Eye doctor

[AJLang]

The eye doctor who sent the letter that upset me phoned today. He is adament that I have ocular hypertension and not glaucoma......I wish he was right but he so isn't. I also asked why there was nothing in the letter to indicate the macula damage and he said that sometimes he writes the visual acuity and sometimes he doesn't. So I still have a letter that suggests that I have no eye problems apart from some mild background retinopathy and ocular hypertension. I wish I was that lucky. I'm feeling rather upset especially after his attitude to me

 

[AlisonM]

What a wazzock! You'll be headed for that private appointment then?

 

[AJLang]

Private appointment is next Wednesday. I've also left a message with the secretary of my glaucoma specialist....I think she will be rather interested to see that he thinks that she is wrong, that the scans that she does don't tell you about optic nerve damage and that the surgeries that she arranged weren't necessary......unfortunately she is away this week

 

[Caroline]

I can think of a few things to do with a sharp stick to this baggage. I hope it all works out for the best for you

 

[AJLang]

I just found my eye letter from last May diagnosis includes "bilateral narrow angle glaucoma" and "chronic cystoid macular oedema"
and visual acuity in left eye 6/36 - how can an eye doctor this time omit such relevant information???

 

[AJLang]

Thanks Caroline. I'm glad that I'm strong minded, know about my eyes and know that I can go privately. What upsets me is that if he is doing this to other people who may suffer as a result.

 

[Caroline]

Thanks Caroline. I'm glad that I'm strong minded, know about my eyes and know that I can go privately. What upsets me is that if he is doing this to other people who may suffer as a result.

Is there any way to complain or make your feelings known to anyone who could do something about him?

 

[AJLang]

I hope that by leaving a message with my glaucoma specialist she will say something. I also hope that when I see the other specialist privately he will feed back my concerns and that something will be done about this doctor. He even admitted that he was basing the conversation just on the letter that he had written and that he didn't have my notes with him - but there was no inidication that he would get my notes to see if he was wrong. He really was treating me like I was an idiot. What was interesting was that he said that he based his diagnosie of ocular hypertension on the visual field test and dismissed the HRT scan as not one that shows optic nerve damage. Yet the glaucoma specialist (who is very highly regarded) is more interested in the HRT scan. He refused to listen to me when i said that it had been diagnosed for 14 years and the surgeries that I'd had for it. Sorry I'm typing too much it's just that he has really left me feeling frustrated and I don't like confrontation with people which is what it was like on the phone today.

 

[Twitchy]

Aw hun! The guy sounds like a right expletive! And I thought it was just my old eye hospital that were that pants! Hoping the message you left & the private appointment help. Xx

 

[AJLang]

Thanks Twitchy xx

 

[Lauras87]

😱 what an idiot

*hugs* dont be upset coz he's stupid

 

[AJLang]

Thanks Laura. Susie dog just came upstairs to cheer me up🙂

 

[mcdonagh47]

Private appointment is next Wednesday. I've also left a message with the secretary of my glaucoma specialist....I think she will be rather interested to see that he thinks that she is wrong, that the scans that she does don't tell you about optic nerve damage and that the surgeries that she arranged weren't necessary......unfortunately she is away this week

If you have had treatment for the problems perhaps it has cleared up/stabilised and left no evidence now. Perhaps your latest doc is saying the surgeries were necessary and have done the job.

narrow angle glaucoma is a medical emergency that needs rapid attention but is basically OK after that. Its not permanent if its been treated according to most of the info I have read.

I have had several exams by eye specialists over the last few years and glaucoma was mentioned. Sometimes they eye pressure in one eye has been up to 24 and they express concern but when next examined it was back to a normal 18. I asked if raised bgs could be affecting eye pressures but they seemed to think not.

 

[AJLang]

Hi McDonagh

Thanks very much for this. Unfortunately my glaucoma is permanent and progressive as confirmed by the glaucoma specialist and a scan in November showed that the optic nerve damage had worsened in just the past few months. I have an appointment with the glaucoma specialist at the end of May as there is concern that I will need to go on to the next stage of treatment. The doctor who I've referred to in this post is not a glaucoma specialist or a retinal specialist although the appointment was for the retinal clinic - he is an Ocuplastic Fellow. I am concerned that he has written to my GP with insufficient/incorrect information. I trust my retinal consultant any my glaucoma consultant it's just that unfortunately you often don't get to see them in clinic. I would be the happiest person the world if I thought this doctor was right and that there isn't any glaucoma.