Many patients with eye problems during the COVID-19 pandemic likely have had thoughts such as, “I’m concerned about how my Glaucoma is doing, but I’m scared to go to the eye doctor.” Such a feeling is totally understandable and rational. At Milan Eye Center, we understand and share this concern. And although there is no way to completely eliminate all risk related to COVID-19, we have taken aggressive measures to reduce risk as much as possible.
March 2020: With the emergence of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams advised hospitals and healthcare systems on March 14, 2020, to consider halting elective procedures, such as cataract surgery, for the safety of patients and healthcare staff and for resource conservation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery issued similar recommendations in the following days to ophthalmologists regarding the cessation of cataract surgery until further notice. In accordance with this guidance, most surgeons responded by canceling cataract surgeries by the middle of March and focused on providing urgent and emergent eyecare only.
April-May 2020: As many states passed their respective peaks for COVID-19 cases, the US Surgeon General, CDC, American College of Surgeons, and American Society of Anesthesiologists issued new guidelines to safely resume elective surgeries.
On June 8, 2020, we resumed elective surgeries, including cataract and LASIK surgery. As the clinical knowledge of COVID-19 grows over time, we will continually monitor and adapt our clinical protocols and safety measures that are in place.
Milan Eye Center has implemented multiple safety protocols and procedures to ensure our surgery centers are safe for patient care. These guidelines were developed in accordance with Georgia state orders, the CDC, and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidelines.
With this “new normal,” we want you to know that we will always strive to protect you throughout your clinical and surgical experience here at Milan Eye Center. Contact us today to find out more!
At Milan Eye Center, the safety of patients, staff, and providers is our top priority, and new clinical protocols and safety guidelines have been implemented throughout our clinics and surgery centers to resume clinic care and elective surgery for our patients. These are the new measures in place:
All patients will be screened twice—once by phone the on the day prior to arrival and once upon arrival. This will include temperature checks and questions about COVID-19 symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, etc.). It’s also a time to answer any questions you may have prior to entering our surgery centers.
Rules to know before arrival
After the arrival screening, patients then wait in their car to minimize time they are in the office, and are called by the technicians on their cell phones once an exam room is available.
Waiting rooms and dilation areas have been reconfigured to avoid crowding and allow for social distancing of at least 6 feet. Additionally, limited patient movement throughout the clinic and surgery center will be encouraged.
All Milan Eye Center employees were tested for COVID-19 prior to our offices reopening for routine care.
All clinic and surgical staff will be screened daily with temperature and symptom checks. All staff members will be wearing masks and additional personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves or goggles, in clinics and surgery centers.
Our air conditioning systems now have advanced technology purification products to help treat the air as it passes through to help kill any possible microbes and viruses. Greentech Environmental’s proprietary photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) technology generates powerful oxidizers that deactivate and kill microbes, such as bacteria and viruses, and render contaminants harmless. This will allow for continuous sanitization of the air and disinfection of surfaces in our surgery centers in a safe and effective manner.
To add even more protection, we will be installing individual air purifiers in all surgical waiting areas and operating rooms. The IQ air purification system is the only hyper high-efficiency particulate air or hyper HEPA filtration system to remove ultrafine particles down to 0.003 microns in size with 99.5% efficiency.
This is 100 times smaller than what is achieved with ordinary HEPA purifiers. More importantly, the IQ air filtration system traps particles 10x smaller than a virus, including the Coronavirus. Produced by Swiss engineers, each certified unit uses mechanical filtration to capture pollutants and microbes and clean the air without any harmful byproducts.
We have also added protective guards and germ shields throughout our clinic—our check-in areas and surgical scheduling rooms—to better protect against the transmission of germs.
Each slit lamp, the equipment used to examine the eye, has had a shield installed on it to prevent transmission during the actual eye exam.
Regular and detailed cleaning of all exam rooms and testing equipment and chairs will be performed before each patient encounter. Strict existing sterile technique and cleaning protocols will be maintained for the surgery centers’ operative rooms.
The world may be opening and changing but our commitment to your vision remains the same! These preventive measures combined with strict adherence to the already rigorous sterile protocols for surgical suites and procedure rooms make for a safe and positive patient experience.
And for patients with non-vision threatening conditions, such as dry eye, or conjunctivitis, for example, we are able to provide telemedicine appointments in order to allow these patients to receive care from the safety and comfort of their own homes, via a computer or mobile device.
While all of us hope for a return to normal soon, we are committed to providing our patients with the safest environment possible until then.
Offering comprehensive eye care in our state of the art facilities
I have been wearing glasses for more than 40 years, though I am still in my early fifties. Dr. Patel recommended I get my cataract surgery done. He didn’t promise me 20/20 vision but said that it will still improve my vision to a very great extent. Both operations were successful & I don’t need to wear glasses anymore except for slight corrections.
Thank you, Dr. Patel & team. Your professionalism, courtesy, & thoughtfulness is astounding & I will not hesitate in recommending Milan Eye Center to my friends!
S.E.Dr. Patel explained what he would be doing surgically to remove my cataract. He and his staff helped to calm my nervousness about being awake during surgery. The staff at the hospital were all so caring about my well being. My follow up visits were great. I highly recommend Dr. Patel to anyone having cataract surgery.
S.H.Dr. Milan Patel has given me the wonderful gift of not having to wear glasses all the time. I had cataracts on both eyes. He explained the cataract surgery and answered all my questions in depth. The surgery was a success and the outpatient department and nurses were great. I have worn glasses for the past 62 years since I was 12 years old. Now my distant vision is normal and I only have to have glasses for reading. His office staff was very knowledgeable and professional and are an asset to his practice. Many thanks to Dr. Patel for this awesome gift.
M.M.