Question

[John W]

Hi all a review of previous posts from me will prob tell you i only come here when I have a optic or focal problem.


This time it is a whooly strange occurance.

I have just been on the phone to Barry Hollands secretary after I heard from a freind who also sees him something stranmge.

apparantly now, to supply us with contact lenses through the hospital...we legally have to have an up to date glasses prescription.

Now this to me seems completely absurd, if not disgraceful...I cannot be fitted with glasses, in fact most people who have KC will not have attainable vision with glasses. In my view if glasses do not get me to driving standard, they are pointless and at last attempt glasses would not get me to below line 3. I think that transpired to 1/6 at the time. Lenses get me to the line above the bottom line at the hospital.

I ask and question if anyone has even heard of this and if so if there is an alternative. I just find it incredible that I would have to pay for glasses which would be expensive and did absolutely nothing to help my vision to then have to pay further for contact lenses.

Any info on this would be exceptionally useful!

Many Thanks
John

[Anne Klepacz]

John
I haven't heard of this, and I suspect it's a misunderstanding. However, to get lenses at the NHS rate from a non hospital optometrist, you do need a voucher from a hospital eye clinic and that involves getting an up to date contact lens prescription. So I suspect that's what the secretary may be saying. If it isn't, do let us know,
Anne

[rosemary johnson]

Well, it might explain why the hospital sent me along to "Refraction" to get my sight tested by a guy with those frames and the 2better with the first or the second" routine.
If the rule is you must have a prescription, though, that isn't the same as having to get the prescription made up, surely??!
- maybe the idea is, you have to show that the vision is better in the lens than it would be with glasses. If the glasses prescription says your best vision in specs requires something very complicated and still only gives you 6/36 vision, say, then surely that is good evidence of your need for lenses.
But I haven't heard the rule either.
What I have heard is that I need a prescription from the hospital to go out to ASDA and buy unpowered soft lenses for piggybacking! - says the optician who runs the franchise in the corner of our local ASDA.
I never did get one, as the hospital eventually deicded it didn't need to charge me for unpowered piggybacking lenses - but if they hadn't, by then I'd discovered that I could get the supplies in ASDA for less than the NHS charge, fnar fnar!
Rosemary

[Jeremy_123]

Hi John,

I know when I first went to see Barry Holland we discussed getting a pair of glasses as a potential back up in case I had lens problems. Went to get my eyes tested about 2 months ago now and have got the opticians report with which to give him a copy next week when I see him for my 6 month check up. May ask him about this if you haven't managed to get an answer by then.

Will report my findings if I manage to get any

Jez.

[John W]

Right

I almost waged a war but I found out what I needed.

I have to have a piece of paper from a high street optician (Who I last saw a long time ago) with my unaided prescription and also what I could best achieve with glasses...However, I did not have to buy the glasses. So I went today for an appointment...and the cavalry and their nursing school was in there.

They asked if I minded a couple of juniors seeing KC (From over the road at specasvers) said no. So they asked what had happened in the last 3 years since my last glasses prescription.

So my posts will refer previous to floaters, scars, abrasions and a opthomologist at Windsor saying my optic discs and nerve looked different but by exclusion ruled that it was probably how I was born. 2 hours later I walked out feeling completely reassured and I have a few hinters with regard to the optic never thing.

He and they in fact said my cup to disc ratio was about 4.5 - 5 in each eye. The big boss said that is higher than average but

1. The fields test in the optician was normal (Slightly larger right eye blindspot than left)
2. IOP was 12 and 13 right left respectively (Considered normal).

They asked what my blood pressure was....generally the low end of normal and asked about family history of diabetes or glaucoma...none for both. So BY EXCLUSION they rule out glaucoma...but they would like to take 12 month pictures of my nerve to monitor them and because of that they are now free in a high street optom. Then they asked if I could go back every 6 months so they could track and look at the KC as they dont see it too often!

I asked him about the legality and he knew of Mr Holland and indeed spoke very highly of him. He said as Barry only ever will see me with contact lenses in and does not look at the back of the eye, I should have a posterior check 1cs a year to check for signs of glaucoma etc. He said if I get anxious I can go in anytime and they will look at my optic nerve etc as to be honest the hospital did put the scarers on me a bit.

So from friday night joy im gunna have another bottle (Previous ones probably account for typos....as well as refusal to squint and check!!!)

The poster before me...cant remember your name now...but dont you hate the new way you cannot select a date and time for appointment at windsor...mine is 28th 4:30 if your anytime before me I might just bump in to you.

[GarethB]

Whenever I'm having my eyes looked at and there is mention of optoms unfamilier with KC I jump at the chance to let them have a look.

They only way they will learn how to treat up properly is to see the condition and talk to us who have it to get a little understanding of the issues we have.

My hospital now invite me in when they have trainees, they have gone so far to say a session of new optoms looking at my eyes gives them far more insight to the condition than any book can offer.

The more optoms that understand our condition the better the treatment we can receive.

Plus if as part of your work you use a computer for more than 30% of yor job, your employer may pay for an eye test (see the Display Screen Equipment Regs; www.hse.gov.uk), you will need a DSE assessment but that's a legal requirment if your work is more than 30% at the computer. I've been doing this for many years now.

There are loads of employers who are unaware of this because they don't have an occupational health department, small companies this is usually the HR person who is more clued up on emplyee law raher than health and safety.

[John W]

Cheers Gareth.

I think the more junior optoms found it quite interesting, the owner of the independent was trying to explain some of the early signs of KC and also show them how its more difficult to do a posterior examination at the back of the eye. I never mind anyone looking think my previous post makes it sound like I did.

The optometry dept said about the free eye tests but now I dont need them and at the hospital i never paid for them before. At the optician they said because the condition is educational for them and also as they need to keep a check on my optic disk it will be free for an eye test...they were really good actually but they cant offer the subsidy we all get on NHS lenses in a private practice. I actually in hindsight remember the optician saying the back of my eye had not changed since I first registered...(16 when first started to notice effects of KC). Of course then...they referred me as being young got it free on the NHS. However they also keep records of the topography and they said that as my KC is a little more unusal they would like to keep a record of topo changes.

With regard to employer eye tests they offered the payment when i joined (Being a government agency). However I knew the cost to me was minimal and hence stated that understanding from the employer nin to KC would be far better for me than a free eyetest which I wouldnt use due to my regular appts anyway. As such, they are fully aware and understand the condition now and have told them...liklihood is the KC itself wont stop me working...it will be the inevitable abrasions, scars and infections that mean contact lens free days = not seeing. (Fortunately and touch wood)...this has yet to result in lost time from work.

Right, hope all are ok
John

[GarethB]

John,

I understand now, the only time I get to see the forum now is when I haven't got my lenses in.

I am tryng to arrange with my employer that I can work one day a week from home without lenses so that I can see at least one day at the weekend or see some evenings without suffering from over wearing lenses.

Kept lenses in an hour longer than normal on Thursday to see my daughter at a school concert and my eyes were extremely painful Friday which coinsided with having to work late due to the need to attend a teleconfrence with US collegues.

So far avoided abrasions and scaring from contact lenses, I hope you are just as fortunate as me.

Regards

Gareth

[Jeremy_123]

Hi John,

Afraid I won't be bumping into you, my appointment is for 12pm this Tuesday coming, I'm with you though on the appointments system thats in place now, I think you can ring up and change it once you've got the letter but I much preferred the way I had been doing it by coming out of Barry's consulting room, walking round to the desk and asking for an appointment in 6 months time.

Ahh well... its a bit of a c**p system but I've got my appointment now so I'll stick with it. I suspect they've gone with this new system to reduce people missing appointments perhaps. For those of us who have an ongoing problem with our eyes we watch the calendar for our check up dates like hawks, well I do anyway haha, still it was nice to be able to say yes 6 months time and first thing in the morning please. Still lunchtime isn't so bad a time for an appointment, gives you an excuse for a long lunch when you think about it

"Sorry boss the appointment took longer than expected, yes I know its 3 o'clock but something was causing a hold up in the clinic......"

Regards

Jez.

[Pat Chinnery]

Hi All.
I allways ask the girls on the desk at Windsor to put a request on the form for an appointment as early or late as possible as I work in Oxford and live only 5 mins walk from the hospital. I normaly get one or the other as requested.
Pat