Eye issue - told to go to A&E by GP but then told off by them

[BrambleyHedge]

I've had a lump under my eye for about 8 weeks which waters and is tender. I went to GP 2 weeks ago and he said it was a stye and was very large. He said I needed antibiotics and hot compress and if it didn't go away I'd need refering to eye doctor to 'get it poked' (I think he meant to get it drained). He called me on to see if it had cleared and as it hadn't he said it was now urgent and I must go to a specific local A&E to get referred to eye clinic. I asked twice if he was sure it was A&E and why he couldn't refer me (as that seemed more logical), and he said definitely needed to go to A&E and they would have to refer me. This has made me very worried as he made it sound very urgent/concerning. So I've just spent two and a half hours (grateful it was a short wait) and they were annoyed with me and have said that the GP doesn't know what he is talking about. Nobody has looked closely at it but doctor here said it is a chalazion and that antibiotics are useless for it...and that my GP needs to refer me for routine care. She says it can take 16 weeks to clear. So I now feel like I have wasted A&E time but also that I have a useless GP. Has anyone had a large chalazion and was it just a routine GP type thing of a more acute issue? I am inclined to think A&E and correct and GP is wrong...but want to be a bit clearer before I call on Monday.

This has happened to me frequently (not the A+E or eye thing), the GP says something, chemist disagrees, another nurse at the practice disagrees again, a different GP then says something different, specialist who is referred to also disagrees

You're stuck in the middle, virtually being told off because a professional disagrees with another professional and they all slightly disagree with each other

Pretty poor service really.

I had a chalazion. I saw an opthalmic physician. She gave me drops/ointment but said I'd more than likely have to have it removed. It was quite large but it disappeared once I used the drops.

Dd has one, drops from pharmacy and hot compresses/massage recommended.

This has also happened to me and my husband. The GP says goes to A and E and then when at A and E the nurse told us the GP is a liar and we don't do that here ( heart monitor related). It's happened a few times I'm sick of the battles between the two which in the end doesn't benefit the patients!

Thanks. I was upset about seeming to waste A&E time as I know how stretched it all is at the moment. I think I'll try GP on Monday but maybe also the pharmacist as hadn't considered that.

Tbf I found A& E staff really dismissive of the GP telling me to go to A& E for an injury. They eyerolled and told me the GP didn’t know what they were talking about.

I soldiered on for weeks in pain, turns out I needed surgery!

For anyone with eye issues, Urgent eye care services may be helpful so you don’t spend hours (weeks) waiting to be seen by the GP or A& E.

primaryeyecare.co.uk/services/urgent-eyecare-service/

There’s always a problem with eyes, GPs don’t want the responsibility for eyes, most A&Es don’t want to know either. I had symptoms of a detached or torn retina this week, I knew there was zero chance of getting anywhere with GP or A&E. I went to the optician instead, they were extremely thorough, very helpful. Luckily it wasn’t that but something else which is part of ageing. If it had been retina damage they would have given me a referral to the emergency eye clinic in outpatients.

AFAIK most big hospitals have an attached Eye Unit for emergencies, where patients can present directly, get treated and referred to the Eye Clinic for follow up. It sounds like the GP was sufficiently concerned to ring you to see how things had gone. I think it’s very unprofessional for one doctor to rubbish another’s opinion when they don’t know how they made their original assessment. Also, you say about wasting A&E time, but GP time is valuable too.

Also to add, one of my DCs was referred to A&E by the GP. I was in the room when she called and spoke to the hospital dr. The hospital letter had something along the lines that this child attended without a referral letter. Well no, because they spoke on the phone and there was no time to faff with a letter. I agree that better cooperation would be a good thing. I think everyone is burnt out.

@TooShyShyShhh
I tried to use the urgent eye care service, but not a single one on our local list could see me that day! I ended up paying £65 to a different practice not on the list - but they were brilliant and worth every penny.

My uncle had an urgent eye issue and gp told him to go to the optician. He went and the optician was able to give him an urgent referral to the opthalmology unit at the local hospital.
He had had a TIA as it turned out.

I had a chalazion.
I saw the optician who gave me a letter and sent me to the eye clinic at my local A&E.
It was treated with drops and regular warm compress

Thanks for your ideas. I'll also look at the Primary Eyecare service. Glad to see that maybe it maybe isn't as cut and dry as A&E right/ GP wrong. Maybe I was being a bit harsh on the GP - you are right that he cared enough to call me. I really understand how hard it is for the underfunded health service at the moment so thanks for helping me to navigate the options.

Also have an eye test (wear glasses) in a few weeks if all else fails.

I've been in this sort of situation, stuck in the middle, and what I do is say quietly 'My GP/pharmacist/practice nurse told me to see A&E/call and ambulance/GP so that is why I'm here.' They may not like it, but the response is reasonable and ensures they have no grounds to criticise you.

Just remembered that Ive had very good service recently from an optician about 200 miles from where we live (we were on holiday) (for free) and locally my pharmacist who was much more helpful than my GP surgery

Time to utilise other services I think

I've had a similar experience with lots of eye rolling and 'I don't know why they've sent you here's when my GP sent me to A&E with a referral letter. In hindsight I wished I'd phoned the surgery and got the GP on the phone to discuss her clinical decision making with the Nurse. In reality I felt too ill to think straight. I totally get that there must be some professional disagreements and frustrations but making the patient, who has attended on the advice of a medical professional, feel bad is very out of order.

Chalazia aren't really A&E worthy, are you still doing the hot compresses?

I was really grateful that when my eye problem first flared up the GP tried anti-histamines ( didn’t help) so he had the guts to say I don’t know what it is, it’s outside my experience, go to eye A&E. I’ve had excellent eye care since from the eye clinic as I’ve a couple of permanent problems.
If you can find a hospital with an eye a&e go there or visit an optician who will refer you.