Early diagnosis, explanation of risk important for cataract surgery satisfaction
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
WASHINGTON — Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, FACS, shared his five sources of patient dissatisfaction following cataract surgery.
“We all have unhappy patients. That’s just part of what we do as ophthalmologists,” Donnenfeld said during Refractive Day at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting. “So, what you need to do is have a strategy, and my strategy is that all of my patients have the preoperative testing done before I see them so that I know what is wrong with them before I walk in.”
The first two of his five “Cs,” or causes of dissatisfaction with surgery, are cornea and ocular surface disease and cylinder and residual refractive error.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” he said. “Try to make your diagnosis early, and try to have the conversation with your patient prior to surgery so that you have the patient understanding what the risks are.”
The final three drivers of dissatisfaction, Donnenfeld said, are capsular opacities, cystoid macular edema and centering the pupil on the IOL.
“Don’t operate on a patient who doesn’t understand the risks or concerns beforehand,” he said. “I have another saying, which is, ‘I can explain something to you, but I can’t understand it for you.’ If your patient doesn’t understand what’s going on, stop. You don’t want to go any further than that.”
Collapse
Donnenfeld ED. The 5 Cs for poor IQ following cataract surgery. Presented at: American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting; April 22-26, 2022; Washington.
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts