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"Ophthalmologist was extremely rude and conceited"

About: Hull Royal Infirmary

I attended because I was receiving bad pains in my eyes mixed with variably blurry vision, and seeing double and sometimes triple of everything, though the double/triple would be very minimal and barely noticeable if I squinted my eyes (so I'm looking through my eyelids). This problem started about 6 weeks after suffering a corneal abrasion. And I'd been thrown around by my GP for 3-4 months before finally getting a referral to the ophthalmology department. And got severely worse. Upon arriving in the ophthalmologist's office I presented my printed diary which detailed everything that's happened right back to the abrasion (I'm terrible at remembering things so the diary was a must). But the Ophthalmologist refused to read it, he instead insisted I tell him about the problem from memory. He told me I was near-sighted (I'm not, my vision has been variable as I clearly told him), that he can't explain the double/triple vision. And that squinting will not improve my eyesight or reduce the double/triple vision, so basically he told me I was lying. During the initial slit lamp test on my eyes I began seeing veins floating in my vision, I've never seen this before so I immediately asked if it was normal. The Ophthalmologist stopped and gave me a very nasty stare before saying "If you talk I get distracted" without answering my concern. After a few further tests with an optician (who was very friendly and concerned about my vision) and another woman whom checked my tear quality (also friendly and chatty) I was sent back to the ophthalmologist. He told me that my tear production was very low quality (I was suffering dry eyes). I asked him about the double/triple vision, and he said he's completely disregarding it because he can't explain it. I then took the opportunity to ask some questions to help myself understand the problem "So it's not Blepharitis?" "am I ok to still wash my eyes 4 times per day or will it affect the eye drops?". The ophthalmologist then randomly accused me of being arrogant and questioning his diagnosis and not believing him. Which wasn't the case, I was asking him questions about the problem and my symptoms. Before leaving I asked him if it was possible to get a second opinion on the double/triple vision (as it was worrying that he had no idea what it was) or if I could get a check up appointment for a few months away to have the double/triple vision re-diagnosed. He told me that neither is possible because he's the top doctor of the department and nobody else there has greater knowledge than him. Overall I'm severely upset at the ophthalmologist, he showed little concern or passion for his work or his patient (me). Accused me of lying and then acted concerned when I showed further concern over a severe symptom that he's willing to completely disregard. The facility and other staff were amazing and had passion for their patients well being.

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Responses

Response from Hull Royal Infirmary 9 years ago
Hull Royal Infirmary
Submitted on 06/02/2015 at 11:19
Published on nhs.uk on 07/02/2015 at 00:01


Thank you for placing your posting on the NHS Choices website. We are sorry to read of your recent experience and we will ensure that the staff concerned are made aware. If you would like to discuss this matter further with us, please do not hesitate to contact our Patient Advice & Liaison Service on (01482) 623065 or email on pals@hey.nhs.uk . or contact the patient experience team on (01482) 675189 where we would be more than happy to help. If you would like to become more involved in decisions about local healthcare, we are recruiting members. By becoming a member you receive our quarterly newsletter, find out more about your local NHS and help us improve local services. You can also attend our ‘medicine for members’ sessions and respond to questionnaires. You don’t need any special skills or experience to become a member; you just need an interest in local health services. There is no commitment, you can get involved as much or as little as you choose. For more information please either email foundation.trust@hey.nhs.uk or telephone the Corporate Affairs office on telephone number (01482) 675165. Thank you once again for taking the time to provide us with your views on local NHS services. Kind regards, The Patient Experience Team Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

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