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Eye Screening. ?

D

DiabeticSkater

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Hi, I am just wondering about peoples experiance with the eye screening program which seems to be the norm these days. Until 3 years ago my eyes were always checked by the consultant on my annual review. Now I am part of the eye screening program where photographs are taken at an optitions. But the 2 times the photos have been taken I have had absolutely no feedback and neither have the consultants at the hospital. And I am now nearly 3 months over the date when my eyes should be checked and still nothing from this eye screening program and I can't find any infomation about who exactly is responsible for this part of my healthcare. Any ideas? at this rate I'm gonna have to go private.
 
I get a letter every year direct from the eye screening department at my hospital with an appointment. After about 10 days from the appointment I get a letter from them to say that things are O.K. (touch wood, they have been) and my G.P. gets a copy. Don't know if this is standard procedure throughout the country.
Perhaps it would be worth your ringing their department.
 
In Berkshire I used to get eye screening at my GP surgery, but since moving to Hampshire this no longer happens. Given the choice of traveling to Basingstoke hospital and taking time out of work, or going to my local optician and paying, I went for the latter option. The service there is brilliant. I think this is down to the fact that they are a local optician - not the fact that I pay. They get the money from my standard eye test from the NHS and I pay for the photographic analysis.

The optician told me everything she was looking for on the photos, pointed out all the good signs and even showed me the difference between the vessels in the eye that transport blood from the heart and the veins that are transporting it back to the heart!

It doesn't hurt to ask there and then - specialists are often keen to share information if you show an interest.

Sam.
 
Found a number for the eye screening program, at last.. gave them a call this morning and was I'm not due for the screening til february. Get a letter sent out with a list of local optometerist to chose from and then have to call them direct to make an appointment. I think I will use a different optometerist/optitions this time becuase I was less than pleased by their service previously.
Amazing how all this is so very different around the country. I would have thought a little conformity thoughout the UK would be cheaper for the NHS and lead to less mistakes. After all the local opticians must be making some serious money from the eye screening program here. The last one I saw was obcessed about me having a normaql eye test more than getting the screening done. NHS is full of kooks who feel safe in the fact that under no curcumstances will they be held responsible.
Rant over......
thanks for your input
 
In County Durham there is an excellent system in place where every year you get a letter inviting you to attend for eye screening and this is done at the local hospital and has been in place for at least 5 years now. A couple of weeks after your appointment you get a follow up letter giving you the results and a copy of this (probably with more detail) is given to your GP.
It is a very good system although I would prefer to get this done at my opticians as he is an expert in diabetes and has the latest retina scanning equipment. However the hospital is free so I go there.
 
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