Discover Contact Lenses

1. Eye Test

As long as you have a valid prescription that’s within the expiry date, you won’t need another Eye Test to get contact lenses. If you haven’t had a test in a while, it’s easy to book an appointment online. BOOK HERE

2. Initial Assessment

Whether you have your assessment straight after your Eye Test or you arrange one for another date, it will involve spending time with one of McGreals expert optometrists to ensure you have the correct contact lenses for your eyes and your lifestyle. We’ll also show you how to insert and remove your lenses, and how best to look after them.

To make sure the lenses we choose are the right ones for you, we’ll arrange a free trial, so you can get used to them and see how they feel.

3. Aftercare Check up

Your first checkup is free and should take place around two weeks after you’ve started wearing your new lenses. This is just to see how you’re getting on with them and to discuss any problems you may be having.

 

Contact McGreals Opticians for more information.

Baltinglass Pharmacy, Mill St, Baltinglass, Co Wicklow 059 645 1103

McGreals Pharmacy, Main St, Blessington, Co Wicklow 045 865 732

McGreals Pharmacy, Kilnacourt, Portarlington, Co Laois 057 864 2920

Monasterevin Pharmacy, U3, Watermill Place, Monasterevin, Co Kildare 045 525 580

Signs you may need an Eye Test

Signs you may need an eye test

Signs you may need an eye test

Getting checked for glasses by an optician could make life so much easier.

If you have any of these symptoms – its time to get an eye test.

1. Unexplained headaches
Ever get headaches after doing close-up work such as reading or working at a computer? How about after periods of distance vision, like watching TV or driving? If the answer’s yes, you need to book an appointment with the optician – glasses could really help.

2. Blurred vision
If your vision ever changes or distorts, it could be a sign you need glasses. Test yourself by regularly looking at something you see every day, such as the spine of a book or a number plate, to check whether you can still read it. Try doing this one eye at a time for a more thorough test.

3. Wavy vision
When you look at straight lines such as door or window frames and see them as wavy or kinked, there’s a chance you’re experiencing age-related macular degeneration, a common reason for needing glasses. Again, test yourself one eye at a time to double check.

4. Tired eyes and difficulty focusing
We all experience tired eyes as a symptom of everyday fatigue, but when it’s a persistent problem that occurs after common activities like driving and reading, it’s well worth getting your eyes tested by an optician.

5. Painful or red eyes
Healthy eyes shouldn’t hurt or appear red; if they do, there’s a chance you’ve got an eye condition that needs to be seen to by an optician.
Blurred or misty vision is another common vision-related ailment that you should get checked out professionally. These symptoms could be an early sign of cataracts, glaucoma or age-related macular degeneration, which opticians can help you with alongside the usual long-sighted or short-sighted examinations.

Book your eye test today at your local McGreals Opticians or online here.

Baltinglass Pharmacy, Mill St, Baltinglass, Co Wicklow
Telephone: 059 645 1103

McGreals Pharmacy, Main St, Blessington, Co Wicklow
Telephone: 045 865 732

McGreals Pharmacy, Kilnacourt, Portarlington, Co Laois
Telephone: 057 864 2920

Monasterevin Pharmacy, U3, Watermill Place, Monasterevin, Co Kildare
Telephone: 045 525 580

What five signs tell you your child needs an eye test?


It’s easy for poor eyesight to go unnoticed in children, as they often don’t report it themselves. In fact, they probably don’t even realise anything is wrong.

That’s why it’s important to make sure you book them in for a routine eye test every year – or more often if their optician advises – and look out for these watch points in between. It’s time to play detective.

1. They’re getting close up

If your child chooses to sit right up in front of the TV, it may not just be a sign that they’re engrossed in their favourite show. “It’s probably that they can’t see the screen clearly from the sofa,” suggests Andy Hepworth, dispensing optician and professional relations manager for Essilor. “So you should book an appointment to have their sight tested.”

A lazy eye could develop into a squint. But picked up early this can be corrected

2. They’re closing one eye

Have you noticed your child covers up or closes one of their eyes when they’re trying to focus? That could be a sign they have a lazy eye. “If they keep relying on the one strong eye they will further strengthen it and weaken the other one,” notes Hepworth.

“It’s a case of the sooner the better for an optician seeing a child with a lazy eye. This could eventually develop into a squint. But the younger and sooner this is picked up, the more chance there is of correcting it.”

Have you noticed your child covering an eye up when reading? Is your child falling behind at school? It might be time to book an optician appointment kid with glasses.

3. They’re struggling at school

“If your child is falling behind with school work it could indicate that they’re having difficulty reading the board,” says Hepworth. “Similarly if they’re suddenly finding sport more challenging than before their eyesight might be to blame.”

Of course there are a whole host of possible explanations but poor vision is one that can be easily ruled out with a quick check up.

4. They’re always rubbing their eyes

“When our eyesight is poor, we naturally blink to try to clear our vision. This can make our eyes watery so we wipe them more often,” notes Hepworth. “If you notice your child doing this it’s time to book in for a test.”

5. They look different in photos

“If you start noticing that there’s a white, yellow or orange reflection in your child’s pupil in photos, take them to see an optician.
“On rare occasions it could be a sign that they have an eye condition that would need to be treated and again the sooner detected the easier to treat”.

Book an eye test at McGreals Optician HERE

Located in Blessington Co Wicklow, Baltinglass Co Wicklow & Portarlington Co Laois.

What is your Optician checking for?

An eye exam does not only check if you need spectacles. Your Optometrist can detect early signs of some systemic conditions and diseases by looking at your eye’s blood vessels, retina and so forth.

ARMD – Aged Related Macular Degeneration is the most common
cause of vision loss in an aging population in Ireland.
It is a progressive disease which can lead to severe visual impairment.

Glaucoma – Glaucoma is a range of conditions which can cause damage
to the optic nerve at the back of the eye, leading to vision loss over time.
It is very successfully treated if caught early so regular eye tests
every two years will screen for any changes.

Eye Conditions – Diabetic Retinopathy, Cataract Retinis Pigmentoso are just a
few of the other eye conditions which can be detected in your routine eye exam.

Other Conditions –
They may be able to tell you if you are developing high blood pressure,
high cholesterol or other problems.

Book your free eye test at McGreals Opticians HERE
Free glasses now available from our €89 Range with your PRSI

*please note free eye tests & free glasses are for qualifying PRSI & Medical Card Patients

6 Tips for Eye Health and Maintaining Good Eyesight

Don’t take your eyes for granted. Protect your sight with these six tips:

1. Eat for Good Vision
Protecting your eyes starts with the food on your plate. Nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E might help ward off age-related vision problems such as macular degeneration and cataracts, studies show. Regularly eating these foods can help lead to good eye health:

Green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, and collards
Salmon, tuna, and other oily fish
Eggs, nuts, beans, and other non-meat protein sources
Oranges and other citrus fruits or juices
Oysters and pork

Eating a well-balanced diet also helps you maintain a healthy weight, which makes you less likely to get obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults.

2. Quit Smoking
Smoking makes you more likely to get cataracts, optic nerve damage, and macular degeneration. If you’ve tried to quit smoking before and started smoking again, keep trying. The more times you try to quit smoking, the more likely you are to succeed.

3. Wear Sunglasses
The right kind of sunglasses will help protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Too much UV exposure makes you more likely to get cataracts and macular degeneration.

Choose sunglasses that block 99% to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays. Wraparound lenses help protect your eyes from the side. Polarized lenses reduce glare when driving.

If you wear contact lenses, some offer UV protection. It’s still a good idea to wear sunglasses for more protection, though.

4. Use Safety Eyewear
If you work with hazardous or airborne materials on the job or at home, wear safety glasses or protective goggles every time.

Certain sports such as ice hockey, racquetball, and lacrosse can also lead to eye injury. Wear eye protection (such as helmets with protective face masks or sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses) to shield your eyes.

5. Look Away From the Computer Screen
Staring at a computer screen for too long can cause:

Eyestrain
Blurry vision
Trouble focusing at a distance
Dry eyes
Headaches
Neck, back, and shoulder pain
Taking the following steps to protect your eyes:

Make sure your glasses or contact lens prescription is up-to-date and adequate for computer use.
Some people may need glasses to help with contrast, glare, and eye strain when using a computer.
Position your computer so that your eyes are level with the top of the monitor. This allows you to look slightly down at the screen.
Try to avoid glare on your computer from windows and lights. Use an anti-glare screen if needed.
Choose a comfortable, supportive chair. Position it so that your feet are flat on the floor.
If your eyes are dry, blink more.
Every 20 minutes, rest your eyes by looking 20 feet away for 20 seconds. At least every 2 hours, get up and take a 15-minute break.

6. Visit Your Eye Doctor Regularly
Everyone, even young children, should get their eyes examined regularly. It helps you protect your sight and see your best.

Eye exams can also find some eye diseases, such as glaucoma, that have no symptoms. It’s important to find these diseases early on, when they’re easier to treat.

Book an eye test at McGreals Opticians located in Blessington Co Wicklow and Baltinglass, Co Wicklow.

Expert Style Tips – Choose the Perfect Glasses

TV in Baltinglass copy

For many of us, the most important aspect of choosing eyeglass frames is how they look on our face.

You could try on every pair of eyeglasses in the store to find out how each one looks, but narrowing down your choices in advance can save you a lot of time and aggravation. You simply need to determine your face shape and coloring, and understand which eyeglass frame styles and colors would look best on you.

Matching Eyeglass Frames to Face Shapes

You should consider three main points when choosing an eyeglass frame for your face shape, according to The Vision Council:

Eyewear should repeat your personal best feature (such as a blue frame to match blue eyes).
The frame shape should contrast with your face shape.
The frame size should be in scale with your face size.
Also, while most faces are a combination of shapes and angles, there are seven basic face shapes: round, oval, oblong, base-down triangle, base-up triangle, diamond and square.

Here is a further description of these face shapes and which types of frames work best for each. A good optician can help you use these guidelines to choose your new eyeglasses.

What is your Face Shape?

What is your Face Shape?

Face shapes
Which face shape is yours

Oval

An oval face is considered to be the ideal shape because of its balanced proportions. To keep the oval’s natural balance, look for eyeglass frames that are as wide as (or wider than) the broadest part of the face, or walnut-shaped frames that are not too deep or too narrow.

Base-Up Triangle

This face has a very wide top third and small bottom third. To minimize the width of the top of the face, try frames that are wider at the bottom, very light colors and materials and rimless frame styles (which have a light, airy effect because the lenses are simply held in place by a few screws, with no surrounding frame material).

Oblong

An oblong face is longer than it is wide and has a long straight cheek line and sometimes a longish nose. To make an oblong face appear shorter and more balanced, try frames that have more depth than width, decorative or contrasting temples that add width to the face, or a low bridge to shorten the nose.

Square

A square face has a strong jaw line and a broad forehead, plus the width and length are in the same proportions. To make a square face look longer and to soften the angles, try narrow frame styles, frames that have more width than depth, and narrow ovals.

Diamond

Diamond-shaped faces are narrow at the eye line and jawline, and have broad cheekbones that may be high and dramatic. This is the rarest face shape. To highlight the eyes and soften the cheekbones, try frames that have detailing or distinctive brow lines, or try rimless frames or oval and cat-eye shapes.

Round

A round face has curved lines with the width and length in the same proportions and no angles. To make a round face appear thinner and longer, try angular narrow eyeglass frames to lengthen the face, a clearbridge that widens the eyes, and frames that are wider than they are deep, such as a rectangular shape.

Base-Down Triangle

A base-down triangular face has a narrow forehead and widens at the cheek and chin areas. To add width and emphasize the narrow upper third of the face, try frames that are heavily accented with color and detailing on the top half or try cat-eye shapes.

Color Analysis
Three keys to color analysis are:

All people have either cool (blue-based) or warm (yellow-based) coloring.
Everyone looks best in his or her own color base.
Eyewear color should complement personal coloring.
The main factors that determine the best color palette are the colors of the skin, eyes and hair.

Skin. Skin tone is the prime element in determining coloring. All complexions fall into one of two color bases — blue (cool) or yellow (warm).

A cool complexion has blue or pink undertones, and a warm complexion has a “peaches and cream” or yellow cast. Olive skin is considered cool because it is a mixture of blue and yellow.

McGreals Pharmacy to open NEW Opticians in Baltinglass

We look forward to welcoming customers to McGreals Opticians which will be opening its doors this coming May ’16’. The opticians will be located in Baltinglass Pharmacy on Mill Street in Baltinglass, Co Wicklow.

Mcgreals Opticians will include sophisticated eye health screening equipment. A simple and thorough eye examination will be available with our qualified Optometrist to determine your ability to see and to help us prescribe the correct lenses to suit your needs.

To celebrate the launch of the NEW Mcgreals Opticians, we are pleased to announce this very special offer – Buy one get one FREE on glasses including designer glasses.

We will have a huge selection of frames and lenses suiting many different styles and budgets including top brands such as Ted Baker, Pepe Jeans, Converse, Joules and ELLE. We will help you choose the correct frame and lenses for your prescription.

We are lucky to have been able to recruit Irish Rugby star Robbie Henshaw as a brand ambassador for McGreals Opticians in association with West Midland Optical. The dates for our grand opening will soon be finalised and we hope to have Robbie with us on the day so watch this space.

McGreals Opticians

McGreals Opticians