Private Treatment fot eye problem

[BJS]

I am waiting for a NHS appointment with a eye consultant re a possible cataract. It looks as if could take up to3-4 months. I am over 70 and have never gone private before. Can anyone give me any idea how much a private consultancy may cost. Thanks for any help.

[Whoever]

Last time I saw a consultant privately the consultation was around �75. I suspect it's probably quite a lot more than that now. If nobody else on here can help you, you could try ringing BUPA or AXA-PPP or some other private health care provider who might be able to tell you. Alternatively, if you know who your Consultant is going to be, ring up his secretary at the hospital and ask if he does private consultations and if so, how much he charges. Many NHS consultants also have a private practice so this might be your best port of call.

[Sqad]

Where do you live?

BMI Healthcare charges �1,850 in Blackburn, Lancashire for a cataract operation, �2,400 in Birmingham, and �2,535 in London.

Whoever gives good advice, look up Private Hospitals in Yellow pages or BUPA and ring them.

[york310]

Do you mean you just want the cost of the consultation?? - Probably about �100 -�150.
What I would advise though is to ensure that you got for a consult with a specialist who regularly performs cataract operations privately AND on the NHS. Most ophthalmologist consultants will specialize in a certain area of the eye e.g., cornea, macula, glaucoma, cataract etc. All of these specialists on their private CV will say they do cataract operations (because this will be the most regular problem seen privatley with large sums of money)but they may not do them as frequently as the consultant who does the cataract surgeries in the NHS environment.

Remember, you are only paying to cut down on the waiting time - not to ensure you get the best person for the job.

Waiting times a few years ago used to be 12-18 months but this has come down dramatically with NHS directives on waiting times and the ability of the patient to go to different hospitals. This means hospitals are competing against each other to keep all waiting times down.

Hopefully your vision isn't too bad and waiting 3 months may not be too bad. Almost all 70 year olds have some degree of lens changes in their eyes which could be described as a cataract.

Good luck with your consultation and possible operation.