Eye Health During Pandemic

Vision experts have had to adapt quickly to address patients' needs during this unprecedented time. COVID-19 has put everyone's safety at risk and led to a more significant reliance on virtual eye health consultations. A group of optometrists has shared the steps being taken to protect their patients' eyesight and overall well-being. Optometrist Nikki Sharma says:

"We have introduced a color-coded triaging system to help us identify patients who require urgent/essential eye care and those who need remote care consultations. Once an appointment is booked, my colleagues contact the patient to ask the relevant COVID-19 questions and triage them. The color of the slot in the diary is altered from green (pre-triaged) to blue (triaged), making it easier to identify patients who need to be contacted."

"When the patient attends their appointment, they are asked the COVID-19 questions again. The triage form is handed to me prior to the appointment. This is useful as I can highlight the patients who need extra care. The initial triage form was filled with numerous questions and required an extensive phone conversation, however after some rejigging we have been able to create a form which is still thorough, but more concise and less time-consuming. Working together on all of the new processes, including the triaging system, we've shown what we are capable of."

Eye health is a chief priority at SDCB; please contact us to learn more about our programs and services.

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