My ADHD Diagnosis and why I needed laser surgery on my eyes

A few years ago, pre-Covid, I did a quick screener for ADHD. I got quite a high score and I considered getting an assessment. However, we’d just moved house, I changed jobs later that year and then Covid arrived. So I left it for a while, yet with the background notion that I could have ADHD. I’d get to planning an assessment, but this would take time. Waiting list times for  assessment on the NHS were already long back then.

Over the summer I’ve finally had that assessment and I do have ADHD. In between there’s been a lot of coordination between lots of different NHS and private medical practitioners. Most of the assessment has been private, but initiated from my GP practice via a referral.

Fixing my eyes first

Starting with my eyes, I have a family history of glaucoma. My optician got his optometrist to assess the angles in my eyes to see if I could develop glaucoma later in life. ADHD medication generally increases intraocular eye pressure, which can cause the same outcome as glaucoma. I’ve got the narrow angles, so needed to have peripheral iridotomy. This is a laser operation on my eyes to create a drain to allow the fluid to cycle and not let pressure build up. 

On the way to that in January, my right eye decided that it needed a starring role. The vitreous fluid inside my eye detached and made a small tear in my retina. A call to 111, then a video consultation with Moorfields suggested strongly that I needed to get the swirly black spots checked and treated.

I saw my optician the next morning who confirmed the horseshoe shaped tear in my retina. If untreated this could lead to a detached retina. I was able to get laser eye surgery (retinopexy) that afternoon, which was good, if slightly too much in less than 24 hours.

If you are in your 40s or older and you suddenly see swirly black shapes, contact your optician!

Getting to a diagnosis

With that fixed properly, via a second round of surgery in February, I was able to get the peripheral iridotomy in the spring. That just left coordinating between my GP, therapist, psychiatrist and assessing clinical psychologists. Last autumn, my psychiatrist indicated that I probably had ADHD. This encouraged me to get the eye surgery. However there’s a key computer based test requied to get a formal diagnosis, which I needed a different provider to do for me.

I’ve now had my assessment and as part of that you do a development review to show that the symptoms have come with you from childhood. My mum as part of this told me that an educational psychologist said I was a bit hyper, when I was eight. That was quite a while ago, so it’s good that mental health awareness has improved somewhat since the late 70s.

My being hyper was never picked up and quietly forgotten about. In my teens, 20s, 30s and into my 40s, despite recurrent anxiety and intermittent depression, I didn’t connect it to that primary school assessment. GPs were and still are quick to write it down as stress.

Diagnosed, but not done yet

I’m now at the diagnosed and awaiting ADHD medication part of the journey. I have Combined type ADHD. I believe I’ve got a shared care arrangement agreed, if not completely established between my GP practice and my psychiatrist. Shared care allows medicine to be prescribed from an NHS GP, but be managed by a psychiatrist. This is not always possible, as funding and local policy sometimes get in the way of Right to choose.

Work are being supportive and understanding, having supported other neurodiverse colleagues. There has been quite a bit of re-processing, alongside a bit of burnout, looking back at things which have happened and realising that it was ADHD. I’m getting good support and finding compassion focused therapy very helpful. Finding things like goblin tools and Endel which seem to be helping too.

Alongside this I’ve been giving a hand with the ADHD Pathfinding team. They are looking at why this process is so difficult and puts such a large volume of admin and chasing on to the person who might have ADHD. Aiming to understand the current experience and show how it can be improved. It’s been great to join a few calls where everyone has ADHD.

I’m seeing my diagnosis as a point of renewal, an opportunity to understand myself better and make the best of my strengths with therapy and medication supporting where ADHD makes things harder.