Cataract Blindness ?

fed_up_and_stressed

cattermole wrote: »

I would recommend going the route of a Consultant Ophthalmologist Surgeon and no other, whether NHS or private.

You get what you pay for, personally I wouldn't want to take the risk of the cheapest however small the risk might be.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cataract-surgery/Pages/Risks.aspx

Eh? I would be delighted to hear what evidence you have to substantiate your claim


They (surgeons) all have to be qualified and licensed regardless of cost of procedure in this country !!!!!

I bought lasek off ebay and had a fabulous consultant opthalmological surgeon .. Funnily enough from my local hospital doing private work...

So not true... Cost is not a indicator of a "better job" in eye surgery in the UK.

cattermole

Eh how many Eye Surgeons do you know that would have laser eye surgery themselves?! Or do it on their own family? Believe you me they would rather wear glasses and would probably not even use contact lenses. There are ongoing risks of inflammation for starters.

Cateracts is a different matter and if you can afford to go private rather than wait then yes worth considering.

You do get what you pay for, like everything in life. It needs thoroughly checking out. Yes they should be registered but it does not mean to say they are in every case offering laser eye treatment one might see offered cheaply on line.

Richie-from-the-Boro

I'd rather consider [only] the general opinion of those in this thread who have had cataract removal, and in the particular those whose 'real world' experience is recent.

- there is again loads of scaremongering and garbage assumptions being posted
- for example no one including the O/P mentioned laser until 'cattermole' introduced it
- other recent 'cataract' patients have said the wait time is about 6+ weeks
- I have told you about the 'localism' arrangement for quick private treatment in an NHS funded private hospital
- I had both eye one and two [see below] done & balanced within the 6 weeks


All NHS [private / Nuffield etc and NHS hospital] provision is Consultant led. Those same consultants are in both the NHS [private / Nuffield etc and NHS hospitals. There are usually different specialisms within each 'unit', for example AMD, diabetic, vitreoretinal, glaucoma and paediatrics. The surgeon can and will balance or even unbalance your eventual post operative vision depending on your preference, hence the reason the second eye requirement is debated before the first eye is even operated on. Please try to help each other out with facts.

fed_up_and_stressed

Hurrah great post Ritchie !

Hoping everything goes well for the OP

fed_up_and_stressed

Hurrah great post Ritchie !


I get fed up of "google experts" as I call them.


Hoping everything goes well for the OP. I have no direct experience of cataract procedures (family have ) and they had fabulous nhs service....but everyone is individual ..just hoping OP gets great outcomes.

mumps

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

I'd rather consider [only] the general opinion of those in this thread who have had cataract removal, and in the particular those whose 'real world' experience is recent.

- there is again loads of scaremongering and garbage assumptions being posted
- for example no one including the O/P mentioned laser until 'cattermole' introduced it
- other recent 'cataract' patients have said the wait time is about 6+ weeks
- I have told you about the 'localism' arrangement for quick private treatment in an NHS funded private hospital
- I had both eye one and two [see below] done & balanced within the 6 weeks


All NHS [private / Nuffield etc and NHS hospital] provision is Consultant led. Those same consultants are in both the NHS [private / Nuffield etc and NHS hospitals. There are usually different specialisms within each 'unit', for example AMD, diabetic, vitreoretinal, glaucoma and paediatrics. The surgeon can and will balance or even unbalance your eventual post operative vision depending on your preference, hence the reason the second eye requirement is debated before the first eye is even operated on. Please try to help each other out with facts.

You are quoting what is happening in your NHS trust, not all are the same. It certainly isn't six weeks where I live. They won't even put me on the list as I am not "bad" enough yet. I know someone who is waiting and has been on the list for months, he is hoping to get his op this year but they won't give him any promises. You might think this is garbage but you really don't know the picture everywhere. You are lucky you got treatment so quickly, rather than face the possibility of my sight deteriorating beyond what I deem acceptable I am looking to pay alot of money to get my problems resolved.

Richie-from-the-Boro

mumps wrote: »

They won't even put me on the list as I am not "bad" enough yet

Where do you [county] live my friend ?, in fact which county do you live in ? Unless someone pre-states Ireland Scotland Wales - I will always assume England.

mumps

I live in England.

Just checked my local hospital and average waiting time for surgery is given as 4 months but this is after you are put on the list and is only an average, obviously the person I know has waited longer and for me I can't go on the list yet as my sight isn't bad enough although it is causing me problems, and is getting worse.

If I went to a city 30 miles away the waiting time is halved but I don't know what the policy is about how bad you have to be before you go on the list.

margaretclare

There have been changes since we had ours done in 2007. We were told then, it was a matter of how much it affected your lifestyle, the things you normally expected to do. We managed to get away with it. Maybe we wouldn't now - my argument about not being able to see what was written on the board in a classroom might not have been accepted for someone in her 70th year at the time! Although there is not supposed to be discrimination against older people, maybe it would be more difficult to argue. For example, I used to need to drive for work. Now, I only drive for leisure purposes so, I suppose it could be said, do I need to drive at all. I think I do, but... Different from e.g. a van driver, taxi-driver or the like. The worst thing was between the two eyes - feeling unstable, being unsure of judging distances, it was a most odd feeling, but I've heard of people being told 'you've had one done, that was the worst one, you can wait for the other'. What's not appreciated is having one eye corrected to normal long sight and the other remaining very short-sighted, as well as the cataract.

I believe there have been changes in an attempt to get the waiting lists down. For example, when DH went for prostate surgery 2 years ago he was told the time on the waiting-list must be no longer than 18 weeks, and in fact, it was almost exactly 18 weeks from the first consultant appointment. The 'effects on his lifestyle' were much easier to document. Up and down in the night for a pee, sleep disturbance, disturbing me, risk of falling over in the night, risk of urinary tract infection, tiredness during the day, having to look for public loos everywhere we went, there was a long list. So, it's possible that people are not getting put on to the waiting list if it can't be guaranteed that they'll get dealt with inside the 18 weeks.

margaretclare

mumps wrote: »

I live in England.

Just checked my local hospital and average waiting time for surgery is given as 4 months but this is after you are put on the list and is only an average, obviously the person I know has waited longer and for me I can't go on the list yet as my sight isn't bad enough although it is causing me problems, and is getting worse.

If I went to a city 30 miles away the waiting time is halved but I don't know what the policy is about how bad you have to be before you go on the list.

If it's causing you problems and is getting worse, then go back to them and tell them just that! Ask about the possibility of going to the neighbouring city. 30 miles is nothing much. Don't just accept what you're given. Far too many people do that, I'm not saying you necessarily, but people can be very passive and accept what they're told. Only you can really appreciate the changes and the effects on your normal lifestyle.