Safe Eye Care | Keeping You Healthy
At your next appointment at The Eye Professionals, you’ll notice some changes we have implemented as we are adapting to our “new normal” with respect to patient care.
In March, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended we pare our patient care to those with urgent and emergency conditions. Elective surgery, such as cataract surgery, was temporarily stopped.
We never shut down as we continued to take care of our patients with urgent and emergent eye conditions.
Though elective and routine care has resumed, we are implementing many new changes as recommended by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to keep you, our staff and our doctors safe and healthy.
Check In: Screening for COVID
Our check in process includes screening for possible exposure to COVID-19. Be prepared to answer questions about:
- recent travel history
- symptoms of cough, fever
- exposure to COVID-19 positive patients
Your temperature will also be taken upon entry to the office.
Please Wear a Mask
We expect you to wear a mask during your entire visit at any of our offices. Masks may be N95, surgical/medical or made of cloth.
N95 masks protect the wearer from being infected by filtering out infectious particles that could gain entry through your nose and mouth. In addition, the N95 masks block and absorb aerosolized droplets from your nose and mouth thereby protecting those around you.
Cloth and surgical masks only serve as blockade to your own respiratory droplets thereby protecting only those around you. They do not filter.
Virtual Check-In
In some of our offices and during busy situations, we may implement virtual check-in via cell phone when you arrive in our parking lot.
We will ask you to wait in your car until we call/text on your cell phone. This limits the number of patients inside the office and reduces everyone’s exposure.
COVID Testing Prior to Surgery
All surgical patients must be COVID-19 tested within 96 hours of surgery.
Testing may be performed at our office locations, primary care provider or area testing locations.
Clean, Disinfect, Sanitize
We will be disinfecting the surfaces of each examination room in between patients. The common areas including the seats, counters and doors will be sanitized every 30 minutes to protect your exposure and infection from other patients who might be ill.
New Shields and Barriers
New acrylic barriers have been installed to protect you and our staff at check-in and check-out.
We are disinfecting the surfaces and shields regularly.
Similar barriers have been installed on many of our diagnostic machines and slit lamps.
Nonporous seats are easier to keep clean and disinfected. The seats and chairs are sanitized on a regular schedule.
Cavicide, or similar industrial disinfectants, have been shown to be effective against a wide variety of germs including TB, hepatitis, bacteria, fungi….and lipophilic viruses such as the coronavirus!
Social Distancing
We have removed many of our chairs and seats to allow you to keep a safe social distance from one another during your examination.
Hand Washing
The best way to mitigate spread of disease is through proper handwashing.
The new normal, he (A. Fauci, M.D.) says, will include “compulsive hand-washing and the other is the end of handshaking.”
We Will Get Through this Together
The staff and doctors of The Eye Professionals thank you for trusting us with the care of your family and friends. We are doing the very best we can to return to “normal” with added safety precautions to protect you, your family and our staff.
We thank you. Please stay safe.