Rapid Access Eye Clinic

[Elliehca]

Hiya

I am hoping someone can advise if possible.

I had my 2 yearly routine eye test a couple of weeks ago at Specsavers, and they asked me if I wanted to have the OCT test as well. I had one two years ago and decided I may as well have it again. The optician said there was blurring of the optic disc in my left eye and that it was worse than two years ago. She said she was going to send the images over to Rapid Access eye clinic. The optition phoned me back after I got home to say that I had been downgraded, which was good news. I received a letter from the hospital with an appointment for 2nd of September at the Rapid Access eye clinic. Has anyone else had a 3 months wait (or more) for a rapid access appointment or could I possibly have been booked onto the wrong clinic. I can’t get through to the department, which is a pain.

Ps. No one mentioned Glucoma to me, but I wasn’t sure what group to ask! Thanks in advance.

[Helen_GlaucomaUK Administrator]

Hello. I would think that there is an eye specialist at the Rapid Access eye clinic, who goes through all the referrals they receive and puts how soon everyone needs to be seen. It may be that they felt that it wasn't as urgent as first thought, once they themselves had seen the OCT the optician sent. Three months seems an acceptable time and still important that you attend.

[Elliehca in reply to Helen_GlaucomaUK]

Thank you. I did manage to get through and it’s exactly that. I’m seeing a specialist who deals with optic discs and it’s not emergency but he only holds that clinic on a Monday, hence the longish wait, but they confirmed it’s where they said it was, so that’s good. 😊

[Wellingtonwearer]

Hi Elliehca. Following a routine eye appointment at SpecSaver I was told the eye pressure in my right eye was extremely high and was referred for an urgent review. When I hadn’t heard anything after a few weeks I called the eye clinic and was told that my referral had been downgraded and I wouldn’t get an appointment for about 9 months. I queried this with SpecSaver and they said as long as their referral had been reviewed by the eye clinic this wait was ok. I accepted what they said and finally got an appointment a year later, whereupon I was found to have secondary open angle glaucoma in my right eye and had already suffered some peripheral sight loss. Had I been seen earlier I might not have developed glaucoma. I wish now that I had not been so patient. I don’t want to worry you - you haven’t been referred for the same reason as me - but if you don’t get an appointment within the three months I’d definitely chase it.

[Elliehca in reply to Wellingtonwearer]

Oh that’s awful, sorry to hear that!

I managed to get hold of the secretary, who said that the consultant will have looked at the scans and decided it wasn’t an urgent problem, which is why it was downgraded. She also said that this particular Dr only holds a clinic on a Monday at Maidstone hospital, hence the wait. Now I hear how long you had to wait, 3 months is nothing! Unfortunately I’m having daily headaches and aches in my eyes, so I don’t know if it’s relevant or if I’m just more aware of it, now I know that there was something on my scan!