MATHESON OPTOMETRISTS COVID INFORMATION
During the outbreak of COVID-19, we have taken extensive additional measures to ensure you are looked after, including increasing the frequency of appropriate cleaning and disinfection across our practices and restricting certain types of appointment until after restrictions are raised. Additional staff training has been undertaken.Our Alresford, Grayshott and Four Marks practices are OPEN at present. Hopefully Portchester will open in the near future. Currently the Grayshott practice is closed on wednesdays and Four Marks is closed Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
As restrictions are being cautiously relaxed we will be able to also see patients privately who require an eye examination because they are worried about any aspect of their vision or ocular health.
We are not asking patients with no symptoms who have been isolating or sheilding at home to come in for routine eye examinations. It is better if these high risk patients continue to sheild in their own homes.
This means that you can now have your eyes examined if you think your vision has changed before you purchase replacement spectacles or contact lenses.
At present routine NHS sight tests are not been undertaken as advised by official NHS guidance.
As always, we are continuing to provide EMERGENCY ACUTE EYECARE where possible through the NHS Minor Eyecare Schemes. These are known in different catchment areas as either MECS, ACES or PEARS. Please click here for more information. In the near future a new scheme called CUES (COVID Urgent Eye Service is due to come into place. Hopefully this will have even better coverage than the existing schemes and have improved investigation, treatment and referral options.
All patients entering our practices will need to wear a suitable face mask and sanitise their hands on entering the practice. Our staff will wear face masks and sanitise the themselves and the practice regularly. All equipment a patient comes in contact with will be cleaned before AND after every patient visit. Articles a patient touches will be disinfected or removed from circulation so that they cannot be touched or worn by a following patient. we do not accept cash and encourage contactless credit and debit card transactions. We encourage patients to santise their hands before leaving the practice, for their own personal peace of mind. Patients should be confident that we are trying to minimise all COVID infection risks.
If you are in need of emergency care, for example if you are suffering from severe ocular pain, then you should phone your practice and someone will get back to you as soon as possible with further advice. If you are in need of urgent care but have any symptoms of coronavirus, such as a new, constant cough and/or a high temperature, or if someone in your household has these symptoms, please stay at home and call NHS 111 for further guidance.
I want to reassure you that we are taking the outbreak of COVID-19 extremely seriously and are taking the necessary precautions to protect our patients and colleagues. We will continue to closely monitor the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and follow the advice provided by UK health authorities. As soon as we can begin providing routine eye care for our patients, we will contact you again and let you know.
Thank you,
Andrew Matheson.
*If you require an urgent eye related service please phone 01962 732336 for assistance.
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