Eye screening

@Jaylee @himtoo or @Dark Horse may have an answer

DiabeticDi said:

Want to get some advice please from those who have had retinopathy treatment.

Do you go for regular NHS eye screening AND also go to a hospital consultant, private or NHS, for check ups? I see a consultant every 6 to 9 months because I have had quite a lot of laser treatment and 2 vitrectomies, but have been told by eye screening people that I don't need to go anymore because I see him, even though I've been going every 3 months for the past 10 yrs! Surely I should be seen still?

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I would carry on seeing both, as diabetic eye screening checks for Diabetic Retinopathy. If this gets worse and it affects your eyesight, it's them who sorts it out. But I only do the screening, i've never had laser eye surgery or had complications beside some background retinopathy, this may be why you're also seeing a consultant too? What kind of things does he check for?

I had one eye lasered back in 2011, and now just have retinal photography at my local surgery once a year. This year they referred me to the consultant at the hospital where more photos were taken but the consultant discharged me for another year. That was the first time I've seen a consultant since my initial discharge after surgery in 2011.

DiabeticDi said:

Want to get some advice please from those who have had retinopathy treatment.

Do you go for regular NHS eye screening AND also go to a hospital consultant, private or NHS, for check ups? I see a consultant every 6 to 9 months because I have had quite a lot of laser treatment and 2 vitrectomies, but have been told by eye screening people that I don't need to go anymore because I see him, even though I've been going every 3 months for the past 10 yrs! Surely I should be seen still?

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I've had laser surgery for diabetic retinopathy in the past. The only people I see are the Consultant at the Opthalmology Dept at the hospital ( however now nearly 4 months overdue as they have no appointments), and a local opticians for glasses. Local opticians have superior equipment to the hospital, and at my last hospital check up I was told by the Consultant that he 'wasn't sure if everything was ok as the equipment wasn't fit for purpose'!!! Left feeling frustrated and it was a waste of time going.

Hi @DiabeticDi those three members I tagged know about eye treatment/ follow up.

DiabeticDi said:

Want to get some advice please from those who have had retinopathy treatment.

Do you go for regular NHS eye screening AND also go to a hospital consultant, private or NHS, for check ups? I see a consultant every 6 to 9 months because I have had quite a lot of laser treatment and 2 vitrectomies, but have been told by eye screening people that I don't need to go anymore because I see him, even though I've been going every 3 months for the past 10 yrs! Surely I should be seen still?

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The point of diabetic eye screening is to detect any changes which require hospital referral at an early stage. Once someone has been referred to Ophthalmology for diabetic retinopathy, they no longer need to attend eye screening. If, at some point in the future, the hospital consultant decides that the retinopathy is stable, the person may be discharged back to eye screening for monitoring. They will then attend only eye screening but will be re-referred to hospital if any further significant changes occur. Also, if the eye screening programme hasn't received any results from the hospital in over a year, the person would be recalled automatically to eye screening as part of the failsafe processes.

As long as you are having a check for diabetic retinopathy at the hospital, you do not need to attend eye screening - this would be a waste of your time and NHS resources. Sometimes communications go awry and people end up having their diabetic retinopathy checked both at the hospital and at eye screening - this is an error.

However, there are some circumstance where people attend both the Ophthalmology department and eye screening appointments - this occurs when the person is being seen at the hospital for some other eye condition,e.g. glaucoma, and they are not having a diabetic retinopathy check at the same time.

When you next see your consultant, ask them if you are being checked for diabetic retinopathy. If they confirm that you are, then you do not need eye screening appointments.

Thanks to @Diakat for the tag.

Hi,

Bit late on parade. Only just seen this..

I was treated for Macula edema (odema?) this started 5 years back. Last year I was discharged. No other issues. But I do go back to the ophthalmologist pretty much every 3 months for monitoring for any changes.
Then oddly enough, called back to the same department for the usual diabetic retinopathy screening stuff..

I can never understand why they can't just make it a "one stop shop" & do it all at the same time?

agree with dark horse on this -- the screening program is there to pick up any changes at the back of the eye that require further examination and possible treatment at opthalmology
once you are in this system -- the appointments you have at ophthalmology should always involve the stinging drops and a proper look at the back of your eyes.

many ophthalmology depts. are struggling to meet demand though and patient appointments are being delayed -- keep hounding them !!!!

DiabeticDi said:

Thank you so much for your reply. I am being seen by a private consultant for glaucoma and I have had severe retinopathy prior to having much laser treatment and 2 vitrectomies, a trabulectomy (for glaucoma), cataracts done on both eyes. I have been seeing him for 10 years and the eye screening people have been aware of this b ut have still given me screening appointments which I am happy to have.

However they were asking me to go every 3 months and when I queried this, saying that I saw a consultant every 6 to 9 months, so could I perhaps have screening every 6 months instead, and at sensible intervals to co ordinate with consultant appointments, they have told me I don't need to go again!

I am confused and upset...I have very poor eyesight with no peripheral vision in my left eye and as Ihave said glaucoma and need to preserve what I have at all costs.

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It is possible that your glaucoma consultant is also doing the full check for diabetic retinopathy at the same time as monitoring your glaucoma. If that is the case, and your consultant is giving regular feedback to the eye screening service, you do not need eye screening appointments as well. If the consultant is only checking for glaucoma then you do need eye screening.

There is a worry that the eye screening programme may have thought you were telling them that you were getting your diabetic retinopathy checked privately and were asking to opt out of screening. I would phone them and explain that you are seeing this consultant for glaucoma and you don't actually know whether you are receiving a diabetic retinopathy check at the same time. Give the consultant's contact details to the screening service and ask them to contact the consultant and ask. If you are not receiving checks for diabetic retinopathy from your consultant, your checks are the responsibility of the diabetic eye screening programme.

Jaylee said:

But I do go back to the ophthalmologist pretty much every 3 months for monitoring for any changes.
Then oddly enough, called back to the same department for the usual diabetic retinopathy screening stuff..

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Sounds like somethings gone wrong with the communication between Ophthalmology and Diabetic Eye Screening. If the eye screening don't get any results from Ophthalmology, they will assume that you haven't been seen for diabetic retinopathy and will recall you automatically. I would phone the eye screening and ask them to chase the ophthalmology results.

Dark Horse said:

Sounds like somethings gone wrong with the communication between Ophthalmology and Diabetic Eye Screening. If the eye screening don't get any results from Ophthalmology, they will assume that you haven't been seen for diabetic retinopathy and will recall you automatically. I would phone the eye screening and ask them to chase the ophthalmology results.

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Oddly, I do get letters sent to me after check ups & consultations with results regarding maculopathy & retinopathy scan stuff.
There is also a chain of "CC' recipients & addresses at the the bottom under where it is signed by the consultant ophthalmologist, which includes my optiition & GP.

I'm looking at a pile of these letters right now.. My next appointment with the ophthalmology department is in just over 2 weeks time. (11th Feb.) My last one was in late October..

Jaylee said:

Oddly, I do get letters sent to me after check ups & consultations with results regarding maculopathy & retinopathy scan stuff.
There is also a chain of "CC' recipients & addresses at the the bottom under where it is signed by the consultant ophthalmologist, which includes my optiition & GP.

I'm looking at a pile of these letters right now.. My next appointment with the ophthalmology department is in just over 2 weeks time. (11th Feb.) My last one was in late October..

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You could try sending a copy of the last letter directly to the eye screening service and ask them to update your record. (I doubt that the GP would think to do so.)

Dark Horse said:

You could try sending a copy of the last letter directly to the eye screening service and ask them to update your record. (I doubt that the GP would think to do so.)

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Good idea, & many thanks for yer time.

I do have tha facility to scan & print a coppy. Which will be taken with me on the 11th of Feb. (I'm currently loosing track on who I'm seeing about what.)