UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi, now that I have seen a private consultant who has confirmed I have KC, I need to decide if I go NHS or Private for my contact lenses.

The obvious difference is cost but to be honest I do not know what is the best option. Would appreciate some advice from anyone?

Kind Regards

Vrinder Dhillon

Vrinder

I guess this is a choice we have all had to make. For myself I have never regretted my positive decision to attend an NHS hospital contact lens clinic. I see only experts in fitting lenses to eyes with keratoconus and have access to the lens type that is ideal for me.

Andrew

Andrew - thanks. my consultant advised that if I go private or NHS I will be sent to the same optician as he is the only one in my area so I guess my decision is made for me, i go NHS. I will see how this goes and if the lens fits ok.

All the best.

As your hospital appears to contract out lens fitting to a high street optom, they may not have the widest range of lenses available to you. So one question you need to ask it what ranges of lenses do they fit. This can have an up side as your optom might be more willing than some hospitals are at getting hold of some of the new lens designs and spending the time required to get an ideal fit for you.

Goig NHS still allows you the option of going private and travelling to a wider area, I know people that travel hundreds of miles to find a private practitioner that can fit them with a lens that suits them best. Then they go with that privatly fuitted lens to the NHS practitioner that then takes on their eye care.

The lenses I now have were fitted through an R&D program which has come to an end, my hospital monitored me but never fitted the lenses. Now that R&D program has ended, the hospital are now providing the lenses to me and are now activly fitting the same type of lens to other patients with great success.

let us know how you are getting on x

You need to decide for yourself what you feel is better for you.
What would the difference be between being private and NHS at the same practice? Cost diff? Appt time difference? Lens availability options?
This whole contracting out thing really is a nonsense. But thats another question altogeather!Why should practice A or B in Aberdeen or Edinburgh be the ones to fit KC lenses? How do we know they always act in the best interests of the patient? Does the NHS get VFM? Is the process transparent?How can other practices get involved or tender for the NHS KC contracts?

All sound advice and questions I mostly certainly need to pose /consider when I visit the optom/hospital. After an intital talk with the optom he preferred me going to NHS as that will mean he will have a wider range of lenses to use for me (odd as I would have thought it be the other way around). I guess the choice between NHS and Private for me is too fold. How much more is it going to cost and how much quicker will I get them. To be honest the better approach for me to take is who will provide me the right lens, however as I have no experience I won't really know unless I start with someone. Will keep you post, but thanks again for the comments.

cost wise, you will pay £52 (i think it is) nhs contribution per eye/lens per year on the nhs - this is slightly dependant on the trust area you are in, some will give you a spare pare included in the cost others i believe only allow you to have one lens per eye at that cost.
However If you were to go private I understand that some of the lenses cost considerably more than that, which you would have to met the full cost of.

Hi vrinder

I go to the NHS for my lenses, but I'm considering going to a private practice for my lenses. The reason why I say this is because going through the NHS can be frustrating! Any advice from anyone?

Thanks