Your Visit
What to expect
We run an appointment system and you will be booked to see the doctor of your choice at the centre of your choice. We sometimes recommend you see a different specialist to the one on your referral if your condition can be better managed by a doctor with special expertise in your particular problem.
An appointment can take up to 2 hours and will normally involve drops to dilate your pupils. This can make your vision blurred and light sensitive for some time (often about 90 minutes) after you have been seen and we recommend you do not drive yourself to the appointment. Your visit may take longer if you require more complex testing due to your eye condition.
During your appointment
During an appointment your specialist may request further imaging or tests. Our practices are very will equipped with some of the latest imaging equipment. This technology is increasingly sophisticated and is transforming what we can achieve for our patients. We can normally do the imaging at the centre you attend and during the one appointment. Sometimes we will need to see you at a different centre or refer you to a radiological practice.
Changes to schedule
Many of the doctors in practice do see urgent cases as clinically required. Occasionally this upsets our appointment system. Please accept our apologies if a medical emergency delays you. We hope you will be forgiving and understand if it was you or one of your family who had the emergency you would want to be seen swiftly.
What to expect
The pathway on a normal visit in our clinic will involve firstly presenting at our reception area and advising of your arrival. We will ask to see your Medicare card on every visit to our clinics. We will also require you to fulfil our registration paperwork at your initial visit and again at a 2 yearly interval, please allow additional time for this to be completed (15 minutes prior to the appointment time is helpful). After a check of the currency of the information we hold for you in our records, you will then take a seat to wait for our Orthoptist/ Nurse. We have magazines, televisions and filtered water in our lounge areas to help make your stay more comfortable.
Our Orthoptist/Nurse will prepare you for your appointment with the Ophthalmologist. You will have your dilation drops applied, any preliminary eye tests performed along with intraocular eye pressure tests. After this you will be asked to take a seat back in our lounge area to wait for dilation to take effect (this can take up to half an hour).
The Ophthalmologist will review your eye condition and a diagnosis and or recommendations and your treatment plan will be discussed – you may be sent back to the Orthoptist for further tests.
Completion of your visit will involve coming back to our reception area where we will make any further bookings or test referrals and settlement of your account. All visits must be paid for on the day of your consultation and we will help facilitate your Medicare rebate by sending a request to Medicare on your behalf.