UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi there,

The opthalmologist decided, in his wisdom, to prescribe preservative-free sodium cromoglycate to enable me to wear my rigid contact lens.
I've been put on this for 6 months and am being told to use one drop a day.
Today I collected the prescription and had to pay the full price for ONE bottle (£6.85) which has to be discarded in a week's time.
This means I will have to pay £164.40 for eye drops for the 6 months' treatment duration (24 weeks x one bottle at £6.85).

Is this common practice? Do I have to accept this or is there any way I can have several bottles at a time. The bottles of sodium cromoglycate available in chemists (containing a preservative) only cost £4.35 and last 4 weeks, so how can the NHS justify charging me £27.40 for 4 weeks' preservative-free drops??!!

Hi there!
I think preservative free drops usually are a bit more expensive. And of course, because they're preservative free, they don't last nearly as long. But I don't see why you can't get a prescription for at least a month's supply, which would reduce the cost. Alternatively, it might be worth your while to get a prescription 'season ticket' whereby you pay a set amount for a year, and that covers all your prescriptions (for any health condition). I don't know how much a season ticket costs these days, but I'm sure someone on this forum will be able to tell us.
Good luck
Anne

Hi there Busylizzy.
you can get the pre pay card for about £97 and this covers you for all prescriptions for a year. On the NHS website they have all the details. I have paid for my card by phone before while waiting for my prescription to be made up and was covered straight away.
Pat

Hi there,

Thanks for your advice.

I rang up and paid for a 3-month pre-payment certificate, which should cut the overall price considerably.

I've found using preservative free drops in a single amoule, if you can put the top on then the drops are OK for 48 hours as long as they are kept clean. I do this with my Systane drops which are preservative free.

Other drops that are in a bottle is a different matter though.

My drops are not avaialable on the NHS, but 28 ampoules in abox now lasts a month which is about £70 and not really much difference in price if they were on the NHS.

Hope you get things resolved.

My doc always prescribes preservative free drops in quantities of 100 'minims' (little individually wrapped eye drops) at a time. This means that there is never an open bottle lying about that I have to remember to throw away.

I was going to suggest the pre-paid approach to prescribed medication. Glad you got onto this.

Yours aye

Andrew

Hi,

Thank you all for your help.
I just wanted to let you know that after I rang on Tuesday and paid for a 3-month pre-payment card, it arrived in the post this morning (Saturday).

All I can say is, I have expensive eyes (in many ways!).

... and thank you for sharing this experience. It does us all good to see a problem arise and then follow with the prson through to the solution that is adopted.

Pre-payment of prescriptions is a good practical way round a serious problem. Well done.

Andrew