Hobby glasses are easily purchased from pharmacies, department stores, the warehouse, supermarkets and even in some $2 shops! Hobby glasses are also known as ready-made reading glasses, over the counter reading glasses, magnifying glasses or readers. They are quick and easy to buy, rarely more than $30.00, but do they damage your eyes? The short answer is no, they don’t...

These days, there are two types of laser clinics – ones that do SMILE® surgery and ones that do not. In New Zealand, Australia, and the rest of the world, most laser eye surgery clinics offer SMILE as well as LASIK and PRK. The choice of which procedure to have done depends on several factors including: type of focusing error...

Many of us would have grown up hearing that carrots can help you see in the dark, watching too much television will give you square eyes and if you cross your eyes, they might get stuck that way. But is there any truth behind these myths and old wives tales? In this blog, we explore some of the more popular...

It looks like New Zealand may have dodged the worst of the Covid 19 bullet, and here at the Wellington Eye Centre we are looking forward to getting back to something approaching normal. However, it has become obvious over the last couple of months that people can carry the virus but have no symptoms. This means that we must still...

The year is 2020, there are vision related puns and memes all over the internet. But what does it mean to have 20/20 vision? People use the term 20/20 vision a lot, and they tend to think it means “perfect vision”, but it actually means “normal visual acuity”. Visual acuity is the clarity or sharpness of vision when measured on...

When did you last have your vision tested? Was it within the past year or two? More, perhaps? If you’re not experiencing discomfort, it can be tempting to push appointments like getting your eyes checked and visiting the dentist to the bottom of your priority list. However, putting these appointments off is often the last thing we should be doing....

Laser eye surgery is more popular now than ever. Once you’ve made the first step of deciding to proceed with the surgery, you need to start thinking about preparation. It is a quick and safe procedure, but even the smallest operations require some planning. Something as simple as asking someone to drive you home in advance will help to make...

So, you’ve made the decision to have laser eye surgery? Congratulations! This quick and safe procedure can save you years of being inconvenienced by glasses or contact lenses and the challenges of having poor, unaided vision. Any laser eye surgery procedure – PRK, LASIK or SMILEⓇ – is painless and fast, taking less than 5 minutes per eye. So, even...

Shannon joined our team at Wellington Eye Centre in early 2019. Prior to that, Shannon spent thirteen years at local Wellington Optometry practice McClellan Grimmer Edgar. Always gravitating towards practices that share her passion for patient care. Shannon has been fortunate to work with people and practices that value taking their time with their patients, investing in continuing education and...

Since the first laser eye surgery was performed in 1987, millions of people across the globe have undergone the impressive procedure. With constantly evolving technology and increasingly sophisticated techniques, the surgery is more popular now than ever. Despite the growing interest, one of the most common misconceptions about laser eye surgery is the level of risk involved. We’ve previously debunked...

Your eyesight is important. To maintain good vision it is imperative to have regular comprehensive eye examinations where your vision and the health of your eyes is assessed. It can be confusing knowing which type of eye professional to visit and in New Zealand we have a few different options. See further down the page where we demystify the various...

Many people live with refractive errors in their eyesight. You may be short sighted, long sighted, or have astigmatism – there are many errors that can occur as well as ways to address them. Shannon, our Optometrist, has answered some of the common questions we receive about these eyesight issues – what are they, how do they come to be...