To our knowledge Angmering has never had an Optical or Hearing Aid practice in the village. It will be a great pleasure to offer our service to the local community and surrounding area. Our philosophy is to provide a complete service to all our clients, from the most high tech hearing instruments to high quality budget aids. And from free eye tests and spectacles for those entitled to designer frames and the most sophisticated lenses, and don’t forget the comprehensive rang of Contact Lenses that we can provide.

The new Angmering practice can be contacted on 01903 856172 or e-mail us at info@sightandsound.org.uk.

Thank you very much for answering my questions about hearing aids so comprehensively on my recent visit. I have now decided that I will be coming to order a pair of the model that we talked about…………..

B. D. Aldwick

Thanks once again.

Just wanted to say how pleased I am with my new spectacles. Choosing the frame was very easy with your help and advice and although nervous at having multifocal lenses for the first time, expecting them to be difficult to get used to, it was really easy.

Thank you very much.

Our hearing works at several levels: With our hearing we perceive background sounds, such as traffic noise, or more relevant sounds, such as the ringing of an alarm clock. What is generally most important, however is, the ability to hear speech – to communicate.

Our hearing system must be able to distinguish speech among a multitude of sounds – from the soft rustle of leaves to complex sentences. When our hearing ability is reduced we are no longer able to hear sounds optimally, we loose sound discrimination. Our ability to discriminate between different sounds is vital to our day-to-day communication.

Hearing loss is a difficult problem to deal with for many reasons. Most who suffer with hearing loss do not recognise that they have a problem until others (usually their family) tell them. This can cause frustration and friction at home because it is often not the sufferer of hearing loss that is affected (they are unaware because they haven’t heard) but their family and friends who have to repeat themselves and live with the constant ‘pardon’, or ‘what did you say’ or worse – no response at all.

On average it takes 15 years between the onset of a hearing problem to accepting a hearing aid. This is because we adapt to the amount of sound available to us. Firstly by making sub conscious, subtle changes to how we interact with people, how we position ourselves with friends and family. We look for clues to the flow of the conversation: – lip movement, facial expression, body language and other people’s reaction. It is quite usual for people to stop attending clubs, meeting and social events because they have difficulty communicating (hearing).

There is, for some reason a reluctance to accept a hearing problem. Why? A hearing test is very straightforward and the benefits of a properly prescribed and fitted hearing aid far outweigh the disadvantages of putting up with a hearing loss and changing your life style to hide it. The longer the problem is put off the more difficult it is to rectify. Relearning sound discrimination is much harder or even impossible when a hearing problem is sever or profound. When the problem is identified at an earlier stage it is much much easier to correct and get back to a normal life.

Interesting facts: -

• More than 1/3 of all 65-year-old people have a hearing loss.
• More than 50% of those with hearing loss are working.
• There are 500 million hearing impaired people worldwide.

Screen Fatigue affects Nine out of Ten Computer Users

Square-eyed Brits spend a mind-numbing 128,780 hours per working lifetime sitting in front of TV or computer screens, according to a new survey launched to mark the start of National Eye Week (12 – 18 Sept).

Despite suffering from headaches, eyestrain, problems with close-up and long-distance vision, one in 10 adults say they have NEVER visited an optician. Whilst 40 per cent remain unaware they can claim a free eye examination from their employer if they regularly use a computer monitor at work.

Local optician, Roger Tabberer from Sight & Sound Opticians in the High Street Bognor Regis said: “As computer use continues to rise so do the number of people complaining of eyestrain. It’s vital that computer users visit their optometrist for regular eye examinations and follow a healthy eyecare regime. ‘Screen Fatigue’ – sore, itchy, irritated eyes or temporary blurring of your vision affects up to 90 per cent of VDU users.”

Hello: We are pleased to welcome Julie as a new member of the Reception team.  Julie brings a lot of experience of office work and systems and is picking up the clerical routines very quickly.  Its not until you have to start teaching someone the routines that you realise how much is involved.  I am sure Julie will do very well here

Goodbye: Gillian, our part time receptionist has decided to concentrate on her other job and go full time.

We will all be sorry to lose her and her bubbly nature.  Although she only worked a couple of days a week she has left her mark with her cheerful demeanour and excellent customer service skills.

Good vision during a child’s early years is vital as visual learning accounts for 80 per cent of the learning process. “Some children are inaccurately labelled as slow or poor learners or even dyslexic when in fact they have an undetected vision condition” explains Iain Anderson, Chairman of the Eyecare Trust.

Local optician, Roger Tabberer, of Sight & Sound Opticians in the High Street, Bognor Regis, says: “Although some schools still carry out vision screening programmes, these should not replace a comprehensive eye examination at your local optician. We recommend that every child has an annual eye examination and all adults have an eye examination every two years (unless otherwise advised by your optometrist).

At the start of a new school year, now is the ideal time to take your child for an eye examination to ensure they make the most of their education. “After all,” continues Mr Tabberer “children’s eye examinations are free on the NHS – so the only investment parents need to make is their time.”

Girls from the 1st Bersted Guide Unit enjoyed a more unusual field trip with a visit to the opticians! Sight and Sound Opticians and Hearing Centre in Bognor Regis played host to around a dozen guides and their leaders for an insight into how important it is to look after their eyesight and hearing.

During the evening visit the guides were able experience in a fun but informative way what’s involved in a full eye assessment and what goes on inside their ears. It was also an opportunity to learn how delicate their eyes and ears are and, in a timely reminder for younger girls, the importance of not listening to music too loudly!

Commenting on the visit, Sight and Sound General Manager Penny Shrubb said “informing children and young people about the importance of caring for their eyes and ears is essential, and it was great to be able to chat to so many youngsters all together. Judging by the letters we received, they certainly found it a useful and enjoyable visit.”

Sight and Sound are one of the leading independent optical and hearing centres in Bognor Regis, and offer free NHS sight tests to children under sixteen. “Opening up our practice to groups of young people is all part of our drive to fully serve the local community in which we operate, and to make sure they and their parents know the facilities available to them,” said Penny.

Enquiries:
For more information about eyesight and hearing tests:
Please contact Roger Tabberer at Sight & Sound in Bognor Regis 01243 823144 info@sightandsound.org.uk. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or log onto www.sightandsound.org.uk

News Release Issued by Windmill Media 01243 555959 steve@windmillmedia.co.uk