In August 2004 a very young and ambitious optometrist, myself, opened a practice in Ermelo. Not growing up in the town I knew no one and set my sights on winning over the confidence of the community one eye examination at a time. Certainly a laborious process and a bit naïve in hindsight, but as Tony DeLorger writes in his poem : ” -naivety, an innocence without being encumbered by tainting experience or learned biases that subjugate balance and create confusion and limitations.”
Word spreads fast and soon I was overwhelmed by the support from not only Ermelo and surroundings, but patients from all over South Africa. We relocated twice to more favourable locations and settled in our current location in the centre of town in 2010. I have been blessed with wonderful staff since the start and my first two employees, Ms. Tharina Coetzer and Ms. Miranda Ntlatseng, are still part of my practice a whopping 20 years later! Congratulations to them and a HUGE THANK YOU. I am privileged to have witnessed and partake in immense changes in our profession. Long gone are the days of reading a couple of letters on an old dilapidated eye chart or peaking into eyes with a small little light only to see a tiny view of the back of the eye.
A very young and ambitious Hannes in 2004
Tharina Coetzer and Miranda Ntlatseng
We have state of the art equipment that enable us to look at cross sections of the retina allowing views of individual layers only a couple of micron thick. With all equipment having a digital foundation, patients can see everything that we see inside the eye and information can be shared with colleagues across the globe in a second. Contact lenses exist now which reshape your cornea while you sleep, allowing you to see the next day without glasses.
Multifocal lenses, that used to take two weeks to manufacture, can be manufactured in-house within an hour. Having diagnostic- and therapeutic drug privileges, our practice can diagnose and treat many eye conditions establishing us as a true primary eye care provider. These are but a few advancements in the past 20 years and we can’t begin to fathom what the next 20 years may bring.
Blessed in abundance, I would like to thank:
my loyal patients over the years for entrusting me with their most valuable sense, sight!
my exceptional staff. I am very appreciative of each employee who tirelessly devoted his/her time , at present as well as in the past, building a trusted and respected eye care practice.
my wife Izelde, for always entertaining my sometimes overzealous endeavours, must be exhausting at times.
God, for granting me the grace, wisdom and means, to run a successful practice.
Today 20 years later, older and wiser, I am still as passionate as ever about eye care and I look forward to welcoming you as part of my practice soon!
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Cavalier Vitaliano Salice founded the company in Musso, a small town on the shores of Lake Como. In its first years of life, the company produced glasses cases and, later, glasses for safety at work.
1945
The headquarters was moved from Musso to Gravedona, where it is still located today, places not far from each other and in which the family is strongly rooted. At the end of the Second World War, the production of eyewear models for motorcyclists began.
1950 – today
In the years of the Italian economic miracle, Salice definitively completed the conversion of production into sunglasses, now increasingly considered as a sought-after accessory.
Today Salice is a young and dynamic company, animated by team spirit and belonging, which puts the product at the center of everything according to the ancient principle of quality at the right price. The very intense relationship with retailers and consequently also with the needs of the end user is allowing us to profitably navigate often difficult economic and market phases.
We are proud to offer Salice eyewear now to our patients. Many models come with extra lenses for protection in poor light conditions and most models also have an option to purchase as photochromatic- or polarized lenses. Salice offers various prescription options by means of a special lens carrier inserted into the frame that can be purchased separately.
While it is common practice for paediatricians to conduct a brief vision screening at your child’s annual physical, it is important to emphasize that these screenings are not a substitute for a thorough examination performed by an Optometrist.
Optometrists utilize specific clinical and diagnostic tools and assessments to determine your child’s ocular health and visual abilities. Since many learning skills are dependent on the strength of visual skills such as binocular vision, accurate eye movements, the ability to see distant objects, etc., doctors recommend that children have their first eye exam even before reaching school age.
Vision Screening vs. Comprehensive Eye Exams
Many schools conduct vision screenings to identify any vision problems that may affect a child’s ability to learn.
Even if your child has passed a school vision screening, it is still strongly recommended to schedule a comprehensive eye exam. Vision screenings do not check for all the vision problems that can affect children.
When should my child have their first eye exam?
Optometrists recommend that children have their first eye exam at six months of age to ensure that their eyes are developing normally.
After this initial visit, doctors recommend that you bring your child for a second eye exam every year or at least by age 2 or 3, and then again before they start school.
Babies by six months of age are tested for eye focusing skills, color vision and depth perception. The Optometrist will usually perform tests to determine pupil responses, how the child fixates and follows an object and preferential looking.
Eye exams for preschool children (2 to 5 years)
At this age, children are learning to color, draw, cut paper, stack blocks, build with Lego pieces, play with balls, and more! A comprehensive exam for preschool children usually includes a series of tests for visual acuity, lazy eye, stereopsis (3D vision), eye tracking, convergence, colour vision and ocular health.
All of these visual skills are vitally important for the healthy development of an infant and to prepare them for the school years ahead.
Young children are constantly learning new skills that will prepare them for when they learn to read and write. Visual skills, such as, visual perceptual skills, eye-hand coordination, fine motor skills, etc., are also essential for learning and academic success.
If you notice that your child is showing any signs of developmental delay, or if your child has difficulty recognizing shapes, colors, numbers, or letters, inform your eye doctor— a developmental delay may signal a vision problem.
A comprehensive exam for an older child is similar to that of a younger child, but includes additional tests of specific visual skills that are essential for reading, learning, and even sports performance.
Many children have difficulty in school, either academically and behaviourally, because of undetected visual problems.
Children with reduced visual skills may also experience physical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and eye strain.
What is Myopia?
Myopia (nearsightedness), is a common refractive error that affects millions of children and adults worldwide. Myopia causes an inability to see distant images clearly.
Myopia affects up to 42 percent of all school-aged children.
It is often hereditary, and typically begins in childhood when the eyeballs are growing rapidly. Myopia develops when the eye grows too long (front to back), or the cornea and/or lens is too curved for the length of the eyeball. A myopic eye focuses an image at the front of the retina, instead of directly on the retina, causing blurry distant vision and clear near vision.
Myopia tends to worsen until the child reaches teenage years, and then begins to plateau at around age 20, when the eyes stop growing.
Signs and symptoms of Myopia include:
Squinting when reading the board or watching TV
Sitting at close proximity to the TV or computer screen
Sitting at the front of the classroom to clearly see the teacher and board
Holding books close to the eyes
Disinterest in playing sports that require distance vision
Myopia is typically corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses.
What is Hyperopia?
Hyperopia (far-sightedness) is a refractive error that causes an inability to see near objects or images clearly.
Hyperopia affects 13 percent of children between ages 6-17.
A hyperopic eye focuses an image behind the retina, instead of on the retina, resulting in distorted or blurry vision.
Hyperopia is an inherited vision condition that can develop in childhood, or later on in life. Although most cases of hyperopia develop because it runs in the family, complications in utero or early childhood such as illness or trauma to the eye, can increase the risk of hyperopia.
Syptoms of Hyperopia include:
Near images or objects appear blurry, distance vision is clear
Difficulty reading
Headaches or fatigue after near vision activities (reading, writing, computer use)
Eye strain
Difficulty focusing on near objects
Squinting
Holding books at arm’s length
Inward eye turn when trying to focus
Hyperopia can usually be corrected using corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses.
How often should my child have an eye examination?
It is important for an Optometrist to monitor their ocular health and development of the visual function. If your child does not need any vision correction, you can follow this schedule:
Between 6-12 months
Between 2-3 years
Between 4-5 years
Annually, from age 6 and above
If your child presents with a refractive error or reduced visual skills, your Optometrist might recommend more frequent eye exams to determine if there have been any vision changes since the last visit.
As an Optometrist with 22 years of clinical experience, Hannes Zwarts is critical of anecdotal evidence when presented with novel treatment options for his patients.
A decade ago a prominent ophthalmic lens company launched a product claiming to block so called harmful light of a certain short wavelength emitted by digital devices. Accompanying the product information to optometrists was a research paper partially funded by the same company on research done 5 years before.
We noticed that all the lens companies followed the trend and had in some way or form a blue blocking lens available soon after. It didn’t take long before advertisements flooded all media platforms and we were inundated by requests for blue blocking lenses. Amidst this lens craze teachers started recommending blue block filters for all children and glasses were dished out left right and centre by optometrists, online vendors and and any retailer who could profit from it.
We practice in a predominantly farming community and Hannes candidly remarked on various occasions: “had blue light been that bad for you, all our farmers would have had eye problems being exposed to full spectrum light all day”. These comments often offended some colleagues, patients and representatives of the suppliers. Scientific evidence does elude to blue light playing a role in the sleep-wake cycle of an individual and blue light being potentially harmful in older individuals with a lack of certain macular pigment caretenoïds. We believe that these harmful effects can be mitigated by changing the display settings at night on these devices to “nigh mode” and taking supplements rich in lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin.
It comes as no surprise that Hannes was delighted when he learned of a scientific paper published in August 2023 discrediting most of the blue blocking therapeutic claims made by many suppliers in the past. At Hannes Zwarts Optometrists we will continue to pursue clinical excellence for our patients.
Disclaimer: The information above is solely the opinion of Hannes Zwarts Optometrists and is by no means intended to
discredit, disqualify or belittle the opinion of his colleagues, suppliers or patients.
