Many people say that once they'd bought an iPhone, they wondered how they ever coped without it. From social media, games, navigation tools and keeping up-to-date with news, the possibilities are endless when it comes to apps to download.But it turns out that iPhone apps could be useful for medical professionals, too. Researchers from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital, Harvard Medical School have explored the feasibility of using a simple smartphone camera for retinal imaging. Retinal imagi… Continue reading →

The natural evolutionary reflexes and tear duct process in the eye tends to prevent us from much potential eye damage when coming into contact with unwanted objects, although not every danger can be repelled, and an eye injury or trauma can be incredibly alarming.Until technology becomes so advanced that we can replace the human eye, we are stuck with the pair we are born with and have to look after them carefully.Types of Injury and Treatment RequiredCause: The most common eye injury would be t… Continue reading →

We are aware that the prevalence of eye disease is only likely to increase as we reach middle age, but startling statistics published in a recent report in the United States on vision problems shows a rapid increase in common eye disease of the older population in recent years.What Does The Report Say?A report entitled ‘Vision Problems in the US’ was released to the public in recent weeks by Prevent Blindness America which outlines a sharp increase in common eye problems of American citizens… Continue reading →

With the Olympics beginning in just 10 days, last-minute preparations are being made for travel to/from London city centre. With repeated assurances that travel alternatives will be made, those who find themselves sitting in heavy traffic before the games may be asking how congestion will be minimised. But when we sit in our cars watching the road ahead for hours on end, what effect does it have on our eyes?
The DirectGov requirements for those wanting to learn to drive state that you… Continue reading →

Here at DirectSight HQ we’re keener than anyone to make sure our visitors have a good pair of well protected peepers. There I was tucking into a nice slice of jam on toast when I thought to myself...  this really is an underrated way of keeping your eyes in tip top condition.

That’s right – the humble slice of bilberry jam on toast packs quite a punch where our optics are concerned, and that’s because bilberry jam contains a compound called anthocyanoside – and anything wit… Continue reading →

Once we’ve booked our holiday all we want to do with our remaining money is spend it on sightseeing, restaurants and holiday mementos. In our efforts to conserve as much spending money as possible it’s often tempting to cut back on the essentials – skipping sun tan lotion every other day doesn’t seem like it can do much harm, and there doesn’t seem much point in spending more than you have to on sunglasses.

But would you rather impact upon your bank balance or your eye… Continue reading →

A number of sensations can cause an unpleasant feeling in your eye which may feel as though there is a foreign body causing itching or a burning sensation, a stabbing feeling, a dull ache or a searing flash.Toothache Can Cause Eye PainConditions that are unconnected to the eye can nonetheless cause discomfort in that location due to the connection of the nerves in the facial area.  For example, chronic sinusitis can a painful throbbing in the eye, which is due to the congestion of the area and … Continue reading →

The refractive eye error of astigmatism is little understood by many despite the majority of glasses wearers suffering from the condition.
It is believed as many as one in three people suffer from the common eye problem, so just what is astigmatism and why does it occur?Characteristics of AstigmatismAstigmatism is seen as a relatively minor condition compared to some, but this doesn’t mean that a sufferer is any less inhibited by it. The condition is characterised by an abnormally shaped… Continue reading →

In 1994, 21-year-old Gula Namiq Hassan was living in a Sulaymaniyah, north of Bagdad and in the wrong place at the wrong time when shrapnel from a nearby car bomb blast pierced her eyes, blinding her, presumably thought at the time, forever. Her right eye had to be removed, and her left eye was damaged from the cornea to the retina.Skip forward to 2011, and an Iraqi ophthalmologist told Gula and her family that the pioneering eye surgeon Dr. Amar Agarwal, father of the glued intraocular lens (IO… Continue reading →

Many of us dream of going into space when we are young, before reaching adulthood when the dawning realisation sets in that space travel is a once in a lifetime opportunity assigned only to the lucky few astronauts, at least until space travel becomes commercially viable.It may be interesting to learn though, that those who’ve taken part in the moon landings as far back as Buzz Aldrin’s first steps on the cratered surface during the first manned lunar landing on July 20, 1969, may have exper… Continue reading →