Alternative eye screening?

[LittleGreyCat]

No, no one has tried anything...... I was given no options but to have the drops, "at my own risk" . Xx

I quote from your original post:

"If you are still very concerned about having the eye drops, it would be possible to try without the drops but I think the chances of success are small. "

 

[jane1950]

hi all

Sorry about the length of this post.... But here is most of a copy of a letter i sent to the diabetic section managed at my local hospital, and of their reply.... They have totally ignored my request.... Anyone found any solution to this?

My letter to them:

"......................I arrived for my appointment in February, and the surly man on reception, turned out to be the optician. He took me in to the room and I asked if, what was in the drops was the same or similar to the anaesthetic drops which are sometimes used...... or if they had formaldehyde as a preservative (I really don’t have a good time with formaldehyde).

He was quite short with me, told me he couldn’t do the screen without using drops, but wouldn’t tell me what was in them..... he then said I could have them but it would be at my own risk.....

I walked out and went to see my own optician (xxxxxxxxxxxx) He said that because of the reaction I had to the anaestheic drops at an earlier eye exam, he believed that my having the drops for a screen would be a bad idea. He said if you wish to contact him he will be happy to speak to you, and That i should be able to have my eyes examined the old fashioned way. (Is this with a slit lamp?)

So, one disastrous visit, a dislike of the optician and still no eye exam.

Please can you arrange for some other method which doesn’t involve putting unknown chemicals in my eyes, at my own risk.

Any help you can give will be......."
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Their reply:

".................Thank you for your xxxxxxxxxxxxx. to the Diabetic Eye Screening Programme.

I am sorry to hear that you had a bad experience at Xxxxxxxxxxxxx. I will follow this up and investigate.

Drops to dilate the pupils are necessary as the bright flashing light that occurs when the photographs are taken makes the pupil constrict to a very small size. If the drops are not used there is insufficient light getting in to the eye to take good photographs.

The National Programme recommends that all patients should have dilating drops instilled when diabetic eye screening is undertaken. I have looked in to the ingredients in Tropicamide 1% dilating drops that we use and apart from Tropicamide they contain sodium hyrdroxide, Hydrochloric acid and purified water. The sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid are of a very low concentration and are the preservatives. There is no formaldehyde in these drops.

I have made a note on your patient records about your concerns with the drops. Any information that you may have about the drops that caused the previous problem would be useful to the eye screeners.

I am going to suggest that you book an appointment for diabetic eye screening at our xxxxxx Clinic, which is held in Xxxxx. Xxxxx Hospital Diabetes Centre. The screening will be undertaken by one of the specialised screeners working in our programme. They will be able to talk you through the process. If you are still very concerned about having the eye drops, it would be possible to try without the drops but I think the chances of success are small. We do try to be as flexible as possible so that all our patients have their eyes screened.
Please contact the office to arrange your appointment for diabetic eye screening. This is done through our admin office. If you wish to speak to one of the screeners it is possible for this to be arranged,........."
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So... Basically, they are just offering me drops, despite my regular optitian advising against it....... Any one had any other method?

Thanks

Amanda.

 

[jane1950]

I had my eyes screened last year, and they told me it was quite acceptable to not have the drops, they told me to wear dark glasses until the time of appointment and take a thick jumper to put over my head and camera, but they didnt need that, as they pulled the blinds down and made the room dark, and they got a perfect picture.
But this year I have moved and have to have them done in a different area, and they say they have to use the drops, so I have cancelled my appointment at the moment and an optician in the town where I live has said I can ask my doctor to refer me to him to have my eyes screened.
I would rather do this, with or without the drops, as at least I can go out afterwards and find a small cafe to sit in and have a coffee, while my eyes clear.

 

[jane1950]

Hi @Amanda Gee , sorry to hear the hospital optician was so unhelpful/rude. Have you show the letter from the hospital to your friendly optician? It sounds like they are confident Tropicamide should not cause you an issue but it might be worth getting the optician who knows your history and your poor reaction to the previous anaesthetic drops to consider whether there is any risk posed by the dilating drops when he can see what is in them.

It is possible to have the screening without the drops - I have had it done without drops on a number of occasions. But it could be that that only works for some people, whose pupils are a tiny bit slow at reacting to light.

I also had it done without the drops last year, they just told me to wear dark glasses before the appointment, which I did, and they got a perfect photo. But this year they are more awkward, as it is a new place, and they say they have to use the drops. I am going to try and argue it out with them and see what they say