Son with glaucoma

[Dodie68]

Hi, my 20 year old son has juvenile glaucoma and last night noticed that the vision in his left eye had changed and he has some areas of blank vision. I'm really concerned - do we wait until tomorrow to contact his consultant or try and get him seen today, if so where?!

[muddledme]

Hello Dodie68,

I understand your concern about your son's apparent vision loss.

At most big hospitals in the UK there is an A&E department with a Dr on call who specializes in eye problems.

It would be far better to contact your nearest major hospital and ask for advice and if possible visit as soon as you are both able. It often seems that it is easier to rectify any problems the sooner the patient gets attention.

You can phone 111 for advice , but this tends to be slow, and I would imagine they would adise you to go to A&E anyway.

I have always found the A&E staff very kind and helpful, if possible have a clear medical history ready plus any current medication and list of allergies.

Your son is lucky to have such a caring Mum !

Best wishes to you both

[Dodie68 in reply to muddledme]

Thank you muddleme, they are at A&E now. We are so worried for him.

[muddledme in reply to Dodie68]

So pleased your son was able to get to A&E, and hope someone is able to see him soon.

The worry of the unknown is I usually think ,far worse.

During the week the Glaucoma UK Helpline can be very helpful indeed;

ph. 01233 64 81 70.

All the best.

[Dodie68 in reply to muddledme]

His pressure in the affected eye is 63 and 50 in the other, despite the drops he's been using. They've given him 2 tablets and are now waiting to see if the pressures go down. The Doctor hasn't said much about the vision loss but is it likely that the damage will be permanent? Feel dreadful and so worried.

[muddledme in reply to Dodie68]

It is very good to hear that your son is now on extra medication to lower the pressures.

I assume he will be seen again tommorow and perhaps the medics will be able to answer questions. Do ask them what you need to know ( I usually have a list to be sure I remember the important things.)

If possible note the Doctors name and a contact telephone number.

Make sure he has enough eye medication to last until someone can order more ( it often takes several days from G.P surgeries )

As everyone is different then they can also react differently, but hopefully the Doctor could give him some idea soon.

At the moment the main thing you can do is to continue to support him and make sure he is taking all the medications as directed.

All the best.

[Transporterman]

The hospital that I attend for my Glaucoma has an A&E in the eye department I presume most big hospitals wit eye departments have this facility.