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Candidates for presbyopia-correcting IOLs should be educated before entering office
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SAN DIEGO — Patients should be educated from the time they first request an appointment for presbyopia-correcting IOLs to the postop period, to help promote patient satisfaction, a surgeon said.
Stephen Lane, MD, spoke at a symposium on the fundamentals of presbyopia-correcting IOLs at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting here. He said it is important to begin the process of patient education immediately, so patients have as much information as possible about the procedure.
"You need to start to alleviate some of the shock and the things that go along with these types of technologies, and the concern around some of the lenses, by mailing brochures and putting them on your website so they can see," he said.
He said surgeons should develop a process with their staff to create the best "patient journey" through the procedure. He called the staff the "lifeline" of an office. He said they should be fully informed about their role in the process.
After patients receive initial information, technicians should perform an assessment of physical candidacy and patient vision preferences, he said. He said the less chair time before surgery eases patient expectations, and leads to less unsatisfied patient chair time after surgery.