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Cataracts. Should the optician tell you that you have them.

D

Duncan57

Well-Known Member
Messages
64
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I have just had a eye check at the Hospital eye clinic today. I was told for the first time that I have cataracts in both eyes. This was news to me as I had my first eye check at Boots in 2014 for blurred vision and I was prescribed glasses. I had a second eye test last year at boots and had new glasses prescribed. At no time did the optician discuse or say I had cataracts. Last Nov I saw my GP and that was when I was told I was type 2 and then I was referred to the eye clinic for a check. Should the Boots optician have told me in 2014 I had cataracts as I assume the optician should have spotted it?
 
That would depend if you had cataracts in 2014/2015, my understanding is they develop slowly but there may be cases where this isn't the case.

However don't worry about the possibility of a cataract op, it's straight forward enough and painless and only takes around 15mins for each eye.
 
If you had cataracts when the optician saw you then yes you would have been told. Some people develop cataracts very slowly and others develop them very quickly.
 
I have sent a complaint to Boots to see what they respond with. I complained of blurred vision at the 2014 eye test and at the 2015 eye test that it was worse.
 
Mine went from nothing to so bad I couldn't drive in 6 months. Fortunately I got called in for the op at short notice because they had a cancellation, and I was driving again after a week. I'm waiting for the second one to be done now.
 
My optician Don, t check for things like cataracts, just do the eye test
 
ally1 said:
My optician Don, t check for things like cataracts, just do the eye test
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Hi @ally1, doesn`t your optician do a retinopathy? they certainly should otherwise how can they spot any damage occurring? If they don`t carry out this scan I would get my eyes checked somewhere where they will as it`s a very important part of the check up.
 
chri5 said:
Hi @ally1, doesn`t your optician do a retinopathy? they certainly should otherwise how can they spot any damage occurring? If they don`t carry out this scan I would get my eyes checked somewhere where they will as it`s a very important part of the check up.
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No they don't,
 
Duncan57 said:
I have sent a complaint to Boots to see what they respond with. I complained of blurred vision at the 2014 eye test and at the 2015 eye test that it was worse.
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What was your diabetes control like at the time? Cataracts do not cause blurred vision your vision just diminishes as time goes on until treated.
 
I had my eyes tested at Boots,and they advised new glasses after a year of having new glasses,I didnt have them as I thought I could see ok,when I had my retinopothy test he told me I had cataracts and said they were quite bad and he pointed them out to me on the screen.
So whats the point of having expensive new glasses.
The optition at Boots never mentioned I had cataracts and it was only two weeks before the retinopothy test.I wont be going back to Boots,they dont make money doing eye tests,only selling glasses.
 
Should have gone to specsavers when and this is years ago I first got Myasthenia the optician there didn't hesitate but sent me to the eye hospital straight off, they the eye hospital then contacted the local general hospital if the optician had not done what he did it could have been a lot longer before I was diagnosed.

And as far as the OP goes of course if you have cataracts and the optician sees that you have he/she should tell you.
 
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ally1 said:
No they don't,
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Sorry for the delay @ally1, just got in from work. I think you should get in touch with your GP/DN or whoever looks after you and get this sorted out, as a diabetic you SHOULD have a retinopathy every year and it`s very important. If your optician has not been doing this then my advice is change them asap! Chris.
 
chri5 said:
Sorry for the delay @ally1, just got in from work. I think you should get in touch with your GP/DN or whoever looks after you and get this sorted out, as a diabetic you SHOULD have a retinopathy every year and it`s very important. If your optician has not been doing this then my advice is change them asap! Chris.
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It's rare for opticians to do the retinal screening for the NHS unless there is a contract in place. Retinopathy checks are normally done by NHS mobile units or at hospitals
 
Duncan57 said:
I have just had a eye check at the Hospital eye clinic today. I was told for the first time that I have cataracts in both eyes. This was news to me as I had my first eye check at Boots in 2014 for blurred vision and I was prescribed glasses. I had a second eye test last year at boots and had new glasses prescribed. At no time did the optician discuse or say I had cataracts. Last Nov I saw my GP and that was when I was told I was type 2 and then I was referred to the eye clinic for a check. Should the Boots optician have told me in 2014 I had cataracts as I assume the optician should have spotted it?
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Did the glasses fix the blurred vision? I noticed from your other posts you have high BP any chance this would have caused blurred vision? Also how often do you see your GP and have bloods done? I'm wondering how long you had been undiagnosed with diabetes as high bloods would also cause blurred vision.
 
When my cataracts developed the optician was the first person to tell me. What he said at that point was that at the stage they were he could make more difference with lenses that the operation would make.

I got some new lens, but the cataracts developed very fast, and he referred me to the hospital for surgery.

I would describe the effect as blurring. There are other effects, eg I got a new coat at Christmas which I thought was brown. Now I can see properly I know it is dark blue. I'm not sure how often I've gone out in odd socks.
 
CarbsRok said:
It's rare for opticians to do the retinal screening for the NHS unless there is a contract in place. Retinopathy checks are normally done by NHS mobile units or at hospitals
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I didn`t know that, mine is, and always has been, carried out by my optician and I`ve never been offered one from anyone else. So who is responsible in Ally`s case I wonder?
 
Yes my optician told me that I had cataracts at a routine yearly eye test but they were not bad enough to remove at that time and it was another couple of years before they were. I had the first one done in December 2014 and the second one in April a year ago I had retinal scans at both pre ops which showed I had early onset age related dry macular degeneration luckily it has not got any worse and my eyesight is still good after the cataract operations. I have not had my first retinal scan for diabetes yet
 
chri5 said:
I didn`t know that, mine is, and always has been, carried out by my optician and I`ve never been offered one from anyone else. So who is responsible in Ally`s case I wonder?
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Not many high street opticians do retinal scans they are usually done at a hospital eye clinic or a large medical centre that has the machine to do them most opticians do not have that machine
 
chri5 said:
I didn`t know that, mine is, and always has been, carried out by my optician and I`ve never been offered one from anyone else. So who is responsible in Ally`s case I wonder?
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Once on the diabetes register you should be sent an appointment for a retinal scan every year
 
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