Eyemaxx

Eyemaxx Stands With Ukraine

admin — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 12:50:22 +0000

Eyemaxx Stands With Ukraine

The Canadian Red Cross has launched the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal to respond to those affected by the ongoing conflict in the country.

Between today and March 18th, we will be collecting and matching donations in-store and online in support of Ukraine. 100% of the donations will go towards the Red Cross for the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal.

Simply add a $5 or more donation to your eye exam, glasses, or contact lens order, and Eyemaxx will match your donation completely.

Book An Appointment

Or, you can donate directly via the link to our Red Cross campaign page.

Donate Online

Donation receipts can be issued for $20 or more by mail. All donations will be matched to a maximum of $2500.

Help us save eye care in Ontario!

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 09:23:00 +0000

To our Eyemaxx family: Ontario optometrists need your help. We strive to provide exceptional care, and are extremely proud of the important work that our doctors do in our community. However, their important work is at a serious risk right now

What’s the problem?

Ontario is experiencing a crisis in eye care. For more than 30 years, the government has ignored our optometrists requests for help, refused to formally negotiate, and failed to adequately fund eye care. Now access to critical eye care is at risk.

In 1989, the Ontario government paid $39.15 for an OHIP-insured eye exam. Today, they pay an average of $44.65 per exam.

This funding does not cover the cost to deliver the exam, the maintenance and purchasing of modern equipment, monthly rent fees, loans, insurance, and the salaries of office staff. With over four million services performed annually under OHIP, this level of funding is not sustainable.

Who will be impacted by this?

Unfortunately, those who will be impacted the most are the groups OHIP is supposed to protect; our children, seniors and those with existing eye diseases. If the government continues to ignore this issue, Ontario optometrists will be left with no choice but to stop providing OHIP services starting September 1st, 2021.

How can you help?

We are fighting to ensure these essential, accessible local health professionals don’t disappear before our eyes. Please write to your local MPP or visit SaveEyeCare.ca to sign an electronic letter to tell our elected government officials that eye care matters to you!

This action, although small, is amplified when we unify together.

We are looking forward to continuing service within our community. We thank you for your support!

Together, let’s #SaveEyeCare!

We’re still here for you

admin — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 11:39:00 +0000

The Ontario Government announced a provincial state of emergency, effective as of today, April 8th.
As regulated health professionals offering an essential service, we will continue in-person services by appointment only.
We are diligently following the guidelines from the Ministry of Health and our professional Colleges as our top priority is to ensure the safety of you and our community.

Here’s how Eyemaxx is operating:

Appointments:

• Appointment-based only for all services we offer including eye exams, glasses selections, frame adjustment, and repairs

• Mandatory screening process

• Restricted Capacity Limit. We will operate lower than the 25% capacity limit guideline so we ask that you please come alone to your appointment (Of course exceptions apply for children or an aide)

Protection:

• Masks required by everyone

• Eye protection worn by our team and doctors

• Plexiglass shields installed at the front desk and dispensing stations

Sanitization:

• All frames, equipment and surfaces will be sterilized after every interaction

• Sanitization stations in each exam room and at each door

• Strict wipe down and sanitization procedure

Retail:

• Appointment-basis only to shop for glasses and helping with adjustments and repairs

• Free direct to home delivery for contact lens order

• Offering curbside pick up for orders

Hours of Operation:

• Sunday 10 – 5

• Monday 10 – 6

• Tuesday 10 – 6

• Wednesday 10 – 7

• Thursday 10 – 7

• Friday 10 – 6

• Saturday 10 – 5

For more information on the Provincewide Stay-at-Home Order

COVID-19 Updates from the College of Opticians of Ontario

For any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or phone.
Stay Safe,
Your Eyemaxx Optical Team

Polarized Sunglasses- Are They Worth It? (Reviews and Comparisons)

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 09:21:00 +0000

One of the most important decisions you’ll make when purchasing a new pair of sunglasses is whether or not you choose polarized or non-polarized lenses.

Not sure what polarized even means?

Essentially, natural light travels in all directions. It is classified as unpolarized. When those light beams come into contact with a reflective surface, such as sunlight hitting water, snow, a wet road or a car, it is reflected back and diverted in a particular direction.

In other words, it’s polarized.

You may notice this light reflecting back onto you causing an uncomfortable glare that can have a negative impact on our vision, particularly while driving.

So, how do polarized lenses help?

The majority of this light is horizontally polarized, meaning it is arranged horizontally. A polarization filter is built into a sunglass lens and aligned vertically, therefore blocking the horizontally oriented light and almost completely eliminating the glare-causing reflections.

A further key advantage is more sharply focused vision. Contours become clearer; vision in bright sunlight is perceived as much more relaxing and less fatiguing. In other words, these polarized lenses don’t just protect your eyes against the sun – they also ensure improved vision without irritating glare.

Polarized lenses also reduce eye fatigue and strain. Eye fatigue is caused as your pupils are chasing this reflected light, constantly expanding and contracting, adjusting to the changing angle and intensity of the light. This eye fatigue is a direct trigger for headaches and migraines.

How do they compare to regular sun lenses?

Sunglasses that are not polarized are often referred to as “tints”- Tints help reduce sunlight intensity and offer the same protection against UV light.

While polarized lenses do sharpen your vision in situations where glare can be distracting or even potentially harmful, they don’t offer any additional protection from UV light. Basically, they’re not healthier for your eyes, but they do improve your vision for many outdoor activities.

Is there a downside to them?

Polarized lenses require an additional filter that needs to be built into the lens and are usually a surfaced lens (custom-made), meaning that they are slightly higher in cost than just regular tinted lenses.

Another thing to note is that when using your phone or another digital device, the screen may have a “rainbow effect” or it may become very dark and almost impossible to read. This is because the light from your phone/devices screen contains a polarized filter that when looking at through another polarized filtering lens, makes it almost disappear completely.

What is the average cost of polarized lenses?

We’ll be comparing the most cost effective options from the 3 most popular lens companies that we offer- Nikon, Zeiss and Essilor.

Keep in mind that the options from these companies are just that- options. There are many, many options available from each company that can be customized to fit your needs specifically. These are for a basic prescription (or none) looking for the most cost effective option.

Nikon– $239 This includes: full UV protection, scratch resistant coating, 3 different color options, all in a polarized lens

Zeiss– $289. This includes: full UV protection, scratch resistant coating, 3 different color options, all in a polarized lens

Essilor– $369. This includes: full UV protection, scratch resistant coating, 7 different color options, all in a polarized lens.

As you can tell, there is a bit of a price difference between all 3 of them. They all have the same coating type, however Essilor does have 4 more options in terms of colours compared to the other 2 companies- which is reflected in the price as well.

As mentioned previously, these are just the most cost effective options from these top companies. There are much more color, coating and lens material

options available. We also have access to other leading companies with many different options for color and price as well.

The easiest way to determine which lens option is best for you is to book an appointment with one of our in-house opticians who will walk you through the process from start to finish, and address all your questions and concerns.

How worthwhile are they for a city like Ottawa?

At this point, you should have a good idea of what a polarized lens is, how it protects you, and an average cost. But now you’re probably wondering how worthwhile they would be in Ottawa. We live in a city full of outdoor activities! Anyone who is bothered by the glare outdoors or are light-sensitive (including someone who has had cataract surgery) can benefit from polarized lenses. They’re extremely helpful for driving around our sunny city and for activities near the water – boating, fishing, going to a cottage.

Ottawa is also a city where it feels like winter takes up most of the year.

While the sun can reflect off flat surfaces like water, snow is actually also a flat surface included in this. On a sunny winter’s day in Ottawa, you may have noticed that those blankets of snow that are around every corner are extremely bright and uncomfortable to look at. Polarized lenses will help eliminate the glare that causes this.

Book your appointment with our opticians now to see what options you have for your lenses!

Parking at Eyemaxx

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 09:37:46 +0000

Ever wondered where you can park closeby to us? With construction finally complete, there’s a lot of options available, including free parking right outside of our store!

City Hall, located one block away from our store, offers free lot parking after 6PM as well as all day on weekends.

No matter where you’re visiting us from, there will always be a spot for yo

Blue Light, Misconceptions and Solutions

admin — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 09:42:41 +0000

We’ll start this article off by stating that the blue light filter is not going to solve all of your optical problems. But before we get into that, let’s start at the basics:

What is Blue Light?

The blue light filter technology has been around for years, with many apps, computer programs and software already having the filter built in, allowing you to change or alter how you view your content.

However with the rise of blue light filtering glasses, there is an overwhelming amount of misinformation that has been spread regarding the detrimental effects of blue light.

There are usually 2 extremists when it comes to blue light; the one who doesn’t believe that it has any effects on their eyes and everything about it is a lie, or the one who thinks that blue light will be the cause of their untimely demise. Neither of these opinions are true.

Some forms of blue light, like light boxes, used to treat patients with Seasonal Affective Disorder can actually be beneficial. However, those are to be used at the discretion of your physician and only used in moderation.

The most common form of blue light is the high energy visible light we get from our phones, laptops, and other electronic devices as well as some LED lights. This blue light is what can be potentially uncomfortable to your eyes, because most people spend all day on devices- at work, school, home- there is almost nowhere you can go to escape technology.

From the Canadian Optometry Association:

“While these sources generate blue light at much lower intensity than the sun, we are exposing ourselves to them for longer periods of time and at much closer distances. This can cause eye strain because blue light scatters more in the eye and is not focused as easily as lower energy wavelength light. This scatter creates “visual noise” that reduces contrast and can contribute to digital eye strain.”

What this means:

Blue light is a topic that has not been studied extensively- however we can determine that prolonged exposure to devices at the very least can cause discomfort in the form of eye strain, dry eye and headaches.

What do blue light filtering lenses do?

You can get blue light protection on any NEW lens in 3 different forms: as a coating, as a filter built into the lens material, or transition/photochromic lenses naturally protect against blue light too.

There are 2 types of blue light blocking coatings:

1. The blue light is reflected off of the lens, so the lens appears to have a slightly blue reflection.

2. The blue light is absorbed by the lens, so the lens appears to have a slight yellow tint.

Both lenses are equally beneficial; it is purely an aesthetic choice for you to make. We have samples of both lenses in store so that you are able to view both options before ordering.

The bottom line:

Blue light is not going to cause ocular damage, but it can also be uncomfortable on a day to day basis. Blue light blocking lenses are not going to fix all of your problems, but they are an added compliment to your lenses to help reduce digital eye strain and headaches caused by this. It is always recommended to take regular breaks from your computer- 20/20/20 is a rule you’ve probably heard before. Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

What does this mean for me?

We are headed back into the fall and everyone is inevitably heading back to school and work- however this year, things are looking a little different. With social distancing measures in place due to COVID-19, most of us are working at home on a device all day long. To ease the transition as much as possible for you, we are offering an upgrade from any lens to include the blue light filter FREE of charge- for the entire month of September!

More questions about blue light? Contact us at 613-216-6076 or staff@eyemaxx.ca and we would be happy to give you personalized advice on whether blue light glasses are right for you!

The Sun and Your Eyes

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 10:00:02 +0000

We all love spending time outside in our beautiful capital city- especially during our highly anticipated and short-lasting summers! With Parliament Hill, Major’s Hill Park, Gatineau Park and many other beautiful spaces just a short distance away, there is never a shortage of fun activities to take part in.

However, if you are going to spend lots of time in the sun you need to remain protected- just as you would with sunscreen! There are many long and short term effects to your eyes if you do not properly ensure your safety.

Some short-term effects are:

❏ Eye strain caused by glare from the sun. This is most common in people who are spending a prolonged amount of time by waterfronts or near snowscapes, as UV rays are amplified by the reflection of the water and snow.

❏ Sunburn on your eyes; without the right coverage your eyes may experience a sunburn. The symptoms with this include dry eye and eye strain.

Some long-term effects are:

❏ Cataracts- just as the harsh UV rays from the sun can prematurely age your skin, it can also age your eyes. This is much more long term and if you are spending prolonged periods in the sun with little to no protection.

❏ Macular degeneration- A condition involving the back part of your eye that could lead to permanent vision loss. UV is a known risk factor for developing this condition.

❏ Pinguecula AKA “Surfers Eye” is characterized by a small bump that forms on the white part of your eye and is most common in swimmers, (obviously) surfers and any person who spends a lot of time in the sun. In other words, any prolonged exposure to UV can lead to that.

So, what can you do to protect yourself?

→ Make sure you are wearing sunglasses any time you are outdoors- even if it is cloudy but bright, the overcast can still emit UV rays

→ Never stare directly into the sun, even if it’s a once in 30 year solar eclipse!
Make sure your sunglasses are the right type for you- there should be maximum coverage

→ Polarized lenses are recommended for those spending time near water or snow to help reduce the glare

→ Ensure you are wearing sunscreen on your face and eyelids to protect the skin around your eyes as well

To ensure the health of your eyes, it is recommended to get a comprehensive eye exam every 1-2 years, depending on your age and prescription. We are back to offering exams 7 days a week at our clinic.

Please email us at staff@eyemaxx.ca or call us at 613-216-6076 to book yourself in for an appointment!

See you soon!

Now Open 7 Days A Week

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 09:55:02 +0000

We are pleased to announce that we are back to regular store hours. This means 7 days a week, with more hours and more availability for Eye Exams and Optical Appointments.

Store Hours:

Monday 10 – 6
Tuesday 10 – 6
Wednesday 10 – 7
Thursday 10 – 7
Friday 10 – 6
Saturday 10 – 5
Sunday 10 – 5

Thank you for all the support to help make this happen. We cannot wait to see you soon!

We Are Re-Opening!

admin — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 09:56:42 +0000

We are SO excited to see you again starting Tuesday, June 2nd!
Things are going to be running a bit differently at Eyemaxx, to ensure the safety of you, and of our community. Since this is our top priority, we are diligently following the guidelines from the Ministry of Health and our professional Colleges.
For the time being, we’re appointment based only for all services we offer including eye exams, glasses selections, frame adjustment, and repairs. This is to ensure we have adequate time between visitors, for all the extra sanitization and sterilization protocols in place.

How will things be different?

Protection:

Masks required for all patients – don’t worry if you do not have one, we will provide for you

Eye protection worn by our team and doctors

Plexiglass shields installed at the front desk and dispensing stations

Appointments:

Mandatory screening process

We also ask that you come alone to your appointment (Of course exceptions apply for children or an aide)

Sanitization:

All frames, equipment and surfaces will be sterilized after every interaction

Sanitization stations in each exam room and at each door

Strict wipe down and sanitization procedure

Temporary store hours:

Sunday – Closed
Monday – Closed

Tuesday 10 – 6
Wednesday 10 – 6
Thursday 10 – 6
Friday 10 – 6
Saturday 10 – 5

How to book?

Please call 613-216-6076 or email staff@eyemaxx.ca to set something up!
Thank you for your support and understanding. We look forward to seeing you soon.
The Team at Eyemaxx

We have missed you!

admin — Tue, 05 May 2020 10:03:01 +0000

Even though our doors are still closed, we have some creative non-contact ways to help with your urgent optical needs:

Repairs: We can help you with adjustments or breakage.

Contact Lenses: We offer direct to home delivery or curbside pickup. Place your order now!

Glasses & Frames: If we have your measurements on file, we can work with you to select the perfect pair.

Urgent Eye Care: Our Optometrists can asses your concerns and determine the best course of care.

Unsure? Send us an email with your optical needs and we will do our best to help you!

For assistance, please call us at 613-216-6076 or email us at staff@eyemaxx.ca.

Our preparations for reopening have begun and we will be ready to serve you once we are able to do so. We remain committed to delivering you the Eyemaxx experience you know and love in an environment that promotes safety and the well-being of us all.Stay Tuned – we will update you as we learn more!

See you soon,

Parsa Tester & Dawn Maxwell