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Waiting time for cataracts

Posted , 6 users are following.

joy_r
joy_r

My husband who will be 71 in April got cataracts on both eyes.Left eye partially blind.Been refered to hospital,already waited 2 months.Phoned hospital today to be told he wont be seen for another 9 months.Thats before he even sees a doctor.His eyesight deteriated more in last month.He can not read,do crosswords,play snooker or watch tv.Eyes are blured and he says he sees double at times.Surely this waiting is not right.He will be totally blind in a month or so 

0 likes, 17 replies

17 Replies

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  • constance.de
    constance.de joy_r

    Posted

    Is there any hope at all of your going private?  Even for just a consultation?  Your husband really shouldn 't wait. there could be something more seriously wrong than cateracts.  Good luck!
    • joy_r
      joy_r constance.de

      Posted

      Constance we are on a pension so cant afford to go privat.Got a gp  appointment tomorrow so im hoping he will come up with something.He was told by the optitions in June he had cataracts but told untill they get bad they cant be done.His eyes got worse and we went back to optitions 1st week November.They agreed and wrote him a letter to take to our gp who then wrote to our hospital.I  do know his eyes have got worse in last 6 weeks .Thank you for your reply.

       

    • derek76
      derek76 joy_r

      Posted

      If you have the consutants name you should phone his secretary and explain you husbands situation. That usually does better than your doctor writing.
  • gill70346
    gill70346 joy_r

    Posted

    I think wIting lists for cataracts must vary from hospital to hospital. Here in york I don't know anyone who has been referred to a cataract surgeon and has had to wait more than 3 months for the initial assessment. I was referred by my opthalmologist, (I have another unrelated eye condition) seen two months later and op 10 days after that. Under the NHS you do not have to go to your immediate local hospital for a procedure if there is a shorter waiting list elsewhere.Are there any hospitals you could get to that have a shorter waiting list, if so then you can ask your GP to refer you to those hospitals.
    • joy_r
      joy_r gill70346

      Posted

      I dont know as we live in northern ireland but have family in england,will have to look into this,Thank you for letting me know.
  • derek76
    derek76 joy_r

    Posted

    Much depends on where you live. In East Sussex I waited less than two months for the first one after seeing the consultant.. The second one was going to be six months but I happened to speak to a nurse who checked for cancellations and it was done three months after the first one.

    A friend in Edinburgh had her first one done in about two months from her initial appoinrtment.  Her second one was about six months later.

    Unlike you husband my sight had not been badly affected.

  • johnvnpt
    johnvnpt joy_r

    Posted

    Got some REALLY bad news if you live in wales.

    Found a problem with my sight jan 2013. Optician referred me in march, saw consultant in november. Consultant told me to expect appointment early in new year. Made several calls to appointments desk in following months and have recording of appointment desk booking woman telling me consultants are misinformed on matter of waiting time (my conultant is head of the department). FINALLY got surgery in seotember 2014 only 19 months after being referred.

    Oh yes. I am the 1 in 1200 my retina started to peel away post op. Spent a fascinating day in uhw cardiff having vutreous humour sucked out and gas pumped in. By god tharpt was eye watering the probe was in focus !!!!!

    • joy_r
      joy_r johnvnpt

      Posted

      no we are in northern ireland .Off to see what gp says tomorrow.

       

    • johnvnpt
      johnvnpt joy_r

      Posted

      I wish you the best of luck. I do think it MAY help to keep at them and try not to lose hope. Its easy for me to say that now, I have had the op and can work again, I was offered a cancellation out of the blue after making repeated calls to the appointment line as the months went on. Last year with no work no money and no-one giving a damn it was most unpleasant.
  • Bumblebea
    Bumblebea joy_r

    Posted

    joy

    It is not as expensive as you think to go private. It is about £1,800. Cheaper than a car or a good holiday, but far more rewarding, and important. That waiting time is ridiculous. The NHS has a rule that it has to be done withing 16weeks. But they keep letting all of the eye specialist go out to Africa to operate on the poor soles out there who are also losing their site because of cataracts, when we havent got enough doctors here, it seems ridiculous that we have trained these doctors and then cannot get a simple cataract operation because they have gone to another country to do op. My cataract operation went wrong and I couldnt get an oppointment to see my surgeon. So I phoned up his secretary and now see him privately. I will forgo holidays, new cars, clothes , anything, just to get my eye sorted. Sight has to be the most important thing to look after.

    • constance.de
      constance.de Bumblebea

      Posted

      The only problem there, Bumblebea, is that £1,800 on a state pension would be like £20,000 to a person in a reasonably well paid job!!

      Constance

    • gill70346
      gill70346 Bumblebea

      Posted

      For someone who only has state pension to survive it, £1800 is an impossible amount to save and comparing it to a good holiday is ridiculous. If you are living just on state pension, a one week holiday in England probably self catering costing less than £500 is probably all you can afford if that. Going private is not ever a viable option for some of us>
    • joy_r
      joy_r gill70346

      Posted

      No going private is not an option,Did not get any news at docs.He said he will write another letter but not to hold out hope of even seeing a consultant till September.So looks like my husband is going to be in a world of his own.No reading,crosswords,watching tv or playing snooker the game he loves for the next 9+ months .Not fair
    • constance.de
      constance.de joy_r

      Posted

      Soooo sorry!  How utterly ridiculous!  No, not at all fair.  So glad I don't live in England.  What ever happened to the National Health System?  They don't look after you properly at all.  Only the rich can enjoy good health it would appear. 
    • derek76
      derek76 joy_r

      Posted

      The consultans secretary is your best hope if you chat her up nicely or else write to your MP. Though when I wrote to the Scottish Health Minister when I lived there his reply on a 17 wait wait for Physio was that he did not know the waiting times were so long:-)

       

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