Big or small, businesses across America all experienced what Wisconsin Vision's CEO, Darren Horndasch, did when COVID-19 hit the badger state.
"Sheer panic, sheer panic. How were we going to keep our operations running? Where are we going to obtain PPE for our staff? How are we going to present ourselves to our patient base," says Darren.
Ordering from suppliers along with shopping at retail stores themselves, Darren's team remained closed until he felt they could serve the community safely.
"There was a period we had our stores closed until we had enough PPE devices for our team and the demand was there from our consumers. They needed their glasses, they need their contact lenses," says Darren.
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While routine eye exams are not considered an essential service by the CDC, you can visit Wisconsin Vision for other needs.
"Blurry vision and eyeglasses are considered essential services. So we ask that patients contact us in advance and make an appointment for those services. We are doing curbside dispense. So if someone orders contact lenses and doesn't have them delivered to their home, we can actually dispense them here. If they have broken glasses or have some sort of repair we can do that internally here, they can wait in their car, and then we can dispense that to them at that time," says Darren.
If you feel your vision has remained the same, but still require glasses or contacts, Wisconsin Vision will accept expired prescriptions.
"If they have a prescription with us or an outside prescription that is no more than 6 months expired, we can fill off that prescription for them and get them their glasses," says Darren.
If you have any questions on what is and is not an essential eye care service, feel free to call your local Wisconsin Vision.