UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi all,

First i want to say hi, i have just found this forum, i had grafts in both eyes 12 years ago when i was 25. What i want to know is where do you guys get your soft perm lenses from? is it the optician? your consultant? i did have soft perms but my eyes werent getting enough oxygen so my optition stopped me from getting any new ones until i have seen my consultant again, problem is its going to be another 5 months before i see him and im desperate as glasses arnt nuch good to me. Am i entitled to my prescription from my optician to go to another opticians? or do i really have to wait another 5 months? My job depends on my eyesight and im at desperate stages, can someone please give me some advice on where to go or what to do.I f anyone can recommend a godd opticians in Glasgow it would be much appreciated.


Many Many Thanks. :

Hi

Welcome to the Forum!

Softperms are generaly obtained from the Optician. SOME NHS Eye Units do offer them to patients, however majority only do the traditional RGP lenses.

You can go to any optician to be honest, however they will charge you again for a test and exploratory analysis. Then I guess there is the Lens Fit and finaly the purchase of the lens.

I cant really commend on opticians in Glasgow as I dont really know any

J

Welcome to the forum,

The Scotish support group is very active and if you go the local group part of the forum, they will help.

I must say if your optician is unwilling to fulfil the prescription, there must be a genuine concern and that they are putting the health of your eye first.

However if this is impacting on work, I think it would be best going back to them and explain the situation as they may still be able to help.

There is also a visit to the GP, this worked for me as I had a 5 month wait and was scheduled to race my car in Germany during this period. Visited the GP who said I was fine, went racing came back and went to work and got sent home because using computers gave me a headache. Went to see another GP in the same practice and he managed to pull the appointment forward and I got to see the consultant 2 months earlier (2 weeks after I had been racing). Found I was not legal to drive with glasses and the si9ght in the right eye was practically non existant.

So appointments can be brought forward if there is genuine concern. I went straight to the GP as I already knew the optician could not correct my sight properly, however at that time I was still plent legal to drive. My sight went down hill rapidly in 4 months but has now stayed the same for about 18 months now!

Good luck.

Gareth

Thanks for the replys,

When i had my soft perms i got a voucher for them, ive only just moved to Glasgow so dont know if i will have to pay for them here, i had a very bad infection in my eyes and thats why my optician stopped me getting any more soft perms (until i see my consultant and he oks it) he is adament he wont order me more, my eyes have really settled down now and im desperate to get them back, as i said previously my job depends on my eyesight. I got new glasses a couple of weeks ago but to be honest there no use at all i can see better out my glasses from two years ago than i can from my new ones. Im thinking of going to another opticians and just starting the whole process over again not and not mentioning that i have already had soft perms previously, id like your opinions on this please.

tralaine Welcome to the forum

I live near Glasgow. If I were you, I'd go direct to the eye casualty department at Gartnavel Hospital. Explain that you have bilateral grafts, have recently moved to Glasgow and that your contact lenses are giving you pain.

You will see an ophthalmologist and may be referred to the hospital's very good contact lens clinie.

All the best

Andrew

tralaine wrote:Thanks for the replys,

Im thinking of going to another opticians and just starting the whole process over again not and not mentioning that i have already had soft perms previously, id like your opinions on this please.

Please do not do this. It has been my experience in Glasgow that optometrists do best when they are given the fullest case history.

Let us know how you get on at Gartnavel Eye Dept Casualty Clinic

Andrew

Thanks Andrew, can i really go to A&E because of my contacts? wont they just tell me to see my optician or consultant? i know if id went to A&E where i lived previously because of contacts the'd have chased me.

Not A and E. Gartnavel has a separate eye department, and they have a casualty clinic.

this enables post graft patients to call in without an appointment if things are not going well.

Andrew

Hello,
What you could do is go into Vision Express in the Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow to have a routine eye test. They're very thorough and always refer you to an ophthalmologist/contact lens clinic in a hospital if they feel your condition isn't a "typical" one that can be handled by them.

Most high street opticians I've been to for eye tests won't touch you with the proverbial barge pole if they know you have keratoconus, and even less so, I'd say, if you've had grafts...so they will refer you immediately. I think they write to your GP first, though, and the GP arranges the referral. Make sure that you give them the name of a GP who knows you have a history of KC and grafts.

In my experience V Exp in Glasgow has been ultra-efficient in referring, so I'd go for it! I was told that the lens prescriptions for KC were too complex for them, and only the hospital could do them. That's a pretty good definition of "responsible professionalism" for you!

Best of luck and hope you get something sorted out fairly soon.

Lyndsey

Thanks Andrew i might try Gartnavel.

Lizzie, my gp has already refferred me but as i say it's another 5 months before i get seen, altho i live in glasgow i have asked to be reffered back to my original consultant that did my grafts (about 10 miles from Glasgow) my eyes are always up and down but are stable just now, but i know if there is any change i can probabbly get seen quicker, it's just my work im really worried about so i might try garnavel.

Thanks.