Annual eye screening

[LittleGreyCat]

I missed my annual screen late last year due to an extended holiday.

I rang up for a new appointment to be told that since 1st April this year the testing has been outsourced to a private company and this company has not yet come back with a testing schedule.

Given that it is now late May this does not bode well for them hitting any major targets this year.

Anyone else seen this?

I'm not that worried yet, as my last two tests have been fine and my optician also gives me a very thorough going over, but it is a general concern if service levels are going to drop through outsourcing to private firms.

Given that contract start was 1st April it is not encouraging that there is still no testing schedule two months later.

Cheers

LGC

 

[benedict]

That's interesting -albeit not in a good way

I have in the past had eye screening performed by private opticians -not sure if this is the same situation here. With my screening I simply made an appointment with the optician.

Is your situation significantly different?

 

[Sid Bonkers]

I think different PCT's have always done this in different ways, mine have all been done at the local hospital but I've read lots of posts saying others have them done at an opticians.

I have to say though that I get mine done by a consultant Opthalmist or whatever they're called and he shows me the pictures and discusses them with me there and then, so I know the result before I leave the hospital which is nice, so am not chewing my fingernails waiting for the postman to deliver the unknown.

 

[bowell]

We are given a choice of number of approved places to go
Top of the list is local Eye hospital ,we also have a small diabetic unit in local Hospital that also
has a eye screening unit ,I go to this one
Then a list of around 8 local opticians that have been approved to do this screening
Looking at the list now i notice Non of the large National chains are on the approved list: inc
something express and savers also @oots ect ? are Not on the approved list ?

Probably because always twist your arm to have a new pair of glasses soon as eye test is done
when you don't need them :twisted:

Bob

 

[Snodger]

In our area it's private opticians and they give you an approved list as others have said. However I wanted to go to an optician that wasn't on the list, and it turned out that was fine too - in fact my diabetes consultant said that optician was particularly good and experienced in managing diabetics (so I have no idea why they weren't on the 'official' list - makes you wonder what politics was going on). They key thing is ensuring they are doing all the tests, including dilating your pupil and looking at the back of the eye. I think some of the more basic glasses-in-an-hour places aren't so equipped to do that.

 

[witan]

We get the annual eye screening done at the local doctors surgery by a 'band of travelling testers'.

I was clear on the first two, but had a problem reported on the one last August - it took until March to get a hospital appointment, which only then recommended the fluorescent dye test, that was done in early May, no problem with blood vessel damage but they want me back at the end of June for investigations into leaking in the left eye? It does water quite a bit when going outside.

Anyway that will be nearly a full year from finding the initial problem to getting anywhere near a diagnosis? My vision hasn't changed so I'm hoping it's not serious...

It seems eye problems can change quite quickly, so regular testing is important - as is the follow up!

 

[LittleGreyCat]

From reading the responses I'm not 100% sure we are all talking about the same thing.

My annual eye screening (both in Berkshire and Suffolk) involved having the pupils dilated by drops, followed by the eye being photographed.

In theory, a set of photographs should be held for each year so that they can be compared to look for any changes over the years.

However the photographs don't seem to be shared accross the UK so my Berkshire photos wouldn't be compared with my Suffolk photos.
I am now wondering if there will be continuity accross the current change in the service.

As a seperate exercise I have an annual eye check with an optician where my eyes are given a thorough going over so I would normally get two independant checks a year using different technologies.

Cheers

LGC

 

[the_exile]

In Edinburgh we get the eyes screened in the actual Diabetic Outpatient Department, they then send the photographs to the Eye Pavillion in the old Royal Infirmary to get checked by a super duper expert, we then get a letter about a week later telling us of the results. Just actually had the dreaded "Your eyes show some small diabetic changes" letter, doh. :shock:

 

[primmers]

I'm an Edinburgh based type 2, my eye screening was done at my GP surgery by a 'travelling tester'. He had to take the results back to the Eye Pavillion for signing off but let me see the pics and explained what it was they were looking for. Very interesting, how many other folk get to see the inside of their own eyes? I got the all clear less than a week later. No eye drops involved though I was told I might have to have them at future appointments.

 

[bowell]

For info

English National Screening Programme for Diabetic Retinopathy


http://www.retinalscreening.nhs.uk/pages/default.asp?mode=&id=&sID=&viewPoint=5