Type 1 Any ideas - should I be really annoyed?

Paul520785

Well-Known Member
Messages
95
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
First the story so far.

I am Paul >>>> T1 on insulin injection and diet for 60 Years.+
Over last 6 - 7 years I have -
a) been told by optician(s) that I have the start of cataracts,.
b) Annual review with consultant and Eye photos for last 10+ years have come back with the letter saying nothing untoward is showing.
c) 3 or 4 years ago GP asking if I wanted to do anything about cataract(s) notified by Optician.

Dec 17 - Eye test at Tesco Optician in Norwich
Ordered 2 pairs af glasses and collected a week later
Neither pair of any use - Unable to focus and see much at the distances specified..
I refused these as no help at all. I was given a full refund and referred to the local hospital for treatment of cataracts,


Now the annoying bit !

Day before yesterday went to the local hospital Eye Department.
Drops in eyes - poked prodded bright lights 2 different eye scans and photo's (Very sore eyes)
Back to the consultant -
. . . . . . . " You do not have cataracts! I would like to refer you to #### # ### ### and the appointment will be within 7 Days." then " Do not worry - it is totally treatable"


(A friend told me earlier to day that is exactly what happened to him!)

So my logic >>
Specsavers Vision Express Tesco Opticians + 3 small local opticians >>> Are less use than a F#rt in the wind
The Diabetic screening program :? Is this just a waste of time and money?


And Finally
Any thoughts or comments will be appreciated.
 

NewTD2

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,563
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
It’s confusing!

So did the Diabetic Ophthalmologist say you have cataracts or not?
 

bamba

Well-Known Member
Messages
319
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Be as annoyed as you feel - let off the steam.
(and stop it from raising your blood sugar/pressure or you'll make it worse)
 

Paul520785

Well-Known Member
Messages
95
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I forgot one bit -
I usually say exactly what I think - Please do the same with any comments or thoughts
 

Paul520785

Well-Known Member
Messages
95
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
For NewTD2 The Diabetic Ophthalmologist letter said nothing untoward is showing. No comments about cataracts - just take the photo's.
 
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Dark Horse

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,840
First the story so far.

I am Paul >>>> T1 on insulin injection and diet for 60 Years.+
Over last 6 - 7 years I have -
a) been told by optician(s) that I have the start of cataracts,.
b) Annual review with consultant and Eye photos for last 10+ years have come back with the letter saying nothing untoward is showing.
c) 3 or 4 years ago GP asking if I wanted to do anything about cataract(s) notified by Optician.

Dec 17 - Eye test at Tesco Optician in Norwich
Ordered 2 pairs af glasses and collected a week later
Neither pair of any use - Unable to focus and see much at the distances specified..
I refused these as no help at all. I was given a full refund and referred to the local hospital for treatment of cataracts,


Now the annoying bit !

Day before yesterday went to the local hospital Eye Department.
Drops in eyes - poked prodded bright lights 2 different eye scans and photo's (Very sore eyes)
Back to the consultant -
. . . . . . . " You do not have cataracts! I would like to refer you to #### # ### ### and the appointment will be within 7 Days." then " Do not worry - it is totally treatable"


(A friend told me earlier to day that is exactly what happened to him!)

So my logic >>
Specsavers Vision Express Tesco Opticians + 3 small local opticians >>> Are less use than a F#rt in the wind
The Diabetic screening program :? Is this just a waste of time and money?


And Finally
Any thoughts or comments will be appreciated.
Sorry, I'm a bit confused. Are you saying that you had an appointment with a diabetic eye consultant in the Eye Department who said that 'nothing untoward was showing' and then later you were seen by a different consultant in the Eye Department who referred you for an appointment for a condition which is not cataract? If so, how long was there between the 2 appointments? Do you know the name of the condition you have been referred for or what branch of the Eye Department the appointment is in?
 

TheBigNewt

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,167
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
So our differential would include: diabetic retinopathy (which I would hope a diabetic physician ophthalmologist would be able to detect), cataracts (maybe the diabetic doctor could miss that??), glaucoma (I presume they screened for that it takes about 15 seconds), and a refraction problem (you need glasses dude and Tesco/Costco got your prescription wrong. Don't you buy chicken and lawn chairs and wine there? )
 

Paul520785

Well-Known Member
Messages
95
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Sorry, I'm a bit confused. Are you saying that you had an appointment with a diabetic eye consultant in the Eye Department who said that 'nothing untoward was showing' and then later you were seen by a different consultant in the Eye Department who referred you for an appointment for a condition which is not cataract? If so, how long was there between the 2 appointments? Do you know the name of the condition you have been referred for or what branch of the Eye Department the appointment is in?
Sorry, I'm a bit confused. Are you saying that you had an appointment with a diabetic eye consultant in the Eye Department who said that 'nothing untoward was showing' and then later you were seen by a different consultant in the Eye Department who referred you for an appointment for a condition which is not cataract? If so, how long was there between the 2 appointments? Do you know the name of the condition you have been referred for or what branch of the Eye Department the appointment is in?
The Eye department was for Cataracts - Not part od the Diabetic section as was referral from Optician - 5 days between Eye Appointments and these are less tyan a month after Diabetic annual review with their Eye photos
 

Paul520785

Well-Known Member
Messages
95
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
So our differential would include: diabetic retinopathy (which I would hope a diabetic physician ophthalmologist would be able to detect), cataracts (maybe the diabetic doctor could miss that??), glaucoma (I presume they screened for that it takes about 15 seconds), and a refraction problem (you need glasses dude and Tesco/Costco got your prescription wrong. Don't you buy chicken and lawn chairs and wine there? )
Tesco has an Eye test section which appears to be run by Vision Express as you cannot pay at a Tesco Store Till! The Eye test is free. Tesco in the UK sell just about everything but you need to be careful on the prices!
 

Jaylee

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
18,214
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I forgot one bit -
I usually say exactly what I think - Please do the same with any comments or thoughts

Hi,

OK?! I will.. But only bassed on my own experience...

Did you have a scan involving looking down a lense at a blue cross with what looks like a red barcode scanner moving down from top to bottom. Then see a consultant with images on his computer like the sample images below...?

image.jpeg


This is to detect "macula oedema."

I was initially referred to the hospital by the optitian for cataracts.. The good news was I "didn't need to worry about cataracts.."
 

Paul520785

Well-Known Member
Messages
95
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi,

OK?! I will.. But only bassed on my own experience...

Did you have a scan involving looking down a lense at a blue cross with what looks like a red barcode scanner moving down from top to bottom. Then see a consultant with images on his computer like the sample images below...?

View attachment 25161

This is to detect "macula oedema."

I was initially referred to the hospital by the optitian for cataracts.. The good news was I "didn't need to worry about cataracts.."

I do not know - Eyes really sore by then and watering so much that my vision was blurred and was not given the chance to view the pictures - I had several scans which I think include the one you describe.
The real annoyance is that with cataracts it is well known that nothing is done till they get to a certain level so I just waited a few years until referred. If not cataracts then if I was told I could have asked for the fix 5 years ago. This shows the consequence of inaccurate information on treatment. Just sounds like negligence to me!
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Oh - Specsavers - gave me glasses with the 'prism' missing, so I stopped seeing out of my left eye. I kept clipping the curb when driving - but I could have killed someone in the time I was using their glasses. I went back to my old opticians and they were horrified. When my right eye was covered my vision just greyed out.
 

Seacrow

Well-Known Member
Messages
496
Type of diabetes
LADA
Oh - Specsavers - gave me glasses with the 'prism' missing, so I stopped seeing out of my left eye. I kept clipping the curb when driving - but I could have killed someone in the time I was using their glasses. I went back to my old opticians and they were horrified. When my right eye was covered my vision just greyed out.

Specsavers gave me glasses with the lenses switched, so left lens for right eye etc. I had severe and chronic agonising migraines for about nine months until my local optician said 'let me just check the lenses for you'. She was absolutely gobsmacked.

The same appointment though I told the optician that my eyesight changed by 1 dioptre overnight (classic sign of diabetes), she said that's strange and ignored it. Result - I had untreated type lada diabetes for over a year before I went into extreme ketoacidosis.

Husband was all for charging them with attempted manslaughter, I wimped out and settled for refund of glasses. Wouldn't go back there if I was going blind.
 

Dark Horse

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,840
The Eye department was for Cataracts - Not part od the Diabetic section as was referral from Optician - 5 days between Eye Appointments and these are less tyan a month after Diabetic annual review with their Eye photos
The annual photos taken by the Diabetic Eye Screening Programme are a part of a screening test designed to detect sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy before any symptoms develop. Although the test sometimes detects other eye conditions, it is not designed to do so. This is why patients are told to also attend the optician regularly and to go to the optician or GP if symptoms do develop between screenings and not to wait for the next screening. The Programme does not usually concern themselves with cataracts unless they are so bad that the screening photos are unassessable. A 'normal' result means that no sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy has been detected, it doesn't tell you anything about whether you have cataracts or any other eye condition.

Like any screening test, the test for sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy is not (and can never be) 100% accurate and so false negatives do occur. Although diabetic macular oedema (a type of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy) is one cause of reduced vision (usually detected by OCT scans like those @Jaylee supplied), there are other non-cataract causes such as vein occlusions, central serous retinopathy, epiretinal membrane, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, retinal detachment etc. etc.. Without knowing what your next appointment is for, it's impossible to speculate whether your screening test was a 'false negative'. With a vein occlusion, for example, it's possible that it could occur after the screening test and after the optician eye test but before trying the glasses and before the hospital eye test. This would explain why the screening test was normal and why the prescribed glasses didn't help. (However,it doesn't explain why the optician thought you had cataracts but the ophthalmologist thought you didn't.)
 
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Paul520785

Well-Known Member
Messages
95
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
The annual photos taken by the Diabetic Eye Screening Programme are a part of a screening test designed to detect sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy before any symptoms develop. Although the test sometimes detects other eye conditions, it is not designed to do so. This is why patients are told to also attend the optician regularly and to go to the optician or GP if symptoms do develop between screenings and not to wait for the next screening. The Programme does not usually concern themselves with cataracts unless they are so bad that the screening photos are unassessable. A 'normal' result means that no sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy has been detected, it doesn't tell you anything about whether you have cataracts or any other eye condition.

Like any screening test, the test for sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy is not (and can never be) 100% accurate and so false negatives do occur. Although diabetic macular oedema (a type of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy) is one cause of reduced vision (usually detected by OCT scans like those @Jaylee supplied), there are other non-cataract causes such as vein occlusions, central serous retinopathy, epiretinal membrane, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, retinal detachment etc. etc.. Without knowing what your next appointment is for, it's impossible to speculate whether your screening test was a 'false negative'. With a vein occlusion, for example, it's possible that it could occur after the screening test and after the optician eye test but before trying the glasses and before the hospital eye test. This would explain why the screening test was normal and why the prescribed glasses didn't help. (However,it doesn't explain why the optician thought you had cataracts but the ophthalmologist thought you didn't.)
Thanks - Valid comment!
 

Mr_Pot

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,573
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Specsavers gave me glasses with the lenses switched, so left lens for right eye etc. I had severe and chronic agonising migraines for about nine months until my local optician said 'let me just check the lenses for you'. She was absolutely gobsmacked.
9 months! I put new glasses on in the shop and l am sure I would notice a problem before I had walked back to my car. I have been using Specsavers for years with no problems.
 

Seacrow

Well-Known Member
Messages
496
Type of diabetes
LADA
9 months! I put new glasses on in the shop and l am sure I would notice a problem before I had walked back to my car. I have been using Specsavers for years with no problems.
What with the new strength prescription, and both eyes were quite close in strength, I expected a 'new glasses' slight weird feeling. My eyes could actually compensate and I could see, but the effort to do so strained my eyes very badly.
 

Paul520785

Well-Known Member
Messages
95
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Saw 2nd consultant this afternoon - I have Wet Macular Degeneration in one eye and the other eye has nothing wrong - NO CATARACTS.
- crudely put - Old age falling apart!
2 consultants seen very quickly - Neither willing to comment on 5 years of opticians telling me I had start of cataracts.

I am sure that this has affected me over the last 5 years.
Consultants have both stated is nothing to do with being Diabetic.

Needs treatment ASAP according to letter / information pamphlet from hospital so will be arranging the course eye injections at 9.00 to-morrow morning.

So I am now thinking that the optician "error" has delayed the diagnosis and treatment for at least 5 years and because it is common knowledge that cataracts are not treated until they are bad enough to cause noticeable sight loss needed treatment has been delayed.

Does anyone think it would be worth chasing Specsavers and Tesco opticians for negligence????

Still really annoyed - I want to make others aware of the possibility of this type of mistake and to get some sort of compensation for what it has and will cost me and my family.
 
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Dark Horse

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,840
Saw 2nd consultant this afternoon - I have Wet Macular Degeneration in one eye and the other eye has nothing wrong - NO CATARACTS.
- crudely put - Old age falling apart!
2 consultants seen very quickly - Neither willing to comment on 5 years of opticians telling me I had start of cataracts.

I am sure that this has affected me over the last 5 years.
Consultants have both stated is nothing to do with being Diabetic.

Needs treatment ASAP according to letter / information pamphlet from hospital so will be arranging the course eye injections at 9.00 to-morrow morning.

So I am now thinking that the optician "error" has delayed the diagnosis and treatment for at least 5 years and because it is common knowledge that cataracts are not treated until they are bad enough to cause noticeable sight loss needed treatment has been delayed.

Does anyone think it would be worth chasing Specsavers and Tesco opticians for negligence????

Still really annoyed - I want to make others aware of the possibility of this type of mistake and to get some sort of compensation for what it has and will cost me and my family.
There are 2 types of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The first type is called dry AMD and there is currently no treatment for it. It's due to 'old age' and there is a gradual loss of some of the central vision over a period of years. Some people get it mildly, others suffer quite a degree of vision loss. The second type of AMD is called wet AMD and this develops very suddenly in someone who already has dry AMD. About 1 in 10 people with dry AMD go on to develop wet AMD. Wet AMD can have a drastic effect on vision quite quickly. For this reason, if it is detected by an optician or at eye screening, the patient should be referred urgently to ophthalmology i.e. within 2 weeks. It is quite likely that your wet AMD developed after the eye screening so would not have been detected then.

From what you've said, it sounds like you may have had some reduction in vision over the last few years due to dry AMD but, as I said earlier, this is not treatable so a mistaken diagnosis of cataracts would not affect the outcome. However, if dry AMD is detected, opticians may recommend that people use an Amsler grid once a week to check each eye in case the dry AMD develops into wet AMD. I expect that the ophthalmologist will recommend you use one for your other eye, as that may be at risk of wet AMD developing. http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/amsler-grid.htm

More info about AMD:-
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/macular-degeneration/
 

Paul520785

Well-Known Member
Messages
95
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
There are 2 types of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The first type is called dry AMD and there is currently no treatment for it. It's due to 'old age' and there is a gradual loss of some of the central vision over a period of years. Some people get it mildly, others suffer quite a degree of vision loss. The second type of AMD is called wet AMD and this develops very suddenly in someone who already has dry AMD. About 1 in 10 people with dry AMD go on to develop wet AMD. Wet AMD can have a drastic effect on vision quite quickly. For this reason, if it is detected by an optician or at eye screening, the patient should be referred urgently to ophthalmology i.e. within 2 weeks. It is quite likely that your wet AMD developed after the eye screening so would not have been detected then.

From what you've said, it sounds like you may have had some reduction in vision over the last few years due to dry AMD but, as I said earlier, this is not treatable so a mistaken diagnosis of cataracts would not affect the outcome. However, if dry AMD is detected, opticians may recommend that people use an Amsler grid once a week to check each eye in case the dry AMD develops into wet AMD. I expect that the ophthalmologist will recommend you use one for your other eye, as that may be at risk of wet AMD developing. http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/amsler-grid.htm

More info about AMD:-
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/macular-degeneration/
This is more information than provided by the hospital - There is a tremendous amount I have learnt in the last 7 days which would have changed my decisions over past years.
Thank you - your explanation and links will, I hope, Help others.
 
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