We have been instructed from our governing bodies, based on public health concerns and the UK Government that we are not able to provide routine/non-essential eye examinations. This is to protect our staff and the public and align with strategies to minimise the risk and spread of Coronavirus.
What to expect
If you have an appointment, you will receive a phone call and have some questions asked so that we can accurately triage patients to classify whether their eye examination can or cannot be performed right now.
If you are not having any problems with your eyes or any problems with your vision, your eye examination is classed as “routine” and can safely be delayed in the current climate. We will contact you when this is the case.
Some examples of when we can provide you with an eye examination include:
- If you are a key worker and have broken spectacles (If you however have a valid prescription from your last eye examination, we may be able to provide a replacement pair without an eye examination. Thus minimising interaction further)
- If you have acute eye or sight related symptoms
- If you are having problems with your vision
Staff will be in contact and will triage whether your appointment is essential right now. Please respond to the questions as accurately and honestly as possible.
What if my eye examination is classed as “non-essential”
If after you have gone through the triage questions you are not able to have an eye examination just yet, we will call you back at a later date.
We have your information and will contact you when we are advised it is safe. This could be 3 months from now, or even longer. We will postpone your reminder letters/SMS/emails and contact you later.
What happens when I come in to the practice
You may have had a previous email explaining what measures we have in place already for your visit around sanitising and social distancing in the practice.
You will also notice that some of our service has changed in line with minimising risks and this also applies to your eye examination. You may have some adjustment to the usual routine of your eye examination due to guidance around the proximity of the examination. You will receive a leaflet about this when you attend for your appointment.
What happens after my eye examination if I order glasses
We are in very close contact with our suppliers and are able to obtain daily updates on the supply chain to be able to provide you with spectacles if you need them. We have been advised that some orders may take a little longer as our suppliers are also operating with lower staff levels.
We are most likely to move to a delivery service of your spectacles in order to reduce the number of visits you need to the practice. You will be fully informed before this happens as this will also be done in a “no contact” way. You will have an idea of what time your order will be delivered by prior arrangement and when it is delivered it will not be posted, but left on your doorstep following a knock on the door. We will ask that you let us know you have received it if we have not phoned to check already. This is also likely to happen for contact lenses orders if we do not post them.
This will be done in this manner to reduce contact in line with social distancing and will still mean if you ordered lasses and subsequently have had to self isolate or have shielding measures in place, we will not come into contact with you.
What if I need my glasses adjusting or am having problems with them
You probably already know that we pride ourselves on service and always like to check your vision and fit your glasses when you come in to collect them. This personal service is sadly something we have to delay a little, just for now.
When you choose a new frame we will try our best to fit the frame to you then before it is sent away to have lenses glazed.
If you’ve had your spectacles and they are sliding down your nose or your vision is not quite right, please pick up the phone and speak to us about it to see what we can do for you. If you feel you can manage and it is a minor adjustment you can still call us anyway but we can discuss the options of doing this later maybe.
Please also see our previous update blog on social distancing and other measures in place to know what to expect when you visit us.
The health and welfare of our staff, patients and all of their families and friends are of the utmost importance. It is imperative that we adhere to these temporary measures in support of the NHS and Government plan to reduce the impact of Covid-19 as much as we can.
Thank you for your cooperation, understanding and most of all, your support.
The Richard Petrie Team
