optician misdiagnosis

[Flute56]

I had my yearly opticians check up and got some new glasses. I had an issue with them so got a second opinion after my optician saying they were fine. At the seond opinion I was told I had cataract. I knew nothing about it. My original optician never told me. I think I should go back and complain because I do not feel happy that they kept it from me. I did wonder if the cataracts had only just formed since I went to them and I was told highly unlikely. The seond opinion optician said they probably just deided not to tell me. I said ok but why have you told me and they said because we believe in telling the patients everything.

Should I complain or just leave it? I was told that if I go back to the original optician a year from now and they still do not mention cataracts then I should say something , but they advised me not to mention it now???

What are you hoping to achieve with the complaint? It may be difficult to investigate as you saw them 12 months ago so I reckon you’d probably get generic feedback in return.

My husband ‘suddenly’ developed a cataract. He was seeing an optician regularly and we discovered the cataract abroad after he realised he could not see properly and spent a day in a foreign hospital’s eye department. You are not being unreasonable being angry - but I wouldn’t bother with the stress of making a fuss at the other opticians. I would ask them though if they knew about it. Our optician didn’t seem too fussed when we told them. I was expecting them to be shocked. Maybe it’s not that easy to spot.

I think you have misunderstood. I did not see my original opticians a year ago. I saw them at the beginning of December so we are only one month on.

@Flute56

I think you have misunderstood. I did not see my original opticians a year ago. I saw them at the beginning of December so we are only one month on.

I was more shocked than angry. I also have another eye issue which means I need to take luten. I was prescribed luten tablets years ago which I have been taking, and the optomertrist who did not spot my cataracts told me that luten tablets were a complete fad and waste of money and very expensive at £20 for a bottle of 60 tablets and you can no longer get them on the NHS. He said to me save your money and eat foods with luten like sardines in oil or eat lots of spinach etc. When I went to the optician who diagnosed my cataracts, she said no keep on taking the luten tablets because they will do you some good and so I said but the other optomertrist said they are a waste of money and a fad and she said well I disagree.

I honestly wouldn't worry too much about this, OP (and I'm a professional worrier ) It's never nice to think there's "something wrong", this really is a straightforward thing to deal with if it comes to it years down the line

Depending on your age, countless people have cataracts, and unless they're bothering you - which it doesn't seem they are - it may well be that the optom thought it something to watch but not be concerned about; they really do see that many

ok so why then did the second optomertrist bring it to my attention? I am aged 57 and when I told a friend of mine she was horrified because she said you do not get cataracts at our age (she is the same age as me). She said on average how many people do you know in their 50s who have catarats and I said nobody. The youngest person I know personally to have had cataract surgery is a friend of mine who is 61. She said hers came on very suddenly. She woke up with very blurred eyes but I suspect they did not come on suddenly and was fast growing. I suspect they were slow growing and nobody told her so when they ripened the assumed they had come on suddenly. If you are told about them early on, they do not come as a shock to you and you can mentally prepare yourself for the future when you know you will have to get them done. I am glad the second optomertrist told me so now I do not wake up one day and think oh no whats has happened to my eyes. My friend woke up and went straight to the eye clinic as an emergency because she did not know what was happening. She was very freaked out . Sorry but a decent optomertrist does not do that to a patient

OP everyone's crystalline has some degree of cataract (yellowing) from the age of 40 onward. There is no point in telling patients this if their corrected vision is good as they end up reacting like you are now. Cataracts are not life or sight threatening. They mature over a period of time and then you have them removed. You will gain nothing from complaining. If you have lost faith in the optometrist just stay with the one you have been to who told you in the future.

Also your friend who was "horrified" is a drama queen. You can develop cataracts at any age or even be born with them. It's just not commion.

Flute, I used to work with ophthalmic surgeons and as I have a family history of cateracts I asked him about my risk factor

Expect them any time after 40 he told me, sure enough they were first noted by my optician at my check up when I was 40

I’m nearly 52 now and they’ve not matured yet and probably won’t for at least another 10-15 years so please don’t panic

As for luetien supplements, I have asked many opticians over the years as I’m high risk for macular degeneration and they all have different opinions

If it reassures you and you can afford them then keep taking them but the research is still not there conclusively to say they work which is why the nhs won’t fund it

I did occasionally work in the eye theatre and just to reassure you there were patients of all ages having surgery not just old people

I'd question it personally. I'd want to know why you weren't told and told to stop taking the tablets and if its standard practice or just the optician being crap.

Please listen to @Bemoreme21
I’m an optician. The truth is, EVERYBODY will develop cataracts. The changes to the lens in the eye are gradual and I think they are visible on examination from the age of 30 or so and onwards. I tend to mention it to patients when the signs are more noticeable on examination, which tends to be from late 50s on but can vary. I have referred people in their 40s for cataract operations.
The difficulty is that the severity of cataracts can vary a lot, and just because you have cataract does not mean you are anywhere near having to consider a cataract operation. Some people can manage fine with significant cataract and others are troubled by the slightest changes. We refer people when they want to be referred.
Lots of opticians wouldn’t have the discussion about cataract unless they thought that was likely to be causing you noticeable issues. So nobody is in the wrong. And please ignore your friend who was ‘horrified’ as it sounds like she doesn’t really know much about the subject.

why then did the second optomertrist bring it to my attention?

Different approach perhaps? Some like to outline every little thing and others, as I said, simply "keep a watch" and avoid unnecessary panic

Believe me, if your optom had thought there was anything seriously wrong you'd have been instantly referred to the local ophthalmic department - they have to, to cover their backs and protect their registrations. It's the right thing to do but also creates a situation where, according to my own consultant, over half the patients don't actually need to be there at all

@Flute56

ok so why then did the second optomertrist bring it to my attention? I am aged 57 and when I told a friend of mine she was horrified because she said you do not get cataracts at our age (she is the same age as me). She said on average how many people do you know in their 50s who have catarats and I said nobody. The youngest person I know personally to have had cataract surgery is a friend of mine who is 61. She said hers came on very suddenly. She woke up with very blurred eyes but I suspect they did not come on suddenly and was fast growing. I suspect they were slow growing and nobody told her so when they ripened the assumed they had come on suddenly. If you are told about them early on, they do not come as a shock to you and you can mentally prepare yourself for the future when you know you will have to get them done. I am glad the second optomertrist told me so now I do not wake up one day and think oh no whats has happened to my eyes. My friend woke up and went straight to the eye clinic as an emergency because she did not know what was happening. She was very freaked out . Sorry but a decent optomertrist does not do that to a patient

You can get cataracts at any age. I've known 40yos have them. You can even be born with them. Your friend is wrong.

Tbh I see this so much, it's not like they missed a brain tumour. It's a cataract, it's coming to everyone, it's obviously not affecting your vision yet- which is why they probably didn't mention it. Not ideal, but at the end of the day they're testing in stressful conditions, getting within inches of people during a pandemic.

Give them a break.

Well all I can say is that I am very glad that I was told. I do not believe in being kept in the dark and when I told the optomertrist this, she said she agrees with me and that is why she told me

Sounds like you have found an optometrist who is better suited to you so stick with this one. Please don't overreact about the one who didn't say anything. Research cataracts properly and you will see there is no justifiable reason to complain in this instance. Also don't listen to people who are not qualified and take their word as gospel ie. your friend. You felt something was amiss and got a second opinion. No harm has been done so the case is closed.

Being extremely short sighted runs in my family & cataracts are more common if you are. There's no specific age you get them at. My Grandma had them from late 40's, delayed sorting them on NHS when offered the chance, then went private over 10 years later & it was only partially successful as she'd left them so long .

@Flute56

Your friends wrong you can get cataracts at any age. Ihave one in each eye, diagnosed early 50s. One was fast growing and was removed within 2 years at mid 50s the other is slow growing and at the moment causing no issues

No family history

What’s the point in complaining? Just don’t use them again

My DD (now 10) has seen various opticians and was investigated for a lazy eye. One optician told us that she has a slight cataract, none of the others have mentioned it.

I was reading about vision today and particularly the damage that lasers can do to your vision without you noticing. I'm not sure how it compares to cataracts. Apparently your brain compensates for little gaps in your vision, so you can lose quite a bit without noticing. But eventually you lose too much to compensate for and you experience a sudden deterioration in your vision, despite the damage being far more gradual.

Someone I know said to me today, arent you scared and I said no not really because it is in the early stages. She then said but I would be scared beause cataracts can lead to blindness. I said you should be careful who you say this to because you could really frighten someone by saying this and it is a good job I am not that way inlined lol. I then said I do not wish to talk to you again about this matter. She probably reckons she wills see me in 10 years time with a white stick.

"ok so why then did the second optomertrist bring it to my attention? "

Wo are you taking your business to next time?

The person who found your cataracts or the person who missed them?

Fear sells

Stop listening to friends who really don’t know what they are talking about would be my advice. My dad had cataract surgery on both eyes when he was in his 50’s my mum had cataract surgery on both eyes when she was in her 70’s both of their eyes were fine after the post operative period. I am extremely short sighted and have other eye issues and see an optician regularly who has seen me for a great number of years, I have no idea if I have cataracts developing I trust my optician to tell me if he feels they are something to be concerned about. I have an eye test booked this week so I may just ask the question but I am not concerned in the least.

Oh for goodness sake! If you are unhappy with your original optician then don't use them again. Cataracts are extremely common, and it's an easy fix when the time comes - and I'm sure you will be told when that time comes. My friend had two removed last year at the age of 50. I wouldn't be discussing this with your friends as they sound rather ignorant.

I am 56. A couple of years ago I found out I have a small cataract in one eye. I don't notice it. It was only mentioned in passing as I was told that my vision wouldn't be quite as crisp in that eye. There's no suggestion of treating it yet as it doesn't bother me. I think your friend is ill-informed. As she is your age, she probably has a cataract too!

The optomertrist I saw who told me I had two small cataracts is very expensive. She charges £40 for a regular eye test and then another £30 for a scan which I need because I have macular degeneration and they need to keep abreast of any changes in the macular. All in all its £70 for the complete test.

The other optomertrist who did not tell me about the cataract charges £45 and that includes the eye scan

thanks for the responses. I did in fact phone the optiians who did not tell me I had catarats and said to them that I had a second opinion and the person who examied me said I had the beginning of catarats. I asked them why they never told me and they said they do not feel it is necessary to mention this to paitients when it is in the very early stages beause you can scare them so they would rather leave it until it gets more ripe and then they let them know. They said at the end of the day what would the benefit be of telling someone so early on? You could not have surgery until the cataract has ripened so they feel it is better to leave it and then when the patient reaches a stage of the cataact where they need referring, then they let them know.

I have spoken to two people who disagree with this approach. They both said they woulld prefer to know from the outset and if these people are not prepared to tell people from the outset, then they are not worth going to and I should stop going to opticians who keep things from me, so I have decided not to go back there again.

They even asked the age of this optomertrist and I said what difference does it make and they said because it is usually very young optomertrists who have the attitude that you should tell the patient everything as soon as it happens, because they have little experience but it is kinder not to say anything and keep patients in the dark and only tell them when they need a refereral on to a hospital.

I think that attitude is dsgusting. I said no she is not a young new ly qualified optomertrist, she is a matire woman in her mid 50s who has a clinic at the local hospital. All he said in response to that was oh well even so she has no business to tell her patients things early on. Whereas they take the line where they do not tell people and it would appear to me that they tell people when they have no choice but they cover it up by saying it is the kinder approach

I feel it is kinder not to keep people in the dark