VISITS DURING COVID-19

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READ BEFORE YOUR VISIT

It’s very important that you read through this entire section before your visit. We have changed our usual routine because of Covid-19:

Plan to arrive 15 minutes before your child’s scheduled appointment time. We are running on a tight schedule to avoid crowding in our office. Once you come into the office you will be seen promptly. Our aim is to have your child’s exam completed within 30 minutes if possible.

All paperwork and co pays must be completed ahead of your visit. Please review the Pre-Visit Checklist before your appointment.

Only one parent may accompany their child to the exam. We are not allowing siblings or other guests at this time. Another parent may participate via conference call if they wish.

If someone other than the legal guardian is bringing your child to their appointment, a permission note must be emailed to the office ahead of time .

Have your child practice wearing a mask before the visit. They need to be able to keep it on throughout the entire time they are in the office, which may be 30 minutes or possibly longer. We understand that this is hard for some children, but all children aged two and older are expected to wear a mask.  When scheduling your appointment, please let us know if your child is unable to cooperate with mask wearing.

If your child is administered dilating drops, we will ask you to return to your car to wait while these drops take effect. If your child is not able to easily cooperate with getting eye drops, we may need to perform the dilated portion of the exam on a different day. In that case, you will be provided with a prescription for the dilating drops and  given directions for how and when to administer them before the second exam.

There is no office restroom available at this time, so please plan ahead. Your visit should take about 30 minutes.

MAKING AN APPOINTMENT

To avoid overcrowding, we are booking fewer appointments each day.

You can make an appointment by calling us at 973-422-1230.

We are only allowing only one parent to accompany their child to the exam. No siblings or other visitors are permitted. It is possible for another parent to listen in via conference call if desired.

We are not able to accommodate back to back sibling appointments at this time.

We understand that young children may have difficulty wearing a mask. Unfortunately, at this time, we cannot see your child if they can’t wear a mask. Our doctors are reviewing this on a case by case basis and making recommendations for timely rescheduling. In some circumstances, a telemedicine visit may be a good option.

BEFORE APPOINTMENT CHECKLIST

Complete these steps at least 72 hours before your appointment:

• Complete the  Health Survey Form by clicking here.
• If this is your first visit, complete the “New Patient” Packet and email or fax it to us immediately.
• Make sure you’ve verified your insurance with our staff (when you make / confirm your appointment) and email a copy of your current insurance card to [email protected].
• Pre-pay your copay via the Online Payment Portal. The amount is for a specialist and indicated on your insurance card. Enter your child’s last name in the account number field.  If you need to reschedule your appointment, your copay will be refunded.
• Bring masks for both you and your child to wear during the appointment. We do not have enough masks to provide them if you forget.  All children aged two and older are expected to wear a mask throughout their office visit.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT

• Park near our entrance at the far rear of the building. We have a private ground level entry that has our name on the door.
• Text us from your car on our dedicated check-in text line: 862-223-8120.  One of our staff members will come to greet you and escort you into the office.
• You and your child must have a mask on before entering our office.
• You and your child may have a non-contact temperature check before entering our office.
• We are not permitting siblings or guests at this time. Only one adult may accompany your child. 

VISITING OUR OPTICAL SHOP

All optical shop visits, whether to purchase glasses or to have a repair, are now by appointment only. Schedule an appointment by calling the optician at 973-422-0036 or emailing at [email protected]

It may be possible to see the optician immediately following your child’s exam. If someone else is with the optician we will ask you to wait in your car until she is free. We will notify her that you are waiting and she’ll call / text you as soon as she’s available.

 You and your child must wear a mask at all times while in our office, including while you’re in the optical shop. Bring your own masks please, as we cannot provide them for you.

If you are uncomfortable coming into the office to see our optician, or if your child cannot wear a mask, it may be possible for our optician to come to your car to assist you.  You can discuss this when making your optical shop appointment.

 For everyone’s safety:

• Our optician washes her hands before and after every patient interaction.
• All the equipment that she utilizes, including tools, displays and fixtures are cleaned after every patient visit.
• The optical shop has a HEPA air filtration unit.
• All frames are cleaned after being tried on and before being placed back on the display.  
• When selecting frames, only the optician will remove them from the display and bring them to your child.
• Small, clear breath shields may be used by the optician to help reduce the risk of virus transmission.
• Patients will be asked to refrain from talking when the optician is close to their face taking measurements or adjusting  frame fit.

TELEMEDICINE

Newly implemented for the COVID-19 crisis, we are now performing telemedicine visits for certain patients. There are some conditions that might reasonably be evaluated this way.

Requests for telemedicine appointments will be reviewed by the doctor to see if it is appropriate for your child.  You may be asked to check your child’s vision at home prior to their virtual visit.

Telemedicine visits are billed directly to your insurance carrier, similar to in-office visits. Our staff will ask you about your insurance ahead of time.

WE’VE CHANGED OUR APPEARANCE

Like everyone else, we are adapting to the “new normal.” For those of you who’ve been here before, you’ll notice that we’ve removed most chairs from the waiting room and cleared out all our toys, books and stuffed animals from the exam rooms.

Our second waiting area, the “movie room,” is temporarily closed.

We have always tried to look less scary to kids by wearing non-medical looking clothing, but now our staff will be wearing masks and scrubs.

Unfortunately, we are not giving out stickers at this time.

Please prepare your children for this new look and let them know that we’ll be back to normal just as soon as we can!

IF YOUR CHILD NEEDS DILATING DROPS

If your child is administered dilating drops, we will ask you to return to your car to wait while these drops take effect.

If your child is not able to easily cooperate with getting eye drops, we may need to perform the dilated portion of the exam on a different day.

COVID-19 is spread through airborne droplets, and if your child is crying this creates a particularly high risk situation for virus spread, no matter what masks are used. 

If you are asked to return for the dilation portion of the exam, you will be provided with a prescription for the dilating drops and given directions for how and when to administer them before this additional visit.

We understand that many children are afraid of getting eye drops. It is not a poor reflection on you or your child if a second appointment is needed and we apologize for the inconvenience.