They say that charity begins at home – and to us that means our community. We love supporting local, whether that’s local businesses, local suppliers or local events. We recently had the chance to support two local charities by getting involved in fundraising events and it was incredibly rewarding to see the impact they had, with thousands of pounds raised to support some extremely worthy causes. First up was an open evening which featured a raffle to raise funds for Compton Care – a hospice based in Wolverhampton – with additional money going to the Ukraine appeal. Compton Care provides free care and support for people living with incurable illnesses and their families. This year marks 40 years of Compton providing countless moments of care and support to families across the region who have been affected by incurable illnesses. The amazing team at Compton support families to navigate every aspect of life after diagnosis, including their physical, practical, and emotional needs. Care is tailored to each person and focuses on providing the tools, encouragement and support they need to live a good quality life. It was a privilege to be able to support them in their work and we were delighted to help contribute £438 to be shared between the two causes. Secondly, we were delighted to sponsor a particularly hair-raising event held in support of Secret Angels – a small non-profit organisation set up in April 2021 in Wolverhampton to empower communities and transform lives by helping residents in deprived areas tackle fuel and food poverty. The charity provides information and advice, run services in our local communities and campaigns with current projects including a food bank, digital inclusion and a clothes bank. The event, which was organised by Asian Music Radio, saw presenters Khalid Akhtar and Shabaz Ahmad have their bodies waxed in public while on air to raise money. Shabaz, aged 40, said: "My arm hair meant the world to me but we were happy to exchange our pain for people's pounds." The event raised an incredible £8,000 for Secret Angels. Founder Alvina Ali said: "It was a painful challenge for a good cause and raised a lot of money for our charity that will make a difference to people's lives.” Seeing the difference these events have made to all those charities has been a real boost to the team and has reinforced the importance of supporting worthy causes in our local community. We’re looking forward to getting involved in many more events in the future!

Kids are back at school, and after such a long break it may take them a while to get back into the swing of things. Not all problems are just down to a preference for video games or YouTube over schoolwork, though! Visual stress is something that affects at least 20% of the UK and can make learning and studying harder for children. A visual stress test and, if necessary, treatment such as visual stress glasses, could help your child to reach their full academic potential and make school life much easier in general. What Is Visual Stress? Visual stress, also known as Meares-Irlen Syndrome, is sometimes linked with dyslexia, but it is a condition in its own right and often affects children who are not dyslexic. It causes visual discomfort when trying to read and can put children off reading and impact their learning. There are a number of signs of visual stress, including: headaches and eye strain after reading for a short time text appearing to move on the page needing to use a finger to follow a line of text becoming distracted by patterns when reading fidgeting, squinting and a reluctance to read. If your child displays any of these symptoms, it is worth booking them in for a visual stress test. Treatment for Visual Stress The first step is to carry out a full eye exam to rule out any other potential problems, like vision correction. Next, we use a series of tests including a colorimetry assessment – you can find out more about what is included in the full assessment here. Research has shown that colour can be used to alleviate symptoms of visual stress, so the colorimetry, performed using an advanced piece of equipment called the intuitive colorimeter is used to identify which precise tint, out of thousands of combinations, is most effective in helping children to read with more ease. Once this has been identified, we can look at the best form of treatment. Coloured overlays can be used when reading from a page, but many students find specialised visual stress glasses which have tinted lenses are most helpful at school, as they can then read the board more easily too. We can even offer tinted contact lenses, if preferred. This isn’t an overnight cure, but rather a management method for visual stress, which is why more than one visit is needed to see our optometrist so they can continue to assess and monitor your child’s progress and improvement in reading. We encourage parents to enrol their children onto our Visual Stress Treatment Programme, as their appointments will then be covered at a set monthly fee. Children who have been diagnosed with visual stress and have gone through our programme have been able to enjoy increased self-confidence and fluency when reading, as well as reduced or eliminated headaches, allowing them to develop at the same rate as their school peers. Book an Assessment If you think your child could benefit from tinted glasses for visual stress or you’d like to find out more, contact us to discuss your child’s symptoms and book an assessment today.

We’re proud to be supporting World Diabetes Day on the 14th November, which is held to highlight diabetes symptoms, improve awareness of the treatments and resources available and raise vital funds to further research and tackle this disease. Diabetes comes in two forms, type 1 and type 2. The former is managed by insulin injections and the latter typically controlled by diet and exercise, but the impact of this disease on eye health is similar regardless of which type the patient has. With around 6% of the population, or 4 million individuals, affected by diabetes, ensuring that you have regular eye exams and monitoring is essential to avoid complications with eyesight further down the line. With diabetic related eye problems such as cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy on the rise, early diagnosis is crucial for vision management and to reduce the chance of any sight loss. Here at Taylor Biddle Opticians, we use the latest, cutting-edge technology to detect a number of key eye conditions during a routine eye exam. By using our non-invasive 3D OCT scan or our Optomap retinal imaging to carry out a detailed examination of the back of your eyes, we can detect any early signs or significant changes a lot sooner than traditional methods, meaning we can act faster with any diagnosis and treatment that may be required. We also provide in-depth private diabetic screenings, which are included as part of our cost-effective monthly payment plans, starting from as little as £6.50 per month and allowing you to access technology not typically available with NHS funded eye exams. Covering all of your professional charges, with additional plans (Taylor Biddle Eye Plan) even giving you a 25% discount on all eyewear, these are designed to give you complete peace of mind as well as the best possible care. To find out more about our diabetic screening service, learn about the diabetic retinopathy stages or book your next eye exam, contact the team today.

< Back Elisha Dhir BSc (Hons) MCOptom Dip ScV M.ASvP Elisha graduated from The University of Manchester in 2020 with a First-Class Honours degree in Optometry and qualified as an Optometrist in 2022 following her pre-registration year at Taylor Biddle. She has recently completed her School Vision Diploma which involves seeing patients with binocular vision anomalies and visual stress. In her free time, Elisha enjoys socialising, dining in restaurants and visiting new places. Optometrist

< Back Taras Lac BSc (Hons) MCOptom Dip ScV M.ASvP Taras graduated in Optometry in 2014 at Aston University and has worked for Taylor Biddle since 2014. He specialises in Anterior Eye problems such as dry eye , Blephex treatment for blepharitis and has a special interest in Dyslexia and Visual Stress as it affects him as well. Taras loves working with our team as we always put excellent clinical care as our top priority and finds it very rewarding to resolve any issues our patients may have. In spare time he enjoys keeping fit, gardening and spending time with family. Optometrist

YOUR INDEPENDENT OPTICIANS IN WOLVERHAMPTON At Taylor Biddle Opticians, we pride ourselves on the highest levels of customer service paired with top-quality eye care and products. The two practices are conveniently located in Compton and Wombourne, both with easy disability access and free parking. MORE ABOUT US WELCOME TO WOMBOURNE WELCOME TO COMPTON SPECIALIST EYE CARE SERVICES FOR ALL YOUR FAMILY Customer service has always been at the heart of what we all do. This ethos, combined with continually pushing the boundaries by investing in the latest technology to improve eye care, and offering fabulous frames and lenses, ensures that we will always offer the very best service available anywhere. OCT & OPTOMAP EYE SCAN HEARING CARE & AUDIOLOGY CONTACT LENS FITTING & ADVICE VISUAL STRESS & COLORIMETRY DISCOVER DESIGNER EYEWEAR We stock some of the top designer frames including Ray Ban, Gotti and Jimmy Choo to name but a few. In addition we stock a fabulous selection of frames starting from just £29.99. VIEW OUR BRANDS EYEWEAR STYLING READ OUR PATIENT TESTIMONIALS “Taylor Biddle Opticians look after three generations in our family with equal care and expertise. Tracey is always available for caring support and we have easy access to appointments. Staff are welcoming and friendly at both practices.” - S.D Claverley - READ MORE REVIEWS