Updated COVID-19 MESSAGE – Please Read
Updated Sept 1, 2022
OPHTHALMIC CONSULTANTS OF THE CAPITAL REGION IS COMMITTED TO KEEPING OUR PATIENTS AND STAFF SAFE WHILE PROVIDING QUALITY CARE!
Dear Patients – Our policies and procedures may change from time to time depending on the CDC or State Guidance. The rate of Covid infections and incidence in our cities will also determine what guidelines may or may not be followed. Thank you for your understanding and your patience!
We are operating under normal office hours, Monday-Friday from 8 am until 5 pm.
We are providing all types of eye care appointments from routine and follow-up care to urgent and emergent care.
All patients under the age of 18 MUST be accompanied by an adult.
Telehealth appointments are available as a means of flexible, on-demand, home-based, care. You may contact our office at 518-438-5273 to schedule an appointment and for answers to any questions about what to expect during your first telehealth visit. You may call us 24/7 and one of our doctors will be available to return your call.
Eye surgery is being performed at our surgery center, the Albany Regional Eye Surgery Center (ARESC).
Optical Services are fully open at each of our offices providing all services, everything from minor repairs to contact lens orders to filling new prescriptions for eyewear. Appointments are required. Please call the front desk number for the office posted on the front door to gain access to the Optical area.
Your Appointment – What to Expect
- Mask Policy
We have made a change to our masking policy. We will no longer require patients to wear a mask while in our facilities based on guidance from our local Department of Health branches. Masks are still optional to everyone and will be available to patients and staff who still wish to wear a mask.
- Waiting in your vehicle
You can request to wait in your vehicle; we just request that you notify the receptionist upon check-in. At this time, we are still only allowing patients in our offices. Visitors will be asked to wait in their vehicles. If you have a special need related to attending with a patient, please speak with our front desk staff or office manager about the situation. Additionally, all patients younger than 18 MUST have an adult in attendance with them during their appointment.
- Plan on ample time for your appointment
If your visit is for a post-operative follow-up, plan on it taking approximately one hour from your scheduled arrival time to complete your visit. In the case of an annual eye examination, plan on being at the practice for roughly one and one-half hours from your scheduled arrival time. In the case of a medical/specialty examination, please plan on a full two hours from your scheduled arrival time. While these timeframes may be longer than what you are used to with other doctor appointments, eye care is different because of the various numbers of test that take place – some preplanned and many not preplanned, as the need for the test often arises during a portion of the eye examination. Our schedules are often interrupted due to emergencies which are seen on an URGENT basis. We value your time and thank you for your understanding.
- We are committed to providing a patient focused experience
While our practice locations see many patients, our goal is that each and every patient is treated with respect, kindness, and outstanding clinical care. Please help us know how we are doing and reach out to us with any feedback – good and bad. When providing feedback, it is very helpful if you identify the office location you visited. We take your feedback seriously and will celebrate our successes and work hard to correct our shortcomings. After your visit, if you have feedback to share with us, please send an email to: PatientFirst@OphthalmicConsultants.com
- Schenectady Office
As of September 15, 2022, our new Schenectady location will be: The Medical Suites, 500 State Street, Suite 1A Schenectady, New York. This location is less than a quarter mile from our previous location.
Please be kind and patient to our staff and doctors. We are working as quickly and efficiently as possible to treat patients with both eye emergencies as well as serious eye diseases each day.
Albany Office – (518) 438-5273
Clifton Park Office – (518) 383-8589
Schenectady Office – (518) 370-0066
Schodack Office – (518) 477-2391
Troy Office – (518) 274-3123
Additional steps we are taking to keep people safe
1. All the desk and counter spaces have the addition of plastic sneeze shields.
2. All slit lamps in examination rooms have medical plastic shields between the patient and the doctor/technician.
3. Each lane and patient or employee “touch area” is sanitized after each patient encounter.
4. Stand-alone HEPA air filters and HEPA Humidifiers have been placed in interior areas to enhance ventilation.
After having had the privilege of providing eye care to my patients for almost 40 years, I have decided to retire. As you can imagine, it is a big decision and a big change, but it will allow me to spend more time with my family. 