"Surgery for my daughter"

I am writing to share my concerns about the care my daughter has received for her strabismus through Ophthalmology services.

I first raised concerns about her eyes when she was in nursery, and she has been in and out of the service since then — a period of around 7 years. During this time she has been offered eye exercises, but unfortunately these have not improved her vision. We have now been told there is a wait of around 2½ years for corrective surgery.

My daughter is desperate to have this surgery. Her condition affects her daily life in multiple ways:

She feels socially embarrassed and self-conscious around her peers.

She experiences frequent headaches.

She is often very tired, and this impacts her ability to concentrate.

She takes longer to complete schoolwork and this is now affecting her education.

These issues cause her distress both at school and at home, and I worry about the effect on her confidence, mental health, and academic progress.

I am also extremely frustrated that there seems to be no clinic I can call to discuss her case. I have repeatedly tried the central number, but I can never get through to Clinic M Ophthalmology at the New Victoria Hospital in Glasgow. I feel very concerned and isolated, with no one to offer guidance or advice.

Given that my daughter has been under Ophthalmology care for around 7 years, with no effective treatment, I strongly believe she should be prioritised for surgery but there is no one to discuss this with. However,  from my understanding, prioritisation criteria for children awaiting strabismus surgery can include:

Significant impact on education and learning.

Ongoing symptoms such as headaches and visual fatigue.

Psychosocial impact, including low self-esteem and social embarrassment.

Longstanding involvement with the service and failure of conservative treatments.

My daughter clearly meets these criteria. I feel her surgery should have been offered much earlier, and I am now deeply worried about the consequences of waiting another 2½ years, when we raised this issue when she was 4 years old.