Make this New Year a spectacle with Ted’s unforgettable array of eye wear.

Prints are firmly in the frame in his AW men’s optical collection. Classic eye shapes formed in flat sheet stainless steel combine with bold geometric and paisley patterns that line the inside of frames. You’ll be the best-dressed guest with Ted’s REEVE TB4251.

Festive soirees always call for a sprinkle of sparkle.

Adorned with Swarovski crystal studs Ted's MAPLE epitomises glamour and sophistication. In a palette of lavish jewel toned marbled acetates and pearlised accents, steal the show with Ted’s dazzling eyewear.

Meet all the lovely ladies behind Eyecare Plus Miami.

Pictured above: Amanda, Linda and Nikki.

Linda (Optometrist)

B.VisSc (Dist), M.Optom (Dist)

Linda completed her Masters of Optometry from Queensland University of Technology in 2015 and has been working at Eyecare Plus Miami ever since.

As an optometrist Linda enjoys being able to educate and provide care to her patients regarding their eye health and being able to correct, preserve and manage their vision. Her special interests include orthokeratology and co-management of ocular diseases.

Outside of work Linda enjoys cooking and adding to her endless shoe collection but she’s always willing to switch heels over to snowboarding boots any day!

Come in for a full comprehensive eye exam with Linda!

Nikki (Practice Manager & Optical Technician)

Nikki started working in Optometry in 1991 at Paradise Centre, Surfers Paradise and has been at Eyecare Plus Miami since the day we first opened!

Nikki has decades of knowledge and loves helping clients choose the perfect frame and lenses to suit their lifestyle whether it's for work, in the snow or on the water.

When Nikki isn't making sure everything is running smoothly you will find her cooking and spending time with family and friends.

Brighten up your day and have a laugh with Nikki!

Amanda (Optical Dispenser & Frame Stylist)

Amanda has been working at Eyecare Plus Miami as an Optical Assistant since October 2007. During this time she has completed a varied array of affiliated industry training.

She has 30 years experience in retailing, mostly management, working in the fields of Ladies Fashion, Bridal and now Optical.

When Amanda is not assisting with your new spectacles, she is out finding her new favourite restaurant or walking the beach and using the word 'seriously' way too many times!

Come in and say g'day to Amanda.

Seriously!!

Ted Baker’s beguiling Autumn/Winter 2016 optical collection is given new life with a bedazzling array of finishes, colours and patterns designed to leave ladies starry-eyed.

PALOMA is a true fashion statement – and arguably the highlight of the collection – with its cat-eye silhouette and bold enamel-infilled temples in black, burgundy and deep brown ensure captivating style is always within your clutches…

Ted Baker proudly introduces his Autumn/Winter 2016 Optical collection, with a distinguished range of finishes, colours and shapes made to keep bespectacled gents in impeccable order.

Inspired by vintage luggage sets, FINCH TB8160 and FLYNN TB8161 evoke times gone by. The sandblasted matte finished frames feature tonal inserts of genuine leather on temples and metal end pieces that wrap around the frames. With colourways to suit all, the traditional hues of ebony, tortoiseshell and amber sit alongside more modern interpretations, such as grey horn.

Whether you pay it annually, quarterly or monthly, health insurance with extras cover can be a significant expense.

Benefits for many of the major health funds expire on December 31, and do not roll over into the new year.

If you are paying premiums for extras cover it is important to make the most of your annual benefits before they expire.

5 ways to make the most of your extras cover:

1: Second Pair

You may have your go-to glasses that are fitted with the lens you need.

Could it be time to spoil yourself with a second pair of frames?

Refresh your look, have that second pair for special occasions where you might want to glam it up a little. After all, it's not as though you wear the exact same outfit every day so why should you wear the same glasses every day?

2: Spare Pair

So this one might be a little more practical.

Have you ever arrived into the office and realised you will have to suffer through the day as you have left your glasses at home?

Do you ever have the issue of locating your glasses when sitting down to read?

Invest in an inexpensive pair of spare reading glasses that you can keep in the office, by the bed or in the car for those moments when everything seems lost.

3: Prescription Sunglasses

This will solve the ongoing swap between you favourite sunglasses and prescription glasses (that you can actually read or see out of)!

Isn't it frustrating being that dag at the beach wearing your sunglasses OVER your prescription glasses just so you can enjoy reading your book or the weekend paper?

What about driving in to the harsh sun then trying to read the road signs?

Use your benefits to put towards a pair of lenses that transition when exposed to sunlight, or better yet you could splash out on some prescription sunglasses!

4: Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are increasing in popularity in Australia. Contact lenses have come along way in the last five years, with the latest technology focusing on providing the perfect balance of all day comfort and moisture.

Contact lenses can be prescribed and worn in addition to owning glasses and they open up a range of possibilities for people to partake in activities where frames can be an interference such as swimming, sports, dancing.

Contact lenses are dependent upon your prescription, so speak to your local optometrist about a contact lens consultation.

Need a Contact Lens Consult?

5: Eyewear for Sports

Are you active outside or involved in a specialty sport where great vision is key to performance?

Perhaps it is golf, archery, or even sailing.

Sports eyewear can be tailored to assist with your accuracy whilst at the same time protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays whilst outdoors.

Your Health Fund Benefits reset every 12 months. This could be at the end of the year, on the membership anniversary year or the end of financial year. Make the most of your Health Fund and look to claim your optical benefits with Eyecare Plus. Eyecare Plus are independently owned Optometry Practices and each one of them can assist you with all of your eyewear and eyecare needs and can help you make the most out of your Health Fund Benefits.

Yesterday we had our annual style show to give our VIP clients a taste of what we're dishing up this Spring/Summer.

Everyone that made it to the special event got an early first look into our latest collection of designer eye wear and signature sunglasses whilst sipping on delicious punch and enjoying some tasty nibbles.

Thank you so much to everyone who made it to the event!

As you age, the eyes get affected and can be a victim of diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration. Impaired vision and blindness can also occur in older people. But the good news is that, it is possible to prevent the onset of these age-related eye diseases with a healthy nutrition and lifestyle.

Apart from diet, it’s important to protect eyes from exposure to UV sun rays, extreme temperatures and strong winds. Get medically examined regularly to diagnose if any issue occurs with the eyes. Diabetes increases risk of eye disease related to aging, causing diabetic retinopathy.

Boost your diet in these simple ways:

1. Whole grains and cereals

Include whole grains and cereals in diet to improve eye health. Refined foods like white flour and sugar in breads can increase the risk of age-related eye diseases. Eat whole grains like multi-grain bread, bran bread, whole-wheat flakes and other foods rich in fiber. Fiber slows the digestion and absorption of starch and sugar. It also keeps the stomach full, limiting the amount of calories you consume daily. Half of daily grains and cereals should be 100 percent whole grains.

2. Healthy fats

Fats are a healthy component of diet and they should not be totally excluded. Cook food in polyunsaturated fats like vegetable oils. Omega-3 essential fatty acids are present in fish, walnuts, canola oil and flaxseed oil. They prevent dryness of the eyes and cataract. Fish and seafood should be taken twice weekly. You can also take flax oil everyday. Use canola oil for cooking. Eat walnuts as a snack to stay healthy.

3. High-quality protein

Fat content in meat and cooking method to prepare them makes a meal healthy or unhealthy. Skip saturated fats in red meats and dairy products. Lean meat is good. Fish, legumes, nuts and eggs provide good proteins that are healthy for the eyes. They also give zinc. Eggs contain lutein.

4. Cut down sodium

Cataract can occur because of a high sodium diet. Eat less salt in meals. Avoid canned and packaged foods that have a high content of sodium. Take less than 2000 mg of sodium per day. Eat fresh foods instead of canned or frozen. Apples are the best fruit for people on low-sodium diet.

5. Plenty of water

Staying hydrated provides enough moisture to the body and keeps the eyes healthy. Eat low-fat dairy foods like skimmed milk and healthy drinks like vegetable juices, fresh fruit juices, non-caffeinated herbal tea and plain water. Take at least 2 liters of water daily in Winter and 4 liters in hot weather depending upon your lifestyle.

6. Vitamins for the eyes

Eat foods rich in vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene and zinc. These nutrients are directly associated with the health of the eyes. Include them in daily diet to get the benefits and avoid eye disorders.

7. Vision supplements

Sometimes, diet is deficient in essential nutrients. It’s good to take them as supplements. Take multi-vitamins and minerals daily. Choose the best brand recommended by a physician, dietician or an eye-specialist.

The above-mentioned seven dietary guidelines and regular eye examinations with your optometrist will help you keep your eyes healthy through the years.

We're so excited to announce that we now have exclusive Coco Song Eyewear in store! The Coco Song collection pays homage to the golden age of Chinese culture and art combined with the attention to detail of Italian design. These stunning frames are all handmade unique masterpieces and produced in limited editions, combining precious silks, feathers, semi-precious stones and real dried flowers. Drop in and check them out, they are just beautiful.

It's important to protect your eyes in the workplace and not all safety glasses are created equal.

Our safety glasses are made of high quality materials and are issued with a certificate stating that the Australian Safety Compliance requirements are met.

They are available with or without prescription and we can customise them to suit your work day requirements with options like Transitions (changes tint depending on lighting) or a full tint to make the into sunglasses.

Safety glasses are also tax deductable. Drop in or contact us for more information.

This week is Macular Degeneration Awareness Week - a week dedicated to providing information on Macular Degeneration and how to reduce the incidence and impact that it has on daily life. Macular degeneration is the degeneration or destruction of the macula which is the light sensitive tissue present near the centre of the retina. The tissue lines the back of the eye and is responsible for sharp, central vision that helps us see the finer details of the object that is straight ahead. When your central vision is affected, it becomes difficult to perform simple but important tasks such as reading, driving or even recognising faces. As damage to the macula occurs gradually as we get older, it is also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Usually affecting those who are over 50 years old, AMD is a major cause of severe vision loss and blindness in Australia.Types of Macular Degeneration There are two types of AMD:

Dry AMD: A more common form of AMD affecting about 90% of patients, dry macular degeneration results from normal aging processes causing thinning of the macular tissues. Apart from thinning, small yellow or white pieces of fatty protein called drusen may also be deposited in the macula hampering its normal functioning. As the thinning or deposition occurs gradually with advancing age, the visual changes are also gradual and can be detected at an early stage by careful monitoring and observation. Some of the early symptoms of dry AMD include blurry or hazy vision and difficulty in recognising faces until they are very close. Early diagnosis can prevent the progression of the disease into the more severe wet form described below.

Wet AMD: Though less common with only about 10% of those diagnosed with AMD affected, wet AMD is a much more severe form of macular degeneration and is characterised by the formation of abnormal blood vessels beneath the retina. It is also referred to as neovascular AMD due to the formation of new blood vessels under the retina (neo=new). These new blood vessels tend to leak fluid or blood below the macula causing permanent damage to the cells and creating blind spots. The permanent damage occurs at a much faster rate compared to the dry form and thus, early diagnosis and treatment is essential to preserve as much vision as possible. Symptoms include a straight line that appears wavy or black spots in your vision.

High risk factors:

As aging is the most common cause of macular degeneration, if you are over the age of 50, you should have regular eye check-ups with us to detect the disease at the earliest possible time as symptoms may not be very obvious in the early stages.Smoking: Smoking almost triples the risk of developing AMD, especially the fast progressing wet form.Genetics: Family history of AMD tends to increase the risk of the disease in subsequent generations.Race: Caucasians are more prone to macular degeneration than Africans or Americans.Gender: Females are believed to be at a higher risk as compared to males.Other risk factors include hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol, lack of exercise and diets rich in unsaturated fats.

Manifestations of macular degeneration Apart from the initial symptoms mentioned above, other signs and symptoms of macular degeneration are:

Both the types of AMD- dry or wet are painless and lead to blurred or hazy vision.Particular symptoms of dry AMD include black or grey blind spots in the centre of the visual field and in the case of advanced disease, decreased night vision, inability to read or drive, decrease in the brightness of colours and quality of life affected due to inability to perform useful tasks.Specific symptoms related to wet AMD are larger spots of black or grey colour in the central visual field, distorted vision and the size of objects may appear to be different for each eye.

Diagnostic tools To diagnose macular degeneration, we will perform a complete eye exam in addition to the following diagnostic tests:

Visual acuity test to check your vision clarity.Angiography to detect abnormal, leaking blood vessels in case of wet AMD.Other extensive diagnostic techniques include optical coherence tomography and retinal photography.

Treatment Although no cure is yet known to reverse the permanent damage caused to the macular cells, treatment can be aimed to prevent the progression or advancement of the disease to preserve as much vision as possible.

Wet AMD is best treated with anti-VEGF medication. Anti-VEGF is delivered to the macula region via injection and may need to be administered every 3 months in the early stages to prevent further vision loss. Anti-VEGF works by stopping new blood vessel growth into the macula. New blood vessels leak causing fluid in the area, hence the ‘wet’ prefix.Dry AMD may be prevented from advancing to the wet form by taking certain nutritional supplements of Vitamin A, C and E, antioxidants and zinc. In addition, eating a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and fish high in omega3 can also be beneficial in slowing down the advancement of the disease. Usually one eye is more affected in the dry form so patients may be able to lead a near-normal life by following certain lifestyle changes.

Prevention A healthy lifestyle of eating a balanced diet, regular exercise, no smoking, keeping a check on your weight and blood pressure, proper and regular eye examinations can help in preventing this disabling disease.

Visual Rehabilitation To help manage your visual loss, ask us about low vision devices such as magnifiers, high-powered reading glasses, talking watches and calculators to assist with everyday tasks.

As AMD affects all aspects of day to day living, those with AMD may also develop lowered self-esteem or depression and require constant support of their family and friends to cope up with their visual disability. For more information on AMD, visit the Macular Disease Foundation Australia

Request an appointment with us today.

Watch this video from the Macular Disease Foundation Australia for more information on Macular Degeneration