Coronavirus (COVID-19): Accessing community eyecare services

From 29 June 2020 community optometry practices (opticians) resumed providing face-to-face emergency and essential NHS eyecare services.

From 13 July 2020 opticians can provide more emergency and essential eyecare services.

This might include patients who have:

• had their essential follow-up appointment cancelled or who are awaiting one
• broken or lost their spectacles or contact lenses and need these repaired or replaced

Your optometrist will use their professional judgement to decide who can be seen now. This will be based on:

• patient needs
• symptoms
• the practice’s ability to see patients safely face-to-face

This is in line with Phase 3 of the Scottish Government's coronavirus recovery route map.

Getting help with an eye problem

Routine eyecare services remain suspended at the current time.

If you have an emergency or essential eye problem you should continue to phone your local opticians first. An optometrist will triage your problem over the phone and if they feel you need to be seen, you will be offered an appointment.

You should always tell your optometrist if you or someone you live with has any signs or symptoms of coronavirus. This will help them ensure the safety of you and others when you receive care.

Getting to your local opticians

If you have difficulty in travelling safely to a local opticians, you should tell the optometrist you speak to on the phone. They will investigate whether your health board can help with your travel requirements.

Eyecare for people who are shielding and/or housebound

Face-to-face eyecare provided to people in their own home, care home or residential centre by an optometrist remains suspended at the current time. The Scottish Government is currently reviewing this care, with the intention of restarting parts of this service when it is considered safe to do so.

An optometrist will triage your problem remotely and, if they consider that you need to be seen in person, they will arrange for you to be seen in line with local health board arrangements.

When will community opticians resume providing routine eyecare?

Scotland is working towards a phased reopening of community eyecare services. The resumption of routine eyecare remains under continuous review and these services will restart as soon as it is considered safe to do so.