EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/78716
March 2012 EW CATARACT 55 atic. "Femtosecond cataract surgery is great, but standard cataract sur- gery is beautiful and eloquent," he said. Be clear about expectations Although a discussion about what patients will experience post-op is not exactly related to finances, it does connect to patient satisfaction, Dr. Loden said. His staff uses Eyemaginations (Baltimore, Md.) to show what halos and glare actually look like. "We like to overcounsel patients," he said. Ms. Ziegler's surgeon was straightforward about what she would likely experience with her multifocal IOL. Ms. Ziegler also went online and read mixed reviews about her lens choice. "It was kind of a tough decision," she said. She said she is reasonably happy with her IOL; she does experience some glare, but it's not as bad as it was when she had a cataract. Ms. Keohane was surprised that insurance does not cover custom IOLs. "I was unhappy to hear that," she said. "I was also surprised to hear they're considered cosmetic." Ms. Keohane had her two IOLs im- planted a month apart. The first one was implanted around the begin- ning of the year. She has been "thrilled" with the results. "I'm for- tunate I was able to pay for them." Discuss unilateral implantation If patients are candidates for pre- mium IOLs but are concerned about cost, Dr. Yeh will discuss implanta- tion in one eye. "They can get 75% of the effect for 50% of the price," she said. Thirty percent of Dr. Yeh's premium IOL patients choose this option. This can be effective for pa- tients who are light readers; she does not encourage this approach in pa- tients who are avid readers. Beware of extra fees "If patients pay extra, they expect a great outcome," Dr. Loden said. For this reason, Dr. Loden does not charge extra for LASIK, limbal relax- ing incisions, or other enhance- ments that sometimes need to be done after surgery. He said that pa- tients who have paid a good deal of money for premium products often balk at paying extra, unexpected fees. They also expect great vision. If you are clear about what they will experience post-operatively—and you don't tack on extra fees to get them the best possible vision—you will get happier patients, he said. EW Fe FEMTO LVDTM Editors' note: The doctors mentioned have no financial interests related to this article. Contact information Loden: 615-859-3937, lodenmd@lodenvision.com Yeh: 217-698-3030, syeh2020@aol.com Femtos cond INSTRUMENTS Thorlakson Eye Speculum K1-5673 Adjustable mechanism 10mm rounded wire blades designed to accommodate the suction ring of the FEMTO LVDTM laser. is a trademark of Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG emtoseconde Thorlakson Z-LASIKTM Flap Lifter K3-2536 K3-2537 short handle Combines a 1mm long, extra fine modified Sinskey Hook and a 12mm long bi-convex spatula with beveled notches. To lift LASIK flaps created with a femtosecond laser. Z-LASIKTM is a trademark of Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG IntraLase® Flap Lifter K3-2538 Combines a 1mm long Sinskey Hook for finding the flap edge and a long, blunt, 11mm long hook to undermine the flap perpendicular to the hinge. IntraLase® is a registered trademark of AMO 973-989-1600 r 800-225-1195 r www.katena.com ™