"Delays in treatment"

I have had a very bad experience with my treatment from the Macular Department at Mater Hospital, Belfast.

In 2021 I was diagnosed by Diabetic Eye Screening with branch retina vein occlusion and referred to Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. It took 28 weeks to have a first appointment with Belfast Mater Hospital Macular Department, who redid the very same tests and came to the very same conclusion.

38 weeks later I had a first appointment with a doctor who suggested that I have a course of six injections in my eye at 4-week intervals with the first on that day. This timescale never happened, and it took 63 weeks to complete the treatment with a consultant appointment due to appointment delays.

I then had a second round of six injections between April and September 2024.

So, after all of this very expensive treatment (14 injections including two supplementary injections), and more than three years since my first referral, my eyesight has still not improved, and I now have scar tissue behind my retina which I am told will not recover.

I blame this on the long delay on starting treatment, and specifically the fact that due to the appointment system being not fit for purpose, the timescale for the first course of repeat injections was not followed as per manufactures instructions at 4-week intervals.

The time scale for 6 injections at 4-week intervals followed by a consultation 4 weeks after the last injection with the specialist, should have been completed within 24 weeks of the first injection. In my case it took 63 weeks. Along with the delay to first treatment of 38 weeks and 28 weeks since referral this adds up to 129 weeks.

I feel that this treatment delay, along with the delay in starting treatment has had a permanent detrimental effect on my sight.

There seems to be a disconnect between the medical staff who kept referring to a 4-week timetable between injections and the non-medical staff in Appointments who do not appear to understand the importance that these repeat injections must be given every 4 weeks.

I stress that my complaint is only about the appointment system, and not about the medical staff who deal with whoever turns up on the day.

I do consider that my treatment means that my eyesight has not deteriorated as much as it would have done without the treatment, but I suspect it may not have deteriorated as much had my treatment been conducted properly.

But where do I go from here? Does my future have to include many more unpleasant and very expensive injections in my eye?

I have now started a further 4 injections at six-week intervals.