Appointments

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Important: Please be aware when attending the eye clinic that it is often necessary for drops to be put in your eyes to make your pupils bigger so a thorough assessment can be performed. If this is done then driving should be avoided for 2-3 hours (or someone else should take you home) after your appointment as you may find your vision feels blurry. In a small number this may last for up to a day. If you wear contact lenses, please bring them and any solutions and cases with you.

Attending on time

It is essential that you attend well on time as appointments are booked to try to improve patient flow through the clinic. If you are significantly late you may not be seen.

How long will my appointment take?

On average most patients require over an hour and a half to be processed from arrival to departure so please allow adequate time. Each appointment is different and may take from 3 or more hours if urgent or extensive investigations need to be done to as little as 10 minutes for a routine follow up not requiring any additional investigations.

What would be useful to bring with me?

Your appointment letter.
Any glasses you may have (even if not regularly used). If you wear contact lenses, please bring them and any solutions and cases with you as well.
A list of all medicines you currently take for your eye condition including drops, or a repeat script copy
Any specific questions you may have for the doctor. (You may want to write these down).
Any new information you may feel is relevant to your eye health

What to expect on arrival at your appointment

Please hand your appointment letter to the receptionist, who will direct you to the waiting area. If you feel you have waited exceptionally long please inform reception. If you need an update you can ask the nursing or reception staff who will make enquiries from the relevant clinician. .Please note the following:

Multiple clinics may run at the same time and have different timings. This doesn’t mean you are taken out of turn.
Some patients who are arriving later in the session maybe returning for the second part of their visit to that clinician having been sent for further tests.
You may see one or several clinicians in any one appointment and the individual seeing you may have to consult with other colleagues. It is unlikely that you will see a consultant at every visit and you may see different individuals at different visits.

Appointment changes

To cancel or change your appointments please telephone the number on your appointment letter. This may allow us to give your appointment time to another patient at short notice. Alternatively contact the Central Booking team.

Unable to attend your appointment

If you are unable to attend please ring central booking on 01722 345543 as soon as possible so that our Staff know not to expect you. If you fail to attend an appointment without informing us you will be discharged back to the care of your GP. This will necessitate a new referral being sent by the GP if you still wish to be seen.

I don’t feel well today?

Please do not attend if you think you could have flu, diarrhoea and vomiting or any other infectious condition unless specifically instructed to do so by your GP with full knowledge of your condition e.g. an emergency. If you are not feeling well please inform the staff on arrival so that suitable precautions may be taken.

I want to go privately

If you wish to be seen privately please ask your GP to refer you to New Hall Hospital or pass a message to your clinician via the secretariat. Not all clinicians do private practice.

I have a private health insurance; can I use it for eye surgery to get my operation quicker?

Yes, definitely. If you wish to go privately then please ask your GP to refer you directly to New Hall hospital or to the consultant you wish to see to cut out the wait for your NHS appointment If you do attend the NHS and still want to consider it then please mention this at the start of your appointment or contact New hall Hospital for further information.

Will I have a definite diagnosis made at this visit?

It is often not possible to give a definite diagnosis at the first visit as quite a few conditions need repeat measurements or monitoring to come to a definite diagnosis e.g. Glaucoma.

Will I have treatment on the day of my appointment?

We rarely operate on the same day unless it is an emergency. You may be offered Laser on the day of your appointment in some circumstances. If a diagnosis is made you will be given drops if appropriate.

What if I need a second opinion?

If your clinician feels you need another opinion they will organize it. You have a right to a second opinion. If you feel this is necessary, please ask the clinician in charge of your care or your GP.

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