This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Retain post-LASIK patients by offering other eye wear options
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
While LASIK usually results in a successful refractive outcome, there is no need for ODs to lose these patients.
“We have really pushed hard to encourage our patients to wear sunglasses, and we try to encourage them to buy them from us,” said Jack Schaeffer, OD, of Birmingham, Ala.
Douglas R. Cox, OD, of Beachwood, Ohio, provides reading glasses for many of his patients. “Most people who need reading glasses, for example, are feeling the need at day 1. So it’s nice that we have some off-the-rack type readers that we can dispense to them. And we have our own finishing lab here, so if they need something a little more custom made, we can do that.”
Challenging category of patients
Take-home pearls |
|
Dr. Schaeffer added, “The post-LASIK market is basically an entity that is difficult to maintain – including eye exams. Most patients who have had LASIK surgery don’t even want to have a yearly eye exam.”
There is also a freedom that patients find after surgery in the ability to purchase a pair of reading glasses or sunglasses from any retail store, explained Dr. Schaeffer. He finds that even though sunglasses are widely recommended after surgery and some patients may need a slight prescription, many patients would rather not buy sunglasses from the doctor.
“I truly feel that there is a level of freedom that post-LASIK patients now have, and they want to go to a department store and buy any pair of sunglasses they want without having to worry about a prescription,” he said. “Even if patients require a small prescription, they generally will reject it completely and will prefer to wear non-prescription sunglasses.”
Dr. Cox added: “I find that a high percentage of patients could benefit from some minor vision correction. They may be a little myopic or a little residually astigmatic, but they don’t want glasses.”
Discuss eye wear prior to surgery
The possibility of needing eye wear after LASIK surgery should be discussed before the surgery takes place. “Usually, I discuss it in advance,” said Paul Dowd, OD, of Parma, Ohio. “So patients know that afterward, if I feel there is a reason for it, we will be discussing it again,”
“In case the procedure is not 100% successful, everything from sunglasses to reading glasses to contact lenses is discussed before the surgery,” said Irwin Azman, OD, of Timonium, Md. “That way, if the patient feels that the surgery will not eliminate glasses completely, he or she may decide not to have the procedure.”
Surgery successes
But what are the needs of a successful LASIK patient? Dr. Azman defines a successful laser surgery case as one where a patient was able to reach goals he or she set before surgery.
Of all successful LASIK surgery cases, Dr. Azman said that, in his practice, he finds that about 80% of the presbyopic group of patients need reading glasses after surgery, less than 10% may need contact lenses and about 40% to 50% need glasses for computer use. “We also encourage every patient who has laser refractive surgery to purchase a pair of polarized sunglasses,” Dr. Azman said.
Dr. Cox has similar findings is his practice. “In my practice, I’d say at least 70% of post-LASIK patients need reading glasses, 5% or fewer need contact lenses and 100% need sun wear.”
Dr. Schaeffer also finds that very few post-LASIK patients will need contact lenses, and he encourages every patient to wear sunglasses.
Dr. Dowd explained that he finds the patient’s needs depend heavily on age. “At least 90% of those older than 40 are wearing a reading prescription,” he said. “With patients younger than 40, very rarely do I have them in contacts, but I may have them in reading glasses to prevent them from developing myopia again. I will use low plus lenses like +.50 Ds on the 20- to 40-year-olds who are doing a lot of close work, such as computer work or paper work. If I see any drift toward nearsightedness again, I will put +.50 Ds on them again. Our results are usually pretty good. If they are not satisfied with the distance vision, then we’ll do an enhancement and get them back where they belong.”
Post-LASIK dry eye
Another concern for post-LASIK patients is dry eye. Dr. Azman said that his practice has actually been enhanced financially by LASIK patients who need dry eye treatments, including punctal occlusion and eye drops.
Dr. Azman said he discusses dry eye before the surgery. “About 80% of the patients have temporary punctal occlusion before the surgery. About 10% to 20% have permanent punctal occlusion,” he said.
Dr. Azman explained that many of his LASIK patients are found to have some form of dry eye during their initial presurgical evaluation. “LASIK will exacerbate dryness,” he said. “And by doing the presurgical punctal occlusion, you are actually preventing complications during the healing phase.”
Annual eye exams
So how does an optometric practice retain post-LASIK patients? Dr. Azman said that, in his practice, “There is no challenge in having the patient come back the first year, because all the visits are included in the price of LASIK for the first year. After year 1, patients have to pay for what we call yearly laser examination.”
He continued, “One way we minimize the challenge of bringing patients back is by telling them that as long as they come back for an exam every year, we will guarantee that any enhancements down the road will be done for free.”
Dr. Cox also employs programs in his practice to help keep the post-LASIK patient returning for annual eye exams. “Retaining these post-LASIK patients is important,” he said. “We also emphasize the need for them to have annual eye exams. The surgery centers that I work with have ‘laser vision for life’ type programs, and the patient is required to have an annual eye exam to continue to qualify. That’s an incentive for them to come in for their annual eye exam — so I think we do pretty well with keeping them coming back.”
Dr. Azman said that optometrists have feared losing patients since refractive surgery was first introduced. “They thought that either the patients would not return for eye care, or if they did return, they would not need hardware,” he said. “I really disagree with that. In fact, all the patients still need eye care every year.”
For Your Information:
- Jack Schaeffer, OD, can be reached at Schaeffer LaserVision, One Office Park Circle, Birmingham, AL 35223; (205) 979-2020; fax: (205) 978-6487.
- Douglas R. Cox, OD, can be reached at 3795 Green Road, Beachwood, OH 44122-5705; (216) 292-6900; fax: (216) 292-6944; e-mail: coxoptom@aol.com.
- Paul Dowd, OD, can be reached at Doctors of Optometry Inc., 7448 Ridge Road, Parma, OH 44129; (440) 885-0822; fax: (440) 885-7225; e-mail: trevdare@aol.com.
- Irwin Azman, OD, can be reached at Azman Eye Care Specialists, 2219 York Road, Suite 101, Timonium, MD 21093; (410) 561-8050; fax: (410) 561-8055; e-mail: azmaneye@aol.com.