, the more effect and benefit they receive in reducing final levels and the future risk of related vision impairment issues,” said Stuart Cockerill, Senior Director, Myopia Management.

Physiological changes among 100 myopic children from Singapore, Canada, England, and Portugal were evaluated during the fourth year.

Focus on your eye health in support of National Eye Health Week 24 – 30 September

Regular check-ups are essential to protect our vision and overall health yet many of us don’t take the time to think about the importance of caring for our eyes.

As National Eye Health Week approaches, Alex Gage, who runs two practices in Crosspool and Woodseats, urges Sheffield residents and new university students to prioritise booking an eye examination if they do not have one regularly.

Alex is backing the week-long campaign running from 24 to 30 September organised by Vision Matters, a charity that promotes the importance of eye health and the need for regular sight tests.

He said: “Routine eye examinations are crucial for not only helping to detect any problems with your vision, but they allow eye health professionals to also check for more general health problems and a wide range of conditions that can lead to sight loss if not treated in time.

“Half of all sight loss cases are preventable – and an eye examination can detect eye disease, such as glaucoma and other health conditions including diabetes, raised cholesterol, high blood pressure and increased risk of stroke.”

He added: “Raising awareness and educating people about the importance of looking after their eyes through regular testing and better lifestyle choices is absolutely vital to addressing the nation’s eye health problems.”

Eye examinations are free for the over 60s, children and students in full time education up to the age of 19.

The 2017 Generation Eye Report, commissioned by National Eye Health Week and Specsavers, found almost 14 million people in the UK have not had an eye test at least every two years as recommended, despite the fact that one in two had expressed worries about deteriorating vision later in life.

To find out about events taking place across Yorkshire for National Eye Health Week and to learn more about the campaign, visit www.visionmatters.org.uk.

Look after your eyes this summer

As the region basks in a prolonged period of good weather, here at Alex Gage, we’re alerting people to the danger that the sun’s rays pose to eye health.

Alex says: “People know the dangers of hot weather with regard to sunburn and dehydration, but are less aware of the damage that the sun can do to your eyes. The intense ultraviolet (UV) rays associated with strong summer sunlight can damage the sensitive cells in the eyes and this damage may eventually affect vision.

“The eyes are 10 times more sensitive to UV damage than our skin and there are a number of conditions associated with extended exposure to UV rays including cataracts, macular degeneration and some forms of eye cancer.

“Because up to 80 per cent of the eyes’ UV exposure happens before the age of 18, it’s particularly important to protect children’s eyes with a hat and wrap-around sunglasses or UV-blocking contact lenses when they are outside in the sun.

“Even the best quality sunglasses can let UV rays in around the rims, so we recommend buying your sunglasses from an optician as we can advise on the best fit.”

For those of you afflicted by hayfever, sunglasses also act as a physical barrier to help relieve eye related symptoms.

We also stock contact lenses with a high level of UV-blocking at both of our practices at Woodseats and Crosspool. The UV-blocking filters sit right over the cornea and lens of the eye to protect it. Acuvue lenses are proven to block more than 98% of UVB and 85% of UVA rays as standard.

Remember eye health care during Diabetes Week

Diabetics should have regular appointments with an optometrist in addition to their annual diabetic retinopathy screening – that is our message during this year’s Diabetes Week (11 – 17 June).

Alex stresses that it is not just diabetics that need to be aware of the importance of having an eye examination: “4.5 million people in the UK live with the condition while 11.9 million are at increased risk of getting Type 2 diabetes. Eye examinations are invaluable as they can detect diabetes at an early stage.

“As optometrists, we have an extremely important part to play in educating and reminding patients, diabetic or otherwise, about the importance of having an eye exam.

“During Diabetes Week in particular, I would like to help to raise awareness of the condition. It’s crucial that people understand the seriousness of diabetes, and realise that diabetic people are actually more at risk of developing complications with their eyes.

“This is why we are encouraging diabetics in the local area to make sure they have a routine eye exam every year to keep check of the overall health of their eyes. That should be in addition to diabetic retinopathy screening.”

Diabetes Week runs between 11 and 17 June and the theme for 2018 is ‘#Talk about diabetes’.

Alex added: “You can get signs of diabetes in the eyes such as variable vision from day to day and leaking blood vessels at the back of the eyes if the condition remains uncontrolled for a long time.

“An eye exam can also pick up other health conditions such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure.”

Diabetes is a life-long health condition that occurs when the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high because the body can’t use it properly. There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells, meaning no insulin is produced. This causes glucose to rise quickly in the blood.

With Type 2 diabetes, the body doesn’t make enough insulin, or the insulin it makes doesn’t work properly, meaning glucose builds up in the blood. About 90 per cent of people living with diabetes have Type 2. Both can be life-threatening if not treated and managed.

Retinopathy is damage to the retina and is a complication that can affect people with diabetes. It is the most common cause of blindness among people of working age in the UK.

If you have any concerns about your eye health or you have diabetes and would like to get your eyes examined, please contact Alex Gage Family Optometrist at 857 Chesterfield Road, Woodseats on 0114 274 8582 or at 48 Sandygate Road, Crosspool on 0114 266 7066.

If you’re one of the 17 million motorists who struggles with night time driving, you might be interested in this..

We have launched a range of lenses designed to help the 17 million motorists who struggle to see whilst driving at night* and can now supply the Essilor RoadPilot lenses that help to reduce night-time glare by up to 90% at our practices in Woodseats and Crosspool.

Research suggests that many motorists don’t feel comfortable when driving at night, with 85% of drivers experiencing glare and 31% preferring to avoid driving altogether*.

Alex Gage said: “At night, multiple light sources impact our vision which makes it difficult for us to adapt to glare. We also suffer from low peripheral vision, decreased contrast sensitivity, increased response time and difficulties in motion perception.

“For some people, simply avoiding night driving is not an option, so Essilor has launched RoadPilot to help motorists stay as safe and confident as possible. RoadPilot is available in single vision and varifocal lenses and wearers experience 90% less reflections from on-coming light and other light sources when driving, thus reducing the risk of accidents.”

According to research from The Royal Society of the Prevention of Accidents in June, 2017, only 25% of all car journeys take place in the dark, yet 40% of collisions happen at night, when the accident death rate increases three fold.

For more information about Essilor RoadPilot, please contact us at 857 Chesterfield Road, Woodseats, on 0114 274 8582 or at 48 Sandygate Road, Crosspool, on 0114 266 7066.

* Source The Eyecare Trust survey 2014