Our practice continues to service your important eye care needs!
We have “fine- tuned” our already stringent safety precautions. We are seeing guests, visitors and patients in our office on an abbreviated schedule.

We are examining and working with patients in a very sterile protected environment. However, also in many cases our doctors may call to assess your need or urgency via “telemedicine” when it is an option as we “thin out” our patient volume.

Our current policy is to call you to confirm your visit depending on space availability in the office and your individual needs. For example, if you might be considered a member of a high risk group for COVID-19 or suffer from a particularly severe or acute eye care dilemma we might triage your eye and health care needs differently.

Our intent is to maintain a wide margin or greater space between patients but to be certain your eye health is protected. As an aside, COVID-19 could present or be the cause of Viral Eye infections, something our providers are well aware. Do not “write off” a red or weepy eye.

Part of our specialty care or Centers of Excellence is our ability to care for a wide range of eye urgencies and emergencies. This may be when you need us most as opposed to your PCP or local walk in clinic.

“Best Practices” continue to be observed:

All patients and staff are expected to

• Wash hands upon entering our facility
• Wear a mask or face shield to protect yourself and others
• Maintain a 6 foot or more distance between other people
• Avoid unnecessary “touches”

 
Spring Allergy Symptoms are on the Rise:
Cold compresses and artificial tears to wash out the pollen often help with itchy, allergy-stricken eyes. A telemedicine visit may be in order. We can help. Symptoms of eye infection, dry eye and allergies can be intertwined and often times one can benefit from the diagnostic skill of our eye doctors, either via a phone session or in the office.

UV or sunlight exposure can harm our eyes and our skin!
It is always a good idea to wear quality sunglasses and sunscreen, especially in the early spring as many of us do take some time to adjust to the amount of time outside. Light or UV exposure is generally thought to be” cumulative” over the course of your life!

Should you need to order or pick up any Eyewear or Contact Lenses,
We are ready! We have many Contact Lens products in stock, including Biofinity and most daily disposable lens 90 packs!

“We don’t want you to be in a panic if you need to come here.”

Eye care is an important part of your health care. We want you to make good decisions about your health and manage your exposure, especially over the next week or two. Rest assured we are here to care for “low-risk” patients in a safe, sanitized environment.

Looking forward, we are opening up our doctors’ availability in upcoming months and working hard to develop systems to streamline appointment slots. If you have an upcoming appointment that you would like to reschedule, please use the Appointment Request Tool on our website to request an alternate appointment. Please try to include as much info as possible so we can efficiently reschedule your visit!

Should you be “in a bind” and need care, we are here for you. We are committed to providing you with the best possible, safe, quality care.

Due to the number of calls for various eye care needs, and the number of “reschedules” and general questions, email might be the most effective means of communication with us. You can reach us at info@visioncarelincoln.com.

Health and Safety First!

George J. Brown, OD
Medical Director

 
In our current climate, we have spent some time considering the connection between infectious disease and the eye. Read article…

Our practice, including our optical*, our patient care coordinators and our doctors remain available for all of your necessary and important eye care needs.

About Your Upcoming Appointment
Patient interactions have been streamlined and spread out by a wide margin. We have stepped up our “social distancing” and have greatly advanced our protocols for clinical and office cleanliness and sanitation to ensure that we serve you in a responsible and protective manner. We want you to feel safe and comfortable.

You can best protect yourself, us and others by wearing a mask or face-covering.

Outside of an urgent or emergent eye issue, patients that have appointments booked that are considered high-risk for COVID-19 by the CDC will be asked to please “sit this one out”.

Doctor on Duty
In certain instances, patient care may be assigned to the “doctor on duty” as we have thinned out our patient volume to one or two doctors and much shorter shifts. Some patients have more urgency to their scheduled visit than others and we are doing our best to serve all our patients’ needs as safely as possible. We are trying to reach as many people by phone as possible to discuss your options for care.

Should you wish to cancel or reschedule please take a minute to e-mail us at info@visioncarelincoln.com. Let us know your concerns!

Requesting an Alternative Appointment
Patients wishing to reschedule may be asked to fill out the appointment request on our website. We are generally scheduled months and months ahead and we appreciate your cooperation as this will help us reschedule your appointment!

Please indicate your willingness to see an “alternative doctor” in the future or “doctor on duty” during this challenging time, and the degree of urgency for your care.

As always, our priority is to see people with eye emergencies, urgencies and our many medical eye care patients. The more flexible you are with your request the sooner we will be able to accommodate you.

*What if I need Optical or Contact Lens services?
Like our medical appointment patients, hand washing is required for those who visit our optical for repairs, selections and the fitting of eyewear. We will step back when you remove your mask to try on your frame in our showroom. We clean and sanitize all eyewear when we return the frame to its designated place. You must balance or manage the risk of exposure in any environment with the level of need for care.

Our protocols are in the process of a daily review. We are committed to protecting your health, your vision and eye health and minimizing the anxiety, fear and uncertainty in these challenging times.

Wishing you good health and safety! Remember your eye protection as we transition to spending more time outside and being exposed to the sun and engaging in outside doing yard work and other activities!

George J. Brown, O.D.
Medical Director

Dear Patients,

We continue to assess and adapt our policies to protect the health of our patients, staff and community. Gatherings of more than 5 people are temporarily prohibited by the state of Rhode Island. We have spread out our schedule to adhere to these restrictions. We have also made other related changes. See the following “Best Practices” for patients and staff:

• Optical and Contact Lens pick-ups must be scheduled by Appointment. Please call ahead to arrange for a staff member to prepare your order. We can deliver the item to your vehicle or bring to our front door for a “contact-less” or “EZ Pass” pick up. As always, we can direct ship products to your home, though some items may incur a shipping cost. Eyeglass adjustments can always be done at any time in the future.
• Eye Appointment Check-In: We are limiting our reception area to 5 people. Any additional guest will be required to wait outside or in your car. All patients are encouraged to call when outside to check in remotely.
• You are required to wash your hands upon entry to our facility.
• Masks offer protection and should be seriously considered during any person-to-person contact.

Patients who are high risk for complications from COVID-19 (65+ years old, people with chronic heart or lung conditions, pregnant women, the immunocompromised) should be seen for emergency visits only at this time.

Please see the Eyecare Triage Guide below to help understand the urgency level of your eyecare:

Level 1 – Eye Emergencies:

• Pain and/or eye injury
• Loss of vision
• Double vision (neurological symptom)
• Flashers & floaters

 
Level 2 – Inability to See, affecting personal safety

• Replace eyewear & contact lenses for extreme cases of farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism
• Glaucoma check-up (for patients that are not considered high-risk for COVID-19)

Level 3 – Eye Urgencies:

• Eye infection with discharge, seasonal allergies, dry eye discomfort, replace tear-savers (plugs), acute or painful stye

 
Level 4 – Diabetic Eye Check Up, Comprehensive Eye Exams, routine dilation & general care

• can generally be rescheduled for a later date. If you are in this group (level 4) and feel you need to keep or schedule an appointment please e-mail info@visioncarelincoln.com with your request.

 
Visit our website to learn more about our complete policies and updates during this difficult time.

Thank you for your continued cooperation.

George J. Brown, O.D.
Medical Director

Dear Patients,

Our office remains open for non-routine eye care visits. This includes urgencies, emergencies and critical eye care issues. COVID-19 high risk groups should stay home. You may receive a call from our staff adjusting your appointment time.

High risk groups include:

• people aged 65+ years old
• people who are immunocomprimised including cancer treatment
• people who have heart disease with complications
• people with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma

 
For the week of 3/23-3/29, we have thinned out our patient volume so we may adhere to current practice and government policies. We will be re-evaluating our schedule and policies on a weekly basis. If your upcoming appointment is not urgent, we encourage you to reschedule your routine eyecare.

Prescriptions for glasses and contacts will automatically be extended by 30 days. Refills on glaucoma and other pertinent medications are automatically extended by 30 days*.

Eyewear pickups will be by appointment only as we must control the maximum number of patients in the office at any one time. We encourage you to prepay over the phone or use your card in-office to avoid unnecessary contact and monetary exchange. We accept most major credit cards.

Our call volume is higher than usual. Email us for a quick response!

George J. Brown, O.D.
Medical Director

*In many instances, these prescriptions may be extended by your doctor for an additional 30-60 days on a case to case basis.

Dear Patients,

We remind you that most eye care is elective and not terribly time sensitive. We will remain open to see “low risk groups” and eye emergencies.

We have stepped up our disinfection protocol. We are not a screening center and urge you to use common sense and share in our responsibility to educate and protect yourselves as well as others, especially those who may be fragile, vulnerable or susceptible to becoming very sick. We urge you to take personal precautions and stay informed in order to limit the spread of all viral infection.

Order Contacts Online
Did you know we offer online ordering, auto-ship and delivery? Visit us online for details.

E-Patient Perks
Now is a great time to become an E-Patient. Sign up for text and email alerts!

Email us! info@visioncarelincoln.com
Our call volume is higher than usual. Email us for a quick response!

Our staff is very aware of disinfection protocols. We are following the Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 recently released by OSHA. We have instituted several new policies as outlined below.

Protect yourself and others

• Do not lean on or over the reception desk to interact with staff.
• Be wary of what you touch during your visit and avoid any unnecessary physical interaction. Surfaces are disinfected every 30 minutes.
• All patients will be limited to 1 guest in our office for the duration of the exam.
• In general, we recommend that you carry your own pen. Some germs can live on surfaces such as pens for days. As the saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword.
• If you are possibly ill or have been exposed to someone who is ill, please reschedule your appointment with us. We will not see any patients in our office who are visibly ill.

 
Remote Check In
We are now offering “Remote Check In” for those who wish to wait outside to be called into the exam room. To check in remotely: call us once you have arrived and inform one of our patient care coordinators that you have an appointment and you are outside. Alternatively, you may come inside and check in at the front desk and let us know you would like to wait outside. We will call you directly into the exam room when we are ready for you.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

George J. Brown, O.D.
Medical Director

Dear Patients,

If you are possibly ill or have been exposed to someone who is ill, it is always a good idea to reschedule your appointment with us.

Viruses generally take at least 7 to 14 days to incubate. In addition, there is a wide range of responses people can have when infected. It is important to protect those among us who might be fragile, vulnerable and susceptible to becoming very sick.We urge you to take personal precautions to limit the spread of cold or virus. Click the links below for more information:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/actions-prevent-flu.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html

As always, we appreciate notice for any cancellations so that we may free up our doctor’s schedule for other patients. Illness related cancellations will not be subject to cancellation fees at this time.

If you or a family member is experiencing flu-like symptoms or symptoms of acute respiratory illness (e.g., fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing) we do ask that you reschedule your appointment.

George J. Brown, O.D.
Medical Director