BATON ROUGE - More businesses are starting to reopen amid the coronavirus outbreak, and non-emergency medical procedures are back on the books.

Williamson Eye Center on Summa Ave. is navigating some changes as it prepares to serve more people. Dr. Blake Williamson says all of the changes have been made with the safety of their patients in mind.

"When you come in, we're going to make sure you have the safest eye exam possible," he said. "Patients are going to come in, and some patients are going to be taken care of over the Internet."

Doctors have been seeing patients a little differently these last few weeks. Telemedicine has become increasingly popular and allowed doctors to triage patients. The eye center says there will be far fewer people sitting in a waiting room.

"You're going to be waiting in your car, and you're going to receive a text message when it's time to come in," Williamson said.

When patients do come into the office they'll have their temperature checked and see acrylic guards similar to what people have been seeing at the grocery store. People will be wearing gloves and everyone, including the patient, will be wearing a mask.

Once patients get to the exam room, the doctor will be using a large germ shield to reduce the risk of aerosolization.

The Williamson Eye Center has also made some invisible changes by updating the HVAC to improve the air quality and using ultraviolet light.

"We want it to be cleaner air than the air in your own home so we partnered with CIS Industries in order to use some UVC technology both in our HVAC system. UVC light is basically germicidal and kills microbes," said Williamson.

Many of the most important aspects of an eye exam can only be done in person. It's why these safety measures are being taken so seriously during the pandemic.

The Williamson Eye Center says its clinic for routine eye exams will open its doors in the next couple of weeks.