Hello,It's my first post, looking for some advice please.
My Dad had glaucoma so I've always had checks to check for glaucoma. On my last visit my optician informed me that I had failed the Visual Field Test and that my eye scan, comparing it with last years was inconclusive and she was referring me to the hospital for further checks.
I've now been informed by the hospital that as its not urgent I won't be seen until May 2024!
I rang the optician yesterday but she is away. I asked to see the other optician so I could have a referral to see if I could be seen privately as I can't wait a year to be seen. They have told me it will cost me £40 for another referral. I presume that's because another eye test would be necessary
My question is can I go privately without a referral as the optician didn't give me a copy of the letter. Apologies if this isn't the right place to ask this question. Many thanks.
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Katiecat21
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I don’t know the answer to your question, but it might be worth calling the hospital and asking them if you can have a private consultation without a referral. Good luck, hope you can get an appointment.
Hi, I recently had a private consultation without a referral. I contacted Moorfields Private section and asked who was available who was experienced in my topic. I hope you can get seen soon, it's a worry when you're not sure what is happening with your eyes.
Hi there, very sorry to hear about your experience. There’s a couple of things I might suggest. First, I think it’s worth calling the hospital back and saying you’re sure there’s been a mistake as, given your family history, you surely shouldn’t be waiting nearly a year to be seen. You could also offer to take any cancellations that come up . If that doesn’t work, in my experience you can self refer when using private services; have a look at Best Doctor for specialists in glaucoma and call whoever is best rated in your area. That’s how I found my consultant and he has been amazing.
Good luck, I know how stressful the uncertainty can be!
Hi I think you can just book a private appointment at Moorfields , I've been under them for over 20 years and I've spoken to people like yourself who are worried about their eyes, I know my foreman who I worked for got diagnosed with glaucoma and his doctor said because it wasn't serious at that time he made him an appointment in a years time unless he feels his symptoms have changed, all I'm saying is if you are worried just book a consultation, hope this helps
It is really frightening your right , I've been quite lucky with appointments but probably only because of my severe problems atm , one of the consultants I'm under is so good and if you want his name I can send it to you but anyways like someone else said if you feel you need to see someone just do it
That must be so worrying for you! Did they check the pressure at all? Knowing roughly what the pressure is will be useful as if it’s high, time is of the essence and you don’t want to be hanging around until next year!! Although I’ve been under NHS mainly since diagnosed (18 years ago), there has been times where I’ve had to seek urgent private care. Where are you near? I’ve lived in Essex and now live back in Scotland so have experience of Moorfields and Glasgow/Edinburgh area for Drs. I’m sure wherever you are, you could get a referral from your GP for private or probably from Doctor Care Anywhere if you have that. I can give you the name of my old Consultant at Moorfields if you like. I think you have to go with your gut and if you can afford the consultation then go for it. You can wait around when it’s your eyesight. I was 23 at diagnosed and 41 now
Can I ask who you see in the Edinburgh area? I’m under the Eye Pavilion, on the NHS, who seem pretty good in some ways, but the consultants always seem unbelievably stressed when I see them, which isn’t very reassuring, and when I recently had eyedrop issues, it took 2 months for my call to the secretaries to produce a new prescription.
I’m intrigued by the idea of going private, but not sure I can afford it. Thanks
I think private is great if you can afford it long term but I think really in general, monitoring under your local nhs eye clinic is more cost effective. My consultant at Moorfields recommended Dr Andrew Tatham and he holds private clinics at The Edinburgh Clinic. I don’t see him regularly but I have had to see him when I wasn’t getting anywhere during a bad period & felt I wasn’t getting the urgent attention at my local hospital that I needed. He is very good and has a nice manner about him. I’d consider him if I need more surgery. During the bad spell, I got copies of all my recent NHS tests and notes, scans, so that I could just present the private clinic with them and save money.
Sounds like the optician is erring on the side of caution due to the scan being inconclusive. Ring them and ask for a copy of the referral, probably can just email you one.
Unfortunately, delays in referrals are common and some people have even been told a 3 year waiting time. It is not always a financially viable option for people to see a consultant privately and they have no choice but to wait for the NHS appointment.
If you wish to see someone privately, do a search for glaucoma specialists in your area, or, if there is a particular hospital you wish to attend enter the name of the hospital followed by private clinic and a list should come up. You do not need a referral to see a consultant privately, or speak to your GP about referring you.
Like someone else has mentioned, check with the hospital to see if they have a cancellation list, and if they do, ask to be added to it.
More importantly, if you feel any change in your vision within this period, do not leave it, and go straight to the A & E. It may be a wait but at least you will be seen by a consultant or registrar from the eye clinic.
Thank you. I haven't really noticed any change in my sight and there hasn't been any change in my prescription. I will definitely heed your advice if things change.
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