Eye conditions we detect and manage
The conditions most worth catching are the ones you cannot feel.
Glaucoma takes peripheral vision so gradually that most people do not notice until a great deal is gone. Macular degeneration can be well established before reading becomes difficult. Diabetic changes in the retina appear long before vision is affected.
None of these announce themselves. All of them are found by looking.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma damages the optic nerve, usually — though not always — in association with raised pressure inside the eye. It typically affects peripheral vision first, which is precisely why it goes unnoticed: the centre of your vision, the part you are conscious of using, stays clear until late.
Damage already done cannot be reversed. Damage not yet done can very often be prevented. That asymmetry is the whole argument for regular testing, particularly if glaucoma runs in your family.
At every comprehensive eye test we measure eye pressure and examine the optic nerve. The OCT scan, which most eye tests here include, shows the nerve fibre layer in cross-section — where thinning can appear before any field of vision is lost.
Both Paul Fell and Jai Bakshi have a particular clinical interest in glaucoma.
Macular degeneration
The macula is the small central part of the retina responsible for detail — reading, faces, driving. Age-related macular degeneration affects it, and because it spares peripheral vision, people often adapt without registering how much has changed.
OCT is particularly useful here, showing structural change beneath the retinal surface before it becomes visible on examination.
Some forms progress slowly and are monitored. Others require prompt referral to an ophthalmologist. Knowing which is which quickly is the point of the appointment.
Diabetic eye disease
If you have diabetes, your eyes need checking on a schedule regardless of how well you are seeing. Diabetic retinopathy develops in the retina without symptoms in its earlier stages, and it is treatable when found early.
If you have diabetes, we recommend an eye test every year — regardless of whether anything has changed in your vision.
Jai Bakshi has particular clinical experience in diabetic eye disease. We are happy to report back to your GP or endocrinologist as part of your broader diabetes care.
Cataracts
A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens. It develops gradually, and people often describe the effect as glare at night, colours looking washed out, or a prescription that keeps changing.
Paul Fell has a particular interest in cataracts. We monitor them over time and, when the effect on your vision justifies it, refer for surgical assessment — and manage your vision before and afterwards.
Dry eye disease
Dry eye is common, frequently dismissed, and genuinely miserable to live with. Symptoms include burning, grittiness, fluctuating vision and, counter-intuitively, watering.
Jai Bakshi manages dry eye disease. As a therapeutically endorsed optometrist he can prescribe ocular medications where treatment beyond lubricants is appropriate.
We also offer Blephasteam treatment in the practice. Much dry eye is caused not by a lack of tears but by blocked meibomian glands in the eyelids, which produce the oil layer that stops tears evaporating. Blephasteam applies controlled moist heat to the eyelids to soften and release those blockages, held at a steady temperature for the length of the treatment.
Inflammatory and retinal conditions
Jai Bakshi also manages inflammatory eye conditions and a range of retinal conditions. Where a condition needs investigation or treatment beyond optometric scope, he refers directly to ophthalmologists and works alongside GPs and other clinicians.
What therapeutic endorsement means for you
An optometrist with therapeutic endorsement can prescribe ocular medications and manage a range of eye conditions directly, rather than referring every case onward.
In practice it means several conditions can be treated at your first appointment instead of becoming a wait for another one.
If something has changed, do not wait
Book sooner rather than at your next routine visit if you notice sudden vision changes, flashes of light, a sudden increase in floaters, a shadow or curtain across your vision, or eye pain.
Outside our opening hours, go to the Emergency Department at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba. For sudden loss of vision, a serious eye injury or chemical splash, do not wait — go straight there, or call 000.
Book an appointment
A comprehensive eye test takes about 30 minutes and usually includes OCT and widefield retinal imaging.
Book online at any time, or call (07) 3278 8300.
We are at Shop 15, 235 Forest Lake Boulevard, inside Forest Lake Shopping Centre.