Nhs or Private?

[Sharonlouise86]

Hi Everyone,

I have had keratoconus for 13 years and have predominantly managed the condition with gas permeable contact lenses. I have not been the best at keeping on top of my condition and have not had an appointment since 2013. I usually go to my local nhs hospital where they have previously prescribed gas permeable lenses at £56 per lens however I am aware there are things such as crosslinking these days that can be beneficial for keretoconus patients. I am about to go back to the hospital for a review and to order some more lenses however I have been considering going to a private optician instead. Can anyone give me advice on whether I should stay with my nhs treatment or go to a private optician? And can anyone let me know if there are any other alternatives to gas permeable contact lenses for keretoconus patients? Many thanks in advance

[Lia Williams]

Hi Sharon Louise,

NHS or private? That's a difficult question to answer.

Why are you considering going private? I would guess that the main advantage would be that appointments would be easier to obtain but you would need to find someone who is capable of fitting lenses for KC patients.

There are lots of different types of lenses available for KC patients including specialist soft lenses (such as Kerasoft) and larger RGPs cornea-scleral lenses (such as SOClear) which are about the same size as a soft lens. Some opticians who specialise in fitting KC lenses will have a vast range of different lenses to choose from but others may have fewer. It's not only the cost of the lenses you need to consider but also the cost of the appointments as chair time can be expensive, especially if you were to be fitted with a different type of lens. But on the other hand the RGPs you have may be a fairly standard design and you may have corneas that are easy to fit so the costs might not be that much more.

Lia

[jay87]

If you can get an NHS voucher I have found a private optician is better as cost doesn't matter.

I had on the NHS Jack Allen KC GPs and they were pretty terrible,kept falling out,

Moved and got a Voucher, saw an excellent irregular cornea optom in Specsavers, and got Rose K2s

My vision is amazing now and im so happy.

She said to me she ignores cost. It is whatever gives best vision and comfort for the patient

[Anne Klepacz]

Hello Sharon,
As people have said, there are pros and cons of NHS and private. But if you haven't had your KC reviewed for 3 years, then it might be worth keeping your review appointment before deciding whether to stay with the NHS.
If you'd like a copy of our information booklet on KC which covers all the current options for the condition, do e-mail your postal address to anne@keratoconus-group.org.uk and I'll send you a copy.

[Kerry Mc]

I was diagnosed in the early nineties but was told there was no treatment other than grafts, which would only be considered once my sight started to fail
I luckily found a contact lens specialist who had an interest in Kerataconus, and my sight was good with gas permable lens until 2 years ago
I had a graft last year and the NHS took over my contact lens care, my lens are sliding around my eyes and coming out all the time, I asked my consultant if I could return to my original lens provider and he agreed, so will be doing that

[jay87]

My private Rose K2s from an amazing Optom at Specsavers are so much stronger, wider and more comfortable than the NHS' 'Jack Allen RGP'.

That kept coming out of my left eye until she adjusted the base curve. Don't think she was very experienced in GPs.

My private optom took literally 10 minutes to choose and inspect the correct Rose K2s, they are comfortable and give FAB vision.

Kay Hilton in Peterborough Central Specsavers if anyone wants a refit. x

[Lia Williams]

Hi Jake,

I'm pleased to hear that the Rose K2s are working well for you. I used to wear a Rose K2 lens in my right year. For years Rose K lenses were the only comfortable lens for my right eye, however I was never totally happy with the vision as there was some residual ghosting. Although I have to admit that with two eyes together my brain could ignore the ghosting. In my left eye I wore a Jack Allen lens and if I put it in my right eye I could see better than with the Rose K lens so I kept asking for a Jack Allen lens for the right eye. But although I could see with the wrong lens it wasn't a healthy fit so it wasn't possible.

In recent years there have been developments in lens design and both Rose K and Jack Allen lenses come in a range of designs and diameters. There are also other manufacturers producing different types of lenses - such as the Kerasoft lens which as the name suggests is a soft lens. There are also scleral lenses and hybrid lenses.

That's the problem with KC what works for one person doesn't work for another - or even the other eye.

Lia

[CrippsCorner]

I started off private... but after paying £35 per appointment and then finding out the lenses I wanted where going to cost me £350 I decided to try the NHS.

I've been with the NHS now for around 2.5 years and so far have only paid £56 total

There are quite a lot of muppets in the NHS but I stuck with them and found a great optometrist.