BRIGHTON AND HOVE CITY PCT CATARACT REFERRAL – QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE Cataract surgery WANTED by the patient. Give patient:1. RNIB booklet on cataracts 2. Booklet with choice of provider of surgery 3. Consent advice form Complete referral form and fax to Haywards Heath PCA service in Haywards Heath copy your fax to the patients GP, contact the patient to ask where they want to go and process the referral to that hospital. They also fax back to referring optician to let you know your referral is going through and advise PCSS in Lewes to make a payment to the optician for the referral. SURGERY
Key code All optometrists/OMPs are expected to follow the pathway indicated in the yellow boxes. Accredited optometrists then also follow the pathway indicated by the turquoise boxes.
If anywhere other than Sussex Eye Hospital, or if you are not accredited, follow up takes place in the hospital and patient returns to you only for new glasses.
If surgery took place at Sussex Eye Hospital and you are accredited to do follow up examinations – at 24 hours patient is called and if all OK the follow up report form is sent to the referring optometrist/OMP. On receipt of this form contact the patient and book their appt at 5 weeks. Ask the patient to complete the satisfaction survey and return it to Jayesh Patel c/o Boots Optns, 129 North Street, Brighton BN1 2BE
After the follow up visit return the completed follow up form to SEH which will also trigger payment for this work.
Where do I get supplies of forms? For more RNIB booklets please contact the RNIB directly.Their number is:- 0845 7023153 For more referral forms or booklets about the choices patients have please contact the team in Haywards Heath on 01444 444783 9am-2pm (and 01444 475962outside those times to leave a message.) The referral form is on the PCT website. Follow up forms should come in the post when required but if you need one ever please contact June Vine at The Sussex Eye Hospital or download one from the PCT website. Patient Satisfaction Survey Questionnaires can be ordered through Jayesh Patel. Any general queries should go to Jayesh Patel, the PCT’s optometrist with responsibility for the cataract pathway, and he can be contacted through Boots Opticians in North Street, Brighton. Tel: 01273 325600 Alternatively you can always contact Vicki Macken, Optometrist on the Professional Executive Committee at the PCT. Mobile 07980 223 483 or vickim@cken.org.uk.
Consent Advice for Cataract Patients Cataract Extraction
Visual prognosis and Complications
Cataract surgery is safe and effective. It offers a 95% chance of improvement in vision. However complications can occur. These complications may affect the visual outcome. Complications vary in frequency and their effect on vision. Fortunately the most devastating complications are rare. Around one in a thousand patients will have an infection or haemorrhage which may lead to severe loss of vision or even blindness in that eye. Other complications such as damage of the membrane supporting the implant or swelling of the retina are not as severe but may affect the final vision. Around five patients per hundred will not notice any improvement and one in a hundred may get a significant drop in their vision.
If you are having problems with your vision then you should ask yourself whether the problems are affecting your vision sufficiently to have an operation.