Frequently Asked Questions

No.  Due to the nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have taken the stance that physical distancing as recommended by the WHO is required to fight the spread of the virus.  Therefore, in the interest of our patient’s and employee’s health and safety, we will have reduced number of branches open during March in the first instance.  Additionally, those branches that are open will be operating strictly by appointments and handling only emergency and critical vision care functions.

Emergency services include filling of prescriptions for replacement spectacles or broken spectacles for patients whose normal activities are severely disrupted by not having their spectacles.  Critical vision care are those cases where severe vision problems such as sustained blurred vision, eye pain and similar conditions require the urgent evaluation by an optometrist.  Regular eye examinations and routine checks and purchases will be deferred to the resumption of regular operations.

Regular operations will resume when COVID-19 no longer poses a grave health risk to our patients and staff.  The situation is fluid and management will monitor the situation daily together with adherence to requirements of the national health and governmental authorities.  We are also guided by a team of ophthalmologists and optometrists who provide professional suggestions towards the preservation of health and safety of our patients and employees as it relates to the business of vision care.

The COVID-19 virus enters the body through portals such as the mouth, nose and eyes.  It is possible that the COVID-19 can be transmitted through aerosol contact with the conjunctiva and several reports suggest that the virus can cause conjunctivitis.  To avoid potential infection, we advise that you do not touch your face or have any contact with your eyes.  Additionally, you should wash your hands and face frequently during the course of the day and every time you return from outdoors or a public space.

We are making every effort to have all produced spectacles available for collection at one of the branches that remain operational.  You can call our toll-free hotline to arrange for pick-up at 800-2020.

If you have an emergency and require spectacles urgently, you can visit one of the branches that remain open (you must have your prescription).  Alternatively, you can purchase your frame at Trinoptics.com.  We will ship the frame to you and we will email you a special coupon for a FREE eye exam and 10% OFF your lenses that you can redeem at any Value Optical Branch when normal operations resume.

 Given the threat from COVID-19, the government has enabled optical care providers to remain open to deliver essential and emergency care to the community. As a healthcare provider, we always strive to deliver the highest clinical and hygiene standards, however we have brought in new measures to protect our patients and our staff.

We want to advise our customers that the following locations will be OPEN for emergency and critical services ONLY. We ask that you schedule an appointment to allow our team to completely sanitize the environment between patient appointments.

Mid Centre Mall, Chaguanas: 225-4865 ext. 3111
PriceSmart Plaza, La Romain: 225-4865 ext. 3911
Tunapuna: 225-4865 ext. 3611
Canaan, Tobago: 225-4865 ext. 4211

Alternatively, you can call our main toll-free line: 800-2020

Emergency, Urgent and Critical care may include eye examinations, treatments and provision of products for eye problems resulting in acute vision loss or where use of corrective lenses is critical for carrying out daily tasks.  Routine eye examinations, contact lens fittings and other ophthalmic tests will be rescheduled to a future date. 

Patients are required to make appointments by calling our toll-free hotline at 800-2020.  Walk in patients will not be accommodated at this time.  You can call 225.4865 x3111 for more information. 

Only one patient is allowed into the branch at any given time.  This is to ensure adequate physical distancing within the branch and to allow our team to follow all sanitation protocols for your health and safety.  We have placed seating outside of the branch (within the mall) to accommodate any chance of multiple persons arriving at our branch at the same time.  We are trying to minimize that situation through our appointment scheduling. 

At this time children (18 years and under) and elderly patients will be rescheduled to a future date unless their purpose of visit is critical in nature.  In this instance, please contact our branch to discuss your situation. 

If you do have children, they should not be brought to the branch.  If you are not able to visit without them we may ask you to reschedule your visit to a later date when it is possible for you to do so. 

Just like washing your hands, it’s good practice to clean your glasses regularly. A glasses cleaning solution that contains a surfactant will help to remove surface microbes that may be of harm. Make sure you clean them thoroughly, not forgetting the nose pads and sides, and dry them with a clean glasses cleaning cloth. 

Once your glasses are clean, keeping them that way can be tricky, especially if you take them on and off throughout the day. If you do have to place your glasses down on a surface, make sure you clean your glasses again before putting them back on. 

When putting your glasses on or taking them off, it is almost impossible to do so without touching your face. Make sure your hands are clean before doing so by washing them with soap and water.  

An anti-bacterial hand sanitiser will help to rid your glasses of potentially harmful surface particles, as it would your hands. But, do avoid contact with your glasses’ lenses, as some ingredients may affect the quality of the lens’ surface.  It’s also likely to smear or leave streaks on your lenses unless properly rinsed and dried. 

As anti-bacterial hand sanitisers are likely to contain alcohol, it’s important that you avoid contact with the eyes as it may cause irritation, To help avoid this, use a glasses cleaning liquid or a diluted hand wash. 

With regular wiping, it doesn’t take long for a cleaning cloth to get a little dirty. The simplest way to keep it clean is to wash it in the washing machine on a warm water wash with your clothes.  Overtime, and after frequent washes, your cloth may shrink a little, become less effective and need replacing. 

Yes, you can. You can wash your glasses in warm diluted soapy water, a mild washing up liquid is ideal. Make sure you rinse them thoroughly under running water and use a clean glasses cleaning cloth to dry to help avoid any smears or streaks on your lenses. 

We are committed to supporting our frontline workers and we encourage these heroes to reach out to us should they require eye care services. Frontline workers will receive 25% off their purchase in-store. We ask that frontline workers bring their ID badge to receive the in-store discount.