The Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh was condemned over ten years ago, a new one was announced, then cancelled, then reprieved (but by this time the building site had been otherwise purposed), postponed again and now the project is in limbo. Meanwhile the old hospital is going to be closed for six months for urgent repairs to drains and to remove asbestos. It is closing at the end of this month. No replacement appointments have yet been made, no-one knows where these will be - the best guess is at the hospital in Livingston which is desperately difficult to get to by public transport (for me it will take two hours there and two hours back). Waiting lists are currently over 14,000 waiting for an appointment , of whom about 9,000 have been waiting fo over 16 weeks. And the private sector, so ready to jump in for hip replacements etc, cannot help here as no insurance covers chronic and incurable problems such as macular degeneration. The NHS is a great and noble institution but here it has been utterly failed by the politicians and it is us who pay the price with our eyesight. This is a capital city, for heaven's sake! I am not aware of any serious political clout behind the hand-wringing by Sight Scotland, and am frankly terrified. It simply doesn't seem to matter. I am at my wits end.
Looming catastrophe in Edinburgh - Macular Society
Looming catastrophe in Edinburgh
Hi ElviraKate. I can understand how you feel completely. Have you contacted your local MP about this?
Yes, both MP and MSP. Nothing yer...
Does the hospital have a PALS department? If so, maybe it would be worth asking them if they know what's on the cards. Just a thought.
There doesn't seem to be one and no-one has mentioned it. There's a charity called Eyecare set up for the facility, but their website hasn't been updated since 2019.
It's ridiculous isn't it! I hope you get some joy soon.
Try extreme publicity. Make a great deal of noise. Get tell all articles in both local and national press. Get "exposure" on local TV. Tell us how you get on with this. Be persistent. Don't take no for an answer!!
That is so sad to know. As an ex-pat Scot one reason I wouldn’t move back is I feel incredibly blessed to live in an area well served by a Royal Eye Unit where my AMD has been treated for around 7years with a small but dedicated area for macular conditions and a nearby hospital specialising in knees, hips etc.
my brother lives in Callander and has to travel to Falkirk for his injections. Likewise two hours by bus unless his son can take him. I feel like a winner in the post code lottery ..others are not so lucky!
This is absolutely disgusting, I can imagine how you feel as our eyesight is so precious. I thought the eye clinic in which I go to is bad but not as bad as your situation.Could the Macular Society try to put some pressure on and what about your MP? I feel for you.
I've written to both my MP and MSP, but there's not much they can do about it except sympathise and generally attack the health minister. The SNP just doesn't seem to care about eye services.
It is so frustrating, it does seem like eye services are the poor relations and yet our eyes are vital. I do hope you can get some help.
Cataracts and Intravitreal injections
Bit of a rant (sorry!)
Pain after injection
AMD Injection Procedure
