Eye Exams, Contact Lenses, and Spectacles

McKeon’s Opticians provide thorough eye exams and digital retinal photography (this takes a photo of the back of your eye). During the eye exam an understanding of each individual patient’s ocular requirements and ocular history is established, and the eye exam and optical solutions recommended will take all this into consideration. Eimear and Lorna are very happy to explain everything and answer any questions throughout the eye exam, so that every patient will leave understanding their information, advice, recommendations and choices. 

Every eye exam we do at McKeons Opticians involves screening for many ocular conditions. These are just some of the conditions we screen for : 

Glaucoma: This is where nerve damage happens and can impact vision if undiagnosed and untreated. Changes to eye pressure over time can bring about this nerve damage. Patients often do not have symptoms of high pressure. There are many types of glaucoma and it can be an inherited condition. If you have a direct family member ( Mother, Father, Brother, Sister ,Son or Daughter) diagnosed with glaucoma and you are over 40 years old, then we recommend to have an annual eye exam. 

Cataracts: This is a common condition that affects the lens in your eye. It can impact your focus and clarity of vision but often it can be there and causing no disruption to you at all. It is still important to monitor the cataract and we recommend regular check ups depending on the type and severity of the cataract. We will advise you in relation to when treatment of the cataract is indicated. 

Dry Eyes: Many people experience ocular discomfort associated with dry eyes. This can present in many different ways. Sometimes people with dry eyes experience watery eyes and tearing. There are many factors including ocular, environmental, lifestyle and dietary that impact on this condition and we will help assess and advise you in relation to this. 

Systemic Conditions and Medications: Many general health conditions can have an impact on your eye health and vision. We always consider this during your eye exam at McKeons Opticians. Patients with diabetes for example may have diabetic retinopathy or cataracts associated with their diabetes. Also, patients with high blood pressure may have changes to the retinal vessels. 

These are just to mention a few but there are many health considerations that are relevant and can impact on your eyes and vision. 

McKeon’s Opticians provide Driving Reports for driving licence applications and renewals. As a routine part of this, a Visual Field assessment will be included. This is appropriate for both Group 1 and Group 2 licence application requirements. 

If you have a medical card, we at McKeon’s Opticians will help you with the application for your eye exam entitlement. We have the forms here in-store, and can help you to complete them and send them to the appropriate office (exactly which office will depend on your postal address, because it can vary for different counties). If you are eligible for a medical card eye exam then you may also be able to avail of a contribution towards the cost of your glasses, and in some cases this will cover the full cost of your glasses. We will be happy to explain this in more detail, for your specific requirements, when you call in. 

McKeon’s Opticians have an online link with the Department for Social Protection, which means that with your permission we can check if you are eligible to avail of an eye exam and a contribution towards your glasses from your PRSI. All you need to do is contact us and we will help you with this. 

At McKeon’s Opticians we have extensive experience with contact lenses and this makes us the ideal place to come if you are new to contact lenses, or if you are an existing contact lens wearer. We will teach you how to safely use the lenses, and will help you to choose the most suitable lenses for your needs. There are lots of things to consider with contact lens wear including how often you intend to wear the lenses, if you have any underlying eye conditions (eg dry eyes, keratoconus), if you have had comfort issues with contact lenses in the past and what your budget is, to name but a few. We will be happy to help you with any of these issues and many more. Just get in touch to find out more. 

We will send your GP a diabetic retinal screening report, especially if you have not been called to the national screening programme yet. Your pupils may need to be dilated in order to carry out the exam. 

At McKeon’s Opticians we offer a specific consultation separate to a full eye exam (this needs to be up to date) for those with symptoms or concerns in relation to visual stress and dyslexia. Some people benefit from the use of colour overlays when reading and this will be established in both a subjective (asking the patient to choose the most comfortable colour to read with from a selection of specific colours) and objective way (measuring to see if there is an improved performance with the use of the selected overlay versus without it). 

The appropriate use of safety eyewear is recommended and compulsory in many workplaces and workshops. We can supply certified and safety approved eyewear as necessary. Please ask in-store for more information. 

Home visits can be arranged for our patients who are unable to leave their homes. We have mobile testing charts and equipment, so that those who are confined to their homes can continue to read and carry out visual tasks with the comfort of their correct prescription, as well as knowing that their eye health is being assessed also. 

Your child’s vision and eyecare is very important, and at McKeon’s Opticians we take great care to help children achieve their best vision. Eye exams can be daunting for the little ones so we allow the time necessary, as well as adapting the test to engage as best we can with them. 

Our training and experience has taught us effective techniques to test for amblyopia (lazy eye), hypermetropia (long sightedness), myopia (short sightedness), astigmatism (non spherical cornea/lens), tropias (eye turns), regardless of whether the child knows their letters or not yet. 

We will also assess the child’s eye health including a retinal exam and an external eye exam, as well as assessment of their eye movements, and much more. We encourage all parents to have their child’s eyes tested before they start school. We also encourage all parents with any concerns or family history of eye problems to book an appointment for their child or children. We love to make the eye test experience fun and beneficial for both parents and children. 

We are happy to accept valid external spectacle and contact lens prescriptions from HSE clinics, from private consultants and from other opticians. If we can help you then we will certainly do so, so please contact us.