Eyeworld

43 EW FEATURE August 2015 Keratorefractive surgery complications are critical for max- imizing patient satisfaction," Dr. Hoffman said. An unhappy RLE patient Dr. Hoffman said that for unhap- py postoperative patients, he does topography, including an examina- tion of the mires to rule out surface distortion from anterior basement membrane dystrophy (ABMD). He will also do a careful refraction and slit lamp examination to look for IOL centration and posterior capsule opacification and folds, and a macu- lar OCT to rule out cystoid macular edema. If patients are unhappy after a refractive lens exchange, Dr. Berdahl said that the first thing to do is to let them know that you care and that you're there for them. "Once they know you care for them, finish," he said. This could include doing an excimer enhancement if necessary, or if the patient is not tolerating the lens, an IOL exchange may be necessary. Top pearls for managing unhappy refractive patients Dr. Hoffman offered a number of valuable pearls for surgeons to manage their unhappy refractive patients. To begin, Dr. Hoffman recommended not operating on un- happy people, as they will likely be unhappy postoperatively as well. "Listen to patients and let them air their complaints without inter- ruption," he said. It's important to let the patient be heard and to not belittle their concerns. "Give these patients unlimited access to your practice and to you," he said. Offer- ing the patient additional surgical procedures may be a valuable tool because it may help the patient feel that you are continuing treatment and not abandoning them. "Explain their pathology such as corneal dystrophy or macular edema, ex- plain possible treatments, and keep talking to them," he said. Finally, Dr. Hoffman recom- mended getting a patient's spouse involved in the preoperative and postoperative process. "Sometimes patients don't remember that you mentioned they might have halos for several months or might need an enhancement," he said. "I am always relieved when a postopera- tive patient says they weren't told about halos or some other compli- cation and the spouse turns to them and confirms my comments." EW Editors' note: Drs. Berdahl and Hoffman have no financial interests related to this article. Contact information Berdahl: john.berdahl@vancethompsonvision.com Hoffman: rshoffman@finemd.com Call (844) 266-2747 to bring Oasis TEARS ® full line of dry eye relief products to your practice. © 2015 OASIS Medical, Inc. OASIS and Oasis TEARS names and logos are registered trademarks of OASIS Medical, Inc. 514 S. Vermont Ave, Glendora, CA 91741. LIT-OTMD-AD Rev0 7/2015 www.oasismedical.com oasistears@oasismedical.com I ensure quality patient care, earn patient appreciation, and grow my practice with Oasis TEARS. - Y. Ralph Chu, M.D. Chu Vision Institute Oasis TEARS ® are not available in major retail stores. " " For All The Times Your Patient's Ocular Surface Matters

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