During this COVID-19 pandemic, the safety and health of our patients, staff and doctors is our top priority. Our team will continue to go above and beyond the expectations for optometry practices so that everyone who enters our practice will feel safe. We are sure you are well-aware of the concerns about COVID-19, and we would like you to know the steps we are taking:
Screening and waiting room changes:
For every patient, we will be doing a screening (during booking and at arrival) and asking all symptomatic patients to stay at home to avoid any risks. We will ask patients to wait in their vehicles if they arrive early to their appointment. Upon entering, they will be asked to use hand sanitizer and don a mask. We ask that all patients who are able to come alone do so and we ask that everyone follow proper distancing while in office. We have removed magazines and toys from the waiting area and we will be regularly disinfecting common areas throughout the day.
Our Staff:
All our staff and doctors will be wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, face shields, goggles and gloves. Our staff have undergone training on the extra protocols including appropriate donning and doffing of PPE, and strict workflow management.
Disinfection policy:
Each pre-test and examination room will be disinfected after each patient, including all instrumentation, surfaces, door handles and keyboards. Waiting room chairs will be disinfected between each use. All common area “touch points” will be regularly sanitized. In the eyeglass gallery, all glasses that are handled will be put aside and cleaned before being put back on the display shelf. Hand sanitizing stations will be available throughout the clinic for patient use.
Other changes within the practice:
We have installed plexiglass barriers at our front reception desk. We have installed breath guards on many of our instruments. We have spaced out the seating in our waiting area and are limiting the number of people within our practice. We are asking patients to make appointments for all their needs, including eyeglass repairs and shopping for eyewear, to help to control the number of people in our clinic at one time. We will continue with our curbside pickup service of eye vitamins and dry eye products. Telehealth phone consultations will be offered as an option if patients feel more comfortable staying home.
As we continue to adapt to the new guidelines and learn new information about the virus, we ask for your continued patience. We thank you for your kind words and support during this trying time. We are confident we will get through this and come out stronger on the other side! Please feel free to call us if you have any questions or concerns. We very much look forward to connecting with you all again soon!
