In an effort to provide collaborative care during the coronavirus pandemic, the team at the Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute created an emergency COVID-19 eye clinic at the Midtown Omaha location.
Patients who have tested positive or who are suspected to test positive with eye emergencies can be referred to this clinic. Eye emergencies can be defined as a sudden onset of changes to eye health in patients who must be seen within 14 days.
“With increasing numbers of individuals in our community having suspected or confirmed infection with COVID-19, the odds of encountering such an individual with an urgent eye problem is growing,” said John Shepherd, M.D., emergency COVID-19 eye clinic coordinator and assistant professor, UNMC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.
Careful screening of referred patients and the use of telemedicine will help to reserve the clinic for only truly emergent care and thereby minimize the risk of exposure. Other precautions in place include:
- an isolated examination space with a separate entrance into the facility;
- appropriate personal protective equipment for providers;
- appropriate means for disposal or decontamination of personal protective equipment; and
- protocols for thorough decontamination of the exam room upon completion of the exam.
To refer a patient, call 402-559-2020, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or call 402-559-4000 on weekends or after hours. Please call for specific instructions before the patient arrives. If you experience a medical emergency, call 911.