Here are the opticians open in Scotland for emergency eye care

After Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his chief aide Dominic Cummings claimed that having coronavirus affected their eyesight, many people may be keen to get their own eyes checked after recovering from the virus (Photo: Shutterstock)After Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his chief aide Dominic Cummings claimed that having coronavirus affected their eyesight, many people may be keen to get their own eyes checked after recovering from the virus (Photo: Shutterstock)
After Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his chief aide Dominic Cummings claimed that having coronavirus affected their eyesight, many people may be keen to get their own eyes checked after recovering from the virus (Photo: Shutterstock)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his chief aide Dominic Cummings both claimed this week that having coronavirus had affected their eyesight.

With this in mind, many people may be keen to get their own eyes checked after recovering from the virus.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Lockdown restrictions in Scotland are set to begin easing on 28 May, with phase one of the route map allowing people to travel short distances for outdoor leisure and exercise and teachers returning to schools.

But when are opticians set to reopen? And what should you do if you have an eyecare emergency? Here’s what you need to know.

When did opticians close?

Opticians ceased running routine appointments when the country entered into lockdown on 23 March.

When will opticians be allowed to reopen?

Although the Scottish Government has not yet said when opticians will be able to open for routine appointments, those who need access for urgent and essential eye care are still able to get help.

What do I do if I have an eye care emergency?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Many opticians are still operating for urgent and essential eye care.

Specsavers has suspended all routine eye appointments, but CEO John Perkins, said: “We will though still remain open to support people in the communities we work in if they need urgent or essential care.”

However, not all stores are open during this time and some of their stores have changed their normal working hours.

The Specsavers website explains that if you’re having any problems with your eyes, the best thing to do is to call your local store, who will ask you some questions about your symptoms and will be able to arrange either an essential appointment, over the phone or with their RemoteCare service.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They will then let you know whether you should come into store for an urgent appointment.

They may even refer to you to an eye emergency department. If you do need to come into store, the chain is following government guidelines to make this as safe as possible.

Vision Express, Asda Opticians and Boots Opticians have also remained open for urgent and emergency appointments, but again, not all branches are open.

You are advised to call your local branch if you have a problem, so the optician can assess your situation and whether or not you need to be seen face to face.

What is essential eye care?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This includes, but is not limited to appointments for patients who would not normally be considered to be emergencies, but where a delay in an examination could be detrimental to a patient’s sight or wellbeing.

This could include situations where patients have broken or lost their glasses or contact lenses and need a replacement pair to function.

What is urgent or emergency eye care?

This is where urgent clinical advice or intervention is needed, e.g. for red eye, contact lens discomfort, foreign objects, sudden change in vision, flashes and floaters, or where the patient has been advised to attend a practice by NHS 111 or another healthcare professional for urgent eye care.