"Referred by A&E with distorted vision"

I began to have distorted vision in my right eye one Friday evening in early August and was referred to Addenbrookes A&E by my GP. I was seen in the A&E Department very quickly and was sent to the Eye Clinic quite late in the evening. I was surprised that the clinic was still open but was soon seen by a charming doctor who diagnosed that I had some bleeding in my right retina and would need to come back on the following Monday for more tests.

On the Monday morning, I had more photos taken and was given fluorescein angiography which, unknown to me at the time, confirmed wet Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) in my right eye. I already suspected that my condition was AMD and started to look into this in some detail. I joined the Macular Society, which has a very good Helpline. According to the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, treatment for AMD should start within 7 days of diagnosis and no later than 14 days after diagnosis. I hadn't heard anything about my tests 2 weeks after the fluorescein angiography and when I contacted my GP they told me that the practice had received a letter the day before from the clinic but was unable to decode the "ophthalmology speak" and couldn't tell me what the diagnosis was. Eventually, I had another visit to the clinic almost 5 weeks after my first visit and my wet AMD was confirmed. Unfortunately, the doctor I saw didn't appear to have read my notes and incorrectly stated that I would have to have fluorescein angiography. When I pointed out that I had already had this nearly 5 weeks earlier, their reaction was "Oh!"

During this consultation, the doctor told me that I would have to have a series of injections in my right eye and proceeded to book the necessary appointments as we spoke (this is what the doctor told me they were doing). At this point I assumed I would start receiving treatment in the near future. The clinic subsequently contacted me by phone to say that I would not be receiving any treatment until "the end of October, at the earliest" - so much for the Royal College of Ophthalmologists recommendations!

In a effort to speed up the treatment, I contacted Addenbrookes PALS who referred me to the Cambridge & Peterborough (CAP) CCG, who in turn referred me back to the Addenbrookes PALS. After much toing and froing I received a letter from the CAPCCG advising me that the "contract" stipulates treatment should start within 18 weeks of referral, which means I should be treated by 11th December and my offer of treatment "not before the end of October, at the earliest", is well within guidelines.

I am so pleased that I am well within the guidelines but otherwise I am pretty depressed.