Is your eye doctor's appointment coming up? Are you worried about going to the eye clinic during the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic? Rest assured, keeping our patients and staff are safe is our top priority. 

We anticipate that this outbreak will continue for a while, and do not want our patients to neglect their eye care needs during this critical time. Our optometric clinic is prudent and has adopted specific measures to protect our patients and staff from potential exposure to COVID-19 during this time of uncertainty. 

That said, guidelines for slowing the spread of this epidemic are rapidly changing. Please pay close to attention to local regulatory changes to get the most up-to-date information on whether practices can still remain open/ accept non-emergency cases. 

Here Are the Precautions Our Eye Clinic Is Taking to Limit COVID-19: 

We employ a strict office policy that mandates that all eye doctors, opticians, office staff, and patients not enter if they are feeling unwell or have a fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath, or have been exposed to a known case of COVID-19 or traveled outside of the country within the last 14 days.

The staff may ask you to wait outside rather than in the waiting area in order to protect yourself and others from any circulating germs. Furthermore, we are trying to schedule our appointments in such a way that our waiting room remains as empty as possible.

During your eye exam: 

• The eye doctor may use a special plastic barrier called a slit-lamp breath shield to block the exchange of breath between patient and doctor. 
• The optometrist may wear a mask with a plastic shield over the eyes. 
• The practitioner will wait for your slit-lamp eye exam to be over before speaking with you or answering any questions you may have. 
• We sanitize all equipment and patient contact surfaces after every use and at the end of the day. 
• We sanitize all surfaces and equipment (front desk counters, telephones, pens, door handles, waiting room chairs) with antibacterial wipes. 
• All staff members wash their hands after contact with each patient and throughout the day.
• Our office is equipped with several sanitizing stations.
• We request that patients sanitize their hands prior to and after trying on frames. We also make sure to clean frames that have come into contact with patients with soap and hot water.
• If we don’t shake hands with our patients during this time, please don’t take it personally.

Please call Palermo Eye Care at 847-253-8500 with any questions or concerns you may have. If you feel it's best for you or a member of your family to reschedule your appointment, we encourage you to do so.

To stay abreast of the coronavirus pandemic, please visit the following official health organizations:

• Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) at www.CDC.gov
• World Health Organization (WHO) at www.WHO.int 

Thank you and stay safe!