You're in great hands
The Doctors and staff strive to make all our patients feel welcome, safe, and taken care of.
All new patients will need to have their referral assessed by us, prior to an appointment being made. Once assessed, once of our friendly team will contact you to discuss an appropriate appointment time for your eye condition.
A current referral is required for all appointments; you will be entitled to Medicare rebates on most of our services and your claim will be sent electronically to Medicare after your visit.
A referral from your GP or Optometrist is valid for 12 months. Referrals from Specialists are valid for only 3 months.
You should always allow UP TO 2 HOURS for your appointments; wait times will vary depending on how complex your eye condition is, what testing is required, as well as any requirement for dilating drops prior to testing. We always suggest you have someone drive you to and from your appointment as dilating drops will affect your driving vision.
PRIOR TO YOUR APPOINTMENT please ensure you have completed your online forms and submitted them back to us. All new patients, and patients who we have not been seen in the rooms for 2+ years will be asked to complete this information. This ensure we have the most up to date personal and medical information.
AT YOUR APPOINTMENT an ophthalmic assistant will perform a series of basic eye tests for the doctor. These tests, as well as your eye history and medical history will be reviewed by the doctor during your consultation. The doctor will thoroughly examine your eyes and may request any additional tests, and will be able to explain any specific diagnosis and help you choose options for treatment and will communicate this back to your referring practitioner as necessary.
For more information about visits to our clinics, please continue to read our FAQ’s below.
FAQ’s
Why do I have to wait to see the doctor? (Up to 2 hours)
Ophthalmology is unpredictable and a simple consult can end up being quite complex. This occasionally results in the clinic not running to schedule. Whilst the Doctors always endeavour to see everyone on time they cannot predict which cases are going to take longer to resolve.
Why are there times when there is a long delay?
At times they are asked to see an emergency patient and these are usually unexpected and complicated. They may also have a patients who may return for a routine review and find they have developed problems which require extra attention. Everyone appreciates your patience when this occurs and want you to know that we will attend to your eye health with the same level of care when it is your turn.
Why do some of my tests need to be done on a separate day?
To ensure all patients are waiting as little time as possible we try to streamline the clinics to give everyone a reasonable assessment. Additional tests usually have to be scheduled for specific clinics to allow efficient running of the practice and to reduce waiting time for all patients.
Why do I pay the same fee for a 5 minute consult as another patient for a 40 minute consult?
The doctors do not charge by time- they deal with the issue at hand. On occasions this may take longer than expected and on other occasions your eye problem might be straight forward and simply does not require a longer consult. The fee is not based on time – the charge is the same whether your problem is complex or not.
What is my private fee covering?
The bulk of your fee covers the cost of updating and maintaining the high-tech ophthalmic equipment required to examine your eye thoroughly and perform diagnostic testing. The practice also requires a significant body of staff to enable efficient management of the practice professionally and to ensure is it complying with all appropriate safeguards and checks required in an approved practice.
Why did the doctor not give me a prescription for new glasses?
The doctors deal primarily with medical issues of the eye requiring a physician's input. In general, they recommend you see your optometrist for an update of your glasses annually. Whilst they are also trained to perform these checks they do not dispense the glasses ourselves. If you would like a full refraction please book this in a separate appointment advising the staff of this at the time of booking.
What do I do if I think the fees are too high?
Please don’t hesitate to let the staff know your thoughts on this. Regular review of fees are conducted and aligned with our overheads accordingly. The fees are a fair representation of costs entailed in running a high quality professional business. You can provide feedback to the practice at any time via the website or by emailing manager@westerneye.com.au
Have any questions?
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