Emergency Eyecare is now available at Mackey Opticians with the recent extension of the NI PEARS (Primary Eye-care Assessment and Referral Service) throughout the Belfast and Southern Trust areas. Any of our practices in Belfast or Portadown can now offer the service free of charge.
NI PEARS is aimed at patients with sudden onset eye conditions such as:
- Red eye(s)
- Pain and/or discomfort in the eyes, around the eye area
- Sudden reduction in vision in one or both eyes
- Recent onset or sudden increase of flashes and/or floaters in one or both eyes
- Suspected foreign body in the eye.
Mark Mackey said he is delighted to be able to provide the NI PEARS service.
“The new service reinforces that your optometrist should be your first port of call for eye problems. In most cases, the outcome will be advice, reassurance and minor treatment. If the problem is more serious, we can then help with appropriate advice and direct referral for specialist hospital eye care. Large penetrating injuries and chemical burns should still go straight to the Regional Acute Eyecare Service at the RVH ("Eye Casualty").
“Patients will be relieved and reassured that they can be seen quickly and assessed thoroughly in a convenient location. NI PEARS is provided free of charge to patients by the HSC. We see most people on the same day and so far everyone has been very pleased that we could help.”
"At present NI PEARS is only available in our Belfast practices as well as High Street Mall, Portadown. We are waiting for the scheme to be opened out to our practices in the Northern Trust and South Eastern Trust. Any patient however can travel from for example Bangor and be seen at one of our Belfast practices which may be more convenient than visiting the GP or Eye Casualty in an emergency. Alternatively you can visit any of our other practices but there may be a charge if you are a private patient or not due for your routine NHS Eye Examination."
Simply call your local Mackey Opticians and we will be happy to explain and book an emergency appointment.
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