"Treatment at Birmingham and Midland Eye centre"

I went to see my optician about an eye problem. Having examined my eye, he sent me directly to the Eye Centre with a referral letter.

I was seen by a triage nurse, as my optician said would happen, and was told the waiting time would be 2-3 hours. I waited in a busy waiting area from 11am and was seen at 2pm by a lovely female opthalmologist; she numbed the eyeball, treated the problem and gave me a 2-item prescription.

I got one item from the hospital pharmacy, and got the other over the counter at my local pharmacy as it was cheaper.

The diagnostic equipment at my optician's looked more up-to-date than that at the hospital - this doesn't seem right, given the number of people they have to see and treat - but the treatment was excellent, and the waiting time very acceptable, as they saw me on the same day I had the problem.