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Blogs by Vena McGrath
Friday 10 August 2007 8/9/2007 2:04:31 PM
An update on glaucoma I made the trek into the city yesterday for my visit to the Sydney Eye Hospital. As usual, the long wait began to see a doctor. I arrived well in time for my 9.45 appointment and waited until after 11.00 before I actually saw the doctor. I listened with interest in the waiting room to two other women complaining about the wait time. Their appointments were for 9.45 as well, so no wonder no one got in at the right time. We all saw other people that arrived later than us go in before us. I just sit there and wonder and feel sorry for the elderly and handicapped people that have to sit there for hours waiting.
There's no point in asking anyone any questions as we are all treated like children by the people that run the desk. I often wonder why they think they are a step above the rest of society. After all, they just man/woman a desk and do eye tests on the unfortunate souls that have to go there.
When I was leaving and waiting in line to make my next appointment, a lady came up and asked if someone could find out why her husband had been with the doctor over half an hour. They had the long wait initially as well and were now pushing for time for the next appointment of the day. I was dismayed at the way she was spoken too; like she had no right to ask if someone could check for her how much longer her husband might be. She was told "when you come to the clinic you come knowing that you could be here quite some time'. One of the women grudgingly told the lady, as she sat at a computer doing nothing really that I could see, that she would find out for her 'in a little while'. This poor lady was really quite upset as she wanted to let the people at the next appointment know why they would be late, or perhaps re-schedule the appointment.
I can't fix the world or the attitudes of the people in it, but it is a sad reflection on middle aged Australians that they treat the elderly the way they do. In fact it is highly embarrassing to be a witness to the way they talk down to people and treat them like fools.
I had some positive news in that the pressure has come down in my eyes from 21/22 to 14/16. My good eye is 14 the other 16. The doctor found two eye lashes in my bad eye so that's most likely why I have had problems in the last week with it. One eye lash had embedded itself into my eye so had to be pulled out. Hence a sore eye last night and a patch all night.
Good news is that I don't have to go back to the clinic for 3 months so the new drops are doing the job. Problem is the only way it appears I can get the drops is to traipse into the city each month to get them from the hospital pharmacy. It all seems too hard for anyone to change things so I can go to a local hospital pharmacy for the drops. I was told that the hospital pays $75 for the drops that aren't on the govt scheme and I pay $24.30 for them. If I tried to get them through a pharmacy near home they would cost me an arm and a leg. But I have decided to see my local GP and find out if he can organise for them to be kept for me by Nepean Hospital. It's a never ending battle.
