Office Procedures for Patient Safety During COVID-19

Posted by: Georgia Eye Physicians and Surgeons in Eye Care, Eye Diseases, Latest News

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a strange, unprecedented time for all of us. We have certainly missed having our amazing patients in the office and having the opportunity to help them with their eye care needs. Especially those with more pressing, time-sensitive vision conditions and eye diseases that require treatment. Now that the state of Georgia is beginning to open up its doors again to businesses and medical practices like ours, we wanted to discuss some of the health precautions we will be taking here at Georgia Eye & Physicians and Surgeons when we re-open our doors to ensure a safe and comfortable visit for each patient that we see. Here’s what we will be doing:

• Our staff will be screened for COVID symptoms and have their temperatures taken before each workday. Any team member who is displaying any respiratory issues or fever will be instructed to stay at home.
• Patient screening will be required before anyone is admitted into our office area. This begins with screening interviews over the phone to confirm that the patient is not currently experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. We will then take each prospective patient’s temperature at the door to confirm that there is no fever.
• Everyone who enters our office, all staff, patients, as well as patients’ loved ones or drivers, will be required to wear a protective mask at all times. We will be offering both reusable cloth masks and disposable masks for sale to patients who do not have their own. Gloves will also be available.
• As an additional protective measure, only one family member or guest will be allowed to accompany each patient. All guests and patient relatives will also be screened for symptoms and have their temperature taken.
• All areas of our office including restrooms and the lobby area will be heavily cleansed regularly throughout the day. Any room where a patient is seen, including consultation rooms, will be sterilized between each patient. A deep sterile cleaning of our entire office will occur each night after business hours have concluded.
• We will still be practicing social distancing in our lobby. That means patients are required to remain at least 6 feet away from each other while waiting for their appointments. We have temporarily removed magazines from our lobby waiting area to avoid items that are shared among patients.
• Each patient will be tested for COVID-19 before any elective eye surgery.

We hope that our patients and their families find this information helpful and reassuring. We understand that for many people, there may still be some trepidation about entering public places at the moment. But for chronic eye conditions or illnesses that can progress and lead to long-term vision impairments, we want to be there to provide the care that our patients need. Remember, virtual telemedicine appointments are also available with Dr. William Segal. If you have any questions or if you would like to schedule an appointment, contact Georgia Eye Physicians & Surgeons today. And follow Dr. Segal and Dr. Marc Lay on Facebook and Twitter for additional eye-care information, more practice updates, and more.