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Good opthalmologue in SW?


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We tried an opthalmologue on spec (sorry!) in Brive over 3 years ago - with a waiting list of only 10 months - but when we got there it was really primitive - extraordinarily out of date compared with our optician of 14 years ago in the UK.   We're not going back there! 

Can anyone recommend a state of the art opthalmologue in the SW (ideally Lot, Lot et Garonne, Dordogne... ?).  As for the waiting list, I'd rather wait and see a good one.

Thanks!

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Our optician in the UK used to do a thorough medical examination, including photos of the back of the eye.  That's nothing like what happened in France.  I'll take your excellent advice - thank you both - and get it done next time I go to the UK.

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I think that you will find that they are properly trained opthamologists in shops such as Specsavers.

10 months is not very long, where I used to live it is currently an 18 month waiting list and the depassement d'honoraires often as much as opthamologists charge in the UK.

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Ha ha! You can walk in off the street at my local Specsavers,, and be seen right away!

The examination is free for over-60s, diabetics etc. well, I think that's the case at all UK opticians' actually.

I have no connection with the company, BTW. Only as a satisfied customer.

Angela
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I've got an excellent one here, but a bit too far for you I fear.  OH when he first arrived did go to one just like you said in Narbonne, but mine did my cataracts for me, so I have complete confidence in him.  If you have eye problems, and tell them you need backs of eyes, etc, they are just as good as the UK ones, but agree it can be easier in the UK.. Sorry, I don't know anyone in your area, but when I asked the neighbours in 47 what did I do if I had problems with my eyes (been very shortsighted all my life ... specsavers does not do it for me) ...  they said they went to the clinic in the hopsital in Marmande  .. but don't know if that is convenient for you .. or gives you a place to start.

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  • 5 months later...
I finally had the opportunity last week to take everyone's advice and, without an appointment, I went to Specsavers in Nottingham where after a whole 2 minutes wait I had the thorough eye examination I was looking for, and ordered two pairs of glasses at a reasonable price.  I was very pleasantly surprised. Makes the eye testing/prescription system in France look very antiquated.

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Glad you're sorted Coquelicot .... I last used  Boots opticians when I was in the UK, but then I've been to so many in 60 years plus, I'm almost gungho!  Having had my problem sight for so long, with glaucoma etc in the family, I always had a full test, which is why specsavers never worked for me, until after my cataracts were done, and last time, I too used Specsavers, for extra reading pairs (prescription still required due to astigmatism) though I preferred the approach of my sister's non-chain optician ... though more expensive the glasses do exactly what they were designed to do...

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For clarification:

The person in Specsavers who examines your eyes is an optometrist. Optometrists will be trained in a subject such as Vision Science and are concerned with the optical properties of the eye. Their training will include being able to identify pathologies that can not be corrected by optical means and they will refer such conditions to ophthalmologists.

An ophthalmologist is a doctor who specialises in diseases of the visual system and will typically work in a hospital.

The reviled President Assad of Syria was, I believe, an ophthalmology registrar in a London hospital. If he is deposed, I don't think that he will get his old job back.

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  • 2 months later...
Yes, I saw an optometrist at Specsavers. 

But in France only an ophtalmologist can do a full test and give you a prescription, valid only for three years.  If you want to buy glasses and claim anything back from the Secu you need a prescription.

In fact the Specsavers optometrist found raised pressure in both eyes and because I was returning to France she wrote a letter for me, giving the details of the examination. Slightly worried, on returning to France I translated the letter and took it to my ophtalmology practice. They were highly responsive and did a quick on-the-spot test followed by fixing an appointment to see an ophthalmologist only a week later.  The ophtalmologist did a corneal thickness measurement and will see me again in six months to check again on potential glaucoma.  I can't complain at all about the reaction of the French ophtalmology practice, once presented with the problem. But if I had booked an eye test there in the first place I'm sure I would still be waiting and not yet the wiser.

As an aside, I read this week that for an initial two years from 20th Jan 2015 orthoptists who work for an ophtalmologist in secteur 2 will be able to do the eye test and give a prescription. This should hopefully reduce the waiting time for an appointment.  In addition, apparently Optical Center has appealed to be able to take on optometrists in their stores to do the same thing, but the Ministère de Santé is opposed to recognising the profession.

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