We are very excited about the latest progressive lens technology from Essilor! Essilor X Series is a game changer for presbyopes and we aren’t saying that lightly. With more than fifteen patents pending, this is a lens like no other.

Essilor X Series uses three separate types of technologies to provide you with dynamic and clear vision at every distance but is especially designed for those people who require wide and variable near and intermediate vision. Xtend Technology focuses on arms-length tasks and offers clear and natural focus from your desk to your fingertips without requiring major head movements, unlike previous progressive lenses. Nanoptix means that the ‘swim’ effect in your progressive lenses can be minimised by up to ninety percent which means that the lenses are easy to adapt to and feel natural to use. Synchroneyes technology makes this lens fully customisable; considering not only your prescription but also all of your facial measurements and frame parameters. This will widen your field of vision and ensure that your lens is a perfect fit for YOU.

We are increasingly relying on our near vision but this isn’t just for reading your cell phone! Essilor X Series uses all this technology to give you the clearest vision for all near requirements; cell phones, laptops, books, computers, even TVs, with the need for head movement drastically reduced.

These lenses also come with Crizal Sapphire UV. which is the latest in anti-reflective technology-This makes the lens virtually invisible. Crizal Sapphire UV has  an E-SPF rating of 35, so not only are you seeing clearly, you are protecting your eyes from harmful UV rays every time you are outside.
We are hearing some amazing feedback about this lens and would love to talk to you about it. Just pop in to speak to one of our Dispensing Opticians at either of our branches to see if this lens could be the right lens for you.

 

 

Christmas is a few weeks away and for many of us a summer holiday will follow. That often means we're out of our normal routines and we have more people around than usual. We're doing more travelling and more outdoor activities. And while this is all pretty positive, things can and do go wrong, especially with your eyewear.

Losing your glasses or sunglasses is pretty common. You might leave them in the pocket of the seat in front of you on a plane journey. Or put them on the car roof, and then drive off. Or lose them over the side of the boat. One of your visiting relatives might mistake them for their own and take them home.Sometimes they're retrievable and sometimes they're not

Breaking your eyewear is also common. Leave them somewhere you shouldn't and one of your relatives might sit or stand on them. When  your glasses fall off the car roof you might drive over them

 If you have home and contents insurance your glasses and sunglasses are usually covered,  so make sure you contact your insurance company to discuss making a claim and find out how much your excess is. At Sercombe and Matheson we deal with a lot of insurance claims so we can help you with the paperwork and can bill your insurance company directly. And while your insurance company may suggest you visit a chain store optometrist , you are completely within your rights to  insist on coming  to see us.

We're good at repairs and we have fast turnaround times. You may think that pair of glasses your auntie sat on are completely shot, but you'll be amazed at what our technician can do with a mangled frame. Putting the existing lenses in a new frame is often an option, as is keeping the frame and replacing the lenses, depending on where the problem is.

We're open between Christmas and New Year so we're here to help with any disaster. We'd love to see your or your visitors - you don't need to be an existing client. If your "disaster" revolves around a sore eye or a vision problem instead, we can help with that too.

We wish you a happy and safe Christmas and holiday season.

 

Contact lenses can enhance your holiday, enabling you to wear sunglasses, dive masks or virtual reality headsets with ease. On the other hand. a red eye or sore eye can really take the shine off your trip and make life quite difficult. Dr Reece Hall from Wellington's Bowen Eye Clinic asked for our input on how to eliminate contact lens problems while travelling and has created a handy document which you can  download here. Travelling with Contact Lenses PDF .

 As you'll see, single use contact lenses ( also called 1 day lenses) work really well on holiday and most prescriptions are available in 1 day lenses now. And yes, that does include multifocals and lenses for astigmatism. If you'd like to be refitted with one day lenses, contact us.

In addition, we can provide all the  optical components you might need for your holiday - eye drops, travel size contact lens solutions, sunglasses and we can even email you a copy of your glasses and contact lens prescription

Sercombe and Matheson Opticians is an Easy-claim provider for Southern Cross members.
 

Alcon's Air Optix lens is now available in 9 different colours - and we've got a special deal to celebrate.

The last nine months or so have seen four new one day contact lenses arrive in the New Zealand market, so choices for wearers have never been greater. One day lenses have always been a great option in terms of convenience, hygiene and reducing allergy problems but they haven't been great in terms of oxygen transmission (lagging way behind the fortnightly and monthly options), they aren't available in as wide a range of prescriptions and they aren't always as comfortable as we'd like.
 As optometrists, we're excited to have some great new options, so we thought we'd use our next few blog posts to tell you about them. This post is about the most recent arrival,  Alcon's Total 1. Total one lenses are made of  a revolutionary new material with a silicon hydrogel core for excellent oxygen transmission, and a high water content outer for supreme comfort. Promoted as "like wearing nothing at all" this lens is an exciting option for our shortsighted patients - long-sighted  wearers will have to wait a little longer. 

So if you're looking for improved comfort, or you or your optometrist are worried about you wearing your existing one day lenses for very long hours, this could be lens for you. And if you're wearing fortnightly or monthly lenses but think you'd enjoy the convenience of 1 day lenses, make a time and come and see us.

Our annual frame sale is in full swing and runs until March 31st, though the best frames do move quickly. We have sale frames at marked prices from $20 upwards and all non-sale stock is reduced by 10%. Sale frames range from budget basics to classy designer numbers like the JF Rey frame in the picture below.

When we're open..

Recently we bought a PUK 4 welder for our workshop which we're pretty excited about - our ability to repair broken metal frames on site has just improved dramatically. Historically we've been able to solder metal frames but not if they were made of titanium or stainless steel. Soldering effects a useful repair but it's usually a different colour than the surrounding frame, and it's not particularly cosmetic. Welding provides a seamless and solderless repair for almost any metal - you will struggle to see the join. So where we'd have shaken our heads and turned away your titanium frame, now we'll be delighted to repair it. Titanium welding costs $60.

We feel multifocal glasses (and contact lenses) get a bit of bad press and that lots of our customers are frightened of them." Multifocals?" they say," I wouldn't want those" - as if we were suggesting dentures or a Zimmer frame! We know that multifocal lenses cost more than single vision lenses and that there is an association with aging, but we'd like to give one of the great technological advances of the twentieth century some good press for a change.

As human beings, our close focusing ability deteriorates noticeably from the age of forty-five or so. If we haven't had glasses before, that's when we get our first pair. If we have glasses already, we can get a second pair for close tasks but multifocals can be a much better solution. Their graded optical power means we can focus up close without having to swap glasses. And they look just like other glasses - no dividing lines. No-one else is going to know if they are multifocals or not. There are a few things to get used to, but we can talk you though those.

Sometimes a pair of glasses dedicated to a particular task can be useful. If you read a lot, and especially if you like to read in bed you will probably enjoy a pair of reading glasses. You can read in bed in your multifocals, but you may find you have to read in a more upright position than you'd like.

This September and October you can have the best of both worlds. If you buy a frame and multifocal lenses, we'll shout you the lenses for a pair of reading glasses as well. Come and see us soon. 

 Dilem is a unique range of French glasses frames with interchangeable temples (arms). We been selling these for a couple of years now and we're excited to have the entire range of designer temples in house for the first week of July. So if you'd like to get acquainted with Dilem for the first time or already wear Dilem and you'd like some new temples, come us see us next week.



 

There's plenty happening with contact lens solutions right now. Optifree Puremoist is the latest product to hit our shelves and it promises an advance in comfort  and an improvement in wearing times for contact lens wearers. Its formulation was specifically designed to improve the wettability of  the high oxygen transmission silicon hydrogel lenses that nearly all our contact lens clients wear. The unique Hydraglyde moisture matrix attracts moisture to the lens and gives moist, comfortable lenses for up to sixteen hours from insertion. Since discomfort is the principal reason wearers give up on contact lenses this is certainly good news. Optifree Puremoist removes protein from lenses and reduces lipid deposition and effectively reduces micro-organisms while remaining gentle to the eye surface.

Optifree Puremoist is in stock right now and the optometry pack ( 2 large bottles and 1 travel size bottle and 3 cases) offers particularly good value and isn't available in pharmacies. So if you'd like to have more hours of comfortable wear, come and buy some.

At a fundamental level, there are two methods of choosing an optometrist - reactive and proactive. The reactive method involves trying to eliminate the problems or things you didn't like about your last optometrist - so if you couldn't get an appointment in your lunch hour at the last place you went, you try and find someone who will give you an appointment at 12 o'clock. While this is a valid method, we'd suggest that it's a bit limiting and only deals with one or two aspects of an optometrist and their practice.

The proactive method involves thinking about the things about an optometrist and their business that are important to you. Can you get there easily - particularly important if you think you'll need more than one visit. Can you have an appointment when you want it? Does the optometrist have the skills and interests you want - can they prescribe eye medication and do they fit contact lenses? Do they see children routinely? Do they have an appealing range of frames? Can they repair your glasses for you? How fast can they help you achieve what you want?

You may also find it helpful to get recommendations from people you know, especially if you haven't been to an optometrist before.  Ask your friends, family and colleagues about their optometrists and what they liked and didn't like. Your doctor may have useful opinions about optometrists in the area, so do ask.

Research is really valuable when choosing an optometrist. We've mentioned asking people you know but there's also visiting the practice website and visiting the practice before making an appointment. If you pop in at lunch time, you'll be able to get a feel for what the business sells and what the people are like

We are very excited about the latest progressive lens technology from Essilor! Essilor X Series is a game changer for presbyopes and we aren’t saying that lightly. With more than fifteen patents pending, this is a lens like no other.

Essilor X Series uses three separate types of technologies to provide you with dynamic and clear vision at every distance but is especially designed for those people who require wide and variable near and intermediate vision. Xtend Technology focuses on arms-length tasks and offers clear and natural focus from your desk to your fingertips without requiring major head movements, unlike previous progressive lenses. Nanoptix means that the ‘swim’ effect in your progressive lenses can be minimised by up to ninety percent which means that the lenses are easy to adapt to and feel natural to use. Synchroneyes technology makes this lens fully customisable; considering not only your prescription but also all of your facial measurements and frame parameters. This will widen your field of vision and ensure that your lens is a perfect fit for YOU.

We are increasingly relying on our near vision but this isn’t just for reading your cell phone! Essilor X Series uses all this technology to give you the clearest vision for all near requirements; cell phones, laptops, books, computers, even TVs, with the need for head movement drastically reduced.

These lenses also come with Crizal Sapphire UV. which is the latest in anti-reflective technology-This makes the lens virtually invisible. Crizal Sapphire UV has  an E-SPF rating of 35, so not only are you seeing clearly, you are protecting your eyes from harmful UV rays every time you are outside.
We are hearing some amazing feedback about this lens and would love to talk to you about it. Just pop in to speak to one of our Dispensing Opticians at either of our branches to see if this lens could be the right lens for you.

 

 

Christmas is a few weeks away and for many of us a summer holiday will follow. That often means we're out of our normal routines and we have more people around than usual. We're doing more travelling and more outdoor activities. And while this is all pretty positive, things can and do go wrong, especially with your eyewear.

Losing your glasses or sunglasses is pretty common. You might leave them in the pocket of the seat in front of you on a plane journey. Or put them on the car roof, and then drive off. Or lose them over the side of the boat. One of your visiting relatives might mistake them for their own and take them home.Sometimes they're retrievable and sometimes they're not

Breaking your eyewear is also common. Leave them somewhere you shouldn't and one of your relatives might sit or stand on them. When  your glasses fall off the car roof you might drive over them

 If you have home and contents insurance your glasses and sunglasses are usually covered,  so make sure you contact your insurance company to discuss making a claim and find out how much your excess is. At Sercombe and Matheson we deal with a lot of insurance claims so we can help you with the paperwork and can bill your insurance company directly. And while your insurance company may suggest you visit a chain store optometrist , you are completely within your rights to  insist on coming  to see us.

We're good at repairs and we have fast turnaround times. You may think that pair of glasses your auntie sat on are completely shot, but you'll be amazed at what our technician can do with a mangled frame. Putting the existing lenses in a new frame is often an option, as is keeping the frame and replacing the lenses, depending on where the problem is.

We're open between Christmas and New Year so we're here to help with any disaster. We'd love to see your or your visitors - you don't need to be an existing client. If your "disaster" revolves around a sore eye or a vision problem instead, we can help with that too.

We wish you a happy and safe Christmas and holiday season.

 

Contact lenses can enhance your holiday, enabling you to wear sunglasses, dive masks or virtual reality headsets with ease. On the other hand. a red eye or sore eye can really take the shine off your trip and make life quite difficult. Dr Reece Hall from Wellington's Bowen Eye Clinic asked for our input on how to eliminate contact lens problems while travelling and has created a handy document which you can  download here. Travelling with Contact Lenses PDF .

 As you'll see, single use contact lenses ( also called 1 day lenses) work really well on holiday and most prescriptions are available in 1 day lenses now. And yes, that does include multifocals and lenses for astigmatism. If you'd like to be refitted with one day lenses, contact us.

In addition, we can provide all the  optical components you might need for your holiday - eye drops, travel size contact lens solutions, sunglasses and we can even email you a copy of your glasses and contact lens prescription

Sercombe and Matheson Opticians is an Easy-claim provider for Southern Cross members.
 

Alcon's Air Optix lens is now available in 9 different colours - and we've got a special deal to celebrate.

The last nine months or so have seen four new one day contact lenses arrive in the New Zealand market, so choices for wearers have never been greater. One day lenses have always been a great option in terms of convenience, hygiene and reducing allergy problems but they haven't been great in terms of oxygen transmission (lagging way behind the fortnightly and monthly options), they aren't available in as wide a range of prescriptions and they aren't always as comfortable as we'd like.
 As optometrists, we're excited to have some great new options, so we thought we'd use our next few blog posts to tell you about them. This post is about the most recent arrival,  Alcon's Total 1. Total one lenses are made of  a revolutionary new material with a silicon hydrogel core for excellent oxygen transmission, and a high water content outer for supreme comfort. Promoted as "like wearing nothing at all" this lens is an exciting option for our shortsighted patients - long-sighted  wearers will have to wait a little longer. 

So if you're looking for improved comfort, or you or your optometrist are worried about you wearing your existing one day lenses for very long hours, this could be lens for you. And if you're wearing fortnightly or monthly lenses but think you'd enjoy the convenience of 1 day lenses, make a time and come and see us.

Our annual frame sale is in full swing and runs until March 31st, though the best frames do move quickly. We have sale frames at marked prices from $20 upwards and all non-sale stock is reduced by 10%. Sale frames range from budget basics to classy designer numbers like the JF Rey frame in the picture below.

When we're open..

Recently we bought a PUK 4 welder for our workshop which we're pretty excited about - our ability to repair broken metal frames on site has just improved dramatically. Historically we've been able to solder metal frames but not if they were made of titanium or stainless steel. Soldering effects a useful repair but it's usually a different colour than the surrounding frame, and it's not particularly cosmetic. Welding provides a seamless and solderless repair for almost any metal - you will struggle to see the join. So where we'd have shaken our heads and turned away your titanium frame, now we'll be delighted to repair it. Titanium welding costs $60.

We feel multifocal glasses (and contact lenses) get a bit of bad press and that lots of our customers are frightened of them." Multifocals?" they say," I wouldn't want those" - as if we were suggesting dentures or a Zimmer frame! We know that multifocal lenses cost more than single vision lenses and that there is an association with aging, but we'd like to give one of the great technological advances of the twentieth century some good press for a change.

As human beings, our close focusing ability deteriorates noticeably from the age of forty-five or so. If we haven't had glasses before, that's when we get our first pair. If we have glasses already, we can get a second pair for close tasks but multifocals can be a much better solution. Their graded optical power means we can focus up close without having to swap glasses. And they look just like other glasses - no dividing lines. No-one else is going to know if they are multifocals or not. There are a few things to get used to, but we can talk you though those.

Sometimes a pair of glasses dedicated to a particular task can be useful. If you read a lot, and especially if you like to read in bed you will probably enjoy a pair of reading glasses. You can read in bed in your multifocals, but you may find you have to read in a more upright position than you'd like.

This September and October you can have the best of both worlds. If you buy a frame and multifocal lenses, we'll shout you the lenses for a pair of reading glasses as well. Come and see us soon. 

 Dilem is a unique range of French glasses frames with interchangeable temples (arms). We been selling these for a couple of years now and we're excited to have the entire range of designer temples in house for the first week of July. So if you'd like to get acquainted with Dilem for the first time or already wear Dilem and you'd like some new temples, come us see us next week.



 

There's plenty happening with contact lens solutions right now. Optifree Puremoist is the latest product to hit our shelves and it promises an advance in comfort  and an improvement in wearing times for contact lens wearers. Its formulation was specifically designed to improve the wettability of  the high oxygen transmission silicon hydrogel lenses that nearly all our contact lens clients wear. The unique Hydraglyde moisture matrix attracts moisture to the lens and gives moist, comfortable lenses for up to sixteen hours from insertion. Since discomfort is the principal reason wearers give up on contact lenses this is certainly good news. Optifree Puremoist removes protein from lenses and reduces lipid deposition and effectively reduces micro-organisms while remaining gentle to the eye surface.

Optifree Puremoist is in stock right now and the optometry pack ( 2 large bottles and 1 travel size bottle and 3 cases) offers particularly good value and isn't available in pharmacies. So if you'd like to have more hours of comfortable wear, come and buy some.

At a fundamental level, there are two methods of choosing an optometrist - reactive and proactive. The reactive method involves trying to eliminate the problems or things you didn't like about your last optometrist - so if you couldn't get an appointment in your lunch hour at the last place you went, you try and find someone who will give you an appointment at 12 o'clock. While this is a valid method, we'd suggest that it's a bit limiting and only deals with one or two aspects of an optometrist and their practice.

The proactive method involves thinking about the things about an optometrist and their business that are important to you. Can you get there easily - particularly important if you think you'll need more than one visit. Can you have an appointment when you want it? Does the optometrist have the skills and interests you want - can they prescribe eye medication and do they fit contact lenses? Do they see children routinely? Do they have an appealing range of frames? Can they repair your glasses for you? How fast can they help you achieve what you want?

You may also find it helpful to get recommendations from people you know, especially if you haven't been to an optometrist before.  Ask your friends, family and colleagues about their optometrists and what they liked and didn't like. Your doctor may have useful opinions about optometrists in the area, so do ask.

Research is really valuable when choosing an optometrist. We've mentioned asking people you know but there's also visiting the practice website and visiting the practice before making an appointment. If you pop in at lunch time, you'll be able to get a feel for what the business sells and what the people are like