Eyeworld

45 EW FEATURE August 2015 Keratorefractive surgery practice, he said—in his experience, those patients end up being the best referrals. "If you spend extra time with a patient, they're more likely to send family and friends in, so it's well worth the effort," he said. "The ones that we spend the extra time with, they're the ones that send in the most patients to our practice." If there is residual astigma- tism, myopia or hyperopia, go back through your calculations and see why they have that residual refrac- tive error before considering an enhancement procedure. "Sometimes it's just wound healing, and they either over heal or under heal, but you need to know that going into [an enhancement] procedure to get the second pro- cedure accurate," Dr. Durrie said. "If they have something else going on—usually something to do with the ocular surface—find out what it is and treat it if you can." Don't forget about PRK Most patients choose LASIK over PRK because the recovery is shorter and less painful, but surface ablation still has a role to play in a modern refractive practice. "There are patients who are clearly non-candidates for LASIK based on topography, pachymetry, refractive error, and occupational considerations," Dr. Blanton said. "For those patients, surface ablation is an excellent procedure." "With advanced surface abla- tion, you can achieve similar levels of satisfaction if you prepare the patient for what is expected after surgery," Dr. Reilly said. "In fact, when they don't experience as much pain as you prepare them for, their satisfaction is even higher. "After I explain the benefits of both procedures I am continuously surprised by the number of patients who elect surface ablation," he continued. "Giving patients a choice and some control over their care really enhances their confidence in the surgical procedure." PRK has a role not only as a primary procedure in a refractive practice but also for enhancing pre- vious LASIK, radial keratotomy, and premium IOL patients, Dr. Reilly added. "Overall, surface ablation's role not only in laser vision correction but in any refractive practice is ro- bust and will continue to be integral for years to come." EW Editors' note: Dr. Blanton has financial interests with Abbott Medical Optics. Drs. Durrie and Reilly have no finan- cial interests related to this article. Contact information Blanton: blanton007@aol.com Durrie: ddurrie@durrievision.com Reilly: cdreillymd@gmail.com A simple, safe and innovative solution for intraoperative small pupil expansion • Gentle on iris and other intraocular tissue • Iris quickly returns to natural shape post surgery • Easy insertion and removal Beaver-Visitec International, Inc. | 411 Waverley Oaks Road Waltham, MA 02452 USA US patent # 8,900,136. Additional US and international patents pending. BVI, BVI Logo and all other trademarks are property of Beaver-Visitec International (BVI) ©2015 BVI Call your local sales rep or BVI customer service in the US at 1-866-906-8080 and in the UK at 44.1865.601256. Visit us at www.beaver-visitec.com Visitec ® I-Ring ™ Pupil Expander ESCRS Booth H01, Hall 7

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