Our doors might be closed but we are still happy to see you!
At Ezekiel Eyes, we want to ensure that we can continue to look after our patients’ vision during these challenging times.
We have temporarily closed our practice for the majority of the time, however Damon and Felix are still ready, willing and able to help you. We can arrange specific consultations at any time, so please don’t hesitate to contact us by phone call or SMS as follows:
Damon Ezekiel 0417 862 886 Felix Sugiarto 0421 182 552
You can also contact us through Facebook Messenger (tap button below)
Ezekiel Eyes is committed to helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Please be assured that we are doing all we can to implement the highest levels of hygiene and cleanliness at the practice.
We truly appreciate your patience and support during this uncertain period. We are closely following the advice of the Australian Government and will update you if anything changes.
Optometrist Kok Kai Kang (Kai) served patients in Perth from 2012-2019
Damon Ezekiel, Principal Optometrist and Owner at Ezekiel Eyes:
“It is with regret that I announce that Kai, my colleague optometrist, has left Ezekiel Eyes to move back to Singapore.
Kai will return to his family and continue his optometry career in a Singapore Hospital eye clinic.
Kai was with us for seven years and was a much valued member of our team.
I would like to thank him for his great work and in particular for being the instigator of our Intense Pulse Light (IPL) for our many Dry Eye patients.
I have no doubts that Kai will succeed in whatever endeavours he undertakes, and I wish him all the very best on his new start in Singapore.
Meanwhile, I am on the look-out for another colleague to join me and help to continue the amazing things we do at Ezekiel Eyes to improve the quality of life of our patients. Stay tuned for news on that front.
You’ve been told in the past that you need corrective lenses. You’ve chosen to go with contacts but the ones that you’ve been given are so uncomfortable and don’t seem to be helping with your condition at all. You’ve elected to just not wear any corrective lenses because of this which is only making your situation worse.
If this sounds like you then you should talk to your doctor about scleral contact lenses. Scleral contacts are comfortable as well as help with many of the rarest eye conditions. You can also get special effect ones that can grant you vision while your cosplay.
To help you decide if you’re ready to talk to your contact lens specialist optometrist about these contacts, here is a complete guide on these benefits and more.
1. They’re More Comfortable
There are many patients who look at scleral lenses and get more than a little intimidated by their size. They’re meant to cover the user’s entire eye which is where they got their name.
It’s for this reason that potential users are afraid that they won’t be very comfortable but this fear is unwarranted. Sclera lenses are custom made for the patient so they’re actually way more comfortable than other lenses.
The lenses don’t move around too much because they’re made to fit your eye perfectly. This means you’ll never have to worry about them becoming painfully dislodged.
They’re also a fairly gentle fit. There is little to no pressure or compression to the tissues in your eye.
2. They will Work When Nothing Else Will
If you have a certain eye issue that none of your other contacts or glasses seems to solve, then sclera lenses may be the thing that you need. For one, they’re custom made to not only fit your eyes but also to deal with your condition.
For another, they create a fluid layer which not only keeps your eyes hydrated all day long without the need for drops but also helps regulate the shape of your cornea. You’ll immediately notice a positive difference.
A lot more work goes into scleral lenses than other contacts. This is because again, scleral lenses are custom made to fit your eyes and deal with any conditions that you have.
What price would you put on your eyesight? Scleral lenses can help you to see again, giving you the freedom to have a job, drive a car, and live the life you want.
Private Health Insurance applies to scleral lenses just like other contact lenses. They normally last for two years with normal use.
If you’re thinking of investing in scleral lenses, you’ll find that the benefits outweigh the money that you spent on them.
4. Promote the Healing of the Ocular Surface
Scleral contacts protect the surface of your eyes while also correcting your vision. They do this by opening your eye to an oxygen permeable fluid chamber. This keeps any irritants from getting into your eyes.
To this end, the lenses allow the ocular surface of your eyes to heal because nothing can get in and scratch it. This will be a huge help if you’ve had a corneal transplant or have suffered through some sort of chemical damage. Your eyes will be able to heal and adjust.
5. Keratoconus
If you have keratoconus you’ll need contacts that won’t move around too much when you blink. To this end, if you get regular contact lenses when you have this condition they may be too uncomfortable to deal with or worse, damage your eyes.
Scleral lenses are traditionally prescribed to people who have hard-to-fit eyes. They will be the only contacts that will be able to centre correctly on your eyes if you have keratoconus.
6. Other Eye Issues
Keratoconus isn’t the only eye condition that these contacts can help with. Again, they’re the perfect thing to protect the surface of your eyes if you’ve had a corneal implant or chemicals have gotten into your eyes.
They also help if you have uncomfortably dry eyes from conditions like Stevens-Johnson syndrome or Sjogren’s syndrome. These lenses even combat severe cases of astigmatism.
7. Special Effects
You don’t have to have some sort of eye condition or bad vision to be prescribed scleral contacts. Some choose to get them for purely cosmetic purposes.
They can drastically change the look of your eyes so that makes them perfect for theatrical and cosplay purposes. Keep in mind that these contacts are usually only for aesthetics. They usually don’t have the same benefits as normal scleral lenses.
8. Caring for Them
You would think that because the lenses are special that the caring instructions would be a little more complex than regular contacts but this isn’t the case. For the most part, the caring instructions are the same. You take them out at the end of the day, don’t put them under tap water, and don’t swim, sleep or take a bath with them in.
The only difference is they need to soak in a particular type of solution but your eye doctor will provide this for you or at the very least, tell you what solution to use.
Talk to Your Optometrist About Scleral Contact Lenses
If your regular contact lenses aren’t cutting it anymore, (or if they never did) try talking to your eye doctor about scleral contact lenses. They will be custom made to fit your particular condition while not being too much more expensive than the lenses you have now. Start seeing in comfort.
Are you ready to get yourself into a new pair of lenses? Contact us today to make yourself an appointment.
Vision problems are on the rise for kids in Australia. In fact, one in four Australian children is living with an undiagnosed eye problem.
With so many children beginning to struggle with vision problems, there’s also an increase in the need for glasses and contact lenses.
Are you considering getting contact lenses for your child? Are you a little nervous about whether they’re a good fit for them?
If you’re on the fence about contacts for kids, keep reading.
Listed below are eight things you ought to consider before you buy them.
1. Some Kids are Better Candidates than Others
It’s a misconception that contact lenses are only for teenagers and adults.
There are plenty of children who do just fine while wearing prescription contact lenses. At the same time, though, some children are better candidates for contacts than others.
If you’re not sure if your child is ready for contact lenses, ask yourself the following questions:
Do they have good personal hygiene habits?
Do they keep their room and bathroom clean?
Do they follow through with their other responsibilities (schoolwork, chores, etc.)
Do they need frequent reminders to keep up with everyday tasks?
If your child has good personal hygiene and doesn’t have trouble keeping up with everyday responsibilities, they can likely handle the responsibility of wearing contact lenses.
If they’re a bit careless or irresponsible, you may want to work with them on these things before you purchase contacts for them.
2. Contacts are Great for Sports
If your child plays sports or is generally active, contact lenses are a great option to consider.
Contact lenses provide them with a lot of flexibility and will save them from having to continually push a pair of glasses up the bridge of their nose while they’re playing sports, dancing, or participating in other extracurricular activities.
Contact lenses can reduce injury risk, too. If their glasses are struck and break while playing, they could end up with a serious eye problem.
Contacts improve your child’s vision without creating any kind of discomfort or safety issue.
3. Contacts Can Boost Self-Esteem
In a perfect world, your child would feel confident while wearing glasses to correct their vision problems. That’s not always the case, though.
Some kids simply feel better and more like themselves when they’re wearing contacts instead of glasses.
If your child regularly complains about wearing glasses, or if they conveniently “forget them” when they leave for school each day, contacts might be a good option to try instead.
4. Parents Need to Teach Healthy Habits
As a parent, it’s important to understand the key role you play in ensuring your child becomes a successful contact lens wearer.
You will need to work with them and teach them how to keep their contacts clean and well-maintained.
You may also have to remind them to take their contacts out, clean them properly, or store them in their case for the first few days or weeks after they get them.
Before you purchase contacts for your child, make sure that you are up to the task of getting them in the habit of caring for them first.
5. Kids Must See an Eye Doctor First
Before your child gets contact lenses, they need to see the optometrist first.
An optometrist will ensure that your child gets the right pair of contact lenses for their specific needs.
The optometrist can also provide you with tips to help your child get used to wearing contacts and get in the habit of caring for them the right way.
Always buy your child’s contact lenses from a registered optometrist. Don’t try to purchase discounted lenses, even if you’re shopping for a non-prescription pair.
6. A Slow Transition Works Best
If your child has been wearing glasses for a long time, it’s best to transition them slowly from glasses to contacts. They don’t have to throw them away and wear contacts all the time right from the start.
When they get their first pair of lenses, continue to use their glasses as their primary vision correcting method. Then, they can try wearing contact lenses on the weekends so they can practice in a low-stakes way.
Once they’re comfortable with that, they can try wearing their lenses at school or during the week, too.
7. Daily Disposables are a Good Option
If you’re worried about your child’s ability to keep their contact lenses clean and in good shape, you may want to start them with daily disposables.
Daily disposables eliminate the need for cleaning and the need for specific storage practices.
They’re much more convenient and are great for your kids and those who don’t have the best track record when it comes to keeping things clean.
8. Contact Lenses Can Slow Nearsightedness Progression
There is some research that suggests that wearing contact lenses can also slow down the progression of nearsightedness in children.
Vision problems, in general, are on the rise among Australian kids, but nearsightedness is increasingmore than other vision issues.
A certain type of contact lenses, known as orthokeratology, help to change the shape of the cornea, which is the clear front portion of the eye.
These lenses are meant to be worn at night. They change the shape of the cornea while the wearer sleeps, and then the wearer doesn’t have to worry about wearing lenses or glasses during the day.
Order Contacts for Kids in Perth Today
In a lot of cases, purchasing contacts for kids can be a great option.
Contact lenses give them the flexibility they need while playing sports or engaging in other activities, and there’s no risk of them losing them or breaking them — which isn’t always the case when you’re dealing with regular eyeglasses.
Are you ready to buy contacts for your kids? Before you go ahead and order them, be sure to schedule an eye exam.
If you live in or around the Perth area, come see us at Ezekiel Eyes today.
We make it easy and convenient for you to schedule your kids’ exam and order their first pair of contact lenses.
Ever heard of Multifocal Lenses? Getting the right ones is very important!
Without the right lenses, you can struggle to see at work for reading and looking at a presentation. Or you may be caught without your reading glasses, and have to borrow some from a friend.
Listen as Damon Ezekiel explains how to get the right Multifocal Lenses in this short video:
Here is the full text from the video:
(Leigh) Welcome, everyone. I’m here with Damon Ezekiel, owner of Ezekiel Eyes. Welcome, Damon.
(Damon) Thank you very much.
(Leigh) Tell me a bit about the way that you approach glasses and getting them right for patients.
(Damon) Leigh, I’m very lucky that I have an optical dispenser who’s been in the optical world for, I think Tom’s been in it for like 25 to 30 years. Very similar to myself. He’s old-school technical trained as an optical technician dispenser. He is very clever at what he does.
A lot of patients come in and they’re like, I’ve tried multifocals and it’s nightmare but multifocal spectacles don’t have to be a nightmare!
There’s a couple of combinations. We need to get the right prescription and that’s what Kai, my colleague, and I do at Ezekiel Eyes.
But then Tom takes his expertise and makes sure that we’ve got the right frame for your face to match that prescription.
There’s no good getting a great looking frame but this prescription’s not gonna fit into it.
Then the important thing is to get these optical centres exactly where we need them. Tom will do that.
We’ll make sure we get the distance between your pupils right but also the height. Unless everything marries together, we’ve got the right frame for your shape to marry in with the prescription and then we get the heights and the distance between your pupils right.
The next thing is we need to get the right type of lens ’cause there’s a stack of different type of lenses, if you’re a:
first time wearer of multifocal lenses,
if you’re an experienced wearer,
what do you need them for?
Do you need them more for distance or computer reading?
We’re going to tailor make what you need. There’s a whole combination and that’s what we do at Ezekiel Eyes.
Whether it’s Kai, my colleague optometrist, or myself, and then we bring Tom in, who’s the optical dispenser, to get that right frame and combination. It’s not a matter of, oh this’ll do, good luck. It’s a matter of getting all these aspects married together. That’s on the glasses side.
(Leigh) Absolutely.
(Damon) You can get Multifocal Contact Lenses too
We can give you contact lenses that are multifocal, bifocal, and there’s lots of different combinations.
It’s a matter of getting the right prescription, working out the curve on the front of your eye, and then trying to work out what do you want.
Leigh, you might just want contact lenses for sport or social, or you want contact lenses full time.
It’s a matter of working out when you want them and what do you want them for:
Do you need them, you just want them in a work environment for distance, computer, and reading?
You just want them when you’re playing indoor cricket?
We need to know what you want. There’s lots of different options in the contact lens world.
We try to marry everything into what your desires are and then we can see what is available for you.
If you’re a contact lens wearer, you’ll always need glasses as a backup. Depending on your age and what you need, we’d run with a multifocal pair of glasses.
That’s where you spend the time to get to know me and my needs and you can recommend the best solution.
There’s lots of different labs out there, whether they’re in the contact lens world or in the spectacle world and same again, exactly as you said, Leigh, finding out what do you need.
What are your wants and then we can go, all right, this lab, that’s an option, but this lab will really make exactly what we need for your particular needs in your glasses or in the contact lens world.
(Leigh) We value our eyes. Our eyes are so important so why not get the best for our eyes?
(Damon) Absolutely. Unfortunately, we see patients who have gone off and had surgery or things have gone astray.
It’s not until things have gone the wrong way that then they go, “I’ve only got one pair of eyes”. Why didn’t I do this, that, or the other? Yes, they are very valuable!
I don’t think enough of us realise how valuable their eyes are. If you can imagine if something had gone wrong or something’s gone astray, I have patients who come in who just say, “Oh my goodness, what would happen if I lost my vision?” A lot of us don’t value what we have until we lose it.
That’s where we like to treat you as an individual and work out what do you need, Leigh? What are your desires? What do you want?
You want contact lenses socially but I’m happy with my glasses during the day. That’s great. We’ll work out what’s gonna work for you. That’s a matter of finding the right type of frame, the right type of lens for your prescription and for you.
(Leigh) You can really help me to get over the line, to be able to work the way that I want to, to function the way that I want to.
(Damon) Absolutely. There’s more than one option.
We will show you all the options and explain why this lens is thinner and lighter than this one and the advantages of that. Is that good for you? It might not be, you might want to look at a different option, great. Let’s look at it and we’ll find out what is out there for you.
We do a lot of different options. Tom’s fantastic at going to various labs and finding out, you know, we’ve got this prescription, what can we do? Can we do thinner and lighter? If so, how much thinner and lighter? Then we can present you with all the different options and the cost options.
Some of the lenses we do buy in will come from overseas. They’ll take two or three weeks in the spectacle lenses because they’re gonna be super duper thin and light but it’s worth it if that’s what you desire and that’s what you need.
(Leigh) That’s great. I like how you go to the nth degree to help people.
(Damon) We don’t mind doing that. That’s what we do. We’re happy to spend another three or four weeks finding out what our options are instead of going, here you go, you’ve only got one option. The lenses are gonna be excessively thick and tough. It’s like, now hang on a minute, let’s see what we can do. As long as you’re not in a hurry, we prefer to take the time.
(Leigh) Yeah, that’s really good. Fantastic. Thanks very much, Damon, for talking to us about your philosophy.
(Damon) Thanks for your time.
(Leigh) Yeah. Thanks everyone for watching. Please like and share this video. Stay tuned for more. Thanks.
What is the next step?
Make an Appointment for an eye test now and talk to Damon or Kai about Multifocal Lenses!
Looking for the best eye drops for Dry Eyes in Perth?
There are two eye drops that we love to recommend to our patients.
Hylo-Forte is a preservative-free eye drop. This means that there are no chemicals that can make your eyes irritated.
The other benefit is that you can use these drops with contact lenses. This includes soft contact lenses, hard contact lenses, rigid gas permeable contact lenses, orthok lenses and scleral contact lenses.
Ever had to throw out drops because they’ve been open for 28 days?
Hylo-Forte has a use-by of six months! This means that you can safely use it as much as you like. Keep one at work near your computer. Keep one at home for the end of a long day. Your eyes will feel refreshed by Hylo-Forte!
Nova Tears is a brand new eyedrop for dry eyes that doesn’t sting! The drop is so small, that you’ll hardly feel it when you put a drop in.
There’s a unique way to put a drop in, without having to squeeze the bottle. Damon or Kai can show you how to do it.
Here’s your bonus!
When you purchase Hylo-Forte or Nova Tears at Ezekiel Eyes, buy five bottles and get the sixth free! Get your card stamped each time to earn your free bottle!
So if you’re looking for the best eye drops for dry eyes in Perth, buy your eye drops from us!
What to Consider When Buying Contact Lenses in Perth
Advancements in eye care have made contact lenses more versatile than ever before. Read this guide on what to consider when buying contact lenses in Perth.
Approximately 50 per cent of all Australians wear eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct various vision impairments. Are you one of them?
It doesn’t matter if you’ve always worn contact lenses or are interested in switching from glasses to contacts.
Either way, there are some important things you need to keep in mind when you’re shopping for the perfect pair.
Read on to learn how to go about buying contact lenses so that you can choose the perfect ones for yourself and your needs.
Types of Contact Lenses
One of the first things you need to recognize when you start shopping for contact lenses is the fact that there are different types of lenses from which you can choose.
The following are some of the most common styles of contact lenses:
Soft Contact Lenses
These types of lenses are made of special non-silicone hydrogel and plastic polymer materials.
These materials allow oxygen to pass through the lens and reach the eye. Soft lenses come in a variety of styles, including daily wear, disposable, and extended wear.
They also provide better and sharper vision than many types of soft contact lenses. These lenses only need to be replaced once every two years, too.
Scleral Contact Lenses
Scleral contact lenses can be beneficial to those who have experienced damage to the surface of the eye (the cornea).
These lenses rest on the white part of the eye, the sclera, and create space over the cornea. That space is then filled with artificial tears and can improve the vision. The fluid compartment also protects the cornea from air exposure and irritation that can come from blinking.
X-Chrome Contact Lenses
An X-Chrome contact lens is a special red contact lens. It’s worn in just one eye and is used to help those who suffer from red-green colour vision problems.
Monovision Contact Lenses
Monovision contact lenses are a good option for individuals who suffer from presbyopia (farsightedness). Presbyopia often affects middle-aged individuals in the 40-45-year-old age range. For those who don’t want to wear reading glasses, monovision contact lenses are a viable alternative.
Tips for Buying Contact Lenses
Many people have a hard time shopping for contact lenses. They don’t realise what they need to be on the lookout for and what kinds of practices they need to avoid.
Here are some tips that will make the process of buying contact lenses much easier:
Buy the Right Type
As you can see, there are tons of different types of contact lenses out there. If you want to have a positive experience while wearing contact lenses, you need to make sure you’re buying the right type for your vision needs.
Make sure you’re buying contact lenses that suit your lifestyle, too.
For example, do you think you will remember to take your lenses out every single day? If not, you might not want to buy daily wear contacts. Extended wear styles might be more appropriate for you.
Don’t Buy Without a Prescription
There are lots of online sites that will allow you to buy contact lenses without a prescription. No matter how appealing they might seem, do not trust these sites. You should only wear prescription contact lenses.
Wearing contact lenses without a prescription can increase your risk of damaging your cornea. You also increase your risk of developing eye infections and contracting diseases like pinkeye. You could even damage your eyesight or go blind.
Getting the Correct Prescription
In addition to avoiding buying contact lenses without a prescription, you also ought to avoid buying contact lenses with an old prescription.
Make sure you get your eyes examined before buying contact lenses and make sure your prescription is up to date.
Remember, your vision can change over time. Just because a prescription once worked for you, that doesn’t mean it always will. Your vision problems could have progressed without you even realizing it.
If you don’t get your eyes checked before buying contact lenses, you might not see the results you’re looking for. You could also end up dealing with issues like chronic headaches or eye strain as a result.
Buy the Right Contact Lens Solution
It’s essential that you buy the right contact lenses for you and make sure you’re buying them with the correct prescription. You also need to make sure you’re buying the right contact lens solution.
Your eye doctor should recommend a specific type of contact lens solution for you to use. Be sure to only buy that solution. Remember, your doctor recommended it for a reason.
Learn to Maintain Them Properly
Make sure you’re maintaining your contact lenses properly, too. Many people don’t realize when they’re first buying contact lenses the amount of maintenance required to keep them clean and your eyes healthy.
Some maintenance tips you’ll need to keep in mind include:
Washing and drying your hands before handling them
Removing contacts before going to sleep (or according to the schedule laid out by your doctor)
Minimizing contact with water or saliva
Always use fresh contact lens solution in contact lens cases (dump out the old solution in between uses)
Replacing contact lenses and cases as recommended
Over time, these maintenance steps will become second nature to you and you won’t have to think about them.
If you’re not willing to take a lot of steps to keep your lenses in good shape, you ought to be sure to choose a low-maintenance style, such as extended wear lenses.
Buy Contact Lenses Today
Now that you know what to do (and what kinds of mistakes to avoid) when you’re buying contact lenses, it’s time to do the fun part and start shopping.
If you live in Perth or Western Australia and need to buy contact lenses, we can help at Ezekial Eyes.
Make an appointment for your contact lenses today (along with spectacle frames and lenses).
Check them out today to find the lenses that work best for you!
– Welcome everyone. My name’s Leigh and I’m here with Damon Ezekiel, from Ezekiel Eyes. Welcome Damon.
– Hi Leigh, thanks very much for the opportunity.
– Thanks for joining us Damon. So you just had a massive trip over to the US. You spent over 24 hours on a plane.
– Yeah it’s great.
– All the way over to the Western United States.
– Yeah.
– Tell us a bit about where you went to and where what the conference was for?
– So this is an annual Global Symposium on contact lens specialties. All, well 99% of the practitioners there offer a lot of rigid lenses. And the it was an amazing conference. I mean the content was absolutely sensational. And this was held in Las Vegas and I’m not sure if you’ve ever been to Las Vegas, but Las Vegas is an interesting place. It attracts a lot of people on the hope that they’re going to make a lot of money. So it’s an interesting place, it’s a lot of interesting people, interesting dynamics. But getting back to the contact lens side, so these presenters, I mean the content was just out of control. It was absolutely amazing. So everything that I went to, and you know this was one of the difficulties I had is every hour or every two hours there’s six streams of lectures running.
– [Leigh] Wow.
– And there’s sometimes I was torn between two or three, but I could only get to one. So, you know it was at times it was a bit disappointing, because I’m like, “Oh, I really want to see that and that. And you know this presenter’s amazing as well.” So that made it a bit tough. Then now we’re in streams of you know, whether it was scleral lenses or myopia management. Or there was a particular stream there which was just for the Americans and the way they do their billing and healthcare providers and things like that. So, it was great. It was hard though to make some of those decisions as to what to go to and what not to go to. This particular year, they got nearly a thousand delegates though. It was the biggest. I was very privileged to go, I think I travelled the furthest. There was a researcher from Queensland University of Technology, so from Brisbane. But yeah, it’s a long haul but it was really worth it. You know, as I said earlier, the quality was amazing. And you know we’re all very, very like minded. There was things that really grabbed my attention in particular was, you know, we’re fitting a lot more scleral lenses. And let me just show you my t-shirt there. This is from the Scleral Lens Society education group. Which, I was lucky enough to get my fellowship pin at this conference and these you know we I’m fitting a lot more sclerals. I have been for 29 years, but the scleral world has changed a lot with a lot of really innovative lens designs. One in particular that we’re using a lot, which is originated out of the U.S.A. And has recently been licenced to a lab in Australia. So the beautiful thing about that for me and my patients is it’s only a week or so turnaround instead a minimum of three weeks coming from the U.S. So delivery time is important. The other massive bonus about this particular design lens compared to what we were using previously is we can do a lot of adjustments to the curve in the middle on the back and the mid periphery in the edge. And we can tailor make in four different quadrants. So at zero degrees, 90, 180, and 270. Each edge, one can lift off and one can drop back. So it’s very, very individualised which is amazing. And then also we can put two panels on the front, which a lot of other scleral designs is very minimalistic. So, what we can offer our patients is you know just something out of this world. I should just add that for years now optometry in particular we can map the central part of the eye. The cornea the very front. But the wider the eye, the scleral we haven’t been able to map. And recently there’s been a couple of what’s been called scleral profilers where the wider the eye we can actually now measure. So there was a couple of these instruments to look at. But the interesting research shows that the wide of the eye is very asymmetrical. So the curve of the scleral lens which is sitting on the wide. And these two, or four meridians, they’re usually different. They’re not all the same and that’s the beautiful thing about having this particular design that Kai and I are using at Ezekiel Eyes where we can change these curves. And like I said, zero, 90, 180, and 270. So by able to tailor make that shirt we can you know get this fit to be so much more comfortable for our patients. So that was fantastic. This particular design launched a multifocal scleral lens, which was very interesting, very exciting. I haven’t personally played with it, but you know from what I could see from the studies things looked, the numbers, and patients seemed very happy with it. So that’s very exciting. And that’s something else, that we can add to our arsenal and something else we can offer our patients. There was a stream of lectures on myopia prevention. Which is a very hot topic at the moment. And you know the, especially, well I mean when you look at somebody like South Korea where 98% of the population is short sighted, we really want to minimise the degeneration and hope that the myopia progression to minimise when patients are older in life with retinal detachments. And retinal tears and retinal holes, macular degeneration, things like that and glaucoma. So it was a big discussion about that. And some interesting research which was a bit disturbing, when we look at some of the power profiles of what these soft lens, just a standard soft lens daily that we’re prescribing patients. So from a proactive point of view, and this is the way Kai and I like to practise is to you know with patients who are shortsighted with the potential to become more short sighted because their age, angle, their parents, and their myopia. We really want to try and nip it in the bud. And we have a lot of really, really good tools we can use. Whether they are soft lenses during the day or recon lenses overnight. I mean there’s lots of different myopia prevention techniques out there. So it was across the board there was just lots of really interesting things. There was a one of my favourite presenters on dry eye Epstein from Arizona, very dry part of the U.S. He presented on a new drop that was launched in the U.S. Unfortunately it’s not available in Australia yet, but there is something similar that one of the suppliers in Australia do have and I’ve requested some samples for Kai and I to pay with. So, I’m hoping we have we can add something to our store to help out dry eye patients. So you know there was lots of you know the Exhibition area was crazy. There were lots of different things there. Unfortunately, there’s certain products that we just can’t or they’re not available in Australia yet. Might have to go through the regulatory authorities. The TKA. So maybe, down the track but that could be a couple years away. So yeah, in terms of the content was absolutely amazing. It was really, really exciting. And you know, but apart from the content, one of the most important things that I find of any conference congress is what happens in the um… The word I’m looking for is a passageway. And you know, I was talking morning to lunch. You know, the networking and talking to other optometrists or eye care practitioners, whether they’re researchers or clinicians you know, “How do you deal with your dry eye?” Or, “How do you deal with you know keratitis?” And things like that, so yeah, it’s um. It was really good. It was a fabulous congress. It’s on, it’s on every 12 months. Always in Vegas at this time of the year. Because it’s cold, so it’s cheaper to have a conference in Vegas. Like convention areas and stuff like that. So yeah, it was really good, there was um a couple from Australia, a couple from Sydney. One from Adelaide, myself a third. So you know there was a and a couple from Bisbane. So it was good. It was good to talk to all these other optometrists. One before you ask the next question, Leigh, sorry. There’s one other amazing lens, which I looked into with the scleral lens in um- After I became president at the International Society of Contact Lens Specialists at that conference in Washington in September-October. I was looking into this Ipren lens, which is a scleral lens where we take a mould of the eye anyway I saw the suppliers of that. And they are hopefully going to be in Australia later this year. They’re going to teach me hopefully licence me. So, we take an impression of the eye and then we send the impression off, but the new technology is to take a scan of this mould. And that’s digitally sent back to the lab, and then very carefully goes onto a lathe, and they cut with a tear profile. And so you know, the fit’s you know, really, really amazing. So for those patients who are very difficult to fit with a you know an off the shelf and then customising that shirt for a scleral lens. This is the next step. It’s not going to be cheap, but it’s you know amazing. Amazing and made in a gas permeable material. So you know, really nice and healthy. So there’s a lot of really, really exciting things coming up.
– Fantastic. It sounds like there’s some amazing technology that’s just around the corner. And thanks very much for Sonja for her comments. Sonja Knoll, she said, “Great sharing Damon Ezekiel. Love it that you’re sharing your feedback and your knowledge and experience.” So.
– [Damon] Oh thank you Sonja. I must pay Sonja for that. She’s done a great job.
– Yes, so-
– So I mean one of the evenings we had a Scleral Lens Society Educators function where, you know, I guess most of the conference was there, because most of us feared will we offer gas minimum lenses, but a lot of scleral lenses. So that was great. And then I was dragged off to the Eye, this Iprene the moulding scleral it was a presentation. So it was a really, really crazy conference, because it was just go, go, go. During the breaks of lectures and trying to get around to the exhibitors and trying to get into someone’s ear about their product was difficult because there were so many people interested in those products. So that’s always a challenge, but it was very, very stimulating. And the quality of lectures was really terrific.
– One of those presentations was with Dr. Tom Arnold, and colleagues. And what was one of things you picked up from that lecture?
– Yes, so Tom Arnold and Mr. Barnett, they’re both members of the International Society of Contact Lens Specialists. And they were talking about this particular scleral lens that Kai and I fit. This one that’s licenced from the U.S. and being made in Australia now. So they were talking about their experiences. So they would do a case history. You know talk about what they would do, and you know I’d say if it was my patient what I’d do and Kai would say, “I’d do this, that, and the other.” So it was really interesting it was not like you know the, counterproductive counterpoint from one. You know and just how two different angles looking at the same eye. And you know, a lot of it was similar but you know little nuances here and there. I would do this, and I you know would go an extra thirty microns deeper here and things like that. So, it was yeah, it was great because there was a couple lectures on this particular lens Kai and I fit. One was on the multifocal, and then you know just the nuances of how to change the fit. Yeah, it was great, really good. It was hard to sLeighp at night because I was so overstimulated.
– Love it, that’s fantastic. So at this conference, this was your first conference as president of the International Society. Were you there at an official role in any way?
– No I wasn’t, but I just thought you know I really do need to go for myself, but I also needed to go for the organisation and you know, spread the word. See what other delegates are out there that we should be inviting into our group. So you know, and there were people there that are interested. So you know, we’re hoping to grow. Our next conference we’re looking at is about April 2020. So it’s sometime away, but we need to get. We’re working hard now to get sponsorship and the draught programme all ready for 2020. So yeah, it was, I just thought in my position, I really do need to show the flag a little bit more and you know make sure you know some of those shows that are everywhere in Vegas were well attended. So I did go to, for those who haven’t been to Vegas, there are a lot of ticket booths. And an hour before a show the prices are remarkably cheaper. So there was a couple from Adelaide and this lovely lady Mindy, who’s and we’re all part of the International Society of Contact Lens Specialists. And Mindy and I got a last minute ticket to one of the Cirque de Soleil shows and met up with this couple from Adelaide just fantastic show. I mean the acrobatics and the strength of those people is just incredible. Not as exciting as a scleral lens, but still it was you needed some relief after a heavy day of talking eyes.
– It’s great to take your mind off things and yeah be able to explore Vegas a little bit. Were there any other highlights from Vegas?
– Well I was very lucky, I mean because of the way you know, where we live is so far away the conference venue has been pretty much abandoned and left. There was three of us from the International Society of Contact Lens Specialists that were still in town so we went out for dinner. And then the next day, Greg, he left first thing in the morning. I mean he’s from Switzerland and he was flying out Monday afternoon. Or Monday afternoon, evening much like myself. So he said well, what are we going to do? Why don’t we go and visit the Grand Canyon? Which we did. We got a helicopter ride out there. There was a group of seven on this helicopter and the pilot eight. So I can get you some images of that. And that was spectacular, I mean one of the beautiful things is we were so spoiled the week before I got there they had rain and horrible weather. While I was there it was cool, you know 13/14 degrees. Hardly any cloud around. So you know buzzing over the Grand Canyon was just absolutely incredible. It was fantastic it was an amazing experience really. Yep, something that I would hope to take the Boss and the kids on at some stage.
– Um-
– And you have this Vegas story. Vegas is one of those places where you can do absolutely you know, there’s adrenaline everywhere. And you can do something if you know you want to do a bungee jump off this, that, or whatever. You can, you know, there’s stuff out there for everyone. Yeah, so it’s you know a drive to the Grand Canyon is a good two hour drive and you know we didn’t have time. And it was just convenient obviously just to jump in a helicopter. Sounds very crazy, but yeah that was great. Something I would definitely recommend.
– Yeah, just to give you that perspective. Sometimes being above the world and just-
– Incredible absolutely amazing yeah.
– Yeah, yeah, so you tell me about some of the things that you probably had a chance to catch Kai briefly but lots of things that you’re hoping to talk about and discuss with you as well?
– We had this crazy thing where I got in on Wednesday. I worked with Kai Thursday, Friday, Saturday morning and now luckily for Kai he’s up in Singapore visiting his family for Chinese New Year which is last night. So that was good. So it wasn’t, we didn’t have enough time really because you know when I get back from being away. My book is just chopper ball, which is good. I’m not complaining, but it doesn’t give me a lot of time to download with Kai. So I’m hoping you know when he gets back my list would have calmed down a little bit and yeah I’ll certainly be. I mean I’ve passed on some interesting talk already about the asymmetrical wide part of the eye the sclera of the scleral lenses and how you know the beautiful thing about this design that we’re playing with. How we can alter these landing zones on the sclera. So yeah no, it’s good. It’s yeah, time. Very time forward at the moment. That’s the way it is.
– Yeah absolutely. So if I was to come in soon for an appointment, what are the soonest things to come that will be come current with Ezekiel Eyes? There’s, you mentioned the dry eye sample drops that you’ve got?
– Yeah so I’ve just- These are coming from the United States. They’re hopefully going to arrive if not in the next day or so the end of next week. So I just need to sort out what they are and how they compare to what this Art was talking about in the U.S. So that’s an option obviously you know around keratitis, excuse me or post graft, or even patients who exceptionally short sighted the help that they’re going to get with the rigid lens compared to a soft lens. Upsee the vision, you know if the finessing of what we can do with the Scleral lens now compared to what we could do is it’s ten fold what I learned in Vegas. It’s you know talking to the consultants who of this lab and what they and how they make them. And then this doesn’t work, what do we need to do to give more edge lift or it’s too compressed or things like that. So, just spending time with them, chatting about this, that, and the other is just crazy invaluable. That’s leaps and bounds. So it’s just I guess I mean the most important thing is when you for us we’re not a generic go online and book an appointment. Because we do so many different things. So when patients ring up and they talk to Maureen or Dee, they can say, “Well look, I’m already wearing rigid lens and I’m having problems this is what I think I need.” Or, “I’m coming in for dry eye and IPL.” Then you know we can put you in the right place depending on what you require and that’s easier to have that conversation over the phone which certainly through our website you can log on and you know tell us about yourself and what you think you need. And then to make that appointment is it a 40 minute, 45 minute, a half an hour? Who do you need to see? You know is it IPL and Kai or so it just depends. And I think that personalised way of doing it over the phone we can work out exactly what you’re doing and who’s the right person for you to see.
– [Leigh] Yeah absolutely.
– So the best thing to do I think, you know, someone would like to see us is to give us a ring on 9-386-3620 and have a chat with Maureen. If you’ve got questions that she says, “Ugh, you really talk to Damon or Kai.” Great, we’ll ring you back in between patients and work out are we the people you need to see and you know when and what we can do. And there’s certainly you know patients who come in wearing scleral lenses from somewhere else that need attention. You know we would actually get them to come back in without any lenses in because of the moulding fact of sclerals we really need them to be free of them for an hour or two, the night before, before they go to sLeighp and you know get them in first thing in the morning, no lenses. And when they leave they can put their old lenses in. But that’s you know, it’s all very individualistic and case by case.
– Yeah, that’s fantastic. Damon it’s fantastic that your excitement, your enthusiasm for-
– It is exciting you know, the- It’s those little bits, you know, where you hear a patient say, “You know without you I can’t work, I can’t drive.” And you stand back and realise, Wow, that’s crazy the stuff that we’re doing.
– Absolutely. And it’s about, as you said in one of your updates on Facebook that it’s about really working alongside someone and improving their quality of life.
– Exactly, that, yeah. You’re spot on. That is the bottom line. If we can just get them an extra five, 15% whatever it is, and make things whacker and clearer and it’s like wow it is amazing.
– [Leigh] Yeah.
– So it’s great I mean it’s great. We’ve now got, we’re adding to our arsenal of contact lenses and all these different things we can do and customising that shirt. So just getting something off the shelf. It’s great.
– Yeah, absolutely fantastic. Well not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. So-
– Correct.
– [Leigh] So it’s been fantastic to hear from you and thank you for your enthusiasm.
– Thanks Leigh, any time. I’m really, as you can tell, I’m very excited, very passionate. And if I can help, please let me know. Thanks Leigh.
We’ve just launched our new Contact Lens Recycling Program.
Listen as Kai Kang shares about how it works below:
(Leigh)- So Kai, if you wear contact lenses especially disposable contact lenses maybe they’re daily disposable or fortnightly or monthly lenses they come in these little plastic blister packs with solution in them and the foil over the top and a lot of this material can’t be recycled through the normal Council Recycling Program. So, how does that affect the environment?
(Kai)- So as you have
mentioned, a lot of people rely on contact lenses to improve their vision but
these sight-correcting devices do not last forever and they eventually are
disposed off in various ways.
So, a survey done in the U.S. found that 15 to 20 percent of contact lens wearers are actually flushing their lenses down the sink or down the toilet.
And at the Waste Treatment Plant, the plastic in the contact lenses loses some of its structural strength and it will break down physically and these lead to smaller plastic particles which ultimately lead to the formation of Microplastics.
As these Microplastics
find their way into the sea, they sink to the bottom because they’re a lot
denser than water.
And they pose a threat to aquatic life especially bottom feeders that may ingest these Microplastics. And if you probably work your way up the marine food chain, the Bioproducts may then end up on your plate.
So what we’ve done is, we’ve teamed up with Bausch + Lomb in their Recycling Program. So, what you can do or what a lot of patients can do is to collect your contact lenses, the blister packs and contact lens cases and drop them off in our TerraCycle Recycling box at Ezekiel Eyes when you come in for your eye examination. But remember to dispose the cardboard packaging through your Council’s regular recycling bin.
(Leigh)- So we can
recycle the packaging that the contact lens comes in, the cardboard on the
outside but we bring in the plastic blister packs and the foil and the contact
lenses themselves to Ezekiel Eyes is for recycling?
– That’s right. So the cardboard can be recycled like paper. while previously contact lenses and it’s blister packs cannot actually be recycled through the Council’s Recycling Program.
(Leigh) – So, when
Ezekiel Eyes has collected all of this material, what happens to it next?
(Kai)- So through this Programme, first, you’re doing your part for charity so every kilogram of contact lens or blister pack collected through this Recycling Programme a dollar will be donated to Optometry Giving Sight, a charity that is dedicated to help prevent blindness around the world.
Now, in terms of
recycling once these products are received at the plant, so the blister packs
and contact lenses are cleaned, the metal layer of the blister packs are
recycled separately while the contact lenses and the plastic blister pack
components are melted into plastic. They can then be remoulded into recycled
products.
(Leigh)- It’s great to
see the contact lens themselves and the blister packs being turned into other
useful materials as well.
(Kai)- That’s right.
You know the world’s becoming a more disposable world so I think we’ve got to
play our part to help save the environment.
(Leigh)- So through Ezekiel Eyes and their TerraCycle Program it’s really a beneficial programme not only for the material itself but also if you’re helping people who are less fortunate than us.
(Kai)- That’s right. And through this Program, all our patients and ourselves we can play our part to save the environment and at the same time help the less fortunate.
(Leigh)- So, if I’ve
got some contact lens material ready to be recycled, when’s the best time to
drop it off to Ezekiel Eyes?
(Kai)- Anytime, so you
can always collect a family’s contact lenses in a plastic bag and drop them
off. And drop them off in a box that we’ve got at the front.
(Leigh)- Thanks very
much, Kai for talking to us about TerraCycle and how it’s now available at
Ezekiel Eyes. If someone was looking for an appointment at Ezekiel Eyes, what’s
the best way to go about it and make an appointment?
(Kai)- You can always give us a call. Our number is 9386 3620 or you can check out our website at EzekielEyes.com/contact or visit our Facebook page.
Did you know that there’s an environmentally friendly toothbrush invented by an Australian Dentist?
Wow! I have just returned from a Dry Eye Symposium in Sydney.
With the introduction of a new dry eye artificial tear to be announced later this year, Kai and I are very fortunate to be at the forefront of technology and this allows us to offer you, our patients, the best in the latest technology.
If you do have dry eyes let us assess your situation. Is it part of the environment you work in, the make up of your tears, a systemic condition or is it your contact lenses that are causing you some issues during your day?
Dry eye and ocular surface disease are a multifactorial condition and I am sure there are many variables we can assess for you.
Small changes to the way we work and interact with our digital world can be modified to enhance our ocular comfort.
Of course, we can assess your suitability for our Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL). By stimulating the glands in our eye lids, we can make our eyes wetter.
Communication is an important art form that is under-valued. My advice to all our patients is to please tell us about your visual experiences.
Are your spectacles and contact lenses performing as you thought they would? If not, please let us know and we will do everything we can to rectify the issue.
Let us know if we can help you to improve your quality of life.
We live in a very disposable world, and our team at Ezekiel Eyes is keen to see a minimal footprint on the environment from contact lenses.In our practice we recycle all our soft lens disposable blister packs, contact lens solution bottles ( for both soft and rigid contact lenses) and packaging of all solutions.
All of these items should also be placed in your council recycling bins. Therefore, as environmentally conscious optometrists and patients, much of our contact lenses-associated materials can be recycled to help protect the Earth for future generations.
I was very privileged to be involved in an amazing new publication, “Contemporary Scleral Lenses”.
This was written by two USA optometrists, Melissa Barnett and Lynnette Johns and a range of contributing authors from around the world. I am proud to be the only practising Australian contributor to the ultimate handbook in the field of fitting of Scleral Contact Lenses.
At the moment I am Vice President of the International Society of Contact Lens Specialists and the majority of the contributor authors are from this inspiring group of Optometrists.
We are all looking forward to our next congress to be held in Washington DC in late September 2018, where I will become President of the International Society of Contact Lens Specialists.
As a recognised leader and expert in specialty contact lens fitting, I was a host practitioner for a postgraduate student enrolled in the course, Specialty Contact Lens Studies, at the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of New South Wales.
Participation in this course requires a clinical placement as part of the program. This was the third consecutive year that I have hosted a UNSW student.
It was fantastic to mentor another Optometrist from the University of New South Wales, my old alma mater.
Singson was a delight to have in our practice as he interacted well with our patients and asked some sharp (not blurred) questions.
I have just returned from trekking in the South Island of New Zealand. The trek was called The Grand Traverse and it is a six night adventure and covers approximately 80kms.
A couple of very interesting standouts for me on this particular adventure were:
1) The company that guided us was Ultimate Hikes, based in Queenstown. Their booking of our trips, website, front of staff and amazing and professional guides/staff on the track, were fantastic.
Our guides were three young women for whom, from start to finish of the trek, nothing was too much trouble. They were very informative and supportive.
At Ezekiel Eyes I would like to think we provide our patients with all the support they require on their endeavours/adventures, to enhance their vision and improve their quality of life.
2) The other important issue was for a couple of trekkers on our adventure.
One was significantly short-sighted and he was travelling with only one pair of spectacles. No spare spectacles or contact lenses.
My advice to all patients when travelling is to have a bare minimum of one spare pair of spectacles. I could not imagine the problems for this young man if he didn’t have visual aids, in the wilderness.
Trekker two had severe blepharitis/dry eyes and usually travelled with lid wipes and eye drops. Unfortunately, he forgot most of his regime products and bought whatever was available in Queenstown on the morning our adventure started. During the trek he suffered quite badly with red, sore eyes and poor vision in the one eye.
Please, plan your eye drops when travelling. The issue with travelling is that we all do not hydrate as we usually would.
If you are unsure about your eyes when travelling, in particular with regards to dry eyes, please let Kai and I sort you out.
For more information about the amazing adventure, which I enjoyed immensely, please ask me.
As we approach the festive season we – Kai, Maureen, Tom, Dee and myself – would like to wish you and your families a very safe, healthy and wonderful time.
May 2018 be a fruitful and most importantly, healthy, year.
Cheers Damon
Festive Season Dates
We are Closing from Friday 22 December 2017, and reopening on Tuesday 2 January 2018.
Damon attended the 45th Congress of the International Society of Contact Lens Specialist in Edinburgh, pictured above with Ivan Weiner who is on the council. Damon is Vice President of ISCLS and will become President in September of 2018.
I transferred to Perth from Melbourne back in 2009 and was referred to Damon Ezekiel from my previous specialist. Since having regular appointments with the team at Ezekiel Eyes over the past 8 years, in particular Damon, I can attest to having the best quality care and diagnosis with my vision than I have ever experienced prior. Damon is exceptional with his customer care and advice, and his skills and expertise in diagnosis, treatment and follow consultation are without doubt, beyond reproach.
I have personally recommended friends to try the services provided by the team at Ezekiel Eyes, and all that have, have been impressed by the quality of care and service and permanently switched providers.
I cannot speak highly enough about Damon, he is without doubt the best optometrist I have had the privilege of visiting.
After some time in the planning I recently made my second journey on behalf of Sight For All – A Shared Vision, a charity based in Adelaide.
The aim of this visit to Phnom Penh in Cambodia, as per my initial visit to Hanoi in Vietnam, was to focus on training Dr Khong, an ophthalmologist, and her staff, in the fitting of all types of gas permeable contact lenses.
Sight for All focuses on delivering sustainable sight-saving solutions in partnering communities. We aim to train Dr Khong to a suitable level so that she can then fit contact lenses to the numerous patients that visit her at the Eye Clinic of the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital.
Once Dr Khong is up to speed, she can then be the trainer and pass on her skills to others within the eye clinic.
We consulted with a handful of patients and fitted them with contact lenses and reviewed the corresponding theory that had been taught.
It was a very grounding experience as we take so much for granted here in our western society. Many Cambodians have so little yet they are so happy and very helpful. It would be wonderful if we could all experience what others don’t have, how they live and their amazing attitude to life.
I look forward to continuing to help Dr Khong and her team via email, Facetime and in the future.
