AIBU - I shouldn't have to wait until I can't see to drive before I get referred

[Sickoffamilydrama]

AIBU to try getting a second opinion?

Two relevant things I'm 47 and been short sighted since 15/16.

Started noticing there was something weird with my eyesight about a year and a half ago. Maybe 2 years this was after lots of backwards and forwards to the optician because they couldn't seem to get my prescription right and things were still looking blurry.

A senior optometrist realised I might have cataracts had a look and I have the start of cloudiness. The problem is it's at the centre of my pupil so that's why I'm noticing it more. Apparently most people it starts on the edges.

So with it getting darker I've obviously been driving at night time and this is when it becomes a problem. Yesterday went to an event and the route wasn't familiar, I came back in the dark and realised I can't read the speed limit on gurneys It's fine with some things but numbers that look similar to each other like 50, 60 and 20, same with signs so M5/ M6 I might struggle with and obviously the glare of the other cars makes it worse on motorways.

Luckily the car read the speed limit and I didn't make a mistake and choose the wrong lane but I can see me taking the wrong turn because I can't read the signs until I'm on top of them.

So I'd already booked an optician's appointment for today. As I'd noticed the worsening the other week, it's getting worse when they tested my prescription. That hasn't changed but there's a bit more cloudiness.

Now for the am I being a unreasonable part?

They told me that they wouldn't refer me until I couldn't drive. Keeping in mind I am the main earner in my family. Currently I'm job seeking after being made redundant but the types of jobs I'm looking at often require travelling and driving.

As well I don't think a new job will be happy if I have to stop driving also if it's not on a bus/train route I'd be restricted to local jobs only.

Plus I'm usually the main driver in the family particularly at night time as my husband had a freak eye condition and lost most of his sight in one eye (he can still drive but night is harder).

So do I go back in a few weeks and push for a referral?

AIBU - waiting for a 47 year old to not be able to drive before referring them is stupid.
YABU - wait until you can't drive and possibly can't work then get it sorted.

There are 2 reasons for delaying referral the first being to ensure those in need due to functional vision loss have the surgery as early as possible and the second being because no surgery is risk free, particularly if you are very myopic your risks are much higher of retinL detachment etc.

On a less serious side effects you will lose your ability to focus for up close and even if you don't need distance glasses you will need glasses to see anything closer than arms length after surgery.

However being younger and having a central cataract means the consultant might well consider operating, go to a different optician and insist on referral. They may still not list you.

Have you tried those anti glare yellow glasses for night driving ? I’m waiting for cataract surgery on my right eye and I find they do help me with night driving . I’m in the SE and the waiting list here is a couple of months , I’m waiting longer as I need a GA ( can’t lie flat due to other medical issues) .

My DH has pretty perfect vision in the eye he had done He's just desperate to get the other one done now because his eyes are so far out of combined focus. And they didn't let his sight get really bad before they referred him. .

You go back to then opticians now and insist they refer you as you need to be able to drive for your job plus family and you can’t see well at night and keep having if they refuse again

Yes can see pedestrians and cyclists at night.

I'll check the prescription later just sorting out kids but she said you are currently at 20/20.

I'll phone around and speak to the original optician see if I can get them to give me more information.

Don't know if it's one or both eyes they said you have cataracts rather than A cateract so I think it might be both.

Thank you everyone for the information, seems very varied when people have been referred.

PMd you

Ridiculous. If you have gynae pain, should you have to wait until you're at risk of infertility to be seen? If you've got a bad leg, should you be refused treatment until you're bedridden? Why is anyone saying you're unreasonable?
And while you need to drive to work, other people have reasons they might need to drive, or just be able to see reasonably well, and if we claim to be a first world country, we should be able to treat people quickly.

It isn't just a matter of 'being referred' though.

When you get to the specialist clinic, they will say 'Yes, you have cateract(s) growing, but they are not significant enough for us to be able to operate yet'.

Where I am, you get a call from the clinic within a couple of weeks of the referral, it isn't 2 year wait. But the clinicians there won't do anything until you reach the criteria they are given.

20/20 means you can read at 20.feet what the average person can read at 20 feet, glare can be really significant however you'll struggle to find a surgeon willing to do cataract surgery on the NHS with 20/20 vision. If you suffer any.of the relatively common complications you could easily end up with visiom.worse than 20/20 but still have had a completely successful surgery.

My mum is in her 70s and has decided to go private as the waiting list for the op is 5 years. If it’s going to affect your ability to earn I would consider doing the same as you’re so young.

It's very different, cataracts are not painful, whether you remove them early.or late the.outcone in the end doesn't change, it's not like leaving a cataract longer will mean you're less likely to have a good outcome once it is removed.

The waiting lists for cataract surgery are very long because it's elective, not painful and not life threatening. Adding people with objectively good vision at 20/20 vision helps noone.the clinical need is doubtful, the clinical benefit is equivocal, it becomes reasonable to say if you want it dealt with before it's a functional issue then you can pursue it privately

I have also been told I am starting to get cataracts. I was told that I'd be referred before I couldn't see well enough to stop me driving

It is a ‘functional issue’ and the OP doesn’t have ‘objectively good vision’ is the cataracts are preventing her from reading road signs at night. 20/20 is just one overly crude metric.

I went to specsavers I had no idea I had cataracts but they referred me to New Medica( I think they own them) but in 2 weeks I had an appointment. I got both done within 4 months. They do 1 at a time. It was excellent and on the nhs.

If you can afford £250/300 go private ... will be the best money you ever spent.

I’m pretty sure you’re out by an order of magnitude.

The NHS has to have limits and priorities. Get it done privately if you want it sooner

The NHS likes to wait until the last possible moment to deal with any condition it seems. This would not be the case in any other European country. You would be mad to wait for the NHS and lose the ability to work. You may need to go private. Take out a loan if necessary. Your sight is precious. Maybe a different optician can do a faster referral.

In other European countries you would be likely to have health insurance/hybrid model. It's not all funded by tax like the NHS, which has become too much of a behemoth to be able to function efficiently

@Sickoffamilydrama years ago I used to suffer from what the optician called ‘dusk night blindness’ (I’ve always worn contact lenses) and for a time I was prescribed glasses with just a tiny prescription in each lens (-0.25 left and -0.75 right) and some kind of anti glare coating just to wear over my contacts when it was around sunset, which is when your pupils have to dilate a lot but can’t quite settle until it is pitch black when they get accustomed. I didn’t need them once it was pitch black but it really helped when there were bright lights. Maybe a different optician, or could you call 111 and explain you need a second opiniom?

My mum had cataracts

I saw … I don’t know what to call it…the reference maybe? … the standard that you’d have to go down to for the NHS to refer you. I was absolutely shocked. There is no way that that is safe.

One friend of hers also had them done and told us that she had forgotten the flame on her gas cooker was blue! Because she’d been seeing things as a black-and-white blur for such a long time.

@Sickoffamilydrama basically you’re right it’s appalling

Tell them you’re not driving anymore because you don’t think you’re safe

I don’t know if that will help with the wait times though, but I do know someone who had their done recently with a very short way because they’re now making use of the local private facilities. Weirdly, I think you might have to ask if you want to be seen at the “NHS using private”. Otherwise, they seem to keep it a secret.

@EmeraldRoulette I got sent a list of places to choose from including private clinics and a local private hospital , they don’t ’keep It a secret’ .

If prompt referral isn’t happening I would pay to see a private ophthalmologist and get their opinion.

I'll echo those two too!
Not sure that the turn around was that quick, but it was weeks and not months!
Eyes not even that bad.

My mum had AMD and actually ended up being referred by the optician and her GP and got 2 different appointments at 2 different places. They were actually just across the road from each other. And it was while with the consultant for her AMD that she was diagnosed with the cataract and put forward for the operation.