libbye Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 I have MD. What is the situation with regard to seeing an eye specialist when you first arrive. Is there a long waiting time for ophthalmologists and if one can't afford to go private, which I can't, does it still cost? I will be staying l 1/2 hours from Melbourne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 37 minutes ago, libbye said: I have MD. What is the situation with regard to seeing an eye specialist when you first arrive. Is there a long waiting time for ophthalmologists and if one can't afford to go private, which I can't, does it still cost? I will be staying l 1/2 hours from Melbourne. I have a friend who has MD. She gets regular injections in her eyes at an ophthalmologist in Ulverstone. Yes she has to pay but I'm not sure how much. I will ask her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libbye Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 thank you. I can't have the injections apparently I have the wrong MD! Could change. Will be interested to know what she pays. I presume she's not private? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 You may be referred to the Outpatient Eye Clinic of a public hospital and the clinic just receives the Medicare rebate for that appointment/procedure....but the waiting times for public Outpatient Clinics can vary tremendously from one location to another, so you would need someone in the local area to tell you what to expect. I don't even know whether they would have such a clinic where you are going....or whether you would have to travel to Melbourne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Do you have dry MD? If you do, the optician will often monitor that and check for changes. Dry MD is far slower developing than the wet kind but cannot be treated. Dry can become wet and then you will need injections. Should your MD become wet it is an emergency for treatment so you should be referred for an almost immediate opthamology appointment. Hope this makes sense! I think you are going to Ballarat? The base hospital there would probably have all you need. You can get treatment on the public system but you need to pay a gap fee for the injection itself which is usually less than $40. I don’t think this is avoidable. Only relevant for wet MD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libbye Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 Thank you very much indeed Amber for the information you have posted. Makes sense and I understand what you're saying. A great deal is lost in translation when you don't speak the language fluently and that is exactly what has happened in my case here in France. I was floundering somewhat. I appreciate the time and effort everyone has contributed to my query. Very kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Just now, libbye said: Thank you very much indeed Amber for the information you have posted. Makes sense and I understand what you're saying. A great deal is lost in translation when you don't speak the language fluently and that is exactly what has happened in my case here in France. I was floundering somewhat. I appreciate the time and effort everyone has contributed to my query. Very kind. Glad I got the right end of the stick! Ballarat is a reasonable sized town with facilities that reflect that. I wouldn’t expect you to have any issues with this condition. Make sure you are self aware around your sight and any changes go straight to the optician. If you attend an optician when you arrive they will probably give you an amler chart that you can use at home to test your eyes. It’s the one with the lines on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scousers Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 My farther has MD and pays about $450.00 every 6 weeks and has done now for 7 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libbye Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 1 hour ago, scousers said: My farther has MD and pays about $450.00 every 6 weeks and has done now for 7 years If you sre not privatelyinsured this seems rather harsh. I would have thought Medicare would have covered something as serious as this if you are on an aussie pension. So far I am not impressed with the system and in Ballarat its very hard to even get accepted as a new patient and waiting time for a consultation can be anything up to 2weeks. I waited 2 hours yesterday for a consultation in a walk in clinic. Only 2 doctors and the waiting room was wall to wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 8 minutes ago, libbye said: If you sre not privatelyinsured this seems rather harsh. I would have thought Medicare would have covered something as serious as this if you are on an aussie pension. So far I am not impressed with the system and in Ballarat its very hard to even get accepted as a new patient and waiting time for a consultation can be anything up to 2weeks. I waited 2 hours yesterday for a consultation in a walk in clinic. Only 2 doctors and the waiting room was wall to wall. Hi, my mum used a clinic in Berwick which also charged through the roof, as well as claiming over a thousand from the private insurance! We moved to a clinic in Boronia which only charged the $36 for the medication gap, no claim on private health insurance either. Google “Vision Eye Institute Victoria”. They have clinics on the western side of Melbourne, Footscray, which might be accessible for you. I cannot speak highly enough of them, they were excellent. Bizarrely the doctor there grew up near me in the UK and went to the secondary school around the corner from the one I attended! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libbye Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 Not near me at all but now I’m staying in Ballarat for a while i will see what I can find out. Thank you for the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 On 01/07/2019 at 18:14, libbye said: thank you. I can't have the injections apparently I have the wrong MD! Could change. Will be interested to know what she pays. I presume she's not private? My friend isn't private. She is a pensioner and it costs her $60 for the injection and she gets a bit back via Medicare but you say you have a different sort of macula degeneration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libbye Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 Mine is the one where i cant have injections but have been told this could change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 1 hour ago, libbye said: Mine is the one where i cant have injections but have been told this could change. Ah, ok. Yours is dry Md then I’m assuming. My mum had that but it is now the wet md which is when you have the injections. They don’t usually treat dry md, just keep an eye on it, as it were! I see I have posted above previously as well. The optician just did regular checks on my mum whilst it was dry md, no specialists involved at that stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scousers Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 On 16/01/2020 at 19:48, libbye said: If you sre not privatelyinsured this seems rather harsh. I would have thought Medicare would have covered something as serious as this if you are on an aussie pension. So far I am not impressed with the system and in Ballarat its very hard to even get accepted as a new patient and waiting time for a consultation can be anything up to 2weeks. I waited 2 hours yesterday for a consultation in a walk in clinic. Only 2 doctors and the waiting room was wall to wall. Yes he is on an oz pension with no private health insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 27 minutes ago, scousers said: Yes he is on an oz pension with no private health insurance. I don't understand why you Dad is pay $450 when my friend is paying $60 and gets a Medicare rebate. She's also a pensioner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scousers Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 22 minutes ago, Toots said: I don't understand why you Dad is pay $450 when my friend is paying $60 and gets a Medicare rebate. She's also a pensioner. Where does she have the injections done? Is she in Melbourne? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 1 hour ago, scousers said: Where does she have the injections done? Is she in Melbourne? She lives in Devonport, Tassie but she goes to a clinic in a nearby town (Ulverstone) for the injections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 The moral is you need to shop around for health care here. Never be afraid to ask your gp or any practice for prices, they vary A LOT. People with insurance can end up paying more out of pocket expenses than someone without insurance for the same procedure. Too many people just accept a price and shrug! Same with medication, can be 3 times as much for the exact same drug! I was shocked when charged $16 for a scrip I had paid $5.10 for at chemist warehouse at a local pharmacy. I questioned it and they price matched with a shrug.......if I hadn’t complained they would have charged me $16. Now I do not mind paying a premium for local and convenience but 10-20% is fair not 300%! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 On 16/01/2020 at 18:11, scousers said: My farther has MD and pays about $450.00 every 6 weeks and has done now for 7 years @scousers, I am willing to bet that a thoughtless GP referred him to a private specialist. Tell him to go back to his GP and ask to be referred to a specialist in the public system instead. It happens a lot. GP"s just assume people have private health insurance. I've had it happen to friends often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scousers Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 5 minutes ago, Marisawright said: @scousers, I am willing to bet that a thoughtless GP referred him to a private specialist. Tell him to go back to his GP and ask to be referred to a specialist in the public system instead. It happens a lot. GP"s just assume people have private health insurance. I've had it happen to friends often. There GP usually does everything bulk billing but ill get them to ask next time they go to see him. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 6 minutes ago, scousers said: There GP usually does everything bulk billing but ill get them to ask next time they go to see him. Thanks The GP may bulk bill himself and get pathology, x-rays etc on bulk bill, but that doesn't necessarily mean specialists too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.