When I was applying for my student visa to the United Kingdom. I was asked to pay more than SGD$4,000 for the NHS Health Surcharge. I was shocked at how expensive it was and I did wonder to myself if I would ever use any of the health services whilst in the UK. (For I never utilised the health service whilst I was previously in US.)
My first visit to the GP soon after landing due to a recurrent knee condition left me flabbergasted. This was the first time I was told by a doctor, “I am afraid I do not know enough to help you” and sent me home with a phone number to call for a physiotherapy appointment. Yes, I was sent away without any diagnosis and without a prescription of pain relief medicine. I must confess that I lost faith in the health system at the very moment.
And so when I realised on Saturday evening that I was experiencing what was known to be ‘flashes’, a symptom for retina detachment, I was very frightened and unsure what I should do. Then I remembered a classmate telling me that while GPs were generally not the most helpful, the emergency rooms here were great.
As I debated if I should head to the Emergency Room, I went online to check where the nearest hospital was. And I was glad I checked… because the JR hospital would not see you without an emergency appointment. That’s right, I would not be seen at the ER if I did not have an appointment. That did very little to comfort me.
Thankfully, there was a NHS hotline that I could call. I was placed on hold for 30 min but I eventually did manage to talk with a nurse about my situation. She assessed that I did not require emergency attention and suggested that I continue to monitor the situation.
However, the flashes persisted on Sunday. I could see more floaters showing up in my vision and I was experiencing eye pain and eye strain. I got even more worried and imaging the worst. I called the Oxford Eye Hospital Emergency Hotline in the morning and was advised to consult the Minor Eye Condition Services instead.
I then went online and book an eye test and OCT scan for 1 pm the next day.
When I arrived at the clinic, I was told that I should have called instead of making an appointment online. Because they would not be doing the eye test for me. Instead they would be checking on my flashes to make sure it was nothing sinister.
After staring into my left pupil for close to 20 minutes, the optometrist was unable to confirm if there was a retina tear or not. As such, to err on the side of caution, she referred me to the Oxford Eye Hospital for an emergency consultation. I must confess that I receive the news in a daze. I was expecting to receive an all clear and that it was only dry eyes. I left the consultation room feeling even more lost.
Trying my best to calm myself down, I was back to calling the hospital eye emergency hotline and after waiting for 20 minutes, I managed to get on the line with someone who gave me a 3:15 pm appointment. I barely could find my way to the hospital in my state of shock but along the way, I had help from specsavers reception for travel instructions, help from the bus driver on where to alight, and classmates on standby to help if needed… and I am exceedingly grateful to all of them.
At the hospital, I was checked in by the reception, before seeing a nurse for preliminary assessment and a senior imaging consultant to take some images of my eye, and finally seeing the doctor at 4:10 pm. Whether it was the doctor or the imaging consultant or the nurse, they were exceedingly kind and patient, acknowledging that this was probably wasn’t my best day.
The doctor was painstakingly looked into my pupil repeatedly to confirm that there was no tear in my retina. He did however reminded me of my pre-existing eye condition (posterior vitreous detachment), and asked me to continue to monitor my eye. At the moment, there was nothing to worry about; unless new floaters or flashes show up or I start experiencing curtains or drop in my vision.
Even though this was supposed to be good news, I am still reeling from the entire experience. As I write this post, I am still feeling rather traumatised, slowly coming to terms with my eyes becoming a health concern and the need to treat my eye with more care than I normally do.
At the same time, I am amazed by how the hospital made me feel well-taken care of. They did not dismiss my concerns as paranoia and were patient to explain again when I could not register what they said in that moment of panic. There was even a nurse going around offering coffee and tea to all in the waiting room, to help make the wait more pleasant.
And at the end of the day, I left the hospital without having to pay a single cent for all the consultation and services received. I was like… speechless. I now know why I had to pay that NHS Health Surcharge, and why it cost what it did.
Back home now, I am still experiencing the occasional eye pain and blurry vision, still worried that I won’t be able to go home at the end of term, still fearful of the yet-to-happen retina detachment… Yet, I continue to be thankful for God’s mercies and grace, keeping me safe and generally healthy.
May “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7, ESV).
An Ordinary City Dweller 