Short-sightedness (myopia)
Distance blur — road signs, the whiteboard, the TV — while close work stays clear.
In children, the concern is not only today’s prescription but how fast it is progressing.
Conditions we treat
Find your symptoms, then find the right appointment
NVISION Eyecare treats the full range of eye conditions from our Rosedale practice near Albany — from everyday short-sightedness through to keratoconus, chronic dry eye and glaucoma. If you are not sure which of these describes you, start with a comprehensive eye examination.
Book an appointment
No referral needed, for any appointment — including specialty Ortho-K, dry eye and keratoconus consultations.
Send a messageBlurred or changing vision
Keratoconus
Distorted or ghosted vision, glare and halos at night, and a glasses prescription that keeps changing — especially the astigmatism.
Often starts in the teens or early twenties and can affect one eye more than the other.
Macular degeneration
Central vision that becomes blurred, distorted or has a missing patch, while side vision stays intact.
Discomfort, grit and watering
Dry eye disease
Gritty, burning or tired eyes, fluctuating blur, redness — and, counter-intuitively, watering eyes.
Drops that wear off after an hour usually mean the oil layer is the problem, not the water layer.
Colour and light
Colour vision deficiency
Difficulty telling certain colours apart — most often reds and greens. Often picked up in childhood, or during a job-related assessment.
Light sensitivity and glare
Discomfort in bright light, difficulty with screens, or headaches triggered by certain lighting.
Conditions found on examination
Glaucoma
Usually no symptoms at all until sight is already lost, which is why it is screened for at a routine eye exam.
Our principal optometrist is an authorised glaucoma prescriber — one of a limited number in New Zealand.
When to book
What is worth getting looked at, and when
Book promptly if something changed suddenly
A sudden change deserves a prompt appointment rather than a wait-and-see. That means a rapid drop in vision, a new curtain or shadow across your field of view, a sudden shower of floaters or flashes of light, or eye pain with redness and light sensitivity. These are the presentations where timing genuinely affects the outcome.
Book soon for a change that has crept in
Most of what we see is gradual. Vision that is not as sharp as it was, glare that has started bothering you at night, eyes that feel gritty or tired by the afternoon, or headaches after screen work — none of these are emergencies, but none of them get better on their own either. A comprehensive examination establishes the cause rather than guessing at it.
For children, watch behaviour rather than complaints
Children rarely report blurred vision, because they have no reference for what normal looks like. The signs are behavioural: sitting close to the screen, squinting at the board, losing their place when reading, rubbing their eyes, or avoiding close work they used to enjoy. A school vision screening is a useful net but it is not a full eye examination, and it does not measure how fast a prescription is changing.
Book routinely even when nothing is wrong
Two of the conditions on this page — glaucoma and early keratoconus — are usually silent. Glaucoma typically causes no symptoms until sight has already been lost, and early keratoconus looks like ordinary short-sightedness until the cornea is actually measured. Routine examination is how both get caught while there is still something to protect.
Common questions
Questions about getting started
I have symptoms but I don’t know what condition I have. What should I book?
Book a comprehensive eye examination. It is the right starting point for every condition on this page — it establishes what is causing your symptoms and whether any further specialty testing, such as corneal topography or a dry eye evaluation, is needed.
Do I need a referral from my GP?
No. You can book directly with us for any appointment, including specialty Ortho-K, dry eye and keratoconus consultations. If testing shows a condition needs an ophthalmologist, we can arrange that referral.
My glasses prescription keeps changing. Is that normal?
Some change is normal, particularly in children and teenagers. Frequent change with increasing or irregular astigmatism can be a sign of keratoconus, which is why corneal shape is worth measuring rather than assuming.
Can eye conditions be picked up before I notice anything?
Yes, and several are. Glaucoma typically has no symptoms until sight has already been lost, and early keratoconus can look like ordinary short-sightedness. A comprehensive examination screens for both.
Book an appointment
Not sure where to start? Book a comprehensive eye exam.
It is the right first appointment for every condition on this page. No referral needed.