Optometrists/Opticians

My glasses prescription is failing me - no surprise, since it's six years old - and it's time to work out how to see a doctor for a new one.

The thing is, I've been going to optometrists in the US since I was two years old - I have congenital nystagmus, which seems to require some level of speciality - every time I went into a place like LensCrafters and had an exam, the optician seemed completely flummoxed by my eyes. In fact, the only doctor I ever found who didn't find it shocking was in my hometown, and treated me until I moved away 13 years ago. I never had any luck when I lived in Arizona finding any doctors. It was such a frustrating process, I gave up six years ago and have been living with this prescription since.

So here I am again, in a new place, facing trying to find another doctor again, and I've been putting it off for the year I've been here. Sadly, I'm at the point where I can't work with what I have; I get headaches every day from staring at the computer, even if I take long breaks.

My husband has perfect vision, so he's not really had to navigate the system, and he doesn't know much more about it than I do. Are opticians here better trained? I'm wary of a place like SpecSavers. I know I can use the NHS, but I wonder what others' experiences are? Do I need a referral from my GP?

I guess, really, I'm just looking for people's experiences. From what I've read, cost between private and public options aren't much different; it doesn't seem like I'd qualify for a free exam from the NHS, so those things being equal, is one better than the other?

Thanks for your help!

I am going to be in the same boat as you when I move there as well. I wear prescription glasses that are at least 5 years old! My fiance has perfect vision too but he just told me recently that he has not had his eyes checked for so long.  So, we both may end up together going to the eye doctor.  I will keep an eye on this post as I am eager to learn about the optometrists in England.  I was told I have a spot behind my right eye that is just there that makes me sensitive to sunlight but it won't get any bigger tho.  It is just there.  lol. I need to find a good doctor too.  Like you, I will be wary of how good they are in the UK.  What is NHS??

What is NHS??

It's the National Health Service - the socialised medicine that covers most services for most people here for free at the point of service, paid for by taxes (National Insurance Contributions). That's the general description, anyway.

Oh ok.  I have heard the UK offers free health care for people over there.  How nice! But does the National Insurance Contributions come from the citizens' taxes?? I know they pay some taxes but don't know how they operate over there.  Do they even pay taxes to the Queen as well?? 

I would start with a standard eye exam somewhere like Specsavers and tell them what you have. They should at least be able to tell you if you need to go through the NHS ophthalmic route or if they can take care of you themselves. As you're in England, I think you'll have to pay for your eye test, so it's worth googling around and seeing how much you'll pay at different places. The RNIB might also be helpful: http://www.rnib.org.uk/eyehealth/eyeconditions/eyeconditionsdn/Pages/nystagmus.aspx

I go to Specsavers and am very happy with them. But then my eye issues are really basic and simple and don't require any special treatment. I think DrSuperL99's suggestion is good.

(But for most people, I would say you don't have to be wary of places like Specsavers! Their staff is well-trained!)

That link provided by DrSuperL99 is a good resource, as it has Helpline & support info that can help you with more info as regards your condition. It also suggested you might qualify for registration as partially sighted - could lead to other resources possibly or NHS vouchers/payment toward corrective lenses, so check it out.

Staff at Specsavers will be trained opticians/optometrists but not opthamologists (medical doctors).

You'd see your GP for referral to an ophthalmologist, if you need that sort of care. I had an unusual problem with my eyesight towards end of last year & rang the optician (Specsavers) who told me to go straight to my GP. GP in turn referred me to an ophthalmologist for further checks on my eyes beyond what would/could have been done at Specsavers.

A thought just came to my mind. Do they offer Lasik surgery in the UK??

All optometrists practising in the UK must be registered with the General Optical Council and have to meet various standards of competence:    http://www.optical.org/en/Standards/Standards_in_competence.cfm
This goes for whether they work for Specsavers to private practice.  

I have had eye issues in the past and my optometrist (at Boots Opticians) has always added in extra testing and checks for me and I go in on a much more regular cycle than someone with not so complicated eyes.  We thoroughly discuss test results and he wouldn't hestitate to send me to the NHS should it become out of range (we're monitoring things right now) -
So you can go to a optometrist and discuss these things and see if you need to go via the NHS and ask for a referral.  Or you could definitley talk with your GP first as well as see what they think.

Good luck- not being able to see properly anymore is no fun!

Laser eye surgery is available in the UK.

Oh ok.  I have heard the UK offers free health care for people over there.  How nice! But does the National Insurance Contributions come from the citizens' taxes?? I know they pay some taxes but don't know how they operate over there.  Do they even pay taxes to the Queen as well?? 

We pay income tax and National Insurance contributions.

Income tax is 0% on the first £9,000 or so that you earn, then 20% on whatever you earn between that £9,000 and about £32,000 and then any earnings above £32,000 are taxed at 40%.

I can't remember how the NI contributions are calculated though (it's a percentage of your salary I think - about 12%). The contributions go towards certain UK benefits like unemployment/maternity pay, state pension, the NHS etc..

NHS healthcare is free at point of service, so doctor's appointments and all hospital treatment is free.

If you live in Wales or Scotland, then all your prescriptions are free as well.

If you live in England, prescriptions are £7.85 per item on the prescription, unless you are exempt from paying the charges (i.e. if you are on low income, if you are over 60 or under 19 and in full-time education, if you have certain medical conditions like diabetes or thyroid problems etc.). However, birth control in the UK is all free.

A thought just came to my mind. Do they offer Lasik surgery in the UK??

Yes, there are various different types of laser eye surgery on offer. My brother has had it done, as have two of my friends. They usually advertise it as starting from £395 per eye, but it all depends on how bad your eyes are and what procedure you go for  (the cheapest option is the £395, but it's not necessarily the best/most suitable) - my brother's surgery cost about £3,000.

Yes, there are various different types of laser eye surgery on offer. My brother has had it done, as have two of my friends. They usually advertise it as starting from £395 per eye, but it all depends on how bad your eyes are and what procedure you go for  (the cheapest option is the £395, but it's not necessarily the best/most suitable) - my brother's surgery cost about £3,000.
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Did he get good results with no complications?? No side effects?? Who was his doctor for that?? I will keep that for reference.

Ah, thank you all so much! I've sent an email to the helpline on the RNIB site, so thanks so, so much, DrSuperL99, for pointing me in that direction. I'll see if they have any particular recommendations in finding a good fit for a doctor. If not, I think I'll talk to my GP about a referral, though I'm still not sure if that's necessary.

It doesn't really require an ophthalmologist to specialise or have a lot of information, to be fair. Nystagmus doesn't require any special treatment, unless it's really severe or late-onset, which mine's not. The biggest problem is that it's a lot of uncontrolled eye movement, and most opticians I've encountered at big chains haven't seen it before (which is odd, since that RNIB site says it occurs in about 1 in every 1,000 to 2,000 people, which isn't all that rare), and usually spend most of the exam session complaining about how hard it is to actually look at my eye through the machines, and telling me to keep my eyes still. If they knew anything at all about the condition, they'd know that controlling it is impossible, and that the more they'd push, the more stressed it'd make me, which exacerbates the movements. Beyond that, it's just not really very good 'bedside manner', as it were.

Anyway, I didn't mean to imply - though I know this is exactly how it came across - that big places like Lenscrafters or Specsavers don't know what they're doing. I just don't know that the training required (at least in the US) really includes much background on nystagmus, based on my experiences the past several years. I don't mean that to sound like a judgment against the opticians working there; I just mean it to be a judgment of what I need on my own individual level and whether they can meet it. Hope I didn't sound too much like a jerk in my first post.

Just as an FYI, we've used the NHS opthalmic services. When my DD started in her glasses, it was from the NHS, and they were great with us.  I found them to be more attentive and thorough than the specsavers ones I see.  She's got relatively normal eyes though, so they eventually referred her back to the community, but they were really great to work with.  I wouldn't be afraid to ask for a referral if I were you. I don't know how they were with adults, having only gone with my child, but they were great with her and took all the time I needed to answer my own questions.

If I were you, I'd start that now as the referrals can take a while, but once you get in, they are thorough and your follow-up visits are regular, including follow-up appointments to check that your prescription is working right after you get new glasses, which is more than I've ever been offered in the community.

I believe you'd want to go through the NHS if your eye situation is a bit more complicated.  No worries, just check it out.

Oh ok.  I have heard the UK offers free health care for people over there.  How nice! But does the National Insurance Contributions come from the citizens' taxes?? I know they pay some taxes but don't know how they operate over there.  Do they even pay taxes to the Queen as well?? 

Contrary to what your posts in thread have indicated, you don't have to worry that the UK is a third world country. Really.

We give our entire salary to the Queen. She then has tea parties with our money, and sometimes repairs a tiara or two. But she gives us all a very handsome stipend of £3 a month for our necessities.