Prescription Glasses and Dental in Scotland

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IrvineHimself

IrvineHimself

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Here in Scotland, we are lucky enough to have free Doctors prescriptions, and, especially if we are diabetic, through Pharmacy First we can also get free pharmacy prescriptions for a wide range of extras, like: anti-fungals, soap-substitutes, moisturisers, creams, ointments and lotions.

Anyway, last week, when I checked my mail, I got a letter notifying me that I am on the waiting list for the the Diabetic Outpatient Waiting List. Apparently, because of COVID they are seriously backed up and are triaging for the most urgent cases. I think this is the first time in my life I have ever wanted to be at the back of the queue.

I also got a letter inviting me for Diabetic Eye Screening on the 20th of May. This got me thinking. In my youth, I had superb eyesight: On a lathe, I was visually able to distinguish a taper of less than 50 μm over a 300 mm, (about 2 thou over 12"). While out in the wilds, my friends found my angular resolution over two or three miles to be literally unbelievable until proven otherwise. Now, as a matter of course, given my age, for a number of years I have needed cheap reading glasses to read books, labels ... etc. Probably not the best thing for my eyes, but they work.

Faced with the prospect of the eye exam and having read up on the literature, I am fairly sure I am going to fail the eye test. Recently, I have noticed some blurriness at distance and have been putting it down to bright sunshine, but now I am not so sure.

As I have pointed out before, because of my situation, I am already having problems with Dental care and if I need glasses it is going to become a major problem. Things will improve when/if I get my state pension, but that is likely to take several months to sort out: I still haven't even been able to get the basic invitation code to begin the application. The bank won't let me open an account, which I also need to make the application, without a letter confirming my eligibility which I cant get without a bank account, and so on, and so on.... ugh!

I had a look here, but, as I pointed out above, the situation in Scotland is different. Does anyone have even peripheral knowledge of the Scottish system with regard to eye glass prescriptions for diabetics, (and Dental care,) that would give me an idea of where to start looking. I am going to mention it to StreetWork at my next attempt to get a bank account, (Monday) but knowledge gained from experience is always useful,

As a point of info, I have my over 60's bus pass. Technical y it is called the National Entitlement Card, and while it is a real boon to be able to just hop on a bus to anywhere in Scotland, I do not know it is particularly useful in this situation.
 
IrvineHimself said:
Faced with the prospect of the eye exam and having read up on the literature, I am fairly sure I am going to fail the eye test. Recently, I have noticed some blurriness at distance and have been putting it down to bright sunshine, but now I am not so sure.
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The retinal screening programme concentrates on taking a photo of the back of your eyes, and looking for any bleeds, or other abnormal stuff. (I have to assume it’s the same in Scotland as England), but the only eye test bit was getting you to read down a chart at the start, and they didn’t really seem to mind how far down you get. In fact, in the days before I wore glasses permanently, I once forgot to take mine, and couldn’t get very far down the chart at all. The guy gave me a frame with something like a patch with slits in it, and told me to try again, and I did a lot better. So don’t worry, the main focus (pardon the pun) isn’t to test the acuity of your eyesight, though I expect they might recommend you seek out an optician if it’s really bad.
 
While I personally am not in your situation, or in Scotland, I buy my prescription glasses from "gogges4u".
They start at very low prices compared to opticians.
I do have the luxury of a bank account though, so can pay easily online.
But, at least in England, there are prepay cards, that let you load up without detailed credit checks?
 
The diabetic eye check does not check whether you need glasses and you won’t leave it with a prescription for glasses even if you need them. It only takes photos of the back of your eyes, you don’t get the results there and then either they post them out a few weeks later.
 
Thanks for the info about the diabetic eye check guys.

I don't know if I should br relieved or not, the blurriness is one of the symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy after all. Regardless, I am obviously going to have to see an optician at some point, but at least, from what you are saying, I am not going to be in the position of suddenly having to find £100 or so for glasses. Although surgery, laser or otherwise sounds extremely unpleasant, and glasses, if they existed, would have been preferable.

Edited to add blurriness and link to the relevant NHS page
 
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IrvineHimself said:
Thanks for the info about the diabetic eye check guys.

I don't know if I should br relieved or not, the blurriness is one of the symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy after all. Regardless, I am obviously going to have to see an optician at some point, but at least, from what you are saying, I am not going to be in the position of suddenly having to find £100 or so for glasses. Although surgery, laser or otherwise sounds extremely unpleasant, and glasses, if they existed, would have been preferable.

Edited to add blurriness and link to the relevant NHS page
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If you did decide to have a standard eye test to find out the cause of the blurriness, and whether it’s just ageing or something more serious, you wouldn’t have to immediately find £100 for glasses. There are cheaper glasses available than that, and you do not have to purchase any glasses at all. You would be able to have an eye test (free in England for diabetics, not sure if the same in Scotland but I’d hope so) find out the cause of the blurriness, take the prescription but not buy any glasses. It isn’t really advisable to get glasses until your blood sugars have settled down after diagnosis anyway, but it would be probably reassuring for you to know what’s causing it.
 
When I reduced my carbs down to 70g per day and blood glucose started to drop, my near vision became affected, out of focus and each eye not really working together, it was only because I read on here that it could happen so didn't go rushing to the optician. It took several months for them to settle down, but I did need a change of prescription but that was to be expected anyway as my eyes do seem to change every few years. My lenses are usually £500+ plus the frames.
I have been wearing glasses for 60 years so I dread to think how much I have spent in glasses over that time.
 
You mentioned using ready readers, @IrvineHimself
I was advised by an optician that there is nothing wrong with using them. They may not be as accurate with the strengths as prescription glasses but they do have to be constant strength over both lenses.
If you are finding them help reduce the blurriness, carry on using them.
As mentioned above, in England, eye tests are free for people with diabetes so it could be worthwhile popping into an opticians and ask for an appointment.
A good optician should not be forcing you to spend money so you can have your test and walk out without new specs. For peace of mind, I would recommend it. They can check the health of your eyes for any other problems and refer you to an NHS specialist if necessary.

But on the ready readers, I used Poundland £1 reading glasses for years.
 
Leadinglights said:
When I reduced my carbs down to 70g per day and blood glucose started to drop, my near vision became affected, out of focus and each eye not really working together, it was only because I read on here that it could happen so didn't go rushing to the optician. It took several months for them to settle down, but I did need a change of prescription but that was to be expected anyway as my eyes do seem to change every few years. My lenses are usually £500+ plus the frames.
I have been wearing glasses for 60 years so I dread to think how much I have spent in glasses over that time.
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I used to spend amounts like that.
But then I realised the £10 online companies used the same style of frames, and lenses, so the markup by opticians must be astronomical.
 
Bruce Stephens said:
Also of ageing.
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True enough. and, unpleasant as it is to admit, a definite possibility. Unfortunately, while I have suspected for quite a while that I was type 2, the blurriness started around the same time as the specific symptoms that forced me to admit I could no longer ignore the diabetic indicators. This was just before Christmas and, apart from the blurriness, the symptoms that put the nail in the coffin of my denial, so to speak, were primarily: unquenchable thirst, increased urination and some seriously heavy leakage if I couldn't get immediate access to a toilet.

Obviously I had other symptoms, but they were longer standing and easier to dismiss as old age and lifestyle related.

I have been testing my eyesight with the DVLA car number plate test, and I do pass it, but just barely. It's things like peoples faces, the fine detail of facial expressions and the like. Unless they are standing right in front of me, I just can't make them out. Often, I only recognise friends at a more than a few metres distance by their size, clothes and gait.

For me, being something of a raconteur, it's a real problem. I only have a window of a few seconds to get a tourist to start laughing, and, in order to do this, I really need to be able to see that little twitch of amusement or hastily stifled gasp of internal laughter.

Anyway, as you say, it is probably just old age and I am reading to much into it. Once I get the results, in about a month or so, I will be laughing about my anxiety.

helli said:
was advised by an optician that there is nothing wrong with using them. .... If you are finding them help reduce the blurriness, carry on using them.
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In general, good know. I get mine from Poundland as well. Although I don't use them to help with the blurriness, I use them for reading, peeling/chopping vegetables, darning clothes, rucksacks, sleeping bags .... etc

travellor said:
But then I realised the £10 online companies used the same style of frames, and lenses
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That is also good to know.

Leadinglights said:
My lenses are usually £500+ plus the frames
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My God, I thought you were trying to cheer me up 😉
 
IrvineHimself said:
True enough. and, unpleasant as it is to admit, a definite possibility. Unfortunately, while I have suspected for quite a while that I was type 2, the blurriness started around the same time as the specific symptoms that forced me to admit I could no longer ignore the diabetic indicators. This was just before Christmas and, apart from the blurriness, the symptoms that put the nail in the coffin of my denial, so to speak, were primarily: unquenchable thirst, increased urination and some seriously heavy leakage if I couldn't get immediate access to a toilet.

Obviously I had other symptoms, but they were longer standing and easier to dismiss as old age and lifestyle related.

I have been testing my eyesight with the DVLA car number plate test, and I do pass it, but just barely. It's things like peoples faces, the fine detail of facial expressions and the like. Unless they are standing right in front of me, I just can't make them out. Often, I only recognise friends at a more than a few metres distance by their size, clothes and gait.

For me, being something of a raconteur, it's a real problem. I only have a window of a few seconds to get a tourist to start laughing, and, in order to do this, I really need to be able to see that little twitch of amusement or hastily stifled gasp of internal laughter.

Anyway, as you say, it is probably just old age and I am reading to much into it. Once I get the results, in about a month or so, I will be laughing about my anxiety.


In general, good know. I get mine from Poundland as well. Although I don't use them to help with the blurriness, I use them for reading, peeling/chopping vegetables, darning clothes, rucksacks, sleeping bags .... etc


That is also good to know.


My God, I thought you were trying to cheer me up 😉
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I was just explaining why I didn't go rushing to the optician when my eyes started to feel weird.
 
I
Leadinglights said:
I was just explaining why I didn't go rushing to the optician when my eyes started to feel weird.
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I know, I wasn't criticising you. I was making a [evidently] poor quality joke, that is why I gave it a wink emoji.
 
So, after another appointment with my Docs this morning, I stopped by StreetWork to check my mail and continue the ongoing quest for a bank account and happened to mention the problem with glasses. They were quite sympathetic, and, noting that they will have to check with their supervisor, they offered to help me out.

Thanks to your insightful comments: I then toddled off to SpecSavers and explained my full situation, both medical and financial. They gave me a fairly comprehensive eye exam, including imaging the back of my eyes for any abnormalities and checked the BP in my eyeballs. They didn't find anything noteworthy, however I will still have to go to the eye clinic for the full Retinopathy exam. I also got a prescription for both proper reading glasses and glasses for distance, driving etc.

I have to go back to StreetWork tomorrow anyway, (bank account again,) and will see what they can do for me. However, while I was in Specsavers, I had a look at their cheapest glasses: It will really hurt the budget, but I could probably afford to get the distance glasses in a couple of weeks, then get proper reading glasses next month or so. But I will wait to see what StreetWork say.

Especially in the current financial climate, I imagine that this thread could be of potential interest to quite a number of people living on a tight budget, so I will keep you informed.

Thanks again for your insightful comments
Irvine
 
Just a quick update

In my ongoing quest for a bank account, this afternoon I paid another visit to StreetWork . The result being: We have now moved onto a fourth bank.

On a brighter note however, HMRC finally confirmed that I have paid NI contribution in 20 out of the last 50 years. This means I am definitely entitled to at least 2/3 of the state pension. Now if the DVLA would just hurry up and renew my drivers licence, I might actually make some progress with the bank and be able to complete the pension claim.

With regard to glasses and dental care: StreetWork are definitely sympathetic and, if all else fails. open to the possibility covering the costs of my glasses. First however they understandably want to exhaust the system. Towards this end, we filled out an online form for the NHS Low Income Scheme, (I think that is the correct link, but Citizens Advice or some other helpful organisation will guide anyone in a similar situation.)

We filled it out truthfully and honestly to the best of our ability, given that the text fields had a size limit. This gave us the wiggle room for a little bit of creative economy with the truth, For example:
  • Question: Reasons for seeking help?
  • Answer: Have Diabetes and in urgent need of dental care and glasses
All true, but while the dental care is probably directly related to the diabetes, the link between my diabetes and my need for glasses is more tenuous. In our defence, there wasn't enough room in the field to even specify "Type 2". I am sure they will figure it out on their own, I had to enter my NHS reference number, so they will have access to my medical records.

The financial and housing stuff might raise a few eyebrows or even a small chuckle, but none of it was a lie.

It reminds me of when I had frozen shoulders and, having only recently returned from France was not considered a permanent UK resident. Being in genuine agony, I had to claim sickness benefits and was asked: "How have you been supporting yourself?", to which, with tears [of pain] in my eyes, I replied: "I was a concubine, but, because of my frozen shoulders, my lover has thrown me out on the street for a younger boy"

Bearing in mind that, at the time, I was a 55 year old, overweight, droopy eyed dropout, the expression on the DHS interviewers face was priceless.

Strictly speaking, it was not a lie. I had a friend from Uni who put me up for a week or so, and, being a polticaly active, leading member of Edinburgh's gay community, he was quite prepared to make a major issue out of it

Edited to emphasise they were genuine tears, but of pain rather than fake tears of emotion designed to elicit sympathy.
 
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Just had a flyer from Specsavers through the door.
"Stunning glasses from £19"
In-store.
It looks like they are becoming competitive.
 
travellor said:
"Stunning glasses from £19"
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Yeah, when I was in Specsavers, the cheapest were £19. they were very ugly. Okay for reading glasses, but definitely not something one would want to wear in public as a more or less permanent trademark.

As an aside, I don't know why people perceive things in certain ways, but unfortunately they do. I remember at school in the 1960's, prescription eye-glasses had a very distinctive frame and the kids who wore them were automatic targets for every bully's amusement. That is until John Lennon started to wear designer glasses which had the basic form of the NHS prescription glasses. Then everyone wanted something similar. They also introduced more choice into the range of available frames, thus beginning the process of reforming the high street optician into the beast we know today.

The next range up was £24, with a much wider choice. Still more restricted and much lower quality than the £69 range, but most people will probably find that £6 price differential is worth paying

Edited in response to @travellor's perfectly valid criticism.
 
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