Last week I went to see an ophthalmologist at the hospital because I think my cataracts are causing problems for my vision.
Before I saw the doctor I was supposed to have an OCT scan which takes a 3D scan of the back of the eye. They gave me some eyedrops beforehand to dilate my pupils and make it look like I’m stoned.
The OCT machine was on a table which could go up and down and move around on wheels. But the problem is I couldn’t get close enough to it. I needed to rest my chin on a bar on the machine and put my eye up to a sensor.
I drove as close as I could to the table, inclined the back of my chair forward as much as possible, THEN there were 3 people leaning me forward and trying to get my head in the right position.
Yet despite all this I still couldn’t get close enough and in the right position to do the scan. So after a while we gave up which was frustrating.
It’s not the first time I’ve had this problem.
In 2017 I went to see an ophthalmologist and I couldn’t do that scan then either. I complained to PALS, the Patient Advice and Liaison Service, and they said they would bring the issue up in a meeting. But obviously nothing has changed since then.
I’ve also had this problem at Specsavers where they have OCT machines which I couldn’t use.
I have emailed them again about it but I’m not optimistic about anything changing.
I don’t know if there is an accessible OCT machine, and I couldn’t find anything about accessible OCT machine by googling.
But obviously there is a need for one because otherwise people like me are being denied scans which could identify problems.
If we can’t have the scan then problems might arise which could otherwise have been picked up and dealt with.
Are there any other wheelchair users who have managed to have an OCT scan before? Let me know in the comments if you have.this
Been there done that Alex went for a more general check up at Specsavers same as you couldn’t get to the table and they were very apologetic. I then went in my Boots opticians and they could facilitate me but probably not the high-level machine you need . My eyes are pretty much all that work for me I still got 20-20.
hi Sean, seems like it’s a common problem then with wheelchair users. I’ve never tried boots opticians myself but not sure if they would have a better machine. Probably not. I’m glad your sight is working at least!
I have frequent appointments with ophthalmology consultants and can’t access any machines or scanners so I just don’t bother anymore. It is frustrating because you just don’t know if there could be something more wrong with your eyes and there’s no alternative way to check. Society seems to forget that we can have a physical and sensory impairment!
Yeah how many eye problems develop in disabled people because they weren’t able to be picked up by a scan. Probably a lot. It’s definitely frustrating