Do I need a referral?
Yes, a referral is required for every appointment.
GP/Optometrist referrals last for 12 months. A referral from a specialist is valid for 3 months. Please be mindful to update your referral before it expires.
What do I bring to my initial consultation?
- A current referral
- Your medicare card and private health insurance details
- List of medications
- Medical history (list of medical conditions and previous operations)
- Your glasses
- Any Xrays or scans that you think are relevant to your eye condition
- Sunglasses and hat to help with glare on the way home
Does my fee include my post-operative eye drops?
Post operative eyedrops are not provided by the practice or the hospital. They can be purchased with your usual subsidies (where applicable) from your local chemist.
For more information about our fees please see our fees page.
Does my fee include my aftercare appointments?
The surgical fee includes postoperative care for each procedure. It does not include care for other conditions treated in the post-operative period. The post-operative period varies for each condition, but is generally 3 weeks for cataract surgery and 3 days for intravitreal therapy or laser therapy.
For more information about our fees please see our fees page.
Do I stop my blood thinning medication before my surgery?
No, please keep taking your medication unless Dr Chris has explicitly said otherwise.
How often do I need to take my pre-operation drops for surgery?
For Acular and Ocuflox, you must take them four times per day (5 minutes apart/in between), for the three days leading up to cataract surgery only. Please do not take them the day of your surgery.
Can I drive to my appointment?
You must have a driver for all your appointments, no exceptions.
You may require a dilating drop to enable proper ocular measurement, and it is not safe to drive. Whilst these drops will not be used at every appointment, driving yourself to your appointment may result in not being seen by the Doctor, and having to reschedule.
Unfortunately, there are no reliable ways of predicting if you will in fact need these drops for a particular appointment.
Do I still come to my appointment if I'm sick?
If you have a cough, cold or virus, you may still come to your appointment, though we ask you to wear a mask covering your mouth and nose.
If you are extremely unwell, please reschedule.
Can you send me the report/letter?
Your report will be sent to your referring Doctor or Optometrist who will go over the report with you.
Am I allowed to shower after surgery?
Yes, you can absolutely shower as normal, though please be very careful not to get any water in your eyes for at least four weeks.
Do you book DVA transport?
No, patients book this themselves.