In the first of our Virtual Clinic events consultant ophthalmologist Robin Hamilton said the coronavirus crisis has presented an opportunity to improve hospital eye care services.
Robin Hamilton, from Moorfields, was the guest speaker at the first in a new series of webinars hosted by the Society on Tuesday evening. In his talk Eye Clinics During and After Coronavirus he said although the crisis has been difficult for everyone, he is hopeful the changes put in place to ensure patient safety in eye clinics, will ultimately transform services for the better.
Speaking at the event on Tuesday 11 August, he said: “It has given a number of people an opportunity to look at how to deliver eye services potentially better and in a different way.”
He discussed the COVID-19 Urgent Eyecare Service which has been set up in Manchester and its potential to be rolled out nationally.
The initiative has been put in place to ensure that during the pandemic people can access urgent eye care through optometry practices, to prevent them from having to go to hospital and reduce the demand on hospital eye services.
He said the service had the potential to manage up to three quarters of patients outside of hospital and they were looking at rolling it out at other trusts across the UK.
He said: “We know if we can get detail from optometrists to the local eye services in the form of visual acuities, letters and in particular OCT scans and the full OCT scan, so it can be reviewed and potentially compared to previous OCT scans then we do feel even that even up to three quarters of patients may well be able to be managed just by an optometry visit. So, if we can reduce a large number of unnecessary visits to hospital that has to be a good thing.”
Robin also spoke about the increasing number of home-monitoring services now available on computers, tablets and smart phones. He said these would also reduce unnecessary hospital visits, but also ensure patients were receiving timely care.
He added: “I think there are going to be a whole host of other things. I hate to say we are taking this as an opportunity, but I have to take it as an opportunity to make sure the service when it gets back to some form of normality is much better, much safer, the outcomes are better and the patient experience is better. I think therefore for me has got to be an opportunity and we’ve got to take it as that.”
Listen to Robin Hamilton's talk, Eye Clinics During and After Coronavirus.:
"... is much better, much safer, the outcomes are better and the patient experience is better. " IMOpinion that is the lesson from this world-wide emergency. What I quoted from your closing statement resonates especially if you change the word patient to person..or just add person to the list.
I do not experience improvement in service. Since lockdown Appointments constantly changed and delayed. Last appt was 15 July. Appt. for end of August changed to 8 October and now changed again to 30th Oct. Will get scan privately via optician before that and agree it would be very reassuring if this was built into the system and would relieve pressure on clinics.
Are these injection appointments being delayed? It would be a good idea to contact your consultant via the secretary to discuss your treatment and your concerns about it being constantly delayed.
Are you aware if your hospital has an Eye Clinic Liasion Officer? (ECLO) They would also be a good point of contact as well as your consultant to discuss your concerns about your treatment.
If you need help in finding out the ECLO details or if you have contacted the above people and struggling to get your treatment, please contact us.
Dear Becky, my last injection of eight was 25/5/2020. My appt. on 16/7/2020 was for a scan only. I assumed my eye was stable as I did not get an injection but reported vision in my bad eye increasingly blurry. There was protein build up in this eye 18 months ago on lens inserted after cataract. I think this is now a lot worse as I can no longer read at all with this eye even with glasses. I had a scan privately today and optician says macular much more swollen than at my first private scan when I was diagnosed With wet maculAr 18 months ago. If I wait till 30 Oct It will be five months since my last injection. I don’t kNow if there is an ECLO at my hospital in Scotland But will phone and find out. At 81 and living alone things feel very scary but I guess I’ll just have to man up, get on to the hospital and try to get past the receptionist. Thanks for getting back to me Becky. Good to know someone is listening.
What hospital do you go to? If you're ok with me sending you a private message so I can help you find the right details of the ECLO. Have you tried contacting the consultant via the consultant?
Hi Becky. Consultants secretary says he received copy of scans from optician and thinks I need just ongoing monitoring at present. Catch 22 is that with appts constantly delayed no nhs monitoring possible till end of October, if it isn’t cancelled again. Consultant also suggested eye test and possible new specs. Rubbish. However, Just back from comprehensive eye test at opticians today with more experienced person. Says medium build up of protein on cataract lens replacement on bad eye. This Plus intensive floaters and macular problems all contribute to deterioration of viSion. Tests Results to be sent to consultant. He is supposed to phone me today sometime. It would reassure me to have another scan etc with optician in 6 weeks time and will tell consultant that. Optician says laser may help or may not. I can hang on to end of Oct. for laser if know macular not deteriorating before then. I know eye clinics are very overstretched but all this phoning around etc is exhausting and frustrating. This macular chatline is Really helpful in these chaotic times. Thanks Becky. Also if needed have no objection to you contacting me privately. My hospital is the main hospital in Ayr. At the moment I think I have done the best I can. MY consultant Is usually very nice, though I don’t often see him personally, so hopefully seeing my own optician for ocular scan will be ok with him.
Hi Becky. I get lost in these strings. Sorry. Consultant just phoned. He is amenable to me getting scans from optician and sending them on so that was a bit reassuring. He explained very clearly but was on a train and I didn’t catch all of it. I would appreciate a source of information to find out more. My macular is swollen but not leaking. It sounded like if it leaks injections will no longer be effective but this isn’t what I glean from the chat site. Any pamphlets you can recommend?? I will get laser treatment at next appt at end of October. Thanks for your help.
Hi Becky. After the optician sent my scans on to him My consultant phoned but I was on my bike at the time and he was on a train. He agreed It was ok for me to have another private scan in 6 weeks and said if any sudden deterioration meanwhile to phone hospital. I would get laser next time for moderate build up of protein on cataract lens. However, my appt isn’t till end of October and the last of my eight injections was in May. I told him Vision in eye really deteriorated but he insisted didn’t need review till October, so Don’t know why injections stopped. Can only be either a) macular is now stable and vision loss due to something else or b) injections have not worked for me. These were the questions I really should have asked though further injections would not be the solution to either. Hope I’m making sense here.
It would be good to get a reason why he is delaying the scan for 6 weeks since you have told him your vision has deteriorated. Has your consultant told you what condition you have? What hospital do you attend? Feel free to send me a personal message if you don't want that info on the forum
I rang the appointments number at the Eye Hospital yesterday to ask if they will be doing OCT scans at my next appointment on 3 September and the person I spoke to said "if they think it's necessary". I asked her how they would know whether it was necessary if they didn't do a scan and look at them first and she didn't know what to say. I reminded her that the only person you see before you are called in is the receptionist and besides which, I am having intermittent wavy lines again, her reply "was well you'll just have to say something", I said who to, the receptionist and she replied yes????? I don't think the receptionist where I go will be able to help me with that. The appointments are set up beforehand as to what they are and are not going to do that day so I cannot see that they will be squeezing people in here and there if the day is all planned out. It's just ridiculous. My sight in my left eye is worse now than it was at diagnosis all because they made me wait eight weeks twice in between injections when I should have had a five week wait.
Hi springcross. It cheers me up when I hear how you get stuck in to fight your corner. I too am frustrated and angry at being left with deteriorating sight when it could be saved. I enquired about an implant several months ago but really got the brush off and told Lucentis was all that was available. Also, my optician today made it clear there is no coordination or shared information between them and the eye clinics even though more and more stuff is being fielded out to them. Obviously all private options are off even if you could afford them. Are we All just supposed to go blind quietly and not make a fuss? Hope you get some positive response soon. I’ll keep trying.
If your eyesight has gotton worse and you aren't getting anywehere with the receptionist, have you tried contacting the opthalmic emergency number, the retinal service number or your consultant's secretary's number? If your sight is getting worse, you should be seen sooner than the 8 week guideline
Hi Becky, thanks for that. I had a real fiasco earlier in the year which I had two long posts about-I even spoke to the lead ophthalmologist (who I have seen at clinic a few times) and told him it was worse than when diagnosed but it didn't make any difference. I can see the damage when I close my eye in the dark and it's much bigger now. My appointment is scheduled for six weeks because I had leakage (which I could tell) which will be 3 September but with occasional wavy lines, that to me is too long, especially as before Covid happened it was four then five weeks. It was the nurses who told me to ring appointments if I had any problems after the usual time after injection so I've done that and that was the response I got, it's crazy.
Hi. Becky. I have just phoned consultants secretary who said she will e mail the consultant. The opticians receptionist was very helpful and suggested They download my scans with them onto a stick thing so there is a record from initial diagnosis. Will let you know how I get on. Wish I didn’t get so nervous about it all. Many thanks.
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