Cataract Blindness ?

fed_up_and_stressed

cattermole wrote: »

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.

Actually they HAVE to be registered medical practitioners. Your post is scaremongering scattermole.

Ah so your son in law is an eyesurgeon.
My father in law was a skilled engineer ... Doesn't mean I know one end of a wrench from the other.

cattermole

Keep your fur on...the point is YES all surgeons should be licensed but not all are, so caution is required that is all.

Was just clarifying it wasn't me who first mentioned Laser Eye Surgery or Lasek

fed_up_and_stressed

cattermole wrote: »

Keep your fur on...the point is YES all surgeons should be licensed but not all are, so caution is required that is all.

Was just clarifying it wasn't me who first mentioned Laser Eye Surgery or Lasek

No they MUST be licensed ... Third time i've had to point this out they HAVE to be licensed ...by the GMC.

Actually I am not annoyed ..im in hysterics here !!!!!!!!!

.. Right off to buy some big bore mining equipment cause if father in law can drive it then I suppose I can google how to

cattermole

So your saying no unlicensed surgical procedures ever take place anywhere in the UK?!

fed_up_and_stressed

I said eye surgeons HAD to be licensed as you would see if you read back .....

4th time of mentioning it ... :cool:

cattermole

And I've mentioned now and I haven't counted that not all are licensed, one cannot assume someone is licensed because they claim to be.

You quote getting a service from Ebay for laser eye treatment, fine yours was good and turned out to be fine, but not all of it is. Hence by my comments.

And even more well known companies like Optical Express have a lot of very unhappy laser treated patients.

Just clarifying caution needs to be born in mind when buying a surgical "service" particularly on the internet.

fed_up_and_stressed

cattermole wrote: »

And I've mentioned now and I haven't counted that not all are licensed, one cannot assume someone is licensed because they claim to be.

You quote getting a service from Ebay for laser eye treatment, fine yours was good and turned out to be fine, but not all of it is. Hence by my comments.

And even more well known companies like Optical Express have a lot of very unhappy laser treated patients.

Just clarifying caution needs to be born in mind when buying a surgical "service" particularly on the internet.

Easy peasy people can check with the GMC if they are licenced .....


... As they ALL HAVE to be .....


And surgical outcomes can depend on many things ..not just price that is far too simplistic. Suggest you google it if you would like to know more.

Richie-from-the-Boro

GlasweJen wrote: »

Richie, difference up here is you don't have "choose and book" you have "take it or leave it". Patients don't even have the right to request the same hospital for both surgeries so you could have your left eye done at Hairmyers and the right done at the Golden Jubilee 3 months later and if you dare complain that Clydebank is too far for you to travel from say East Kilbride and request hairmyers for the 2nd op you go back to the bottom of the 13 week wait as it's classed as a non urgent 2nd opinion.
Quite frankly it's a bloody nightmare and I spend half my time explaining to people that I hold no sway with the Health board and I can't change their "take it or leave it" policy though to be fair they are under a lot of pressure to keep to waiting lists and the board is understaffed in ophthalmology.

Sorry for you and your patients, must be frustrating for everyone and its usually the interface, ie, you, opticians and other front line humans who get it in the neck when its totally out of your control. I confess the last time it was that dickensian for ultrasound here in England was the Thatcher era. With this gang in even with an ageing population I've no doubt with the same political DNA we will return to the day when PCTs will need to restrict intervention to (1) only when you can no longer see to drive and (2) we can only afford to treat one eye situation etc, we had last time.

NOTE : Ultrasound works for most of the needs of the public the NHS laser should be for the preserve of that very small % of failed [PCO etc] ultrasound, everyone else who wants a 'rolls royce' priced intervention should exercise their rights to the treatment by emptying their own pocket not the taxpayers pockets.

cattermole

fed_up_and_stressed wrote: »

Easy peasy people can check with the GMC if they are licenced .....


... As they ALL HAVE to be .....


And surgical outcomes can depend on many things ..not just price that is far too simplistic. Suggest you google it if you would like to know more.

Yes exactly which is what I originally said about making sure they were properly qualified Eye Surgeons. Not everyone would think to check something with the GMC!!

Absolutely outcomes depend upon many things not just price.

margaretclare

GlasweJen wrote: »

Richie, difference up here is you don't have "choose and book" you have "take it or leave it". Patients don't even have the right to request the same hospital for both surgeries so you could have your left eye done at Hairmyers and the right done at the Golden Jubilee 3 months later and if you dare complain that Clydebank is too far for you to travel from say East Kilbride and request hairmyers for the 2nd op you go back to the bottom of the 13 week wait as it's classed as a non urgent 2nd opinion.
Quite frankly it's a bloody nightmare and I spend half my time explaining to people that I hold no sway with the Health board and I can't change their "take it or leave it" policy though to be fair they are under a lot of pressure to keep to waiting lists and the board is understaffed in ophthalmology.

We are really lucky, then, here in little Southend-on-Sea where one of the consultants pioneered the new type of surgery. We have 'choose and book'. I was referred from my optician, not my GP, and I could have gone to any of the 3 hospitals locally, 2 of which are private, but still had it done under the NHS. There's another hospital some 15 or so miles away and I could have gone there if it was quicker, but in fact all the consultants are the same. So, I had a choice of 4 hospitals but chose to go to the main NHS opthalmology department.

DH is a little bit different. He has annual checks at the opthalmology department, is checked for diabetic retinopathy. He has a friend who is a German locum opthalmologist who worked at the local hospital. Of course, I'm not saying that got him in any quicker, but his cataracts were done in the spring of 2007 and mine in the autumn of the same year. My short sight was far worse than his and not having to wear thick glasses has been wonderful. I remember waking up the day after I'd had one done and being able to see the floral pattern on the bedroom curtains, what a treat it was.