8th September 2010

Another pair of eyes at Querido & Davidson

15th April 2010

Are you 3D Ready?

Are the latest 3-D blockbusters like Avatar and Alice in Wonderland an amazing cinematic experience or just one big headache? If you’ve experienced visual discomfort or headaches whilst watching a 3-D movie then you’re not alone. You could be one of six million people in the UK who suffer from poor binocular vision.
John Davidson of Newcastle-based optician Querido & Davidson has devised a quick and simple 3D binocular vision eye test for those who find it uncomfortable, or impossible to watch 3-D films. If a dysfunction is detected, then you can either be given your own special tailor-made glasses to take to the cinema to enable you to watch the film in comfort, or you will be offered a course of optometric vision therapy.
John says: “3D films have two images projected on the screen, each image seen by one eye. The images are then merged into one by your brain. This is known as binocular vision.  If someone has a binocular vision dysfunction, then it is difficult for them to fuse the images and as a result they can suffer from headaches, dizziness and nausea at the time. The technology behind Avatar and most other 3D effect films is based on the premise that the viewer has the ability to see 3D. However many people in the UK have impaired binocular vision which leads to discomfort when watching 3-D films.
“3-D technology relies on our eyes’ ability to work together as a co-ordinated team to achieve an accurate perception of depth, but around 12% of us have a visual impairment that means our brains are unable to correctly process the individual images that are transmitted to it via our left and right eyes. This leads to an inconsistency in viewing the three spatial dimensions (height, width and depth) required to enjoy 3-D films in all their glory and mean that a high proportion of people suffer headaches, nausea or visual stress when watching 3D films.
“The test I’ve devised is simple quick and painless. You can have it done in your lunch hour and be watching a 3D film at  the cinema in comfort by the following weekend.”
Refurbishment has recently been carried out at Querido & Davidson opticians on Chillingham Road to provide increasingly comfortable, modern, wheelchair-friendly accommodation.  Staff will be delighted to welcome visitors around their revamped and improved premises.

Wednesday June 24 2009
THUNDEROUS SIGHT!

Intro:
Newcastle optometrist John Davidson of Querido & Davidson has teamed up with Gateshead Thunder Rugby League Club, as part of their health and fitness team.

John, and Rod Findlay, Chief Executive of the club, explain how their partnership came about.


Rod Findlay
“I met John at a business referral group called Network North. It soon became apparent that, strange as it may sound, Gateshead Thunder and Querido & Davidson have some important things in common, namely, a commitment to community work. I was even more delighted to discover that John is a Gateshead Thunder fan!

“Over the past few years Gateshead Thunder has been developing a strategy for work in the community. We strongly believe that sport can be used powerfully to improve people’s lives.

“As part of our co-ordinated Community Strategy we are engaged in a range of projects; with housing associations, schools, community groups and charities such as Positive Futures, through which we help youngsters interested in playing rugby league. We have also participated in the Metro Centre’s Family Week and our stadium has multi-purpose pitches, which are used by all the community, schools and colleges.

“It soon became apparent during my chat with John Davidson that he could help with a sometimes neglected aspect of player fitness – their eyesight. We have the physios and the club doctors and John just compliments that health and fitness team really very well.”

As for the eye tests, Rod says with a broad smile, “I’m pleased to say that the team came through with flying colours – I hope the refs can see just as well!”

John Davidson
Optician Querido & Davidson are that rarity in business, a family owned company that has been serving the same community for 50 years.  John Davidson and his wife, Julia, are at the helm of this Newcastle based practice. Originally established in 1956 by Victor Graham, the business was taken on by Jan Querido in 1985. John and Julia Davidson took over in 2002.
“We are very much a community service,” John explains. “This includes doing home visits, which most of our competitors do not undertake. I often make my home visits during my day off and I don’t mind in the least, its part of our community ethos. In many cases my patients have become friends because I’ve been treating the same family for years.

“I was impressed by Gateshead Thunder’s wide ranging community work and was more than pleased to accept their invitation to sight test their players, which I did on June 12 & 15 of this year.  Professionally it was very satisfying as I took the general eye test and modified and adapted it to the needs of sportsmen, quite specialist work.

“This included, for example, checking that the players had excellent depth perception or stereovision and that they had perfect vision in both eyes. Also we checked the extent of their side peripheral vision, which is used to help with catching the ball. We also checked the inside of the eyes to look for signs of injury from this tough physical sport.

“Whether it is football or rugby, every team has to ensure that it has optimised every aspect of its potential, that they playing to all their strengths, on and off the pitch. Sport now is so competitive, the stakes so high, that the players have to be in superb condition, they have to be athletes. That includes their eyesight.

“But, as a fan, I also see working with Gateshead Thunder as an investment – if the players can see well they are more likely to win games!”

Thursday June 18 2009
Seeing is Believing

A North-East optician has used space age technology to transform a patient’s life.

In March of this year Aurore Foti, 29, booked an appointment with Querido & Davidson on Chillingham Road in Newcastle.

Aurore, a French teacher in the Newcastle area, had quite a tale to tell optometrist John Davidson.

Aurore, who came to the UK from Nice, France, in 2001, had always suffered from poor eyesight. In 2004 she decided to undergo laser treatment to correct her impaired vision and so returned to France for the operation. To Aurore’s dismay however, the surgery did not improve matters. In fact things got worse!

Aurore picks up the story, “After the operation, things went well for a while but then I started getting blurry vision. And it got worse. Even when wearing specs my eyesight was still poor. It got to the point where I couldn’t drive at night and even reading and writing was difficult.

“It was devastating. I had gone through this operation in the hope of improving my life and it hadn’t done anything of the sort! The surgeon just kept saying everything was okay. But it wasn’t.”

Since then Aurore has been involved in a bitter dispute with the surgeon who carried out the operation and an expert advised Aurore that she needed to have a corneal topography measurement taken. She booked an appointment with Querido & Davidson on Chillingham Road in Heaton.

“John Davidson was like a breath of fresh air,” Aurore says. “I was very nervous but he quickly put me at ease, explaining that there was a good chance he could help.”

Using a corneal topographer, the optometrist can map out the surface curvature of the eye. The resulting three-dimensional image provides exceptional detail and is an invaluable aid in diagnosing and treating a range of conditions.
The topography measurement that John Davidson undertook revealed that the changes in eye curvature induced by the laser surgery Aurore had undergone had created areas of distortion on the surface of both her eyes. This caused a blurring of vision, even when wearing spectacles.
John quickly realised that Aurore needed specialist treatment and recommended an innovative type of contact lens, called gas permeable, only recently introduced into the UK.  John chose them because they would comfortably mask the laser induced distortion of the cornea and offer better vision.
Aurore had come to the right place because John Davidson is a specialist in the field of contact lenses. He has lectured across Europe and published a number of scientific papers. In 2006 his practice, Querido & Davidson, was awarded a national eye care award as Contact Lens Practice of the Year, in recognition of clinical experience and innovation.

Since being fitted with her new contact lenses, Aurore’s life has been transformed for the better. She now enjoys something approaching normal sight and for the first time in a long time faces the future with optimism.

Aurore says, “I am convinced that John saved my sight.”

Thursday October 9 2008
A Sight for Sore Eyes!

Querido & Davidson are that rarity in business, a family owned company that has been serving the same community for 50 years.  John Davidson and wife Julia are at the helm of this Newcastle based optician and they welcome both private and NHS patients.
Originally established in 1956 by Victor Graham, the business was taken on by Jan Querido in 1985. John and Julia Davidson took over in 2002 and have just reached a milestone.

They have treated their 20,000th client, Das Neocleous, 50, a mortgage advisor from Hexham. To mark this very special occasion, Das will be presented with a Mini Cooper. The presentation will take place  on Friday October 31 at 1.30pm at Querido & Davidson’s premises on Chillingham Road, Heaton.

“Our unique selling point is care and attention to our patients’ needs,” John explains. “Normally you would expect to get a 20 minute consultation at most optician practices but we dedicate up to an hour for each and every patient. In addition, our products are of a very high quality. Normally, a pair of specs might last a couple of years. Some of our titanium models however can last for up to 10 years.

“We are also very much a community practice. This includes doing home visits, which most of our competitors don’t do. I often do home visits on my days off and I don’t mind in the least, its part of our community ethos. In many cases my patients have become friends because I’ve been treating the same family for years.

“In fact, I hear the same compliment many times, ‘It’s like having Dr Finlay taking care of you. I thought this dedication to service and care had long gone. But it hasn’t!”

This dedication to service has paid off because John, who employs six people, gets patients from all over the country. John also does a lot of workplace based eye testing, which many other opticians don’t do.

John will spend all day with a business client if needed and this service is much in demand because employers are increasingly aware of the need to ensure that their workforce can access good eye care, especially in relation to use of computers and driving. John’s clients include Nexus and Rington’s Tea.

Querido & Davidson’s use of technology also makes this a very distinctive practice. John and Julia have spent £70,000 on instrumentation. This includes groundbreaking technology used for capturing detailed images of a patient’s eyes and early detection of conditions such as Glaucoma.

Consequently there is little need for paper based patient notes. This sort of technology enables better recording of eye conditions and management of patients and is much more environmentally friendly than a paper based process. The practice has also embraced e-commerce, selling its products through its website and helping promote this successful North-East company to a much wider audience.

John Davidson is a specialist in the field of contact lenses; he has lectured all over the country and in Europe on this subject and has also written many papers. In 2006 Querido & Davidson was awarded a national eye care award as Contact Lens Practice of the Year, in recognition of clinical experience and innovation.

John’s is the first practice in Newcastle to practice Orthokeratology. This is a contact lens that you wear at night. While you’re asleep it gently reshapes your cornea and so corrects your vision. The next day you don’t have to wear specs or contact lenses.  Querido & Davidson has experienced a seven-fold increase in sales of contact lenses over the past couple of years.

John says, “The importance of eye care is crucial. Early diagnosis of many conditions is important and often easily treatable.”

John’s message is, don’t lose sight of the need to look after your eyes!

Newcastle Optician Wins National Award
6th May 2006

A North-East optical practice has taken a top award at a national ceremony, recognising the best practices within Optometry and retail optics.

Querido and Davidson Optometrists of Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne triumphed over 25 other practices nationwide to reach the final shortlist.

Ten awards were presented at the lavish awards hosted by Optician Magazine. Querido and Davidson impressed the judging panel with their," clinical ability, business acumen and innovation," to take the award for, "contact lenses Practice of the Year, 2006,"sponsored by Johnson and Johnson Visioncare.

John Davidson, 35, Optometrist and director of the practice is delighted to have received the award and believes it reflects the practice’s strong belief in providing customers with, "state of the art products balanced with an individual, high quality service where customers receive the very best in today’s innovative eye care."

The practice was established in 1956 and eventually purchased by John and his wife, practice manager and director Julia Davidson, 32, in 2002. The couples dedication to their practice has seen the business grow from strength to strength, now specialising in customers who suffer eye diseases or require alternatives to laser care procedures.

John’s professional dedication leads him to play a role as a part-time senior Optometrist at Sunderland Eye Infirmary, mainly performing specialist contact lenses fitting and low vision work. He sees the award as," punctuating a new period in the growth of our business and a validation of the immense hard work since the business was launched over 3 years ago."

The practice, which now employs several full-time staff, are dedicated to the future, which includes maintaining exemplary levels of service for their customers in all aspects of eye care - with a view to producing products for all types of vision problems.

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26th June 2005
Short Sightedness in Children- reduced by Revolutionary Procedure

Parents worried by the deterioration of their children’s eyesight now have reason to celebrate. Research just published by university scientists in Hong Kong has shown a 50% reduction in the development of short sightedness in children when using a revolutionary new vision correction method.

The procedure involves using a small transparent appliance, like a contact lenses, in the eye overnight while sleeping. A small reservoir of moisture behind the lens gently reshapes the front surface of the eye, known as the cornea, to correct short sightedness overnight. The lenses allow the eye to see perfectly at all times, and on waking also give clear vision when removed from the eye. This allows clear vision all day without the use of any spectacles or contact lenseses. For adults and children alike, this procedure removes the potential for problems encountered when losing contact lenseses or spectacles during activities like swimming and sport.

The procedure of “Orthokeratology” has been used on both adults & children by a small number of practitioners in the UK and abroad for a few years now. One such practitioner is a local Optometrist, John Davidson, of Querido & Davidson Optometrists in Heaton, Newcastle. John has been prescribing these lenses for two years now from his family run independent Optometric practice on Chillingham Road, Heaton. He told us that “Discussing the visual liberation experienced by our patients that use Orthokeratology lenses is a gratifying experience for me. For the parents of short sighted children, the ability to positively influence the eyesight of their children is extremely important to them”.

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