I've just been diagnosed with glaucoma. I think it's mainly in my right eye and my sight is changing fairly quickly and I can feel a slight pressure. The NHS ophthalmologist has prescribed drops for me and I'm waiting to get the actual prescription through my doctor's surgery (3 week wait so far!!!, going to knock on their door this morning).
I'm a photographer so loss of just the quality of my sight is devastating and I want to progress my treatment without delay, and regardless of cost.
So my question is what is the best treatment, and/or I suppose first and forecast, where do I go to get the best possible advice (and quickly)?
Would it be best to go private, who to?
I'm located near Ludlow, UK, and don't mind travelling to get best advice. Birmingham is easy, London if I have to.
Hi. I’d definitely recommend Moorfields private eye hospital. I use them and have been self funding there for about 6 years having had fairly indifferent treatment on the nhs previously.
I’ve also just persuaded my mum to have a private consultation as the treatment she’s had on the nhs has been very poor and she’s losing sight.
You need to be treated immediately so I would push for an urgent appointment with you GP and arrange an early consultation at Moorfields.
Six months' ago I would focus my camera with my right eye without any thought, now I can't really even with new glasses, so have to use my left eye for the first time in my life. I'm going to do what you suggest, an urgent GP appointment and get a referral to a private specialist so I can get to the bottom of all options now, not in however many months' time. If or when my left eye goes, that'll probably be the end of me and photography which will be a disaster for me, my whole life is based around it to be honest.
BMI in Birmingham have specialists and my heart issues have been dealt with by them and they were top-notch, so going to see a specialist there as soon as I get my referral hopefully in the next few days.
Many thanks for your reply.
Cyrtis
Has anyone been to BMI Birmingham for treatment and maybe recommend a consultant?
Just to mention that if you’re going privately you don’t need a gp referral. Just phone yourself and arrange a date that suits.
If you go on their website it will show the glaucoma specialists so you can choose.
I’d take with you anything you have from the nhs ophthalmologist, record of pressures, photos of back of eye, print out of fields test etc if these are available. I’d also recommend that even when going privately you ask for a copy of any test results and keep your own file. This was really useful for my mum and also myself some time ago when my nhs notes went missing.
If I can work out how to send a private message I’ll let you know the name of the consultant I see.
Just reporting back. I've seen the consultant at BMI Birmingham and have agreed that best action for me is laser treatment which he's organised to happen next week because the pressure in my right eye is a bit high (28). He's explained it may not work, think he said about 70% chance of success (hope he's being pessimistic!) and I may still have to use drops as well, we'll see.
Then he'll do the left eye in due course, to be reviewed, not sure when hopefully not too long. Pressure's not quite as high in the left, at 26, but he said probably best to do before I get any damage to eye tissue.
He explained it won't last forever and I don't mind if I have to use drops as well.
Do make sure you have regular fields tests going forward as well as your pressures being tested.
I say this as my mum and I have ‘normal tension glaucoma’ so the damage to our optic nerve happened at normal pressures of 16-22.
I had laser treatment (before Moorfields) but the positive effects of that only lasted about 6 months. Apparently it lasts a maximum of 5 years. As I was about 50 at the time my Moorfields consultant said laser treatment wasn’t appropriate as it would have to be repeated too many times over the years to my (hopefully) 80s and my eye wouldn’t withstand so many repeats.
Obviously this may be a different laser treatment to that proposed for you and our circumstances are likely very different. For example, mum and I both have low blood pressure which isn’t good with glaucoma.
Good luck with your treatment.
Just had laser treatment yesterday in my right eye. It was a breeze. Vision blurred at the moment, now just wait 7 weeks to see if it works, fingers and everything crossed 🙏
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