This website belongs to Rita Walls Optometrist, an optometry practice in George, Western Cape. We are the “responsible party” for the personal information we collect, as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, how we keep it safe and what your rights are.

Information Officer / Rita Walls

Email / info@ritawalls.co.za

Call / 044 873 4695   WhatsApp / 066 292 3123

Address / Shop 7a, Prince Vintcent Square, 107 York Street, George, Western Cape

When you contact us / your name, email address, phone number and message.

When you complete our online Information Form / your name, date of birth, ID number, pronouns, contact numbers and preferred way of contacting you, email, residential and postal address, occupation, next of kin and their contact number, medical aid details and information about your health, eyes and vision.

When you book an appointment / the details you enter on our booking system (Calendly), such as your name, contact details and the appointment you chose.

When you visit the practice / your examination results, prescriptions and the products and services you receive, which form part of your patient record.

When you use this website / if you accept analytics cookies, information about how you use the site, such as pages visited, device and approximate location. See our Cookie Policy.

Information about your health is “special personal information” under POPIA. We process it only to care for you, as POPIA allows health care providers to do, and we treat it as strictly confidential.

We use your personal information to:

• book, confirm and remind you of appointments
• examine your eyes, keep your patient record and provide spectacles, contact lenses and other treatment
• order your spectacles or lenses from laboratories and suppliers
• claim from your medical aid and manage accounts and payments
• refer you to another health care provider when needed
• answer your questions and contact you in the way you prefer
• meet our legal and professional duties, including record keeping required by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA)
• send you our specials, but only if you have said yes (see “Marketing” below)

We only collect what we need for these purposes, and we will not use your information for anything unrelated without asking you first.

We never sell your personal information. We only share it when necessary, with:

• your medical aid scheme and the claims-switching service that sends our claims
• optical laboratories and suppliers that make your spectacles or contact lenses
• other health care providers, such as your doctor or an ophthalmologist, when we refer you (with your agreement)
• service providers that help us run the practice, such as our practice management software, Google (which provides our online forms) and Calendly (our online booking system)
• authorities, where the law requires it

Anyone we share your information with must keep it confidential and secure.

Some of our service providers, including Google (online forms and website analytics) and Calendly (online bookings), store information on servers outside South Africa. We only use providers that are bound by data protection laws or agreements that give your information a level of protection similar to POPIA. By using our online forms and booking system, you agree to your information being transferred in this way, as permitted by section 72 of POPIA.

If you would rather not submit information online, you can complete a paper form at the practice or phone us to book.

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect your information against loss, misuse and unauthorised access. Access is limited to our practice team, who are bound by patient confidentiality.

We keep patient records for as long as the law and HPCSA guidelines require: generally at least six years after your last visit, and for children until at least their 21st birthday. After that, records are securely destroyed or permanently de-identified. Contact form messages are kept only as long as needed to deal with your enquiry.

If we become aware that your information has been accessed by someone without authority, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.

We only send you emails about our specials if you have said yes, for example on our Information Form. You can unsubscribe at any time by replying to one of our emails or contacting us. Unsubscribing does not affect appointment reminders or messages about your care.

If a patient is under 18, a parent or legal guardian must complete our forms and give consent on their behalf.

Under POPIA you have the right to:

• ask whether we hold personal information about you, and request a copy of it
• ask us to correct or update information that is wrong or out of date
• ask us to delete information we no longer need or are not allowed to keep (patient records we are legally required to keep cannot be deleted early)
• object to us using your information, and withdraw any consent you have given
• opt out of marketing at any time
• lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator

To use any of these rights, contact our Information Officer using the details above. We may need to confirm your identity first.

Information Regulator (South Africa) / inforegulator.org.za · enquiries@inforegulator.org.za · 010 023 5200

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page. This policy was last updated on 22 October 2026.