Opticians urge Edinburgh and The Lothians patients to get in touch for emergency and essential eyecare
Optometry Scotland says this morning that if you require eyecare during the Covid-19 crisis then you should contact your optician, rather than seeking help from GPs, pharmacies or hospitals.
The majority of community opticians across Scotland, while not open for routine community eyecare in line with direction from the Scottish Government Health Department, are still available for emergency and essential eyecare whilst minimising Covid-19 infection risk.
This means that their services are available to key workers or anyone whose wellbeing or sight might be damaged if they have to wait.
David Quigley, Chair of Optometry Scotland, the body which represents opticians across the country, said: “Opticians are absolutely still here to help. The overriding direction for all eyecare professionals is to follow government guidelines in reducing infection risk, so it’s vital that patients in Edinburgh, The Lothians and beyond contact us directly for eyecare advice during this period, to ease pressure on GPs, pharmacies and the NHS.
“While routine eye examinations are rightly not available at the moment, communities are still being served by opticians, who can be telephoned for general advice on arranging emergency and essential care and attention.
“Opticians across Edinburgh, The Lothians and Scotland are working together as a network to ensure we can support eyecare in our communities, so if patients need help they should call their own optician first or others near them if directed to do so.
“It’s crucial that we avoid putting additional strain on other primary care services and the NHS at this time, so we want people to know that for eye issues, contact your optician first.”
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