Specsavers stays open with safety front of mind

Specsavers remains open for all eye care and hearing needs, in line with the latest government guidance.

The government has recognised opticians and audiologists as providing essential healthcare services and this means that Specsavers will continue to keep their doors open to the public and offer a full breadth of services to the local community.

Specsavers is encouraging all its customers to keep their appointments to ensure that they protect their eye and hearing health after research by the retailer showed that a third of people in Ireland noticed a deterioration in their eyesight and others in their hearing during the first lockdown.

The full breadth of services it will continue to offer include:

Comprehensive eye examinations

Hearing tests and hearing consultations

Contact lens consultations

Frame repairs and the provision of new glasses

Hearing aid repairs and the provision of new devices

Purchase of vision care products, such as an anti-fog lens solution for glasses wearers through to dry eye drops

Specsavers will also continue to offer its remote services for people who are self-isolating, vulnerable or unable to leave their home. These include:

RemoteCare – a free nationwide consultation service offering advice and care via video and telephone link

Online shopping – glasses and contact lenses can be bought online with a current prescription

Specsavers Athlone store partner Hugh Morris says: ‘We understand that people may have been concerned when we moved to Level 5, but we want to reassure them that it is safe to book an appointment or come in as scheduled.

‘As providers of an essential health service, we have played a key role in looking after people’s eye and hearing health throughout the pandemic and are delighted that we can continue to do so, while also playing our part in relieving some of the strain on our partners in the health service.’

Specsavers has put in place various safety measures, including restrictions on the number of customers allowed in store at any one-time, social distancing, and bank card instead of cash payments, where possible.

Mr Morris adds: ‘We remain vigilant with our safety measures to guarantee the ongoing welfare of our customers and our colleagues. We have adapted our ways of working so we can remain open to serve the public’s health needs and every store is adhering to strict government guidelines to ensure customer and colleague safety remains paramount.’

In line with HSE recommendations, Specsavers colleagues use personal protective equipment (PPE) throughout the stores, wear face masks and other PPE during tests, and all testing equipment and frames are thoroughly sanitised before and after each use. Customers are also asked to request an appointment in advance by phone or online through the Specsavers website to help manage social distancing and minimise time spent in store.

In addition to being experts in eye and hearing care, Specsavers’ customer service was recently recognised by the CXi Ireland Customer Experience report where they placed third in the country, making them Ireland’s best optical and audiology provider for customer service.

To find out more information, request an appointment or browse the online store, visit www.specsavers.ie