Diagnostic Glaucoma Clinic

Diagnostic Glaucoma Clinic

If you need help to read or understand this leaflet, please ask a nurse to help you. 

What is the Diagnostic Glaucoma clinic?
This is a specialist clinic for you to attend that will assess and monitor your eye condition. 

Even though the clinic states the diagnosis “Glaucoma” in the name, it is also used for those patients who have other conditions that fall under the umbrella of glaucoma. These could include; ocular hypertension or glaucoma suspect. 

It is important to know that during this clinic you will not see a doctor.

The format of a “diagnostic” clinic allows the patients to have tests completed and then a member of our glaucoma team will review all your information virtually. An informed decision can then be made as to the next action in your care.  

This also allows us to keep on top of appointments; our stable patients can be reviewed virtually and ensures our face-to-face clinics are utilised for those patients who may require further care or changes to treatment without a long wait. 

Once your notes have been reviewed you will be contacted by post with the outcome of your appointment and the plan for your next action of care. 

A letter is also sent to your GP for their records. 

The entire process from the day of your appointment until you receive your outcome can take up to 12 weeks. 

How does this clinic work? 
The Diagnostic Glaucoma Clinic is operated by trained Ophthalmic staff at the Princess of Wales Community Hospital (POWCH) in Bromsgrove. There are several aspects to the clinic process, which gathers the appropriate data to allow the best review and determine the next action in your care. 

The steps are as follows: 

• Data collection of medical history and medication; This provides the doctor a comprehensive past medical history, in case there are any other conditions that may affect your eye condition 
• Visual field test: This will allow the doctor to map out your vision across an area, and they will be able to compare this to previous and future tests to monitor any progression. 
• Visual Acuity: This allows us to know how clearly you can see, particularly in reference to distance vision. It is often expressed as a fraction e.g. 6/6, 6/24, 6/60 etc. 
• Intraocular Pressure (IOP): This is a pressure reading of the eye taken by a special machine.
• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT); This is a scan of the eye which obtains images of the back of the eye. We can compare these images to previous ones and are able to monitor any changes that may occur. 

 Possible outcomes from your visit  

1. You may continue to be monitored within the Diagnostic Glaucoma Clinic at appropriate intervals. 
2. If your eye condition is stable, you may not need to be monitored to attend a hospital setting. If this is the case you may be discharged to either an outside provider who works alongside the NHS, or back to your Optician for further care.
   If your condition was to change in the future, you would be referred back to the hospital for further assessment.
3. You may require a change to the medication you are currently taking or be required to commence medication.
   A treatment advice note will be sent to you; this should then be taken to your GP to allow them to prescribe your eye drops.
   Following any commencement or change to ocular medication, you will be booked into a medication review clinic 8-12 weeks after commencement, with one of the Nurse Practitioners.
4. You may require Laser treatment to slow any changes of your condition. You will be sent an appointment to attend and will be asked to sign your consent form and receive your treatment on this date.
   You will NOT be able to drive to a laser appointment. 
   Before this appointment, you will be sent an information leaflet in the post and you will be contacted by a Nurse Practitioner for a telephone consultation to ask any questions you may have.  

How long is this clinic appointment?
From start to finish the aim is that you will be in the clinic for 1 hour. However, there may be some delays due to unforeseen circumstances, so we ask you to allow for extra time. 

Can I drive to this appointment?
Yes, you can drive to your Diagnostic Glaucoma Appointment at the Princess of Wales Hospital Bromsgrove.

What can I do to reduce the risk of my eye disease getting worse?
Once the damage is caused by glaucoma unfortunately it cannot be reversed.  

Tips to help slow the prevention are: 

• Educate yourself on your condition  
• If you do smoke, try to quit smoking as this can affect the eyes as well as the rest of your health  
• Exercise can be very beneficial to your health, even just increasing the amount you walk can be helpful.
• Having a healthy balanced diet 
• Protecting your eyes from bright sunlight
• Wear appropriate safety glasses when needed  

Education
There are several ways that as a patient you can take control of learning about your condition and how you can help. 

All the departments have a stock of leaflets, so please speak to a member of staff who will happily get the relevant leaflet for you. 

Our Consultant Mr Sharma has also set up a fantastic online service called the “Worcestershire Glaucoma Support Group”, which has all the leaflets that are available within the department online along with information videos and frequently asked questions that you may find useful. 
https://www.worcestershireglaucomasupport.co.uk/

Patient Experience and Feedback 
It is always important to us to know we are providing the best service and care to our patients.  

We understand that attending appointments can be difficult and unsettling but if you have any questions or concerns then we encourage our patients to contact us so that we can reassure and help you. 

We also value feedback from our patients to allow us to evaluate what is working well, and where we can improve our service to allow the best practice of care for our patients. 

You can share your feedback with us by either; speaking to the team within the department directly or completing the Friends and Family tests cards that can be located within the department. 

Contact numbers for all eyes clinics across the county
The clinics are open from 8am until 6pm, outside of those times please contact your GP, 111, 999
Or present at accident and emergency department if you feel your symptoms or condition may be worsening and you are concerned about anything 

• Princess of Wales Community Hospital, Bromsgrove:          01527 488198
• Worcestershire Royal Hospital:                                             01905 733569
• Kidderminster Treatment Centre:                                          01562 512382

If your symptoms or condition worsens, or if you are concerned about anything, please call your GP, 111, or 999.

Patient Experience
We know that being admitted to hospital can be a difficult and unsettling time for you and your loved ones. If you have any questions or concerns, please do speak with a member of staff on the ward or in the relevant department who will do their best to answer your questions and reassure you. 

Feedback
Feedback is really important and useful to us – it can tell us where we are working well and where improvements can be made. There are lots of ways you can share your experience with us including completing our Friends and Family Test – cards are available and can be posted on all wards, departments and clinics at our hospitals. We value your comments and feedback and thank you for taking the time to share this with us.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
If you have any concerns or questions about your care, we advise you to talk with the nurse in charge or the department manager in the first instance as they are best placed to answer any questions or resolve concerns quickly. If the relevant member of staff is unable to help resolve your concern, you can contact the PALS Team. We offer informal help, advice or support about any aspect of hospital services & experiences.

Our PALS team will liaise with the various departments in our hospitals on your behalf, if you feel unable to do so, to resolve your problems and where appropriate refer to outside help.

If you are still unhappy you can contact the Complaints Department, who can investigate your concerns. You can make a complaint orally, electronically or in writing and we can advise and guide you through the complaints procedure.

How to contact PALS:
Telephone Patient Services: 0300 123 1732 or via email at: [email protected]

Opening times:
The PALS telephone lines are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.00pm. Please be aware that you may need to leave a voicemail message, but we aim to return your call within one working day.

If you are unable to understand this leaflet, please communicate with a member of staff.

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