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COVID-19 Update

An Update on COVID-19 from Dr. Kerry Solomon

We’re closely following the latest updates from the CDC and the South Carolina Department of Health, and in particular, guidelines from the American Academy of Ophthalmology – as it specifically relates to the concerns most relevant for our patients and care teams.

Clinic/Surgery Update (updated May 1, 2020)

In accordance with local and state authority, we are now scheduling all appointments and procedures.  Our patient care specialists and surgery coordinators are working hard to reach out to all cancelled patients to coordinate rescheduling. If you were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we invite you to reach out to us as well.

Call Team Solomon at (843) 881-3937 or click here and fill out our contact form to request an appointment.

For those patients who will be seen in office, we’ve implemented the following protocols:

• We have instituted an additional level of screening for your protection. We will have trained team members perform universal travel history and symptom screening for all team members, patients and their family members.
• All patients will be required to wear your own personal mask or facial covering.
• We encourage you to bring your paper work completed to your appointment, but if you cannot, paperwork and a pen will be provided for you to fill out in your car as we continue to practice social distancing.
• Our reception area has been rearranged to allow for the practice of social distancing. There may be times where patients are asked to wait in their car to abide by those guidelines.
• We ask any family members/care givers accompanying a patient to kindly wait in the car. If you’d like to be invited in for the doctor/patient session, we ask for you to provide us a cell phone number at arrival and you will be contacted at that time. This is limited to one family member or friend per patient.
• All testing and exam rooms will be extensively wiped down between each patient.
• For your reassurance, all of our staff will also be required to wear mask.

We are confident that this additional level of screening and protocols will provide the highest level of protection possible for our patients and staff while providing you with an additional level of comfort and safety.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to our offices should you have questions or concerns.  All of our lives have been turned upside down by this pandemic.  We have worked hard to formulate a plan to keep you and our patients safe while in our offices.

COVID-19 in Ophthalmology

A recent article published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology noted that several reports suggest that COVID-19 can cause conjunctivitis (commonly known as “pink eye”). Although not as common of a symptom as fever, cough and difficulty breathing, this is something our scheduling team will take into consideration.

More about COVID-19 from the CDC

The virus is thought to spread mainly between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It also may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

Here are a few tips to protect yourself from this respiratory illness:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.

As we all band together to work through this unprecedented global health crisis, we thank you for your patience and apologize in advance for any inconvenience it may cause.  We will continue to update this page as new information emerges, but for additional information, please call us at (843) 881-3937.

Sources: www.cdc.gov, www.aao.org