Visit to Doctor This AM

[Mark_1]

Hi Folks,

I went to the Doctor this morning to ask about getting a referal to the Diabetic Eye Clinic in Northern Ireland. He laughed and said I don't need to go there and only if I noticed fluid inside my eye. I said but what about the screening.

He said they run the screening once per year and his clinic has not been used yet. He said that Specsavers can easily do the same tests that the Diabetic eye clinic can do and if I have problems I should goto them. He said in-fact some NHS places in england use specsavers as their diagnostic location instead of having a dedicated clinic.

I have had type 2 for about 9 months now so I am concerned I still havent had the initial scan.

I also told him that I brought my blood sugars down from 7.6 to 5.4 fasting and told him that the Metformin gave me a 'little' bit of benefit.

He said we should look at increasing it to 3 pills per day. (I have noticed that if I skip Metformin for many days in a row my blood sugar stays relatively stable so why he is suggesting more pills when I am doing good is really disheartening).

What should I do - I have already little trust for my doctor so I am strongly thinking of leaving the practice.

Cheers,

Your doctor sounds like an idiot. I'd find another one before he causes you real damage.

 

[noblehead]

He said they run the screening once per year and his clinic has not been used yet. He said that Specsavers can easily do the same tests that the Diabetic eye clinic can do and if I have problems I should goto them. He said in-fact some NHS places in england use specsavers as their diagnostic location instead of having a dedicated clinic.

Not sure about that at all, I've asked in Specsavers if their Digital Photo's are on par with those taken in the Eye Screening Programme and they said No, one reason is the ESP dilate the eyes so get a better picture of the retina than Specsavers would.

I'd ring your local Specsavers branch and just check.

 

[AndBreathe]

I went to Specsavers after my husband pressured me to go to them to save money - The glasses they made for me were not done to my prescription, and I was a danger on the roads as I was clipping the curbs - there was no 'prism' in the glasses they made for me and my brain was ignoring what my left eye saw. They did a retina scan and said nothing was wrong.
I went back to my old opticians and got the right glasses but since being diagnosed I have noticed my eyes had changed, and so have had an eye test, I need three different pairs of glasses for driving, computer use and reading. I have also had a retina scan and - guess what?
I would not recommend Specsavers for even the most basic optical work.

Specsavers in the UK is a franchise organisation, so they are independently owned businesses, working under a branded umbrella.

I'm sure like many other franchise businesses there will be the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

[Gannet]

I would never use specks avers with a barge pole

I was recently referred by my GP to a local hospital for a hearing aid, but the clinic was actually run by Specsavers. I had to go to the local shop a few days later to pick up my hearing aid and I have to say they were excellent.
There were leaflets in the shop advertising that they do a retinal photo during eye examinations.

 

[Dark Horse]

Not sure about that at all, I've asked in Specsavers if their Digital Photo's are on par with those taken in the Eye Screening Programme and they said No, one reason is the ESP dilate the eyes so get a better picture of the retina than Specsavers would.

I'd ring your local Specsavers branch and just check.

It's confusing because some opticians work for their local diabetic eye screening programme in which case they take extra qualifications so they can do the screening test to the required standard and their work is quality assured. Other opticians may also take retinal photos independently of the diabetic eye screening programme but they are not as accurate because they take the photos undilated, take fewer photos, have less advanced manipulation tools in the software, have not received the specialist training and don't see enough diabetics to gain sufficient experience and do not have quality assurance.

 

[Fruitella]

My local Specsavers do regular eye tests and offer digital retinal photography - but not to diabetics! They presume we are having it done through the NHS so they say. I reckon they don't offer the retinal photography as our eye tests are free.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. As others have said, the retinal screening programme for us includes pupil dilation to give a better view of the retina. Specsavers may not do this so check with dilation - I suspect they don't. Metformin as you say only has a small effect and doubling the dose doesn't double the effect. GPs tend to worship Metformin beyond it's capabilities; it's part of NICE guidance. It won't do any harm to have an increased dose but may not affect your blood sugar by much either.

 

[dancer]

My optician always uses drops to dilate my pupils but I have never required drops for retinal screening, as my pupils dilate enough in the darkened room.

 

[Lampman]

Your doctor sounds like a prize example of why this site is so useful, and the wealth of experience and knowledge here can save you trouble! My experience of Specsavers may be of interest. I did use them a couple of times for ordinary eye test and varifocal glasses. I was not too happy with the results and next time went to a highly recommended local independent optician. He was able to tell me they had not only got the prescription a bit wrong, but had not even made the glasses to that prescription! He has some very high tech scanning equipment and showed me the results and explained in great detail what he found, giving me a print of that. All was good as it happened. When I got my new glasses, it was instantly apparent he was right. It is well worth asking round about who gives the best results locally.

 

[MauzaM]

I attend a diabetic clinic at an Edinburgh hospital and get an annual eye check up at the hospital by a technician from the Edinburgh Eye clinic. I also go to my regular optician, it was Dolland&Aitchison but was taken over by Boots, for an annual eye test and the screening does everything the Eye Clinic does. Most opticians do the full screening nowadays and find one you trust and stick with them.

 

[MauzaM]

What I've discovered after 14 years as a diabetic T2 is that GP's don't know that much about diabetes. It's a specialist subject really. I've been on Metformin since diagnosis 2 pills twice a day. A few years ago I started getting strange systems such as swelling and sore tongue, body out of balance leading to falls and bumping into walls etc. Metformin can lead to B12 deficiency which leads to Pernicious Anaemia. Blood tests showed I had B12 deficiency. More recently in the last 2 years I've suffered enormous pain in my heart when I've walked anywhere. for the first year I thought it was Angina pain but a year ago I was offered Gaviscon and discovered that the pain was related to wind. The gastroenterologist I saw suggested, that , after 1 year of tests for stomach bugs, an endoscopy and scan of my upper abdomen, stop taking Metformin for 3 weeks. I did this and the terrible symptoms have stopped. I still get a bit of wind after eating but I'm assuming that this is because my stomach will have to heal. I was given an alternative drug to Metformin and take Humulin 1 injection once a day. So far, so good. I'm managing to get out and walk about and generally improve my fitness.

 

[JohnEGreen]

I had both my scans done at Specsavers the scans where sent by online link to the diabetic department at local hospital and the diagnosis was done there my retinopathy was picked up both times.