FAQ

What types of services are offered at Royal Eye Hospital?

Royal Eye Hospital has the equipment, technology, physicians and staff to address all types of eye health issues including those that require surgery, maintaining low vision, or diagnosing an issue.

Whether it is a routine procedure or monitoring a complex disorder, Royal Eye Hospital is here to ensure patients receive the right care at the right time. Learn more about our services here.

My eye doctor said that nothing can be done to improve my vision. Can you help?

Royal Eye Hospital’s Low Vision Services can help most people who are not totally blind. There are many diseases and disorders that cause irreversible vision loss but not total blindness.

We can help these people make the most of their remaining vision. Specially trained staff work to teach patients how to use the latest equipment and computer technology to enhance their vision. Call +234-805-273-1162 for more information.

Where exactly is the Hospital?

Royal Eye Hospital and Medical Center is Located at No. 8, Gonder Close, Zone 1, Wuse, Abuja, Nigeria.

Eye and Vision Check Ups- Are they Worthwhile?

By: Dr. Omale Charles

Do routine check ups actually do us any good? Today many of us undergo regular health screening/checks as a way to detect disease earlier, treat it earlier and achieve a healthier life.

On the face of it, one would think that nothing but benefit could arise from such check ups and every amount spent must be justified. The reality though is not quite so simple. Some testing worthwhile, and some is not as we shall see.

For a screening programme to be worthwhile several criteria must be fulfilled in order for benefit to be evident. For instance:
if the patient is going to be aware of his disease at a very early stage any way, screening for it may not be worthwhile.
If the disease screened for is not treatable, there is no point in screening for it.
If the disease is incredibly rare and the tests involved to screen for it are extremely unpleasant physically or generate much unnecessary worry, such screening may be of doubtful value.
And diseases requiring expensive screening tests may be uneconomical, as no money will remain for treating patients with positive results, or for other commoner, more easily treatable conditions.

In my eye clinic I see many patients who come for regular check ups to see if their cataracts have progressed even if they are not complaining of any vision problem. Today we operate on cataracts when the patient complains of blurred vision which is interfering with his/her quality of life. Regular screening for mild cataracts which are causing no problem is therefore unnecessary as no treatment is available or required. (The exception to this is the patient whose poor vision has developed so gradually and slowly that he/she is unaware of just how bad his/her vision has become-but this type of usually elderly patient tends to refuse surgery, or often even to update his/her glasses!)

However glaucoma is another common blinding disease which definitely should be screened for. Most sufferers are unaware of their condition; it is treatable if caught at an early stage, and can usually be easily diagnosed in a simple clinic examination. This is a classic case of beneficial medical screening.

If you are over 40 you should be examined once every 2 years at least, and if over 60, have a family member with glaucoma, are near sighted or diabetic, examinations should be annual.

Are You Sure You Are Safe To Drive?

By: Dr. Omale Charles

How safe are you on the road? And I‘m not referring to speeding or if you wear your seat belt. I am referring to the fact that you’d be amazed at how many drivers just can’t see where they are going.

Tests performed recently in the UK reveal a frightening picture. Almost 20% of drivers regularly break the law by not bothering to put on their glasses when driving, even for long journeys. 65% of those failing a routine eye test, were drivers and 1 in 3 of those knew their vision wasn’t good (but hadn’t bothered to do anything about it). The other two thirds weren’t even aware of how bad their vision was. All were at increased risk to themselves and to others on the roads.

Self assessing one’s driving vision whilst driving at varying speeds in inconsistent lighting is very difficult and unreliable. Often patients say their wife/husband sees signs at least 100m before they do and on testing their vision is completely normal. Others say the opposite-they can see for miles, but on testing they have very poor vision.

Moreover good driving vision also depends on a wide field of vision, good depth perception, good accomodation (the ability to switch focus from far to near), night and colour vision-all skills we use unconsciously.

The new Nigeria driving licence vision test assesses some of the above visual skills, but many go decades without being required to undertake the test. In the UK a sight test is formally recommended every 2 years up to the age of 60, and then annually. That sounds about right for Nigeria too.

What is Unique About The Sense of Vision?

By: Dr. Omale Charles

Most people say that their sight is the most important of the 5 senses. There is certainly something unique about vision.

Many people lose their sense of smell in old age and aren’t even aware of it. Losing your sense of taste may affect your quality of life, and can seriously affect socialising and food habits. It can lead to weight loss and depression, but few would compare it to losing their sight.

Losing the sense of touch can be life threatening. Diabetics develop numbness in their feet and as a result don’t feel when their shoes are rubbing. Severe wounds and infections may develop which can lead to amputation. But ask them and they’ll tell you that going blind would be worse.

Deafness too is a devastating disability. When occurring at a young age, or from birth, it severely affects speech development too. Communication and interpersonal relationship ramifications can severely impede life’s opportunities, even when intellect is entirely normal.

Both hearing and visual deficits can be helped. The deaf use hearing aids, lip reading and learn sign language. Some are suitable for surgery which can be very successful, but few regain entirely normal hearing.

The commonest visual problem is a refractive (focusing) error correctable with glasses or contact lenses. However, today another option exists-permanent vision correction with laser. With more than 20 years follow up, millions have achieved normal vision in all aspects of their life, totally free of any visual aid.

Is vision the most important of the senses? I don’t know, but I do know that it is the only one that can be enhanced by modern science.

Who invented Glasses?

By: Dr. Omale Charles

Nobody really knows who invented glasses. Whilst there is mention of myopia (nearsightedness- that is poor vision for far, better vision for near) in writings dating from Roman times, it is only to mention that myopic slaves had a lower market value. Roman aristocrats who had difficulty reading in middle age merely employed a slave to read for them.

The first known pair of spectacles seen in a painting was in one by di Modena in 1352. They consisted of two lenses in rims, joined centrally. Amazingly it took another 400 years until a Londoner called Edward Scarlett solved the problem of how to stop them falling off. He invented rigid side pieces which clung to the ears. Both the Spaniards and Chinese had previously tried a technique of tying spectacles to their hats or with ribbons to their ears.

Whilst today used interchangeably the term glasses originally referred to eyewear without side arms and spectacles with side arms.

Benjamin Franklin is credited with inventing bifocals in the 1780’s as he became tired of taking his glasses on and off every time he changed from reading to distance viewing and back. His optician merely cut his lenses in half so that he only needed to look up or down to switch focusing distance.

The stigma against wearing glasses particularly amongst women continued well in to the 20th century in England and France. The monocle and lorgnette (a style held up to the eyes with a long handle which was widely used by elegant women) were very popular in these countries for over a hundred years simply because they could be pulled out and put away quickly such was the stigma of admitting a vision problem.

That glasses later became a fashion item is thanks mainly to the Spanish who felt that glasses made them look important and in whose paintings glasses are seen from the Middle Ages. There is still a tremendous resistance to woman wearing glasses amongst Israel’s minorities, especially in the Bedouin community, making many such women functionally blind.

Contact lenses were one of the many inventions described by Leonardo da Vinci in his sketches back in 1508. The first lenses were actually produced by a German glassblower, made of glass in 1887 and covered the whole eye. The technology of the materials gradually improved over the next decades. 1936 saw the first plastic lens. In 1945 the American Optometric Society formally recognized the field of contact lenses, and in 1987, exactly one hundred years after the first glass lens was worn, disposable lenses, came on to the market.

Today’s technology including laser vision correction surgery is replacing the need for glasses and contact lenses. The laser beam actually alters the curvature and in effect moulds a new lens out of the cornea, and as a result the imperfect focusing of the eye is corrected. The technology began its career being used to etch silicone computer chips. Knowledge gained from the USA “Star Wars” defence project and NASA space research has been adopted by laser manufacturers to make laser vision correction the success that it is today.

Who’s Best at Checking my Glasses?

By: Dr. Andrew Fink

How often have you wondered where to go to check your glasses? Does one visit the Optometrist or the Ophthalmologist? Who is more reliable? In the USA and Israel many visit the Ophthalmologist. In the UK nobody visits an Ophthalmologist for glasses, in fact if you did, the Ophthalmologist would probably be insulted!

Firstly what is the difference between the two professions-Optometry and Ophthalmology?

In Israel an Optometrist studies a 4 year degree course consisting of the optics and physiology of the eye, spectacle and contact lens fitting, and other allied fields such as orthoptics (the study of eye movements and squints). Although an Optometrist has some exposure to certain eye diseases during his training, his/her experience is limited. Moreover the Ministry of Health in Israel restricts Optometrists from performing certain tasks such as measuring intraocular pressure (a screening test for glaucoma) with the more accurate contact technique, and instilling eye drops.

In contrast an Ophthalmologist is a doctor who has completed medical school (6 years), an eye specialist training programme (5 years in Israel and Nigeria) and sometimes an additional subspecialty training period of 1-2 years. He is an expert on eye disease, and many ophthalmologists are also eye surgeons. Somewhere along the way he spends a few days learning how to measure someone for a pair of glasses, often just before the final board exams.

The situation in Israel has also been complicated by the fact that for many years Optometry was a non regulated profession meaning that many non or poorly qualified individuals practised at a very low level giving the profession a bad name. This also applies to Nigeria. More recently the confusion in the profession continued when training programmes opened, but some were not recognised by the Ministry of Health. As a result graduates, after 3-4 years of training, failed to get a licence to practise. Today several Optometry schools exist in Nigeria, and graduates are of a very high standard but patients still often prefer to go to an eye doctor because it is cheaper through the national health insurance, and old stigmas take a long time to die out..

So who should you go to for you glasses prescription? The answer will of course depend on who you speak to. Some Ophthalmologists have developed a particular interest in Optometry and even a medical contact lens fitters association exists in Israel. In contrast other Ophthalmologists will sit a patient in front of an automatic testing machine (not always accurate but suitably high tech for the easily impressed patient), take a reading and say good bye all within the space of 2 minutes.

I believe that to perform an accurate eye test, especially if the prescription is complicated with astigmatism (cylinder), takes not less than 20 minutes. In view of the fact that an Ophthalmologist’s time with each patient is limited, because of the nature of working practices especially in the public sector, there is no way he can perform an accurate glasses check and examine the health of the eye in the time allowed. Moreover there is no need for him to do a full measurement as a licensed Optometrist is fully qualified to perform this task. In addition as the Optometrist sells the glasses, he/she should be taking responsibility for the product he is selling.

So, in conclusion, if you want your glasses checked, I recommend visiting firstly an Ophthalmologist to check the health of your eyes. He will also advise on whether you need glasses at all, or if your present glasses need updating. Then go to your Optometrist to have an accurate measurement and purchase your new glasses or contacts. That way both professions will be kept happy and you will get the best of both worlds.

Are “Off the Peg” Reading Glasses Safe?

By: Dr. Omale Charles

The short answer is yes, and a huge saving can be made compared to designer glasses from a high street optometry practice.

These glasses are readily available in pharmacies and market stalls. I have seen pairs for sale for as little as N300 and know many wearers buy several pairs at once so as to have one available in each room in the home. Indeed several doctors I know wear them too.

You should be aware though, that the prescription in each eye is the same and there is no cyclinder correction. Providing this matches your eyes ie the same in both eyes (or almost) and no cyclinder, you should have no problem wearing them.

For most people who have good vision for distance in both eyes, and only started requiring readers in their mid forties, this is the cheapest and most convenient solution. However the frame style range is restricted somewhat, so if this is important to you, you may be disappointed.

The exact prescription you require is whatever gives you the most comfortable vision when reading. As a rule of thumb at age 45, try +1-+1.5, age 50 +1.50-+2, age 55 +2-+2.50 and age 60+ +2.5-+3.0.

If the glasses you choose are not suitable, you will not see so well and may get a headache but you will not harm your eyes. In that situation of course it would be wise to go to your eye doctor for a proper fitting.

Finally some of the lenses may lack UV light filters so it is not recommended to use them for extended periods out doors in the Nigerian sun. If you do spend a lot of time outside, either purchase some clip-on sun glasses, or a more expensive quality lens may be healthier.