“Older women are needlessly going blind” - bloody hell

[64sNewName]

Posting here for traffic. This is scary stuff and it feels like everyone ought to read it, as the stakes are so high for women with these symptoms (rapid onset of irreversible blindness).

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/01/older-women-going-blind-giant-cell-arteritis?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

As a lot of NHS trusts are rationing cataract surgery, it's not just older women with GCA who are going blind needlessly. Just saying.

Thanks. Useful info, and worrying.

A lot of the elderly aren’t given cancer treatment even if they are healthy and have no other conditions. The NHS is disgustingly ageist.

All types of healthcare being deliberately rationed now, including vital stuff. It’s scary. And it’s not just the elderly suffering either. Can’t believe we have allowed this to happen.

Tiny numbers compared to A-R-MD.

tbh, I'm annoyed the author made this into a sex issue. Women live longer than men so they will get more age-related diseases.

Sight and hearing loss in the elderly can often cause dementia.

Good to see it being highlighted but it is not a single sex issue. It has damaging consequences for anyone who has this.

Fair enough if it’s an imperfect/incomplete presentation of the whole picture with regard to this disease or eye disease generally. I am happy to admit I don’t know a lot about it (lucky me).

Nevertheless I’m glad to have heard of this disease now.

I’m not sure that the NHS refuses care for older people. From my experience of nursing, there is often a view that people have to be kept alive at any cost. I’ve had to resuscitate 90 years old as nobody is allowed to die. Patients in their 90s were given joint replacements.

As someone with another form of vasculitis, I can confirm it is an extremely scary disease which has had massive impact on my life
...I developed huge ulcers on my legs out of nowhere , joint pain, fatigue hypertension and painful bloodshot eyes...but GP did not refer me to specialist/ rheumatologist until I'd suffered for 18 months ,with numerous trips to GP with various symptoms before I was diagnosed
I was finally started on high dose steroids and methotrexate and had to take 7 months off work as a nurse as my legs were in such a dreadful mess, needing daily dressing
I was on steroids for 18months and continue to take chemotherapy
There is so little awareness of this dreadful disease....I'm one of the 'lucky ones'. I've come across so many others less fortunate via an online group
The disease is not curable only managed by toxic treatments

Btw I was a fit 53 yr old woman when diagnosed with vasculitis....it attacks young and old in its various forms. , although woman are generally more predisposed to autoimmune disease
There is a wealth of information here, for anyone with disease or caring for someone with it
www.vasculitis.org.uk/

My friend, who is male and 64 lost the sight in one eye overnight. It took the hospital over 3 weeks to give him the tests and steroids that he needed. Luckily his other eye has not been affected, although he told me he was terrified of going to sleep in case be was completely blind when he woke. Ageism in the nhs is alive and well. Appalling when we contributed all our working lives.

I just heard about this through Desert Island Discs

Not even ageist. I was at risk of retinal detachment at age 36 and had to go private as the nhs weren't prepared to operate straight away (private doc said I needed urgent op to prevent detachment).

This is the NHS. Good if you're actually dying, not quite so good otherwise.