COVID-19 UPDATE

COVID-19 Lockdown Information

As cases continue to rise, the province is rolling out lockdowns for different regions. Our region has yet to lockdown but it is not out of the question in the future.

If Durham region were to lock down & you have an appointment with us, this may leave you wondering what happens now?

Optometry offices will remain OPEN as an essential service.

• Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
• You will be asked to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer when you enter the office.  If you have a mask at home, please wear that to the office. We are working on obtaining more masks at this time, but still do not have enough supply for our patients. So if you do not have a mask, we will ask you to reschedule your appointment.
• We ask that, unless absolutely necessary, only you arrive for your appointment.  Any family/friends can wait outside the office and we will inform them when you are ready. If the appointment is for a child, one parent or guardian may accompany him or her.
• We will take your temperature. Our staff will have their temperatures taken before every shift.
• For safety, your appointment may be rescheduled if:
  You have exhibited or are exhibiting symptoms (including a fever)
  Have been in contact with a Covid-19 patient
• You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys, etc. since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
• We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.

Here are some ways we are working towards protecting you when we reopen:

• Cleaning all surfaces with a broad spectrum, hospital-grade disinfectant before and after patient encounters.
• Downtime between procedures to reduce exposure to aerosols produced.
• Commonly used areas will be disinfected regularly.
• Hand sanitizer will be easily accessible at multiple locations throughout the office.
• We will be conducting temperature checks on staff prior to every shift.
• We will be conducting temperature checks on patients prior to appointments.
• All staff members will be wearing appropriate PPE including masks and face shields as well as scrubs as recommended  by our College.
• Maintaining a paperless approach as much as possible and schedule patients appropriately to maintain social distancing.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

We, sincerely, thank you for being patient with us during this time.  We know it hasn’t been easy.  Here’s hoping for better times ahead.

See you soon,

Dr. Neil Carvalho and Associates

Oshawa Eye Care