Eye screening.

[KezG]

Feeling nervous and a little wimpy to be honest. I'm 48 years old (you'd think I'd be stronger minded) and am kind of dreading my first ever eye screening which will happen today. I am aware of what will happen during and after the screening but I'm just squeamish when it comes to messing about with my eyes.

 

[tim2000s]

@KezG don't think of it as messing about with your eyes, simply as confirming that your eyes are in good condition. Much easier to handle that way!

 

[ally1]

I have now had 3 annual retinal eye tests.
The first one, I was so petrified that I took 2 diazepam.
Please believe me, you will be ok.

 

[KezG]

@tim2000s @ally1 Thank you both for your replies.. It's done! I was surprised because I expected the eyedrops to sting much more than they did.. they did sting a little but it wore off in seconds. The rest of the screening process is not much different to an eye test at your local opticians. Afterwards and still now 2 hrs later my vision is slightly blurred. Headlights and sidelights on cars seem to have a starlight spiky effect which is rather cool.

 

[ally1]

Am so glad it well better then you expected. People are always nervous and scared before their first test. Now from next your next one, you will happily skip in

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

Well, my last eye screening showed that my eyesight has improved and that my mild cataracts have not gotten worse,

Pleased to hear cataracts are not any worse, when they do and your optician agrees, get them done as soon as possible, it will make a huge difference.

 

[leking]

I always take a pair of sunglasses with me! The drops increase the size of your pupils temporarily which makes you more sensitive to light. Sunglasses on the way home help, by then you'll be mostly back to normal!

 

[MDHalstead]

I bloody hate them, but it is only once a year.

 

[Langy]

You will be fine, I hate ppl messing with my eyes and was petrified but now I'm going for my 5th test, it's not as bad as you think, you know what they say if you are frightened of some one, imagein them naked, lol

 

[wiseowl_123]

Good morning I have my first eye test tomorrow at 9.30 am this thread has helped me,already had them done at my opticians when I was diagnosed ,he showed me the photos of the back of my eyes and said they were fine,but the NHS don't recognise other opticians tests,but I am still terribly anxious,(I suffer from anxiety GAD)

 

[Catherine4188]

Hello,

I have my first scan on Monday and reading this has got me worried. I had not even considered that it would be an uncomfortable thing. Can you tell me exactly what they do?

 

[bulkbiker]

Hello,

I have my first scan on Monday and reading this has got me worried. I had not even considered that it would be an uncomfortable thing. Can you tell me exactly what they do?

The nurse will put some drops in your eye to open up the pupils then leave you for 10-15 mins while the drops work. Then they photograph the back of your eye. The drops sting a little but nothing too drastic. Because your pupils are open more than usual more light is let in so it can seem a bit bright and blurry when you come out. Take some sunnies with you for afterwards. A relatively painless procedure and nothing to worry about although it is recommended not to drive afterwards due to the slightly blurry vision.
When I went for the first one the technician showed me the pictures and explained where I had slight retinopathy however for this years I was told that they cannot discuss wth me and I have to book an appointment with my GP. What a complete waste of mine and the GP's time! I have now received a letter saying I have mild retinopathy but no idea if it is better or worse than last year.. so I will now have to make an appointment to get the results that I need to know. Complete failure as usual. no wonder the NHS is failing.

 

[wiseowl_123]

Good morning @catherine41 I just read the above posts which has helped me a lot,sorry I cant't really answer your question because tomorrow will be my first NHS eye test,But I am adverse to having drops put in my eyes,they will have to do (if they can) do the test without them

 

[Mr_Pot]

Good morning @catherine41 I just read the above posts which has helped me a lot,sorry I cant't really answer your question because tomorrow will be my first NHS eye test,But I am adverse to having drops put in my eyes,they will have to do (if they can) do the test without them

I don't think they will be able to do the test without the drops but it doesn't hurt and certainly not a good idea not to have the test. People have said it stings but that is much too strong a word, I didn't find it worse than normal Optrex type eyedrops.

 

[db89]

I had my first test done last month and didn't need the drops. Was a surprise as I was told to expect them. Perhaps I'll get that experience next year.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

@wiseowl_123 try not to worry about your retinopathy test they are slightly uncomfortable but definitely not painful but the drops are essential for dilating the pupils to enable the camera to get a good shot of the back of your eye.

After the drops nothing else touches your eyes at all, the drops will just make you screw your eyes up momentarily and they may water slightly afterwards but you will be given a tissue to wipe them with, think of it as being like peeling onions, the thought of it is much worse than the actual event and will be over in a second or two.

These tests are very important but definitely nothing to worry about, just take some dark glasses to wear afterwards when you go back out into the sun light, assuming there is any sunlight with the weather as it is

They recommend that you dont drive immediately afterwards so take a designated driver with you if you can or arrange to go by bus or taxi.

Thinking about it is much worse than the actual test.

 

[Ann1982]

I regularly get the eye test without the drops so it is possible. I only have very slight changes to my eyes and that's after 26 years. I always take sunglasses with me just in case as I couldn't even read the number on the bus the first time after getting drops in!

 

[JohnEGreen]

Had it done twice now the worst part for me was sitting in the waiting area for twenty minutes or so till the drops had worked.

 

[KitSileya]

It's really not as bad as you might think. I had some rifts on my retinas five years ago, discovered at the optician, and have elected to check my retinas yearly ever since. I am quite myopic, which means that my retinas are very thin, and therefore more prone to tearing. My doctor has referred me to another eye doctor to check my eyes now that I am diagnose with D2.

One of the things that has been a hassle to me when checking my retinas, is that since my eyes are dark brown (thanks, dad!) they tend to be over-zealous with the dripping. The darker the eyes, the more sluggish they are at opening the pupils, so if your eye doctor is in a hurry, they might use more drops or stronger drops to hurry things along. For me, that means that the effect of long-sightedness would last for several hours, which was sometimes a problem if I go back to work. I therefore made a deal with them to come early, so that I could sit with the eye drops for longer (about 35 minutes instead of 20). Blue or other light eyes don't have that problem.

 

[Linda_N]

My designated driver was my daughter and, as it was school holidays her two daughters came too. They were allowed in the examination room and the technician was very good, explaining the photos to them, they found it absolutely fascinating. Hopefully, as diabetes runs in the family, if they are diagnosed in the future they won't be afraid of the eye tests.