"My appointment seemed unimportant to them"

After my last visit to Sydney Eye Hospital (SEH), my next scheduled appointment was booked in. About a week before the next appointment, I received a letter from the SEH, cancelling the appointment and rescheduling it for a couple of months later. Due to the severity of my Glaucoma, I have been scheduled for regular appointments (every 3-6 months) over a 10-year period. I believe Ophthalmology experts recommend appointments every 3-4 months for patients with advanced glaucoma, however, my appointment that was cancelled and rebooked was already more than six months from my last, which would make it almost nine months since my last consultation.

I had specifically returned from overseas in order to attend this pre-booked appointment and since I can't afford to travel to visit family often, I wanted to spend longer, however, I felt my appointment was too important to postpone. In my opinion, SEH showed a cavalier disregard for the patient.

I called the next day and explained that I had been experiencing pain and other symptoms that I felt may be dangerous. The staff member that spoke with me said they would see what they could do and get back to me. No-one has gotten back to me in over two months.

The cancellation letter said if I have concerns, to see my GP. I'm not sure what they expect the GP to do for a patient with advanced Glaucoma, having further serious problems. In desperation, I saw my GP due to the ongoing problems with throbbing eye pain and other issues, who said they faxed in a letter to the SEH asking for help. Still have not received a response.

I feel this lack of consultation with the patient and the arbitrary cancellation of appointments (this is not the first time experiencing this), in my opinion, is not the treatment that is worthy of a tertiary level hospital or any Ophthalmology clinic for that matter.

I believe my SEH records show a significant and preventable loss of vision since the time I have been under their care, with minimal intervention. In my opinion, any further loss, given my life expectancy, is inexcusable, and catastrophic. The symptoms I have been experiencing for the last few months, I feel, maybe causing further vision loss.

I believe these issues should have been addressed at my original appointment which was rescheduled without consultation or recourse with myself. I was first recommended for a trabeculectomy a few years back but asked for a less risky procedure. I have still not received the Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery, despite my current problems with throbbing left eye pain, (as well as on-going left eye surface pain, and other serious issues), which I feel, are being ignored.

The final issue relating to my original complaint was when I called to speak to a doctor who had spoken with me regarding an earlier complaint on this topic. I was told that this doctor was no longer in the same position, and I should write an email to someone else in that position. That person then told me that they have nothing to do with the SEH and that I need to contact the original doctor. I feel that was an absolute administration shamble.

In my opinion, if I had any choice in glaucoma treatment, I would choose any other clinic than SEH.