IN PATIENT DEPARTMENT (SURGICAL PATIENTS)

PREPARING FOR YOUR ARRIVAL

1. Remember to bring insurance cards, a form of ID, and any other important documents. If any paperwork was given to you to complete prior to your arrival, please have it filled out and bring it with you.
2. You must bring all your past and present medical records with you, even if they have been checked earlier.
3. Please do obtain a Fitness for Surgery certificate from your physician or cardiologist if you are under their treatment for any medical condition and/or you are above 50 years of age.
4. Please dress in loose, easily-removable, comfortable clothing as you will be changing into a hospital gown in the pre-operative area.
5. Do not bring valuables, and please remove all jewellery prior to arrival. We do not have any way of securing personal valuables while you are in surgery.
6. Please do not wear make-up, perfume, hairspray, body lotion or powders. The use of anti-perspirant or deodorant is acceptable.
7. If you wear eye glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids or dentures, please bring a personal carrying case to hold these item(s) during surgery. Wills Eye Hospital cannot be held responsible for damaged goods not stored properly in a case.
8. All online payments, payments by cheque etc should be completed 2 days before surgery.

PREPARING FOR SURGERY

Pre-Operative Instructions

Please be advised: You will receive a call from one of our nurses the day before your surgery between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. If you have any further questions or need clarification of which medications to take or if you do not receive a phone call with your preoperative arrival time, please call 9839067675.

What You Need To Know About Your Medications

1. Morning blood pressure and heart medications should be taken with a small sip of water if these medications are usually taken in the morning. However, we do not want you to take any medication that is a diuretic or “water pill” such as hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) or lasix (Furosemide) or any medication that may be combined with these medications.
2. If you are a diabetic and take oral medications or use insulin please do not take or use these medications the morning of your procedure. If you use insulin the evening before the procedure, please contact your primary medical doctor to determine if you should reduce the amount of insulin you use. Not eating in the morning and taking the regular dosage of insulin the night before surgery may allow the blood sugar to decrease to low levels.
3. If you currently take aspirin, coumadin, ibuprofen or any other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medication or blood thinners, please contact your primary medical doctor to determine if you should continue taking these medications. These medications decrease the clotting ability of the blood and therefore must be stopped prior to many surgical procedures.
4. Please bring all medications currently taken with you on the day of surgery for anaesthesia to review; this includes any eye drops currently used. Even those medications taken the morning of the procedure should be brought along for review.

Eating and/or Drinking Before Surgery

Do not eat or drink anything after midnight of the night before your procedure. This includes no gum, candy or mints. A small sip of water is allowed only for those patients taking morning medications.

CHILDREN are exceptions to this rule. Please use the following guidelines:

Infants 6 months to 2 years old. These children may have:

• Milk up to 8 hours before their scheduled arrival time
• Breast milk up to 3 hours before their arrival time
• Clear liquids, such as water and apple juice, up to 2 hours before their arrival time. (NO ORANGE JUICE)

Children 2 years to 5 years old. These children may have clear liquids, such as water and apple juice, up to 3 hours before their arrival time. (NO ORANGE JUICE)

Children 5 years to 9 years old. These children may have clear liquids, such as water and apple juice, up to 4 hours before their arrival time. (NO ORANGE JUICE)

Children 10 years old and up. These children may have clear liquids, such as water and apple juice, up to 8 hours before their arrival time. (NO ORANGE JUICE)

PREPARING FOR DISCHARGE

You are required to have an adult (someone over 18 years old) to arrive with you, stay during your procedure and then take you home.

Public transportation is not an acceptable form of transportation home from the surgical centre.

If someone is not available to stay at the centre during the surgical procedure, a ride by a friend or relative will be acceptable.

Please come to the centre with the name and telephone number(s) of the individual who will escort you home. This person will be contacted prior to your surgical procedure to confirm that they will be picking you up from the centre. However, your procedure will be cancelled if your ride cannot be contacted.

IN-PATIENT SERVICES

Wills Eye offers state-of-the-art in-patient care focused solely on eye conditions. We are open 365 days a year, on a 24-hour, 7-day per week basis.

Our in-patient suite features the innovative design of proximity. While receiving personalized treatment in our warm and comfortable rooms, our surgeons, anesthesiologists, and expert nursing staff are available within 100 feet as they work in our world-renowned operating rooms.  You won’t find better eye care anywhere.

Locations and Parking

Payments and Insurance/Health Plan Coverage

Co-payments and deductibles are collected at the time of your appointment. We accept cash, personal check, MasterCard, Visa and American Express. If you have questions regarding your insurance coverage, contact your insurance carrier directly. You may also call the UHealth Central Insurance Verification Office at 305-243-2031.

Cancellations

If you must change or cancel your appointment, please call our Patient Appointment Office at 305-243-2020 or 888-845-0002 (toll-free) to schedule a new appointment.

International Patients

We invite patients traveling from outside the United States to use our International Concierge Service. Our team is committed to deliver a courteous, helpful and respectful patient experience throughout your appointment.