"Wet Macula Degeneration Treatment"

Wet Macular Degeneration requires close monitoring, with regular eye examinations every 5 - 6 weeks, in order detect any changes to the macula. Early treatment of any changes to the macula is crucial, as delaying treatment can lead to rapid and irreversible eyesight loss. The system at Yeovil hospital is clumsy, as patients are required to visit two hospitals for their treatments. First they undergo an eye examination at Yeovil hospital, and if an injection is needed, it is carried out at Sherborne hospital. They are not given an appointment at the time of their examination in Yeovil but, instead, have to wait until the appointment is transmitted to them by letter. The period between the initial examination and the treatment is at least one week, a delay which risks the patient developing vision loss. In addition, they are give about 2 day's notice of their treatment appointment (very little). If the person responsible for making the ophthalmic appointments happens to be on annual leave, the wait can be even longer, as there appears to be no reliable substitution in place and backlogs develop.