Retinopathy screening appointment by telephone!

[silentsquirrel]

Later today, should be interesting!
Had my usual screening appointment back in February in the mobile van. It was a day when people were exulting about not needing drops at all. I had 2 lots of drops, loads of extra photos, but warned by technician that he still couldn't get clear enough digital photos because of cataracts, so to expect an appointment for the screening to be done by other methods. Sure enough, after a few weeks appointment letter arrived, thankfully for a clinic at our very local cottage-type hospital, I was worried I would need to find my way to Grantham or Boston.

Fully expected to have the appointment postponed until safer times, but informed by phone that all appointments would take place by telephone! Presumably this will just be a weeding out process to sort out who really needs to be seen soon, and who can wait.

 

[chaoticcar]

My diabetic eye screening appointment was cancelled but I did have a phone call from a doctor asking if I had any problems or worries
Carol

 

[trophywench]

Why don't you ask while you are on the phone whether they do cataract removal at the cottage hospital? Takes 20 minutes per eye and if they're already bad enough to prevent clear retinal photos, you are clearly urgent!

 

[silentsquirrel]

Felt quite happy with phone consultation - it will probably be 6 months before I am seen, but to ring them before then if I think things are changing.
They will look at the cataracts as well as the retinopathy check. I don't think they can be that bad - I got to much the same point as usual on the chart in the van, and I feel confident still to drive, though that will be very limited obviously for some time! I had already decided not to drive at night unless totally on lit roads.

 

[grovesy]

Are you saying they tested your sight over the phone?

 

[silentsquirrel]

The brief sight test was in the screening van when they failed to get sharp enough digital photos . The phone call was to discuss postponement of the opthalmology appointment to screen the retinas by some other method.

 

[grovesy]

Oh , that is why I asked, as I read it that you had a an eye test as part of the phone consultation.

 

[trophywench]

Yeah - you hadn't mentioned a screening van!

 

[silentsquirrel]

Yeah - you hadn't mentioned a screening van!

Post 1, 2nd sentence.......

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Are you saying they tested your sight over the phone?

Haha! I had the same confusion @grovesy, because my follow-up is more often by letter I guess.

Glad you were able to get follow-up info @silentsquirrel - hope they can work out a way to get clearer photos. Do you think it would have helped if it wasn’t in a van? Or is the van usually OK for you?

 

[silentsquirrel]

Haha! I had the same confusion @grovesy, because my follow-up is more often by letter I guess.

Glad you were able to get follow-up info @silentsquirrel - hope they can work out a way to get clearer photos. Do you think it would have helped if it wasn’t in a van? Or is the van usually OK for you?

Thanks, Mike. Van has been fine for previous 7/8 years, I think all screening is done in the van in this area.
The next step, which is postponed for now, is to use a slit lamp to look at the retina. I don't think they take any photos.

 

[trophywench]

Which is exactly what real opthalmologists use to do the cataract examinations, so when they can do it again yes - they can do both. Because my cataracts were both different - one was more of a halo pattern than the other which was more at the side - they only had trouble with the one eye with the retinal photography which was exactly why I asked my 'ordinary' optician to write to my GP to ask him to refer me for a cataract op, even though as far as he could see, I was still OK to drive, but like you dusk and night time was getting rather iffy. Dusk I'd start losing peripheral vision so OMG where is the kerb? and later not only could I not see the kerb but any light - street, traffic and vehicle - dazzled me, aargghh. Pete had his prostate removed in the midst of this and they didn't discharge him from hospital until approx. 11pm one night. I nearly killed him driving home from hosp, where I'd been with him since teatime waiting waiting waiting for one bit of paper. (They wouldn't let him go until his BP was normal - he's had low BP all his life so we told them in that case he'd be occupying that bed until the day he died and FFS ring his consultant otherwise he'd have to discharge himself - ridiculous 36 hours after a 5 hour major operation using a quarter of a million £££ robot that they usually only keep you in after for 24 hours.)

Anyway I didn't kill him in the finish which was just as well really else I'd have had difficulty getting my second cataract done!