Why You Should Continue to See Your Retina Specialist During COVID-19

Dear valued patient,

Thank you for trusting us to care for you during this global pandemic. This year has been challenging for all of us and we understand the fear and anxiety associated with leaving your home to visit your doctor. All of our physicians and staff at Retina Consultants of Houston are committed to caring for your safety, while also maintaining and preserving your vision.

We adhere to strict screening measures and safety precautions at all of our clinics in order to protect the health and safety of our patients, staff and community so we can continue to help prevent vision loss and blindness.

Retina Issues Are Often Sight Threatening

Visiting your retina specialist regularly, even during COVID-19, is incredibly important to maintain your eye health. For patients who need regular intravitreal injections, it is imperative that you receive these medications as recommended by your retina specialist, to prevent vision loss. Retinal diseases that are treated with intravitreal injections include age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusions and uveitis. Our physicians ensure that each individual patient has a custom treatment plan for optimal outcomes and stopping or delaying these injections can increase the risk of vision loss.

For patients that require surgical care, it is important to come in for all follow up appointments.

We’ve Got Our Eye on Your Health

Now more than ever, it is important to take care of your health and protect your vision. Your eye care provider can tell a lot about your health by looking into your eyes and can identify underlying issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes or even risk of stroke. We encourage you to continue to see your retina specialist and eye care providers as directed.

If you experience any sudden loss of vision or flashers and floaters, please contact our office immediately at 713.524.3434.

Your safety is our main goal and we will continue to work hard to keep you as safe as possible, by adhering to the following guidelines:

• Everyone is required to wear a disposable surgical mask; if you do not have one, we will provide one for you.
• We conduct patient screenings based on CDC guidelines.
• We have provided hand sanitizer in common areas.
• We have installed plexiglass shields at our check-in and check-out areas.
• We have spaced out chairs in our waiting areas to comply with social distancing.
• We are limiting the amount of face-to-face interaction between our staff and our patients to limit exposure in an enclosed room. Please excuse us if you are feeling rushed during your appointment.

We invite you to watch our video about our COVID-19 protocols so you can get a better idea of what to expect at your appointment.

We ask our patients the following screening questions. If you can answer “yes” to any questions below, we kindly ask that you reschedule your appointment.

• In the last 14 days, have you had a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher?
• In the last 14 days, have you had any of the following symptoms:
  
  
  • Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
  • Muscle or body aches
  • New loss of taste or small
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Diarrhea
  • Fatigue
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • Nausea or vomiting
• In the last 14 days, have you had close contact with any person under investigation for COVID-19 or with a lab confirmed COVID-19 positive test?

Always remember, practicing good hygiene, such as washing your hands and not touching your face with unwashed hands, as well as social distancing (at least 6 feet apart from others) and wearing a mask, are all good steps to take to help stop the spread.