Absolutely Fuming, poor treatment by GP

[Nat6999]

I had been suffering with a sore eye, I rang my surgery for an emergency appointment & was refused, was told to go to the pharmacy for advice, I went & was sold Optrex for infected eyes, I used this for 5 days & then had an appointment for something else but mentioned my eye. The doctor without looking at my eye gave me a prescription for Goldeneye. My eye has got worse over the next 10 days & I have been to see my optician today, after putting dye in my eyes, it turns out I have very bad damage to my cornea & very dry eyes. I have been prescribed the drops that are used after eye surgery to try & heal the damage & gel to put in my eyes every night. I have another appointment next week to check how my eye is healing. The optician has warned me that I may not get my sight back to what it was in this eye & I may end up having to have surgery to sort it out. I feel that the advice & treatment my surgery gave me was totally wrong & if I hadn't made the decision to go to the opticians, I could have lost my sight.

[Angie6868]

I'm sorry you're in this position and I hope you get better soon. Common sense says you should have gone straight to the optician though, not the GP. I think you have to accept some responsibility

[cocoabasher]

What do we pay our bloody taxes for???

Let me suggest you do some research so you can answer that correctly.

[SuperMeerkat]

I feel for you OP. The smug receptionist wouldn’t let me have a GP appointment today because my issue is recurrent. True, however, the doctor in casualty said that infections (as this is) can cause my seizures to come on. Seeing as i’ve had 3 episodes of Status (continual seizures) this year, I was furious to be told by an unqualified idiot that I couldn’t have an appointment. I swear that many receptionists think they are doctors just because they sit near doctors. What do we pay our bloody taxes for???

[cocoabasher]

Another reason I went to the doctors is that I am on a drug for overactive bladder that can cause dry eyes.

Erm...


The tablets I am on for my bladder, I have been on for nearly four years without any problems.

Tbh I think you need to get your own side of the story straight before you go making complaints about the GP.

[underneaththeash]

Unfortunately GPs have very little training in eyes and don't have the equipment to examine them properly.

Please don't worry too much though, corneas are very good at healing themselves and they should heal completely within a few days. Although, its quite normal to have a lot of dryness after an infection, so you may well need to use eye lubricants for a few weeks.

[Nat6999]

The tablets I am on for my bladder, I have been on for nearly four years without any problems. I have spoken to my GP practice manager this morning & have made a formal complaint, I can't let this go, my eyesight is precious. My eyes are so bad I can't drive at the moment, I am disabled & my car is my lifeline.

[cocoabasher]

Another reason I went to the doctors is that I am on a drug for overactive bladder that can cause dry eyes. The doctor never looked at my prescribing list to check what I was taking. The optician said that at least my doctor should have prescribed artificial tears for my eyes..

If you have dry eye you can buy drops and ointment yourself. There is no need for a prescription. I think you need to take a little bit of personal responsibility here tbh.

[babydog]

she DID see the GP!!

how is it lack of commonsense. she asked a pharmacist and then got a prescription from the GP. the GP was negligent. all GPs know that eye injuries are potentially very serious. the GP should have sent her SOMEWHERE that had the correct equipment to look at her eye!

I don't think the optician meant that your SIGHT will be permanently damaged OP. the problem with cornea injuries is that, over night the 'scar tissue' adheres to the inside of your lid. so when you open your eyes in the morning, it opens the wound afresh. hence they give you gel/lubrication to apply at night for months, to prevent this happening so it can heal properly. I've ripped my cornea 3 times. it DID take a very very long time to get better properly, but I have no permanent problems

[converseandjeans]

I think as you weren't there to talk about your eye problem the GP was possibly more focused on the other issue you went in about. You need to book a double appointment I think.
Also you should have gone back sooner if drops weren't working.

[HollyBollyBooBoo]

I would have gone to A&E or the specialist eye A&E if your hospital has one.

You've got to take ownership for your own health, you can't blame a GP that you didn't even see.

[Pilot12]

I would have gone to the opticians first, everyone knows that it can be hard to get a Doctors appointment these days, an optician will usually see you the same day if you tell them it's an emergency and they can refer you to the eye hospital if needed. You could have also called NHS24 for advice. Sounds like a lack of common sense from you.

[coralisland]

.

[LadyChatterleysHoover]

Sounds like your GP visit was a waste of time and delayed your diagnosis. I would be very unhappy with that treatment or lack of it and I'd definitely follow it up

[coralisland]

A number of opticians are signed up to the community eye care service (in our area at least) They will provide appointments within 24hrs/48hrs/7days depending on the triage questions. It's supposed to free up hospital appointments and help you get better care, quickly.
Not every optician is a part of it but your GP should have a list and the receptionist, pharmacist and GP are should have advised you to call them.

[Nat6999]

Another reason I went to the doctors is that I am on a drug for overactive bladder that can cause dry eyes. The doctor never looked at my prescribing list to check what I was taking. The optician said that at least my doctor should have prescribed artificial tears for my eyes..

[babydog]

@Prevegen4U I don't think we DO go to opticians for medical problems with our eyes in the UK though?? I have NEVER heard of that before. as I said though, I live near an eye hospital but I can't imagine the optician is where you go if you don't have an eye hospital. I think PP might be incorrect

[babydog]

me and my kids have always been sent to the eye hospital when we have had any eye issues (surprisingly quite a few eye injuries between us!) because GP aren't specialised enough/don't have the equipment. there is an eye AnE at the eye hospital

I don't know what people do, who don't live near an eye hospital??

[cocoabasher]

When I say 'optician' I mean the place you go, not who you see, if that makes any sense.

[Prevegen4U]

I was told that women in the UK do not have their own gynecologist for routine/annual exams and now I see you go to an optician for medical problems with your eyes. An optician is a "technical practitioner who designs, fits and dispenses corrective lenses for the correction of a person's vision".

Don't you mean an 'Optometrist'? An Optometrist is a doctor who specializes in medical problems with eyes.

I'm not trying to be difficult. I'm just confused because of the gyno thing and people in the UK see a pharmacist for medical advice/diagnoses, which is practicing medicine without a license where I live.

[cocoabasher]

Sorry I should have added (since it was the whole point I was trying to make) you should contact your practice manager and give some feedback regarding the lack of signposting. It is obviously worth then doing as it won't just be you that's didn't know to see an optician (in the first instance anyway, for anything they couldn't treat they would refer you on to a specialist)

[cocoabasher]

Our GP has signs up and a recorded message when you phone before you even get though to the options list and one of those is to see your optician for eye problems.

[PixieDustt]

Would you go to the doctor if you had toothache?
Common sense tells you to go to the optician and you know it.
The doctors aren't too blame here...

[DangerMouse17]

Ophthalmologist for eyes, GPs are not specialised enough. I've been to Moorfields A&E a few times or been referred to them by seeing an optician. Much more effective. I hope the eye improves OP, but dont think the GP has done anything wrong.

[Prevegen4U]

How much does a private doctor cost in the UK or private insurance? I'm just curious.

[Savingshoes]

An optician can see a lot of issues with eyes with their equipment but not all.
You need an ophthalmologist for the rest. GP will refer to an ophthalmologist which can take over a fortnight but that would be the reason you go to a GP for eyes, if the optician's suggestion hadn't worked.
Alternatively you sit down A&E and get seen that day by an eye specialist. (Bring a packed lunch, when I say day - I mean it could be a whole day).