Paolo Formichella is the Senior Optometrist and Practice Director. He has been practising for over 15 years in institutions from high street practices to eye hospitals.

Over the course of his professional career, he has developed a special interest in the field of contact lenses and is now able to offer comprehensive contact lens care. His work is supported by the use of high-technology ophthalmic instrumentation such as the topographer (or eye map) which captures the finest details of the eye, enabling perfect contact lens fitting under any circumstances.

The practice also makes use of a digital photo slit lamp, which records both images and videos of the anterior eye; this is extremely important for accurately recording any occurrences or changes that may happen during the wear of your contact lenses. Have a look at the pictures below to understand this better.

This picture was taken at the eye hospital in Oxford, where Paolo Formichella was in charge of the Photo Slit Lamp Clinic. During his period in Oxford, Mr Formichella collected more than a thousand pictures of eye medical conditions. Imaging acquisition in contact lens practice has also become a topic of interest and Mr Formichella, as leading author, presented a poster at the latest Conference of the British Contact Lens Association in May 2004.

The Practice is equipped with the latest ophthalmic instrumentation, such as the topographer (on the left), which is able to map the finest computerised details of the eye. The eye map obtained enables the optometrist to achieve the best contact lens fit under any circumstances, such as severe astigmatism or the generally irregular eye. The topographer is also indispensable in the practice of ORTHOKERATOLOGY.

Go to our Services page to learn more about this NEW technique to control, reduce or even eliminate your short-sightedness (myopia).

The Practice is equipped with a computerised eye chart. A computer-generated chart enables the optometrist to test your eye function in a more accurate way when compared to the conventional illuminated chart. This is thanks to the higher number of tests available and also because the chart can be adjusted both to the consulting room and patient's requirements.

Due to the versatility of the computer-assisted chart, this method of testing is particularly ideal for assessing children's visual performance to avoid memorisation of answers or simply to gain more cooperation.

Orthokeratology (also known more recently as Corneal Refractive Therapy) consists in the reduction, variation or even elimination of short-sightedness (myopia) through the programmed fitting of special contact lenses. The fitting of these special contact lenses is planned in order to modify the corneal profile in a predictable way. It is by using the topographer that we can design the fitting program and predict the outcome of the treatment. The illustration on the left shows an example of how the computer can devise a fitting program enabling the optometrist to deliver an accurate and safe treatment to control your short-sightedness.
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If you register at the Innovative Vision Practice as a contact lens wearer, you too will benefit from the latest imaging acquisition equipment. “A picture is worth a thousand words”, and this is particularly useful when explaining some of the medical terms or simply showing you what exactly is happening in your eyes when a contact lens is fitted. In particular, this high-tech device is of assistance if you are a “continuous wearer” of contact lenses, as we can monitor any early changes taking place in your eyes. Wearing contact lenses continuously - even overnight - is a NEW possibility for the demanding wearer.