Eyeworld

EW CATARACT July 2014 39 by Richard Tipperman, MD An apology to used car salespeople: Educating vs. selling, part one O ne of the aspects that ophthalmologists can find challenging about advanced technology IOLs (ATIOLs) is that the patient has to make a direct out-of- pocket payment to the physician for services, as opposed to "basic" cataract surgery where the patient's surgery and care is typically covered by a third-party payer. Understand- ably, many physicians are not comfortable with what they see as "selling" a product or service. On multiple occasions when speaking about ATIOLs to ophthalmologists, I've heard them say something to the effect of "I don't want to be a used car salesman." This is not the correct way to look at things and isn't fair to car salespeople in general. Understand- ing why this is the case is an impor- tant component of successfully implementing ATIOLs. This is easiest to understand if you think about what happens during a typical car-purchasing scenario. Usually buyers will do some type of research regarding the vehicle that they are going to purchase prior to going to a car deal- ership. This may involve speaking with friends or relatives who have recently purchased vehicles. Additionally, they may research options on the internet or in printed publications. Now take a step back and think about what happens when patients seek out an ophthalmologist for cataract surgery. Some patients will access the cataract surgeon's office because of reputation or referral from another physician, friend, or relative. Many will have done some type of research regarding cataract surgery prior to their first visit to the doctor's office. Regardless of how much re- search they perform, at some point almost all prospective buyers will go to the showroom to examine the vehicle that they are interested in purchasing, take a test drive, and likely gain a better understanding of the options and accessories that are available. It's during this process that they first encounter the "car salesperson." Usually the salesperson will ask the buyer some basic ques- tions to determine the customer's transportation needs and what type of car that they are considering purchasing. At this point they will usually take the customer onto the car lot or showroom and demonstrate a num- ber of potential vehicles and acces- sory packages that are available. If the buyer desired, they would also be allowed to take a vehicle for a test drive. During this phase of the car buying transaction, the salesperson is clearly the buyer's ally. They are NEW Our Family of Pre-Loaded CTRs Has Expanded Malyugin/Cionni & Henderson Capsular Tension Rings Now Pre-Loaded in Morcher EyeJets Malyugin/Cionni CTR • Eyelet at curved end is sutured to sclera • Unique design facilitates smooth introduction into capsule • The only injectable Cionni type CTR Henderson CTR • Scalloped design facilitates cortical removal • Maintains the desired stretch of the capsular bag Standard CTRs • Stabilize the capsule during surgery • Available in three sizes to accommodate various capsule bags Henderson CTR TYPE 10C Standard CTRs TYPES 14, 14A, 14C Malyugin/Cionni CTR TYPE 10G 800.932.4202 Visit FCI-Ophthalmics.com to watch the EyeJet informational video. For more information about our Pre-Loaded CTRs, please call us at 800-932-4202 Exclusively from The art of advanced technology IOLs Richard Tipperman, MD continued on page 40 38-42 Cataract_EW July 2014-DL_Layout 1 6/30/14 8:43 AM Page 39

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