Ophthalmic revenues, surgeries may recover once patient safety can be assured
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Ophthalmic surgeries, namely cataract and refractive procedures, and revenues will recover once patient safety can be assured during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, several leading industry experts said during an Eyecelerator LiveStream presentation.
In the first of a series of LiveStream events hosted by Eyecelerator, four ophthalmic industry leaders discussed the necessary steps for the ophthalmic market to recover.
David Endicott, Alcon CEO; Jag Dosanjh, Allergan senior vice president, specialty therapeutics; Warren Foust, Johnson & Johnson Vision worldwide president, surgical division; and Jim Mazzo, Zeiss global president, ophthalmic devices, participated in the inaugural livestream, which was moderated by Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, and Gil Kliman, MD.
“We have to make patients feel safe together, but more importantly, we have to make them safe. There’s a difference. It’s important we take the measures to demonstrate that safety,” Foust said.
How a patient feels about their own safety will matter greatly to market recovery. Taking measures to demonstrate safety, such as droplet shields in front of diagnostic equipment or text messages alerting a patient to their appointment instead of sitting in a waiting room, will establish more confidence. Patient confidence, coupled with excellent outcomes, will instill more confidence into the markets, Foust said.
Cataract surgery rates will likely recover faster than refractive surgery rates, which is the current situation seen in China, he said.
Patients value vision almost as much as any other aspect of their health, Donnenfeld said.
“Speaking to my patients, they all want to come back and have cataract surgery done,” he said.
There will be pent-up demands for surgery, but patient and surgeon safety need to be proven for rates to return, Foust said.
Even in China, Mazzo said, refractive surgery rates are recovering faster than anticipated. Younger consumers are more oriented to patient confidence factors than older consumers, so refractive surgeries are still in demand.
“We need to talk about patient confidence, but we also need to look at the demographic of that patient confidence,” he said.
Additionally, in China, there is less operating room availability. Sterilization times have increased in between procedures, so fewer surgeries are able to be completed each day. Fewer surgeries, though, could increase the number of premium procedures performed in this climate, he said.
“If you were going to see 50 patients but now you can only see 25 patients in your OR, you’re going to need to look at a more premium procedure,” Mazzo said. – by Robert Linnehan
Reference:
Rethinking ophthalmology post-COVID-19: Business opportunities, challenges, and impact on innovation. Presented at: Eyecelerator LiveStream; April 15, 2020 (virtual meeting).
Disclosures: Dosanjh reports he is Allergan senior vice president, specialty therapeutics. Endicott reports he is Alcon CEO. Foust reports he is Johnson & Johnson Vision worldwide president, surgical division. Mazzo reports he is Zeiss global president, ophthalmic devices.