Ian's 2020 vision of lockdown days
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A WICK specialist in eye care shared his experiences of life during the lockdown.
Ian Morris is an optometrist director at Specsavers Wick.
Operations at the opticians on Bridge Street adapted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic which ensured that during lockdown its services were available for essential and emergency care.
The Specsavers store is fully set up to follow social distancing, hygiene and PPE guidelines to ensure the safety of staff and customers. It also offers Specsavers’ RemoteCare, a new specialist telephone and video consultation service set up in response to the pandemic.
Ian said: "From the outset, we were set up as an Emergency Eyecare Treatment Centre [EETC] for NHS Highland as Wick and the surrounding area is in a unique position of being both remote and populated.
"When the EETCs were introduced, we were approached by the hospital ophthalmology department to help."
Ian and his team have provided help to secondary care by managing the patients that hospitals were not able to see while Covid-19 restrictions were in place.
"During the pandemic, I have seen and learned a lot. It has been a different way of working as instead of regular in-person interaction, I have been making video calls using a secure system and patients have sent photos in advance of any potential emergency appointments.
"We have been able to deal with about half the cases remotely without seeing the patient face-to-face. I have given them advice and prescribed treatments remotely with follow-ups to make sure that treatment is helping."
The Wick-based specialist has had a variety of conditions to deal with, from more routine conditions including lots of foreign body removals, to some potentially sight and life-saving treatments.
"One patient was an 80-year-old lady who I referred directly to accident and emergency for treatment of a stroke, as she had complete blindness over half her field of vision, but thankfully she’s recovering now."
"I also had to start a first-time treatment of an anterior uveitis patient who was pregnant, which was a new experience. If untreated the inflammation of the middle layer of the eye could have caused permanent damage and loss of vision."
The team in Wick have also been providing key workers with replacement glasses or repairs remotely, along with other urgent repairs to patient spectacles.
Ian said: "We have been making appointments to avoid too many people coming near the practice and getting patients to drop off the glasses and wait outside or in the car, repairing them and phoning so they can pick them up.
"This manages the flow into store as we are operating a closed door policy for anything other than emergency cases."
Ian said that one of the hardest parts of the crisis was deciding what was "essential" treatment.
"At the outset, I was worried that the practice may have to close as we were told not to see people by the NHS so everything ground to a halt," he said.
"The announcement of NHS support and the government furlough scheme changed everything instantly as we have some staff members who needed to shield. During this time it has been myself and one staff member, Hannah Dunbar, who have been working and providing a valuable service to the community."
With the help of the NHS grant and support negotiated by Optometry Scotland Ian thinks that most practices in Scotland will be able to reopen slowly.
"We’re proud to provide vital care for our community at this time and I’m delighted that we are able to support those who need it as safely as possible. We’d urge anyone with concerns about their eyes or vision to contact their optician – we are here to help."
To make an appointment, contact Specsavers Wick on 01955 609939.
