Have you had your macular checked? Please do...

[Olive]

I had my macular checked today for the first time whilst having my routine eye check..left eye is fine but my right eye already has some changes to it, I need it photographed yearly from now on to monitor changes, so please if you haven't had it done, go do it. I go to OPSM and they charge $30 to have it checked but I'm sure Spec Savers dont charge.

[~me~]

Very important..excellent reminder Olive.
Specsavers will do a full check and yes they check the macular and Bulk Bill.

[Traveller]

how do they check the macular? Is it when they blow puffs of air into the eye and photograph the back of it?

[briggsy's girl]

i didn't get any puffs of air into my eyes Trav - but he did take photos. so at least they have a base picture to monitor later on. even though mine was clear in December, I have family history of pretty much everything that could go wrong with eyes going wrong somewhere, so i'm not too phased at paying $30 every 12 months to have it monitored... i also have visual field tests every 2 years and glaucoma pressure tests every 12 months. same deal. i'd rather be overcautious where vision is concerned...

[Traveller]

I go for an annual test at specsavers and I think they check the macular but not sure, I'll ask next time I am in there

[Olive]

Yeah no air just a big flash and picture taken! Looks cool on the screen! He's going to put the images onto a disk for me.

[Calluna]

My mother in law has macular degeneration. She gets accupuncture at least once a year in America to treat it. She notices a marked improvement after treatment and has, in the last few months, discovered the only acupuncturist in bris (possibly qld) that treats it.

If anyone wants his details pm me.

[Lulliloo]

in a proper 2yrly checkup they will look at your macular through your eyes. it is on the back of you eye on the retina. the photo they take is great because they can compare images each time they do it.
i work at opsm and take the photos for people. it is very interesting. im not sure if specsavers do the free ones every year or only when they can bill the 2 yrly check. we bulkbill for the rest of all the other tests we do. medicare are not subsidising the photos yet. at opsm you can also ask for the photos to be put on a cd for your own filing.
also we use a different camera which is a canon and use the same technology in the canon eos. apparently it is better... not sure though
the puff of air test is to test the pressures in your eyes. that is to do with glaucoma.

any other questions please feel free to ask

[Olive]

He rechecked mine after the photo and said he could see it but only because the photo picked it up ITMS,
Thanks lulliloo!!

[~Raven~]

I've had the bright light scan into my eyes but not a photo as far as I'm aware. Might ask about this with my next checkup as I've noticed my eyes have deteriorated quite a bit in the last couple of years. Probably old age more than anything

[skybie]

i had mine cheked this morning actually! i get mine done yearly because of the diabetes. Its very simple and quick, no reason why anyone should put it off.
Specsavers do it routinely with their eye tests now, and they have the proper machines so you dont need to have those nasty eye drops that dilate your pupils for hours anymore!

[briggsy's girl]

i still have the dilation to check optic nerve so in some cases it may still be needed - the pictures give a picture of it, but it's not as clear as the dilation. i have wonky optic nerves though (they sit at the wrong angle so the photo just can't get the right angle on it)