Eyeworld

Reporting from the 2016 ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress, May 6–10, 2016 New Orleans Sponsored by EW MEETING REPORTER 80 June 2016 the first time some of those in the medical community are hearing about social media platforms. But it's important to be aware of these platforms because 44% of people look online for physician informa- tion, he said. "You need to Google yourself at least once a week and see what comes up because that's what patients are doing," he added. Of- ten, what will show up under these results is from doctor review sites. The best way to establish an online presence is to create content about yourself online, Dr. Pho said. Fewer than 10% of readers go on to the second page of search results, so you need to control the top listings. Dr. Pho gave a step-by-step approach for establishing an online reputation. First, he said to put to- gether your bio and headshot. These should convey likeability, trustwor- thiness, and competence. Next, he said to claim your profile from a physician-rating site. Dr. Pho rec- ommended one like Healthgrades, which is often the most visible. Third, he said to create a profession- al presence on places like LinkedIn, Doximity, and Google My Business. Stop and ask yourself after this what your goal for social media is, Dr. Pho said. As you become more comfortable being visible online, you can adopt social media plat- forms that fit your specific goals. If a difference. But it has made a big difference for Dr. Pho. He pointed out 3 important things to be aware of: how you can use social media to connect with and educate patients, how it can define your online reputation, and how it can make your voice heard. So why should we care about social media? Dr. Pho said that 7 out of 10 internet users search the web to look for health information, with most of these looking for informa- tion on their diagnosis and treat- ment options. But they're also trying to look for stories, he said, wanting to know what it's like to have a cer- tain disease. However, it's important to know that web information might not always be accurate. More than 90% of health articles on Wikipedia have some sort of factual inaccura- cy, he said. "The problem isn't lack of knowledge, it's a lack of how to apply that knowledge." Today, we have to redefine our- selves in health care because patients have as much access to information as physicians do, Dr. Pho said. Con- necting with patients online needs to be a health care imperative for the 21st century Social media is a powerful way to define our online reputations, he added. Dr. Pho finds that often when he gives talks, it might be a 2-step screening process using the original ERSS and newly derived screening methods. "The lower inci- dence of ectasia makes the scientific comparison of predictors difficult," Dr. Stulting said. Dr. Stulting then discussed crosslinking, introduced by Dr. Seiler, and remembered his first crosslinking case on January 5, 2008 using the classic Dresden protocol and his involvement in a multi- center clinical trial. Dr. Stulting noted that he began to see com- plications of crosslinking in print literature, which included corneal haze, sterile infiltrates, bacterial ker- atitis, and perforation, among other complications. Most complications are a result of epithelial removal, he said, but the epithelium is a barrier to riboflavin absorption. So why try epi-on crosslinking? Dr. Stulting said it's much safer and could possibly be "good enough." It can also be repeated with minimal risk if it's not good enough or could be followed by epi-off, he added. Dr. Stulting noted that he previously was a great proponent for epi-off over epi-on but has recently been looking more into the latter. Editors' note: Dr. Stulting has no finan- cial interests related to his comments. Using social media in health care Social media can be a valuable tool in medicine, and this year's ASCRS Lecture on Science, Medicine and Technology went into detail on this topic. Kevin Pho, MD, presented "Connect and Be Heard: Make a Difference in Health Care with Social Media." Dr. Pho specializes in internal medicine in Nashua, New Hampshire. He finds social media offers tre- mendous potential to connect with patients, but he also thinks it may be catching on more slowly in the medical community. Whatever is relevant in other industries usually takes a few more years to become relevant in health care, he said. Dr. Pho said that when he brings up social media to other clinicians, many don't see how it will make View videos from ASCRS•ASOA 2016: EWrePlay.org Ronald Gaster, MD, describes the benefits of treatment and the importance of early identification of keratoconus in adolescents.

• Cover