EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/176967
advanced technology IOLs sider calling astigmatic or presbyopic IOLs "luxury" IOLs; however calling them "premium" IOLs is just a short step away from this. Clearly then, premium connotes spending additional money for benefits, but it is not always clear if the "premium" is the additional expense or additional benefits. If you needed to purchase a widget, is a "premium widget" that much better than a "standard widget?" It's not clear from the nomenclature. Although the term "widget" is purposefully non-descriptive, the reader should realize that IOL is just as non-descriptive to the average patient. Does a "premium widget" sound better to you then a "standard widget?" Probably not. You cannot infer any benefit from the name alone; however, from the name alone you can probably infer that the "premium" widget is more expensive. This brings us to the current evolution for the name of lenses in the PC-IOL category: "advanced technology IOLs." Going back to our widget analogy, which would you rather have, an "advanced technology widget" or a "standard widget"? It's clear from the wording alone that something about the widget with the advanced technology is better than a standard widget. Does the name itself confer anything about price or cost? Not in the same pejorative way that "luxury" or "premium" imply additional expense. However in terms of the heuristics of "categorizing" the listener puts the "advanced technology widget" into the category of a better product, and past experience leads to the common observation that better products usually cost most. When you think about the above, the evolution of nomenclature for the PC-IOLs from elective to premium to advanced technology is understandable. At present, advanced technology IOL seems preferable to the other terms previously utilized, as it can help patients understand the potential benefits of PC-IOL technology without having any negative implications regarding cost. EW Editors' note: Dr. Tipperman is affiliated with the Wills Eye Institute, Philadelphia. Contact information Tipperman: rtipperman@mindspring.com PLAN AHEAD FOR NEXT YEAR YEAR HOUSI NG NOW OPE N HOUSING IS NOW OPEN www.WinterUpdate.org www.WinterUpdate.org 2014 2014 APRIL 25–29 APRIL 25–29 BOSTON www.AS C R S.org www.ASCRS.org