Looking after your eyes – when to book an appointment post lockdown

Throughout the pandemic our message to all patients, especially to those who might have felt uneasy venturing out to attend an appointment for a routine eye examination has been to ‘come when you’re ready’.

However, as restrictions begin to ease, we are predicting that there is likely to be a flurry of demand from patients who have delayed their routine check up over the last year which may put pressure on appointment availability at most opticians’ practices. More than half the UK population has now been vaccinated and so there is growing confidence and appetite to get back to normality.

Naturally, we will be doing everything possible to book examination’s within a reasonable time frame, but if you have delayed your appointment, and you feel more confident, now might be a good time to get in touch.

Whilst the UK is likely to be under some form of restrictions until at least 21 June, the Government has been keen to ensure all normal NHS services are maintained. As this includes including visiting your optician, it means you are permitted to leave home to travel to an eye examination appointment whenever you feel ready.

As you know, attending your eye sight test is important as it can also help pick up other eye health and general health problems. So, if you have delayed your examination and now want to book your appointment we look forward to welcoming you into our practice.

We’d also like to reassure you that we will continue to follow all guidelines, and as part of the NHS we have strict COVID secure safety measures in place. We continue to take every required precaution to ensure social distancing, the wearing of appropriate PPE and leaving time between appointments to allow for equipment sanitising.

Rest assured your health and safety is of paramount importance and we are doing everything required to ensure this is maintained within the practice throughout your visit.