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"Poor experience"

About: Heavitree Hospital / Ophthalmology

(as the patient),

I have had 2 visits to the Glaucoma clinic, and on one of these visits I had laser treatment. 

I have sever hearing loss and wear hearing aids in both ears. 

The staff member that did the tests and laser treatment,  didn't really have a lot to say. When they spoke, they looked at the screen which meant I couldn't see their face. I told them that I couldn't hear and so they turned and spoke to me, but then went back to talking to the screen. 

They then asked me to rest my chin on a piece of equipment, which had clearly been set up for someone smaller, and they made no effort to adjust the height. 

They then started the laser treatment. At first this was mildly painful, but then after a while became very painful, so I pulled my head away and told them but they simply put my head back on the equipment and continued. 

I thought this staff members manner was rude and unpleasant. They didn't seem to know what they were doing, as the leaflet said that this was a mild, painless treatment, but this wasn't my experience. 

An explanation of what was going to happen before the treatment was done would have been good. 

My previous experiences with this department have been good. 

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Responses

Response from Nicolas Blandini, Head of Glaucoma Services (Eastern Services), Ophthalmology - Glaucoma (Eastern Services), Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust yesterday
Nicolas Blandini
Head of Glaucoma Services (Eastern Services), Ophthalmology - Glaucoma (Eastern Services),
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Submitted on 30/06/2025 at 08:53
Published on Care Opinion at 10:18


Dear Corvusmt98,

Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback about your recent experience at our Glaucoma Clinic. I am very sorry to hear about the difficulties you faced during your appointment, especially given your hearing impairment and the discomfort you experienced during your treatment. This is certainly not the level of care we aim to provide.

The laser treatment you received is intended to be pain-free for the vast majority of patients. While some people may experience mild discomfort, it should not have been as painful as you described.

I would like to investigate this matter further to fully understand what happened and address your concerns appropriately. However, as your comment has been submitted anonymously, I am unable to contact you directly.

If you feel comfortable doing so, please could you get in touch with me by emailing: rduh.glaucomasecretaries@nhs.net or calling 01392 406045 asking directly of my self (Nicolas). This will allow me to look into the incident in more detail and discuss how we can help and ensure this does not happen again.

Once again, I apologise for your experience and thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Kind regards,

Best regards
Nicolas Blandini
Head of Glaucoma Services RDUH eastern

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