An Edinburgh woman who was registered blind at 11 years-old has opened up on her ‘uncomfortable’ smear test experience and said she ‘couldn’t take the pain’.
Kirin Saeed, 56, was booked in for a cervical screening and after the negative experience at the appointment, she has not been for another smear test since.
She couldn’t calm herself down and believed part of the problem was she was unable see what was going on around her. She argued more needs to be done to support blind patients with health appointments as very little reassurance was provided for her.
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After being contacted by Edinburgh Live, the Scottish Government apologised for Kirin’s experience and said everyone should receive ‘the highest standards of care’.
Kirin said: “I am totally blind and I had very little knowledge about what was going to happen to me.
“I didn’t understand what the tool was going to be, or how it was going to feel. It’s quite an intimate experience as well so I think it added to it all.
“It just all felt very uncomfortable and I couldn’t take the pain. We tried several times to calm me down but nothing was helping because I couldn’t see my surroundings.
“I don’t think I will ever go back because I can’t put myself through that again. I feel like once you’ve had a bad experience of one kind, it just makes you not want to do it again.”
The 56-year-old added everyday life is a struggle for her due to her being completely blind. She was born partially sighted before fully losing all sight as a child.
She argued everything seems to be becoming more visual and life is becoming more complicated for her. So negative was her smear test experience eight years ago, she has yet to return for another.
Kirin added: “I know that cervical cancer is a silent killer but I just can’t put myself through the test. I just think there needs to be more done to support those who are blind and I think nurses should get more time to put people at ease.
“I have been fully blind since I was 11. Day-to-day life is always tricky -life is always difficult because you have to constantly negotiate.
“Everything is becoming more visual and it’s got more complicated with technology. If you don’t know what something looks like, or if you can’t touch it – how do you know what it’s going to be like?”
Women’s Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “I am sorry that this patient had a negative experience, everybody should receive the highest standards of care.
“The Scottish Government remains committed to reducing inequalities both in access to and uptake of all of the national programmes including cervical screening. We encourage anyone with additional needs to discuss these with their GP practice.
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“We commit £1 million annually to tackle inequalities within the cancer screening programmes.”
Gillian Hallard, NHS Engagement Manager, Royal National Institute of Blind People Scotland said: “Many healthcare settings will allow someone to accompany you to appointments or treatment, and it’s important that blind and partially sighted patients are aware of this option.
“It’s also important that healthcare professionals are providing the appropriate support for the patient – someone with sight loss may have different needs to someone who is sighted.
“A patient should know they can pause or stop the procedure at any point, and that they can ask questions at any time. We are pleased to see the new cervical screening standings reflect the need for care to be patient-centred in this way.”