Authors: Diego López Alcón, OD, Francisco Lara Ph.D., OD, Rosa Salmerón Campillo OD, Vicente Fernández-Sánchez, OD, Norberto López-Gil Ph.D.
Additional revision by: José Manuel González-Meíjome y Gonzalo Carracedo.

Table of contents

1. Introduction - Direct effects of coronavirus on human ocular health
2. Can I continue to use contact lenses during the COVID-19 outbreak?
3. What precautions should we expect going to see an eye doctor during COVID-19? (the present article)
4. Confinement - How can online learning affect my children's vision?
5. Bibliography relevant to ocular health in the context of COVID-19

What precautions should we expect going to see an eye doctor during COVID-19?

According to the General Optical Council (GOC);

"If there is a clinical need, or the specification has expired, then during the COVID-19 emergency period, business registrants, optometrists and contact lens opticians should consider the risk of requiring a patient to attend an optical practice and potentially contracting or spreading coronavirus compared to any clinical risk of supplying contact lenses on an expired specification, and use their professional judgement to decide on the best course of action."

Please see more on their official website.

As we already know, COVID-19 is transmitted between humans through the secretions of infected people, mainly by direct contact with respiratory droplets (capable of transmitting distances of up to 2 meters) and hands or objects contaminated with these secretions, followed by contact with the mucous of the mouth, nose or eyes.¹¹ Therefore, among the preventive measures to minimize COVID-19 infection by both specialists^12-14 and patients, is the use of protective glasses.⁹

The personnel that take care of us should have their hands washed, wear masks, gloves and protective goggles and keep a safe distance.

Furthermore, as established by the GOC: "There are no legal restrictions on the supply of spectacles by or under the supervision of GOC registered optometrists and dispensing opticians, including for users aged under 16 or registered sight-impaired / severely sight-impaired (section 27 of Opticians Act). If there is no clinical need for a patient to attend an optical practice, optical businesses should be considering posting or delivering spectacles to the patient."

"In order to supply contact lenses, the patient must have an in-date contact lens specification which has been issued following a contact lens fitting/check. The contact lens fitting itself can only begin if the patient has had a sight test that has been issued with a prescription in the last two years and before any re-examination date specified in the prescription"

Continue reading

1. Introduction - Direct effects of coronavirus on human ocular health
2. Can I continue to use contact lenses during the COVID-19 outbreak?
3. What precautions should we expect going to see an eye doctor during COVID-19? (the present article)
4. Confinement - How can online learning affect my children's vision?
5. Bibliography relevant to ocular health in the context of COVID-19