Non-Dutch speakers in the Rotterdam Eye Hospital

For us, it’s of utmost importance that you understand what our doctors and staff are telling you about your illness, your treatment and other issues. Unfortunately, we are not able to communicate in all languages, and not all information is available in multiple languages.

If you do not speak, read or write Dutch or perhaps not well enough, you should always have someone with you who can. This person (relative, friend or someone else) can then translate all the information that is given to you, if necessary. This person should preferably be an adult. If this is not possible, we can contact an interpreter by telephone. 

To make things easier for you, we have translated some information for you. We have taken great care with these translations but we would like to point out that the Dutch version of these texts is always governing.  

Other information, forms and leaflets are available in Dutch. Our staff speak Dutch. If you find it difficult to communicate in Dutch, please have someone with you who can help.

Your appointment

Making an appointment
If you would like to make, change or cancel an appointment, please call the Customer Contact Centre on 010 401 77 77 on Mondays to Fridays from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Our staff speak Dutch. If you find it difficult to communicate in Dutch, please have someone with you who can help.

Always carry your insurance card with you, as this contains all the details we will need from you.

If you have been to the Eye Hospital before, then your details are probably already in our system. Please keep your patient number and insurance card handy, so that we can look up your details. You can find the patient number on a previous appointment letter and/or the appointment card.

What to do if you are unable to attend
Naturally, it may happen that you need to cancel or change your appointment. However, please only do this if there is an extreme emergency and at least 48 hours before your appointment. This way, we can see another patient instead. If you do need to cancel or change your appointment, please contact us on telephone number 010 401 77 77. If you don’t cancel your appointment or don’t cancel it in time, we may charge you for the appointment. These costs are not reimbursed by your healthcare insurer.

We will send you a reminder
We offer an additional service of sending you a brief reminder via text message about two or three days before your appointment. If you are unable to attend, please contact the hospital to cancel and make a new appointment. This text message will be in Dutch.

Who​ is eligible for treatment?
The Rotterdam Eye Hospital has experienced a growing demand for ophthalmic care from all over the country. Unfortunately, we have limited resources, ophthalmologists, support staff and premises. Therefore, if we did not make choices regarding who to treat and who not to treat, we would find our resources being overstretched. That’s why we apply the following eligibility criteria for care.

Specialist referrals and tertiary referrals
The Eye Hospital treats patients with tertiary referrals from all over the country. These are referrals by an ophthalmologist from another hospital.

Secondary ophthalmic care and second opinions
In our own region (postcode 2650 to 2665 and 2900 to 3299), the Eye Hospital provides secondary ophthalmic care. Secondary care is the medical care that is provided by all care providers for which you need a referral. This medical care always requires a referral from your GP/optometrist.

Secondary care also means that, if you live in our region, we are able to give a second opinion at the request of your GP. In most cases, this second opinion will enable your own ophthalmologist to continue your treatment.

In case of second opinions and tertiary referrals, we look at the referral letters in advance in order to assess whether we can be of added value. Patients and referrers will then be notified. We may also ask you for your medical file in order to made a correct assessment. You can request your medical file from your own ophthalmologist, if we need it.

Cataracts
The Eye Hospital has the largest Cataract Centre in the Netherlands. We continue to treat patients with cataracts from all over the country.

Emergency care
For emergency care, the Ophthalmic Emergency Department in the Eye Hospital is open and can be reached 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. However, you will always need a referral from the medical centre, the ambulance, another ophthalmologist or another hospital.

What you need to bring with you to your appointment

In order to be well prepared for your appointment, you need to bring certain things with you. Some of these are so important that if you don't have them with you, the appointment will have to cancelled. Please check the following list very carefully. 

You need to bring:

• your appointment letter and the completed questionnaire (only if this has been sent to you);
• a referral letter from your GP or specialist. Please note: this referral letter is valid for one year. If it is older than one year, you will need a new referral letter.
• You do not need to bring a referral letter if you are receiving treatment for the same eye problem, if your doctor has made a digital referral via ZorgDomein or if you were referred from another hospital;
• a valid proof of identity (not a copy): passport, driving licence, national identity card or alien’s identity card. If you do not have proof of identity, the appointment will be cancelled;
• a current medication list. You can get this list from your pharmacy;
• details of your healthcare insurer: card or registration certificate;
• the appointment card, the hospital will give you this card after your (first) appointment;
• a pair of sunglasses, because your examination or treatment may require you to have eye drops that dilate your pupils. You might find it helpful to wear sunglasses afterwards, because daylight can be very bright;
• your (spare) glasses and/or contact lenses case;
• a debit or credit card if you are travelling by car, to pay for car parking charges (automatic number plate recognition).

We need your referral letter!

If your doctor/GP has referred you to the hospital, you will receive a referral letter. Healthcare insurers are becoming increasingly strict about these referral letters. You need to bring a new referral letter for every new problem. It is also possible that your doctor/GP has made a digital referral for you to the hospital. In that case, you will not receive a referral letter as this will be sent to us digitally.

Non-urgent eye care
If you are being treated for the same problem, you do not need to bring a new referral letter with you for appointments that are made for you. If you have finished your treatment but have new symptoms, then you will need a new referral letter from your GP.

Emergency Eye Care
If you are visiting our Ophthalmic Emergency Department with symptoms but without a referral letter, we will refer you to your doctor or medical centre. In most cases, your GP can provide good medical care. If it is really necessary, the GP will make an appointment for you at the Ophthalmic Emergency Department of the Rotterdam Eye Hospital. Your GP may also advise you to make an appointment with the ophthalmologist at our outpatient clinic; in this case, you will still need a referral letter.

You do not need to bring a referral letter to the hospital if:

• you have been injured in the eye by chemicals, or
• you have been injured in the eye by a sharp or blunt object.

Referrers must be approved
Your healthcare insurer will determine whether or not your referral to the hospital is valid. All healthcare insurers will accept a GP or doctor (medical specialist) as a referrer and most healthcare insurers will also accept, for instance, the optometrist as a referrer. Always contact your healthcare insurer to get confirmation. Remember: you are always responsible for having a valid referral letter.

Appointment with a referral letter
As soon as you are referred to the Eye Hospital, you can make an appointment at the outpatients' clinic.

Please note: The Eye Hospital advises you to do this as soon as possible, as your referral letter is only valid for 1 year. The referral letter must still be valid when you start your treatment.

Appointment without a referral letter
If you visit our hospital without a referral letter, you will have to pay the costs yourself. The invoice for the entire treatment will be sent to your home address. You can ask your healthcare insurer whether you can forward the invoice to them and whether your treatment will be reimbursed.

You need to bring a valid identity document!

You are required to bring a valid identity document and your health insurance card with you every time you visit the Rotterdam Eye Hospital. An identity document can be a passport, driving licence, national identity card or alien’s identity card.

The Eye Hospital uses your identity document to determine your Citizen Service Number (in Dutch: BSN). This BSN is important to ensure that the doctor and other healthcare providers know who they are treating and to ensure that you are given the correct medical care. Your BSN can also be used to send the invoice to your healthcare insurer. If we do not have your BSN, you will have to pay the invoice yourself.

Identity documents for children
Parents must have valid identity documents for their children when they visit a doctor or hospital. This rule applies to newborn babies and also for children under the age of 14 years. Children are therefore subject to the same rules as mentioned above.

What happens if you do not bring your identity document?

• If you live in the Rijnmond region and you do not need emergency medical care, your appointment will be cancelled. You will then have to make a new appointment. Remember to bring your identity document with you to the new appointment.
• If you live outside the Rijnmond region or if you need emergency medical care, you must sign a form. By signing this form, you consent to paying the invoice for the medical care you have received from us. If you do not want to sign the form, your appointment will be cancelled. You will then have to make a new appointment. Remember to bring your identity document at the new appointment.

Current medication list

A current medication list is a list of medications that you have taken in the past three months. It lists the strength and dosage you are taking for each medication. The list also mentions any allergies and serious side effects of medications.

You can get this medication list from your pharmacy. They can print the list for you, free of charge.

Keep your medication list up-to-date and complete
Check with the pharmaceutical assistant to make sure that all the medication you are taking is included on the list. If any medication is missing from the list, please tell your pharmacy. Medication that you have purchased without a prescription must also be mentioned on the list. This can include paracetamol or non-prescription painkillers and (homoeopathic) medicine bought in a retail pharmacy. Your medication list cannot be older than six months when visiting the Rotterdam Eye Hospital.

By bringing an up-to-date medication list with you to the hospital, you will help ensure that your treatment is as safe as possible and that mistakes are prevented. It is important that all doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers know exactly what medications you are taking as this can have an effect on your examination and your treatment. 

If you do not have a current medication list with you, we will ask you to bring it with you to your next appointment.

Eye drops

You will generally be prescribed eye drops or ointment after a visit to the ophthalmologist or after eye surgery. These are usually intended to prevent infection and inflammation. It is therefore important to follow the instructions. Please continue using the eye drops or ointment until your check-up with the ophthalmologist at the outpatient clinic or as long as prescribed by the ophthalmologist.

Important points to remember
Read the patient information leaflet to find out how best to store the eye drops or ointment and to find out the possible side effects. If you cannot read the small print of the patient information leaflet, ask your pharmacy for a printed version in large letters.

When you open a bottle or tube, take note of the expiry date and write down the date it was opened on the label of the bottle or tube. In this way, you will be able to see if it is still okay to use the medication at a later date. Eye drops and ointment can usually be kept for up to one month after opening the container. You can usually find more information about the use-by-date on the packaging or from your pharmacy.

If you accidentally touch your eye, eyelids or eyelashes with the bottle or tube, you can use a tissue to wipe it clean.

If the ointment is too thick, it may help to warm the tube between your hands. Ointment becomes thinner when warm.

How to use eye drops
If you use eye drops correctly, your eye will heal better. To show you how to use the eye drops, we have made an instruction video. Please watch our instruction video about how to use eye drops for yourself and if you giving someone else the eye drops. The video is only available in Dutch.

You can also get the information about eye drops and ointment via an app on your smartphone.
You can find this app in the App Store and Google Play Store under 'OOGdruppelen' and you can download it for free. The app is only available in Dutch.

Our leaflet includes all the different steps shown in the instruction video. The leaflet is available in Dutch and English.

How to give your child eye drops

• Children usually don’t like being given eye drops. The method described below works well when you need to give children eye drops:
• Ask children to tip their heads back and ask them to squeeze their eyes really tight.
• Squeeze one eye drop in the corner of their eye and tell them to open their eyes.
• They can then gently close their eyes again. However, don’t let them squeeze too tight, as that will squeeze the liquid from the eye again.
• After giving the eye drops, press and hold the tear duct closed for a while (as long as possible, preferably 3 minutes). Older children are able to do this by themselves.

Any problems with giving eye drops
If you are having any problems with the eye drops, you can get advice from your own pharmacy, the OOGapotheek in the Eye Hospital, the nurse in the Eye Hospital or from the organisation that is providing you with home help. They can give you information about eye drop techniques and aids.

Complaints

There may be situations when you feel dissatisfied with some aspects of your treatment or stay. In that case, we would like to hear from you. Your experiences may be an important reason for the hospital to improve certain things.

The Eye Hospital has various ways for you to let us know your tips for improvement, complaints and alerts. You can read more about the way in which you can do this on the complaints page. This page and the complaint form are written in Dutch. If you would like to submit a complaint but find it difficult to read and write in Dutch, please have someone with you who can help. The complaint must be submitted in Dutch.