To help ease the pressure on local A&E and hospital departments during the coronavirus pandemic, Peter Bowers Optometrist in Stone has been providing emergency care to the local community.
Located on the High Street, team members at the independent opticians have helped many of their patients, including Engineer Sam Anslow, who contacted the practice after he found a piece of metal in his eye.
In normal circumstances, the practice’s Optometrist Kelly Mayers would have sent Sam to A&E, but decided against it as that would have added extra pressure to NHS’s already stretched services. Instead, Kelly requested Sam came into their practice, which is closed for routine tests, where she then removed the metal herself and saved Sam a trip to the hospital.
Now fully recovered and able to return to work, Sam is incredibly thankful for the efficiency displayed by the practice.
He said: “Kelly was very caring and thorough throughout the situation, talking me through each step and making sure that my eye was clear and there was no pain, so I’d like to thank her and team.
“If it wasn’t for them being open for emergencies I would’ve had to go to A&E, which I was really trying to avoid as the hospitals are under enough stress and strain as it is.
“But Peter Bowers are more than capable of staying open and doing what they are doing; they were all really conscious of hygiene while I was there, including wearing masks and making sure social distancing was in place. Even since the appointment, Alison Woodcock from the practice also gave me a call to check if I was ok and if we needed anything else, so they’ve really gone above and beyond.”
Sam isn’t the only patient Kelly has helped in the past few weeks. The Optometrist also telephone triaged a patient’s retinal detachment, which can cause vision loss, which allowed them to receive emergency treatment at hospital.
Kelly even referred a patient to a hospital in Portugal after they were experiencing floaters in their vision.
She said: “These cases show how important it is that optical practices stay open for emergency and essential care during this uncertain period; we’re here to ease the pressure on the NHS as well as giving people peace of mind in their eye health.
“If you are experiencing issues with your eyes, give us a call. There have been a lot of people ringing saying they might be asking a silly question, but with your eye health I can assure you there are absolutely no silly questions.
“I’ve had to say to many people that I’m just doing my job, but they’ve all been really grateful, everyone has been careful about not wanting to put pressure on the health service. Even just being able to talk to someone over the phone has been very reassuring for our patients.”
The team at Peter Bowers Optometrist are also providing deliveries of emergency glasses and contact lenses. The practice’s website has now been updated so customers can purchase Project 100 specs and have them delivered to their door.
To contact the practice, you can call the team on 01785 813902.
