Thompson Opticians Ltd

27/10/2025

🚨 In just 12 months, more than 55,000 NHS patients have undergone essential tests and scans at the Metrocentre. The milestone marks a successful first year for the innovative Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), which opened in the former House of Fraser unit at the Gateshead shopping complex.

The centre provides a wide range of services — including MRI scans, blood tests, and sleep studies — and operates seven days a week to make healthcare more accessible. Designed to move diagnostic testing out of busy hospitals and into a more convenient community setting, the Metrocentre CDC has become a key resource for patients across the North East.

Health leaders now hope to expand its services even further in the coming months.

26/10/2025

Q: What are the signs of vision problems?

A: Blurry vision, eye strain, headaches, double vision, and difficulty seeing at night.

24/10/2025

Retinal detachment can be treated, but immediate action is needed to do so. If you have a sudden increase in floaters, flashing lights that don’t go away, or a veil falling over part of your vision seek immediate treatment from accident and emergency.

23/10/2025

23/10/2025

US emergency departments saw more than 3100 pickleball-related ocular injuries between 2005 and 2024, with 1262 cases in 2024 alone, researchers estimated. Most of the eye injuries occurred in players over age 50 years. “Eye protection is not currently mandated for casual or professional play,” the researchers of the study wrote. “Establishing standardized guidelines for eye protection is recommended to reduce the risk of ocular injuries among players.” http://ms.spr.ly/6184sfQpn

22/10/2025

How can I ensure that an eye examination is a good experience for someone I care for?

Make the appointment for a time of day when the person you care for is alert, not tired or hungry. Talk to them about what will happen, and practice ‘going for an eye test’, sitting on a special chair, reading letters or matching shapes, and using a torch to show how the optometrist might check their eyes. You may want to visit the practice in advance so it becomes more familiar. It can be daunting entering the eye test room if they have never seen something like this before, it is worth asking the practice if you can have a look round prior to the actual test.

If the person you care for doesn’t like the dark, is wary of strangers, doesn’t like being approached or may lash out, talk to the optical practice staff about this in advance. The optometrist will be able to adapt what they do. The optometrist should ask about the medical history and medication taken by the person you care for, and whether anyone in the family has eye problems. You might want to tell the optometrist about any problems they have focussing, headaches or other problems. An eye examination contains a number of routine parts. A good optometrist will adapt the tests to the person’s needs and abilities.

22/10/2025

What Causes Excessive Blinking in Children?
A study of children younger than 16 showed four common causes of excessive blinking:

Problems with the cornea at the front of the eye. These include dry eye, ingrown eyelash, a foreign object in the eye or under the eyelid, corneal abrasion (scratch or scrape at front of eye), eye allergies, or conjunctivitis (pink eye).

Habitual tics (involuntary repetitive body movements). A common tic is blinking. Tics are usually caused by stress/anxiety, fatigue or boredom. In most cases, tics are harmless, and children outgrow them.

Uncorrected refractive errors. The need for glasses or an updated glasses prescription to correct nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), or astigmatism.

Misaligned or crossed eyes (strabismus). Strabismus is when the eyes are not lined up correctly, pointing in different directions.What Causes Excessive Blinking in Children?
A study of children younger than 16 showed four common causes of excessive blinking:

Problems with the cornea at the front of the eye. These include dry eye, ingrown eyelash, a foreign object in the eye or under the eyelid, corneal abrasion (scratch or scrape at front of eye), eye allergies, or conjunctivitis (pink eye).

Habitual tics (involuntary repetitive body movements). A common tic is blinking. Tics are usually caused by stress/anxiety, fatigue or boredom. In most cases, tics are harmless, and children outgrow them.

Uncorrected refractive errors. The need for glasses or an updated glasses prescription to correct nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), or astigmatism.

Misaligned or crossed eyes (strabismus). Strabismus is when the eyes are not lined up correctly, pointing in different directions.

20/10/2025

Has a change in your sight made everyday tasks more difficult?

Make an appointment at our Low Vision Assessment Centre and discover what works for you. Call now on 01670 514316 or email info@vision-northumberland.org

20/10/2025