Lee
Moderator
My father in law has glaucoma. Over the last year to eighteen months he has developed cataracts in both eyes with one eye being a lot worse than the other.
His GP referred him to the hospital, which is his normal eye hospital, for the cataracts and after an age an appointment came through. That was cancelled and then the new appointment was cancelled, all due to the pandemic. We had a situation where he would be blind if the cataracts weren't removed.
We got the GP to refer him to a different hospital trust to see if they were any quicker. An appointment came though quickly for the new one. He went for a consultation and they said they will do it as soon as possible.
Whilst waiting, an appointment came through for the original hospital. He went to that appointment and was given the crushing news that it was pointless doing the cataract removal in the worst eye because a scan of the eye from about 2 years ago shows irreparable damage to his eye and he would be blind in that eye after the operation. He was also advised to have a few months to think whether he wanted the other eye done because there was a chance he could go blind in that eye as well.
After that an appointment to have the operation came through at the other hospital trust.
Forward wind to a week ago. His eyes are so bad that if I am sat on a chair talking to him and moved somewhere else he would still be looking at where I was sat whilst talking, thinking I was still there. He can't see the clock and can't make out anything on TV.
He had the operation on the worst eye on Saturday morning. Later that day he said he can't wait to take the eye patch off because everything was black with it on. That was sad because it was a see through eye patch.
I went down yesterday morning and, with tears in his eyes, he said he could see the faces on the TV and could read the clock. I haven't seen him so happy in a very long time. Been down today and he's like a different man. The operation has worked!
Getting that second hospital involved has saved his eyesight. It'll never be great but it's better than not seeing at all.
His GP referred him to the hospital, which is his normal eye hospital, for the cataracts and after an age an appointment came through. That was cancelled and then the new appointment was cancelled, all due to the pandemic. We had a situation where he would be blind if the cataracts weren't removed.
We got the GP to refer him to a different hospital trust to see if they were any quicker. An appointment came though quickly for the new one. He went for a consultation and they said they will do it as soon as possible.
Whilst waiting, an appointment came through for the original hospital. He went to that appointment and was given the crushing news that it was pointless doing the cataract removal in the worst eye because a scan of the eye from about 2 years ago shows irreparable damage to his eye and he would be blind in that eye after the operation. He was also advised to have a few months to think whether he wanted the other eye done because there was a chance he could go blind in that eye as well.
After that an appointment to have the operation came through at the other hospital trust.
Forward wind to a week ago. His eyes are so bad that if I am sat on a chair talking to him and moved somewhere else he would still be looking at where I was sat whilst talking, thinking I was still there. He can't see the clock and can't make out anything on TV.
He had the operation on the worst eye on Saturday morning. Later that day he said he can't wait to take the eye patch off because everything was black with it on. That was sad because it was a see through eye patch.
I went down yesterday morning and, with tears in his eyes, he said he could see the faces on the TV and could read the clock. I haven't seen him so happy in a very long time. Been down today and he's like a different man. The operation has worked!
Getting that second hospital involved has saved his eyesight. It'll never be great but it's better than not seeing at all.