Current at 4th May 2020

At Peninsula Eye Centre, we are monitoring the COVID-19 situation very closely and will continue to act under the guidelines from the Australian health authorities and RANZCO.

Accordingly, at this time, Peninsula Eye Centre REMAINS OPEN and continuing to provide essential eye care services to our community.

After a temporary ban on elective eye surgery, including cataract surgery from 1st April, the National Cabinet recently announced that eye surgery is permitted to resume from Monday 27th April.

For our patients and referring doctors and optometrists, this means that patients requiring eye assessment for cataract surgery and other eye conditions, can continue to be seen at our clinic as usual and those on wait lists for cataract surgery will be contacted in the coming days.

During this time, it is important for patients to continue with their routine medical appointments and ongoing treatment and not to neglect seeking medical care, particularly those patients with chronic eye conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetes.  It is safe and appropriate to leave home for medical care.  Our doctors are also consulting by phone via telehealth, where possible.

At Peninsula Eye Centre, we are committed to keeping our patients and team members safe during this time.  Over the last few weeks, we have implemented the following precautions at our clinic to prevent the spread of the virus:

Increased Infection Control Procedures

In addition to our regular high standard of infection control and sterilisation, we have implemented the following:

  • Increased sanitation of hard surfaces in highly trafficked areas such as reception, waiting areas, clinical and consulting rooms
  • All clinical and consulting rooms are sanitised after every patient
  • Patient seating in the waiting areas has been spread out
  • Protective screens installed at reception
  • Slit lamp shields installed
  • Additional hand sanitisers are available to be used in waiting area, reception, clinical and consulting rooms
  • Removal of magazines & books
  • Removal of coffee and tea cups and replaced with single use, disposable cups

Team Members’ Health & Safety

  • Team members must stay home if they are showing any signs of illness, even if mild, and will not return to work until it is deemed safe to do so by their doctor.
  • All team members are having their temperature measured at the forehead upon entering the workplace.

Limiting Traffic Inside the Clinic 

  • We advise that only scheduled patients will be allowed into the consulting rooms and clinical areas and ask that support people (unless required for interpretation or mobility assistance) and family members don’t enter the clinic unnecessarily.  We are happy to phone a support person to return to pick up the patient, if needed, at the conclusion of the appointment.
  • At certain times, patients may be asked to wait in their cars instead of the waiting areas.  We will call patients by phone to let them know when it is their turn to be seen.

Screening Patients 

As has been the case since the start of the outbreak, we request that anybody who:

  • has been overseas recently, or
  • has been in contact with anybody who is ill, or
  • shows any of the known symptoms of:
    • fever
    • cough
    • shortness of breath
    • sore throat

refrains from visiting the clinic for 14 days and to call to reschedule your appointment.

In addition:

  • We are calling patients one day prior to their appointment and asking the above questions.
  • All patients are now asked to sign a declaration form upon entering our clinic to confirm the above points, prior to being seated.
  • All patients are required to have their temperature measured at the forehead by staff as a condition of their appointment.

We appreciate your full cooperation in this matter and thank you for continuing to help us maintain a safe and healthy environment.

More Information 

For information on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), call the Australian Government’s National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080. The line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.