I am a 67 year old male who has been on the waiting lists [plural] for over a year to see consultants at the Princess Alexandria Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh. Currently, I have referrals for Cataracts and Glaucoma, and, apart from acknowledgements that they have received both referrals, I have heard absolutely nothing else.
Okay, with all the press coverage about the pressures that the NHS is under, despite the fact that Glaucoma is an irreversible degenerative condition, I was prepared to accept this and wait patiently for my turn. However, about a month ago, I was offered an out of area referral for my cataracts at the Golden Jubilee in Clydebank with INSERT NAME OF CONSULTANT. By co-incidence, on the day following the offered Clydebank pre-assessment appointment, I had another appointment at the Eye Pavilion for Diabetic Retinopathy screening. As a result, by direct comparison, I was able to see first hand how totally inept the senior management at the Eye Pavilion truly are.
Further, when offered the out of area referral, I was told that waiting list for cataract surgery in Edinburgh is over three years. In consequence, taking the referral at Clydebank was a 'no-brainer'. Unfortunately, in addition to my vision problems, I have multiple serious health conditions and mobility issues for which I am in receipt of Attendance Allowance and require the aid of a walking stick. So, after a very long day, by the time the patient transport ambulance finally got me home to my assisted living apartment in Edinburgh, I was close to collapse; it was only because of the aid from the ambulance crew that I didn't fall!
This however, is the least concerning aspect of that days' travails : Noting that it was the first time I had actually seen a consultant about any of my vision problems, it turns out that not only do I have Cataracts, Presbyopia and Glaucoma, but I also have "Fuchs' Corneal Dystrophy". This is yet another degenerative eye condition, which, in addition, is also a major complication for my cataract surgery.
Anyway, the following morning, I turned up promptly [10 minutes early] for my 10am retinopathy appointment at the Eye Pavilion. My previous retinopathy scans had been taken by a technician at the Leith Community Centre, so this was the first time I had ever been to the Eye Pavilion. In contrast to my experience at Golden Jubilee, where the staff were proffessional, supportive and extremely well organised, after telling the receptionist at the main desk why I was there, I was directed to the third floor. Once there, a second receptionist just waved me through to a waiting area. At no point was I asked my name or otherwise signed in!
Anyway, I sat there patiently for over two hours while other patients were arriving being seen and leaving. Thinking I had possibly gotten my days mixed up I explained to a passing nurse the situation and why I was there, and, a few minutes later, a very young, very apologetic technician took me for my retinopathy photo.
It should be noted, that I do not blame the receptionists, nurses or technicians. However, in my opinion. my experience demonstrates a basic failure of senior management at the Edinburgh Eye Pavilion, and somebody in authority really needs to hold them to account.
Further, the most concerning aspect of my experience with the Edinburgh Eye Pavilion is that, in over a year, despite having multiple degenerative eye conditions, I have never seen anyone from the Eye Pavilion above technician grade.
As a side note, my deteriorating eyesight is causing me the following problems:
1) Extreme photo-sensitivity resulting in me having to wear prescription sunglasses even though this actually makes the loss of vision from my cataracts much worse. (I only recently found out that this is one of the indicators of Fuchs' Dystrophy)
2) A couple of weeks ago, around 9pm, because of the extreme heat, my fire alarm went off. While I was sure it was a false alarm, my eyesight is so blurry that I was unable to tell the on-duty care attendant whether or not there was any smoke or not. As a result, within a few minutes, there were three fully crewed fire engines parked outside my residence to check up on me.
3) The Glaucoma however is causing me the most problems: In general, while I take steps to always leave the things I am currently using in specific places so that I can easily find them, more and more often I am turning my place upside down looking for something that is sitting in plain view. Similarly, shopping is fast becoming a very embarrassing nightmare where I am frequently having to ask the shop assistants for help locating items which are right in front of me.
However, as someone who has always had a high degree of situational awareness, the loss of peripheral vision is causing me the most distress: Being old and slow, I frequently hear people behind me, but am unable to see them unless I stop and turn fully to face them.
This loss of peripheral vision combined with the cataracts; photo-sensitivity and my mobility issues makes simple things like crossing the road very exciting! As a former enthusiastic extreme sportsman, I always loved a good adrenalin rush. But, given my current state of health, this is now something I could do well without.
Finally, particularly in my left eye, it feels like someone is pressing a thumb into the eyeball. While not extremely painful, it is very uncomfortable.
Yours in faith
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