Transport for Eye Surgery Appointments in Toronto: A Guide for Patients and Clinics
Aurevia Patient Transfers | Non-Emergency Medical Transport in Toronto & GTA
Cataract surgery is one of the most common procedures in Ontario, and for most people the trip there and back is simple. A family member drives, waits, and takes them home.
For an older adult with limited mobility, the same day looks very different. They may use a wheelchair, live in a long-term care home, or have stairs at their front door. After surgery, one eye is often covered with a shield and their vision is blurry. Depth and distance are hard to judge. That combination of unsteady movement and poor vision is exactly when falls happen.
What patients are usually told
Eye surgery centres give clear instructions: don't drive after surgery, and bring someone to take you home. Some hospital programs go further. Southlake's cataract instructions, for example, ask for an escort who stays with the patient, and note that surgery can be cancelled if no escort is arranged.
Clinics also book a follow-up visit with the ophthalmologist soon after surgery, and many patients have a second eye done a few weeks later. One cataract often means several trips.
When stretcher transport makes sense
Most cataract patients travel seated with a family member. Aurevia stretcher transport is the right fit when you or your loved one:
can't move from a bed or wheelchair into a car without hands-on help
can't sit comfortably for the drive
lives in a residence and has no family available on the day
has stairs at home that would be unsafe with limited vision
can't drive on your own due to sedation or other relaxing medications given before and during cataract surgery
How we help patients
Two trained crew members collect you or your loved one from their bed or room and bring them to check-in on time. With Reserved Treat & Return, the crew stays reserved through the surgery and recovery, so there is a guaranteed ride home as soon as the clinic is ready to release them.
Because the vision is limited, the crew guides every movement and tells clients what's happening before it happens: a turn, a step, a door. At home, they handle the stairs and get you or your loved one settled. If the surgeon has given positioning instructions for the trip, tell us when you book so the crew can plan around them.
We can also book the follow-up appointment and the second-eye surgery at the same time, so the whole sequence is arranged in one go.
Before booking, ask the clinic whether they'll release you or your loved one to a professional transport crew, and whether someone needs to stay afterward. Our crew hands over to the person or staff at home, and that person handles any overnight support the clinic asks for.
How we help eye clinics
Cataract lists run on tight schedules. A patient who arrives late, or whose escort cancels, can leave an operating slot empty.
Aurevia gives your team a dependable option to offer patients with limited mobility, especially residents of long-term care and retirement homes. Patients arrive at their booked time, the crew checks in with your recovery staff before leaving, and written instructions are handed to whoever receives the patient. Follow-up and second-eye visits can be scheduled together.
Booking with Aurevia
Patients and families can book through our online booking form. Include the surgery time, the follow-up date if you have it, and details about stairs at home. We respond within the hour with a complete quote.
Clinics interested in a simple referral arrangement can visit our facility transport page.
Phone: 437-870-8090 | Monday to Sunday, 8 am to 8 pm
Aurevia Patient Transfers provides pre-scheduled, non-emergency stretcher transportation across Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area.
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