Category: Hospital Appointments

Posted in Hospital Appointments

My Hospital Appointment – Optos Test.

Posted on by One Vision

It’s cuppa tea time for this one I think… It’s long. Abit rambling… Get ready…

Blossom Tree. Eye Centre direction Sign

Masked up, I entered the eye centre with loads of time to spare. There are clear screens up around the reception. This is because of Covid.

Had to hold my letter up to show the woman behind the screen. Then went into the very sparsely chaired waiting room. It’s only small and usually packed with chairs. Today about 12 chairs were spaced out for social distancing.

They were having a book sale. Each book for 50p. Just normal print books. Instantly made me sad and reminded me that I can’t hold and read a proper book. I was bemused, did think to myself that it was taking the p** abit. It wasn’t probably the best place to put it. In the eye hospital… but then again, I wouldn’t have thought about that either, before this happened to me.

I do read on my big 10.1 tablet though. I’ve started reading about The Beatles at the moment. Just finished Elvis & Ginger.

Anyway… Went to have the usual eye test. The one you have at the opticians. Had to have pinhole glasses given to me for both eyes as I was guessing that the number 8 I saw, must be a letter S. These help the eyes focus abit more. I’ve done a post about pinhole glasses previously.

As far as I can remember. I think I was still reading on the same lines (3 and 4). So that’s good. Well. Not good. But you know what I mean.

Then I went to sit in the sparsely chaired long corridor. Was told to sit infront of this door. (below). Cue. The tune Octopuses Garden, unfortunately entering my head.

Door with sign. Octopus Fields

Well. After being puzzled by what this appointment was for. I now knew I was off to the Octopus Fields.

Exciting ☺

Name was called, so goes into the room. Was told to pop myself onto a wheely office chair in the middle of the room. #random. Then the bloke wheeled me the to the optos machine!

Weeeeeeeeee…

You place your right eye against the hole. Then colours appear. The green one gives out a massive flash. You can see for a split second your veins in your eye. Cue my outburst…

Me – “bloody hell”.

My Chauffer – (Laughing) “Oh, haven’t you had this test before?”

Me – “Clearly not”

Repeat with left eye.

All done very quickly. Didn’t have dilation drops for this one.

Then I was wheeled around again to another man to have another scan.

Again… Weeeeeeeeee.

This involved looking at a white dot while a red line lowers vertically, all while trying not to blink. I’m not sure what this is called. We were just chuckling at me being driven around on the chair for no reason whatsoever and I was trying my best not to blink. Didn’t think to ask.

So then that was it. Got my yellow sheet given to me. I asked if I was seeing the consultant. My chauffer with the chair for the day, explained that I wasn’t today and my other appointment I’m waiting for should come soon. Popped sheet into the tray at reception and off I went.

All in all. I think because of the zombie virus, and the fact we are still social distancing here in the UK. My appointment was quicker than usual, as there were less patients in the building. Within an hour I was done.

So… Ignorance is bliss. No news from this appointment. Will get a follow up letter though.

Now waiting on Glaucoma Field test. Then appointment to see the consultant.

Posted in Hospital Appointments, How I'm Adapting

Change of diagnosis?

Posted on by One Vision
Green eye, with question mark on pupil level on a white background

OK. So, I’ve known this fact since September (2019) but couldn’t bring myself to write or speak about it until now.

The 3 tests I’ve had were a result of my diminishing peripheral vision and escalating light sensitivity.
They need to see what’s actually going on in there.
The spectrum of Macular Dystrophies isn’t supposed to take your peripheral vision away.
It can make you photophobic though. (Extreme light sensitivity)
The consultant was concerned by this. I’ve got the same pattern as everyone else with Macular dystrophy that he can see, but there maybe something else happening.
It seems to be my right eye that is the worry. That’s where the black blob is in the dark. The blank space at the side of me in the daylight. The reason I think someone is stood near to me when they aren’t and why I have trouble nearly tripping over the dog on long journeys. My eyes give up after a while having to concentrate. Isn’t enjoyable anymore. Or relaxing. Why I have to swirl my head like an owl when I’m crossing a road. The reason why, although I can’t see well in the dark, my room is always dark. I can’t have lights on to see, because they hurt me, cause glare and I am literally blinded by the light. A rock and a hard place.
I haven’t had my results yet. Although you always get a follow up letter after an appointment and I do know that there is a infernotemporal defect in my eye/eyes. It had that on the letter. I did a post at the time. This is your peripheral vision. It’s a biggy. I’m not ashamed to say that I’m very scared and of the opinion ‘ignorance is bliss’ at the moment.

Please click on the picture below to view my past post about this.

I asked him if he thought I would go blind. He said that this is why he wanted to give me some tests. The big ones to find out. I went to 3 different hospitals for them.
One of the appointments, me and my sister made into a lovely day out after we had been. As it was in a town far-ish away that we hadn’t been to since we were children.
I\’m undecided whether to go on my own for the results. When I had the news last year, afterwards I left the hospital, it hit me. I took myself away and just cried. Not full on sobs. Just tears rolling down my cheeks. Angry, frustrated and frightened. Felt very alone and at odds with everyone else around. I had to get the bus back home, 15 miles away. which actually helped, as I had to hold it together. Just staring out of the window trying to take all the scenery in. Thinking of something else, rather than that nightmare.
On the other hand, I want someone there. To actually listen to the doc himself as I will probably just not remember it if it’s bad news and be there for me because I won’t be able to cope with that. If it’s good news then, I will have someone to celebrate with ☺
The next appointment hasn’t arrived yet. I did have a phonecall 18th December last year. Wasn’t prepared, I didn’t really want to know back then. So said I would wait for a letter. What with Covid now, they will be reducing the backlog, and seeing to emergencies. So will just wait till a phonecall or letter to arrive.