Eye Test

[loopyloo87]

Hi, I've been attending the same optician for yearly check ups & everything has been fine apart from maybe a change in my prescription... The opticians is a small family run business he is very experienced but very out of date the machinery & technology is very basic .

So when I received a free sight test from Boots Opticians with a retina test I thought why not get a thorough check up as they are more up to date with technology... Everything was going fine until she done a eye health test apparently I have some fibres running across the back of both my eyes that shes never seen before she then got a second opinion from a collegue who agreed that I should get a referral first port of call my GP who will then refer me to the eye hospital as they dont think its anything to worry about but feel I should get checked...The opticians I seen told me that they are quite newly qualified.. I'm freaking out with worry now. Ive just called my regular optician & hes on his hols until next Friday so I've booked an appt on his return... Hes never noticed anything but would it have been missed if his equipment is so out of date..I'm trying to stay calm the last time I seen him was a year ago & everything was ok maybe things have changed with my eyes... I dont know what to think :(

Sorry I meant to ask has anyone ever failed the Visual Field Test?

My mum did and we have glaucoma in the family. She had two hospital appointments . In one, they decided she had borderline glaucoma and the other, they discharged her because they were happy with her vision. She saw a young lad too. Maybe he was just enthusiastic? Good that he was thorough anyway

I'm worrying myself sick as to the fibres that they saw in the back of my eyes and what makes it worse is that I failed the visual field I'm not sure that I did it properly..I have another app tomorrow to try the test again then it's waiting for a hospital appt. .The optician said it's not urgent but if she doesn't know what it is how can she say that I'm hoping she's being cautious I'm sick with worry ; (

It can't hurt getting it checked out. A couple of years ago I was suffering from bad migraines. I went and saw an ophthalmologist (more qualified than a regular optician) he had all the super duper imaging equipment. Using a machine called Optomap he could see I actually had cataracts and each retina was torn. This wouldn't be picked up with regular optician equipment. I was very lucky, had the retinas repairs but I could have been very f different if they had remained unnoticed. This wasn't actually related to the migraines. I'm also short sighted ( not related to the torn retinas), I just needed a new prescription and migraines went away

Try not to panic, they can do amazing things with eyes nowadays x

Thankyou hopefully one day I'm a nervous wreck it's the unknown.Im seeing my gp on Friday about a referral but I'm hoping that the visual screening is ok tomorrow I really found it tiring and my concentration was difficult. ..Technology is brilliant on detecting things we wouldn't have known

Lots of people have trouble with visual field tests meaning the results can be quiet unreliable so I wouldn't read anything at all into that.

If you've had no problems with your eyes or vision then whatever it is the optician has seen is probably just something that's normal for you and is the way your eyes have always been.

If you want to be reassured without waiting for a referral then you could go to a walk in clinic at an eye hospital and get them to take a look.

Thank you for your reassurance Thumbcat she did say that maybe my eyes have always had these Fibres going across them so she didn't make it a matter of urgency but I'm an anxious person so it's getting the better of me...I'm going for a second opinion tomorrow

My husband said I should go to a walk in as I'm getting myself in a state but because I haven't got any problems with my sight I feel bad going as non emergency

Well after all my worrying I went for a second opinion & was told by an Optometrist that my eyes are fine.. He said that there are strands but he wouldn't have mentioned it as its fine and no need for a referral.
He felt that a newly qualified optician was being cautious which is ok but it frightened the life out of me as I go for regular check ups and nothing has been wrong... I'm just so pleased that I went for a second opinion.
Thankyou all so much for your replies & reassurance :)

Oh Thumbcat my visual field was also ok yesterday I think the other optician put me on edge.

That's good to hear. I know opticians do a good job but if you really want to get down to the nitty gritty an optometrist or ophthalmologist is your man (or gal) 😁

Glad to hear it.