I am currently waiting for an appointment forCataract removal.

[pooroldjoe]

I am currently waiting for an appointment for cataract removal. My Consultant has marked it as “Urgent - within 3 months�( 3 months- Urgent?) However I am now into the third month with no indication of a possible date. I am now thinking of going Private and wonder if anybody could give me an idea of the sort of costs involved.
TIA
Joe

[Chimaera]

Why should you have to spend out your hard earned cash for something like this? That's unfair. Have you tried asking your GP to chase it up, or try the appointments department at the hospital, ask them if the appointment has been sent out yet, they may be able to give you some indication of how long it will be. The same thing happened to my Mum a few months back when she didn't hear anything from the hospital - it turned out the letter had got lost in the post and the appointment was actually for the following week.

Actually I've just found this:
http://www.privatehealth.co.uk/hospi...taract-removal
It says on there that it can cost anything from £1,500 - £4,900. There's also a link on there where you can get a quote for treatment too.

[Bex]

Originally Posted by pooroldjoe

I am currently waiting for an appointment for cataract removal. My Consultant has marked it as “Urgent - within 3 months�( 3 months- Urgent?) However I am now into the third month with no indication of a possible date. I am now thinking of going Private and wonder if anybody could give me an idea of the sort of costs involved.
TIA
Joe

as chim said i would probably chase up the GP or speak to your consultant. going private is pretty expensive, but it does depend which private hospital you choose to go to. do you have private medical insurance?

[Stuart]

As Chi says, get your GP to chase the appointment. They (both GP and the department issuing appointments) need to be chased.

I don't know what it is like in your area, but in Bromley, when I had my cataract removed, the waiting list for the op under an General Anaesthetic was over 12 months. The waiting list for a local was well under twelve months. Note: Not all consultants do the op under local.

See http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles...x?articleId=90 for some excellent information on the condition and op.

Originally Posted by Chimaera

Why should you have to spend out your hard earned cash for something like this? That's unfair. Have you tried asking your GP to chase it up, or try the appointments department at the hospital, ask them if the appointment has been sent out yet, they may be able to give you some indication of how long it will be. The same thing happened to my Mum a few months back when she didn't hear anything from the hospital - it turned out the letter had got lost in the post and the appointment was actually for the following week.

Actually I've just found this:
http://www.privatehealth.co.uk/hospi...taract-removal
It says on there that it can cost anything from £1,500 - £4,900. There's also a link on there where you can get a quote for treatment too.

Well said, my mother had a knee replacement 4 years ago, when the surgeon said there is a waiting list my late father said we'll pay for it, magically the surgeon said we can get you in tomorrow if you pay private, my mum was having non of it, she said to my dad we've worked all our lifes and paid into the system "we are not paying for this" she said I'll wait. After many interventions by my mothers doctor she got it done within 3 months.

[pooroldjoe]

Thank you all for your replies. Believe you me I am hounding everybody in range at frequent intervals.
Joe

[Russ]

Cataracts for you too huh? Had my pair for 18 months, they're not causing me any trouble...yet! Good old NHS, my waiting list is 12 months...

[Jules]

I must have been lucky from being told I had them to having the first one done was about 8 weeks.

Good luck Joe hang on in there it is worth it in the end

[etccarmageddon]

I thought this was only something that needs to be done when you're a pensioner? I thought it would be extremely unusual for someone in their 30s.

2 mods in their 30s having it done... hmm does mod work do your cateracts in?

[Stuart]

I was told by my GP that generally, cateracts affect either the very young or very old. However, they don't currently know how fast they grow (it's entirely possible I was born with them, and they just took all this time to grow). It's possibly the same for Russ.

[Xaccers]

Met a pensioner in the CAB who's cataract operation was being held up because she needed to phone a clinic for an appointment, but couldn't see well enough to be able to write down any information given to her over the phone.
Her GP wouldn't do it for her, the reception staff refused as well, and told her to go to the CAB to get them to do it for her!

[Russ]

Originally Posted by etccarmageddon

I thought this was only something that needs to be done when you're a pensioner? I thought it would be extremely unusual for someone in their 30s.

2 mods in their 30s having it done... hmm does mod work do your cateracts in?

In the 18 months since mine were diagnosed, they haven't changed one bit which apparently is also very rare. My quack is working on the theory that I have an underlying condition which is causing them.

[Chimaera]

My youngest sister has both of hers operated on before she was 40 - but she's been diabetic since she was 10. Apparently it can be a complication of diabetes

[Russ]

My mother is diabetic - the plot thickens...

[Stuart]

Yet I am not diabetic (I requested a test from the GP)...