Wrong diagnosis from optician

magfix

I had an OCT at specsavers and the optician said my mole on the retina was now mushroom shaped, moving to malignancy. An nhs referral was up to 18 months so I went private. The Orthotist said the mole was completely flat and the optician requires further training. Good news for me but her miss diagnosis cost me £250. Should I be compensated? The left lens in my new glasses is completely b wrong too. I could only read a blurred top line on the chart.

pinkshoes

And if they don't err on the side of caution then they get people demanding compensation for not spotting it and the problem spreads...

If the lens prescription is incorrect then they should be fixing it.

magfix

Yes, they are fixing the lens. 

There was no doubt in her mind about the mole being mushroom shaped and irregular but with no fluid. The ophthalmologist said and showed me the OCT, that NO indication of either the mushrooming or irregular edges. Yes, I wouldn’t want to discourage investigations but she seems to have completely  misread the OCT. 

flaneurs_lobster

Don't know what your private healthcare professional's qualification was but it wasn't as an orthotist (unless you were in the wrong department).

Do you mean ophthalmologist?

The person performing sight checks at Specsavers is likely to be an optometrist, an optician is a person who can assist with the choosing and fitting of spectacles.

If you are going to make a complaint about someone's professional competence then it's important to get the specific job titles and registrations correct.

Alderbank

You might have potential for a claim in negligence on the grounds that Specsavers technician did not carry out the investigation with the requisite degree of care and skill which you would expect from an orthotist.

Did she 'hold herself out' as a qualified orthotist or did she advise you to seek further investigation from someone else?

Which ever way you slice and dice it, your quantified loss is only £250. A claim would involve seeking expensive medical opinion beforehand and I can't imagine any solicitor taking this on for the relatively tiny sum involved.

Exodi

Alderbank said:

You might have potential for a claim in negligence on the grounds that Specsavers technician did not carry out the investigation with the requisite degree of care and skill which you would expect from an orthotist.

I don't know, I wouldn't expect a orthotist to know much about eyes...

"An orthotist is a healthcare professional who designs, manufactures, and fits orthoses (braces, splints, and special footwear) to help people with movement difficulties and pain."

pinkshoes

magfix said:

I had an OCT at specsavers and the optician said my mole on the retina was now mushroom shaped, moving to malignancy. An nhs referral was up to 18 months so I went private. The Orthotist said the mole was completely flat and the optician requires further training. Good news for me but her miss diagnosis cost me £250. Should I be compensated? The left lens in my new glasses is completely b wrong too. I could only read a blurred top line on the chart.

Who told you the NHS referral was up to 18 months? 

You did also have a free option available to you on the NHS and they do generally prioritise urgent cases so it's likely you would have been seen quickly.

For the sake of £250 I would just suck it up and be happy that it turned out to be a false alarm. It's not worth chasing this.

TELLIT01

Three times over a period of about 10 years, my wife was referred to the hospital by the optician because they were concerned about something about her eyes.  Each time the hospital said there was nothing wrong but opticians were making referrals because they were terrified that if they missed something they would be sued.  That hasn't happened for a few years now so maybe the guidance has been amended.  I very much doubt you will be able to claim anything from the optician.  They will say you were referred in good faith.

Okell

pinkshoes said:

magfix said:

I had an OCT at specsavers and the optician said my mole on the retina was now mushroom shaped, moving to malignancy. An nhs referral was up to 18 months so I went private. The Orthotist said the mole was completely flat and the optician requires further training. Good news for me but her miss diagnosis cost me £250. Should I be compensated? The left lens in my new glasses is completely b wrong too. I could only read a blurred top line on the chart.

Who told you the NHS referral was up to 18 months? 

You did also have a free option available to you on the NHS and they do generally prioritise urgent cases so it's likely you would have been seen quickly...

I find it difficult to believe that the OP couldn't be seen on the NHS almost immediately.

I suffer periodically from episodes of iritis/uveitis and if I get a flare up I can get an appointment at my local hospital's eye casualty clinic on the same day or at worst the following day.

The first time I was diagnosed by my GP he rang the clinic up there and then and I had an appointment within two hours.

Also when my wife's optician suspected she had a detached retina, she was at the eye clinic two hours later on a Saturday afternoon.

I have no idea how urgent it would be to check a mole on somebody's retina and I have no idea what sort of examination it would involve, but I'd be astounded if the NHS would have taken 18 months.

Of course the problem with an eye casualty or emergency clinic is that it's basically an A&E dept and you might have to hang around for some time if treatment is required, but you should always get an initial eye exam within 30 minutes of arrival.  The longest I've waited has been about 6 hours, but that's better than waiting 18 months