Frequently Asked Questions

It is normal to have questions about our practice and treatments, so we have put together a list of our most common patient queries. If we have not answered your question, please feel free to contact our rooms to discuss.

An Ophthalmologist or Eye Specialist is a medical practitioner who has completed medical school (5-6 years) and worked as a hospital doctor (minimum of 2 years) before undertaking specialty Ophthalmology training (5 years). All Ophthalmologists at NWER have obtained additional advanced fellowship training overseas in the UK, USA and Canada (1-3 years).

A Vitreo-retinal surgeon is a medical practitioner who has completed their specialty Ophthalmology training before obtaining subspecialty advanced fellowship training in diseases that affect the back of the eye (ie. Vitreous, macula and retina).

Yes. A referral can be made through your General Practitioner, Optometrist, Ophthalmologist or other Medicare registered medical practitioner.

To arrange an appointment, please call (07) 3129 9318.

To assist with your eye clinic visit, please bring along the following items:

• A current referral

• An up-to-date list of your medications

• Current spectacles, including those for both distance and reading

• Medicare card, private health insurance details and any applicable pension or concession cards

• You may wish to bring sunglasses to wear after your appointment, especially as you will likely need to have your pupils dilated with eye drops for a comprehensive examination.

New patients should allow 1.5 to 2 hours. This enables a comprehensive consultation that includes a detailed history and thorough eye examination, including pupil dilation with eye drops. There may also be additional investigations required. Review appointments will be shorter in duration.

Yes, absolutely. We recommend that you do not drive yourself to any appointments, as your vision may be blurred from dilating eye drops. These usually last for approximately 3 – 4 hours.

We believe that it is important for patients to know the likely costs of their consultation, investigations and any required procedures. You will be given an indication of these costs when booking your appointment and prior to any procedures. Payment options include credit card and EFTPOS.

If you have a current referral and are a Medicare cardholder, you can claim a Medicare benefit to cover part of the cost of your consultation and treatment. Our staff will provide you with information on how much you are able to claim at the time of your visit, and can process this claim electronically for you. Please be aware that some diagnostic scans required do not attract a Medicare rebate.

If you have private health insurance, it will usually cover most of the medical fees incurred for any treatment in a day surgery or hospital. Your private health insurance does not cover the cost of consultations or treatments provided as an outpatient in the eye clinic.

Yes. However, you will be required to remove your contact lenses during your consultation. If possible, it is best to remove your contact lenses prior to coming to the appointment and wear your glasses instead. If this is not possible, please ensure you bring your contact lens container to your consultation. For certain eye measurements, your contact lenses may need to be removed for a period of time prior to your appointment. Please speak to one of our eye clinic staff if you have any queries.

After checking in with the reception staff, you will first see an ophthalmic assistant or nurse. They will take your history and perform a number of baseline eye assessments. They may also administer eye drops to dilate your pupils. You will then wait until your eyes are sufficiently dilated before seeing the Ophthalmologist.

The Ophthalmologist will then review your history and examine your eyes and investigations, before discussing their findings with you.

You may require pupil dilating drops to help examine the back of your eyes. We recommend all patients come prepared to be dilated, at every visit. If you have any concerns regarding pupil dilation, please speak to our clinic staff beforehand.

This depends on your condition. Some conditions may require a single visit, while others may require periodic reviews and treatment.

We fully appreciate that plans can change at the last minute. With this in mind, we will endeavour to help re-schedule your appointments as needed.

There is free on-site parking at NWER at the rear of the building. There is also free street parking on neighbouring streets, such as Newhaven Street.