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Optometrist Richard Major, who works at Mellerick’s Opticians in Fermoy. Photo: Ellen Lynch

It was Orla Mellerick's vision of providing the very best eye care, service and product that was instrumental in optometrist Richard Major's decision to come to work in Fermoy. He very much shares that ethos.

Originally from London, born of an English father and an Irish mother, Richard's family settled in his mother's home place of Tipperary when he was 11.

Optometry is the family business with both his father and brother being optometrists.

Richard received his education in Dublin. He did his professional training in DIT, the sole centre for optometric training in the republic. In recent years he's added a post graduate diploma in Cataract and Refractive Surgery awarded by the University of Ulster with distinction.

The education of his own children was what brought him to Cork, having previously practised in Waterford, looking after the optometric needs of refractive surgery patients (mainly laser treatment) and formerly in Tipperary. Richard's daughter has almost completed her degree in Commerce and Spanish at UCC, while his son attends Midleton College. It's convenient for him therefore to live in Cork and practice in Fermoy.

At Mellerick's Opticians the most common eye problems Richard sees are related to vision; long sightedness, short sightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia - the inability of the eye to focus on objects close to us as we age. He also deals with common eye problems including cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease.

"The most important thing for people to remember regarding their sight is the need for routine eye examinations," Richard stresses. "Many eye diseases are in early stages without symptoms and are only detected by a routine eye examination."

Early detection and treatment greatly enhances longer term prognosis of eye diseases, he says. "We see the doctor and the dentist routinely. We should include regular eye examinations as a part of our overall wellness as, in addition to the detection of eye diseases, general health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, arteriosclerosis and raised cholesterol often manifest in the eyes before they may otherwise be detected, allowing early treatment after referral to the appropriate medical specialist", Richard points out.

A yearly eye examination is recommended for children, those over 65 and those with eye issues necessitating annual review. "For everyone else a two yearly check up is advised to maintain optimal visual health and quality."

A major consideration is the rise of diabetes in Ireland. Richard himself is a newly diagnosed diabetic and, as such, knows the importance of managing the condition. A healthy diet, adequate exercise, stopping smoking for those that do, the use of medication if required, regular GP visits to ensure it's being managed are all important to allow people to control their blood sugars, Richard explains. But it's important too to be vigilant when it comes to the eyes.

"There are three main problems with the eyes and diabetes. The prevalence of glaucoma, a high pressure in the eyes,  which may affect our peripheral vision and eventually lead to blindness if undiagnosed, is associated with diabetes. Cataract, a clouding of the eye's natural lens, may occur sooner and develop more quickly than usual with uncontrolled diabetes," Richard says. "Perhaps the most debilitating problems with diabetes and the eyes is diabetic retinopathy, leaking blood vessels on the retina, at the back of the eye."

Mellerick's Opticians recently invested in state of the art equipment to discover and review such problems. "Diabetics need more frequent eye examinations to ensure that if one or more of these conditions develop, opthalmological intervention can be arranged to deal with them," he says.

Richard has a particular interest in refractive surgery, the surgical correction of long and short-sightedness and astigmatism, and in laser surgery in particular. He has worked in the field for six years now. "Refractive surgery is an excellent solution to common visual problems, as long as the expectation of the patient is reasonable. Thorough assessment and explanation along with ensuring the technical requirements for the surgery are met are essential before proceeding to refractive surgery," he says.

Richard is very happy to discuss this with clients at their practice so that an unbiased view can be sought before visiting a consultant. Mellerick's Opticians also have a surgeon, Mr. Tom Stumpf, who specialises in refractive surgery who visits the practice, if more specialised advice is required. Mr Stumpf is also available for general opthalmological care.

When the door closes on work Richard like to play a little golf though he confesses to being a 'fair weather' golfer. He enjoys both listening to and playing music - the drums 'well' and the guitar 'badly', in his estimation! "I'm a keen amateur cook though with my recent diabetic diagnosis I'm going to have to come up with some new recipes!" he says. He also takes a keen interest in the Irish rugby team's adventures.

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