Great Britain's NHS and Employers

[brd888]

Two questions here.
1. NHS GPs. I am considering visiting my GP again about my dry eye. I've not been since March 2006 as I've tried Opticians since then. Is there any point using the GP? Will I just get a referral to an uninterested Opthalmologist?

2. Anyone changed their work pattern since developing dry eye? I've continued to work full time but if the problem continues or gets worse I may consider asking to reduce hours. Does anyone have experience of this with their employer?

Regards.

[np1981]

Two questions here.
1. NHS GPs. I am considering visiting my GP again about my dry eye. I've not been since March 2006 as I've tried Opticians since then. Is there any point using the GP? Will I just get a referral to an uninterested Opthalmologist?.

I went to my GP loads of times, however I would only get a referral to local doctors. The only time I went back was if I had a specific doctor in mind that I wanted to see, and would get a referral letter from my GP to arrange an appointment. I would suggest its only worth going back if you know of a specific NHS doctor you want to see, and get them to refer you to that person. Knowledgable doctors in this field are hard to find.

2. Anyone changed their work pattern since developing dry eye? I've continued to work full time but if the problem continues or gets worse I may consider asking to reduce hours. Does anyone have experience of this with their employer?

Yes I had the same problem and had to change to a reduced working week (I went from 37 hours/week to 20 hours/week) which meant I could go home at lunchtime. There was no way I could last till the end of the day. I also took plenty of water breaks away from my desk and went for a walk around the block every 2-3 hours. Unfortunately I did have to agree to a reduced salary however, based on the number of hours reduced. It was better than nothing, so I went with it. Now that my condition has improved I am back to full time work, though i still make sure i take plenty of breaks.