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Surgeons should take a personal approach to educating patients about options, costs

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Kerry D. Solomon

Taking the time to educate patients about premium IOLs can temper expectations, enhance overall satisfaction and maximize outcomes, a speaker said.

"It's not so much what we say, but in order to improve our conversion rates, we have to change our practices in the office," Ocular Surgery News Refractive Surgery Board Member Kerry D. Solomon, MD, said at the Hawaiian Eye 2011 meeting.

"Speak slowly and clearly to patients, ... sit lower than the patient, . . . make good eye contact . . . and have a family member in the room."

Physicians should reinforce what patients have read or learned from other staff members, rather than introduce new material to them. Patients should be treated as customers, Dr. Solomon said.

According to a study, premium IOL patients created 60% more traffic on the Internet than monofocal IOL patients. Diffractive multifocal IOLs yielded higher satisfaction rates than refractive multifocal lenses, and the top reasons for low patient satisfaction included a lack of interaction between surgeons and patients, Dr. Solomon said.

"Be an educator, not a salesman," Dr. Solomon said. He recommended that practices send information about cataracts and premium IOLs to patients in advance of office visits.

Surgeons should ask patients about their desire for spectacle independence at near or far for a variety of daily activities, such as driving, reading, cooking and participating in sports. In addition, patients should be informed about treatment options, costs and limitations, such as the need to use eyeglasses in some situations, Dr. Solomon said.

• Disclosure: Dr. Solomon is a consultant for Alcon, Abbott Medical Optics, Allergan, Bausch + Lomb, Advanced Vision Research, QLT, Inspire Pharmaceuticals, WaveTec Vision Systems, AqueSys, Glaukos and LensAR.

Hawaiian Eye and Retina 2012 will be held January 15-20 at the Grand Wailea Resort & Spa in Maui. Learn more at OSNHawaiianEye.com or RetinaMeeting.com.