A lot of people consider their sight to be their most important sense. Yet, every day thousands of people have surgery on their eyes without having done any research on their eye surgeon. Who does your eye surgery is one of the most critical decisions you will make.
It doesn't take a large investment of time to choose your surgeon if you know how. The following listing of Ten Essential Things Everyone Must Be Aware of Before Selecting An Eye Surgeon will instruct you how. With this list you can decide on an excellent eye surgeon in less time than many people dedicate to selecting their next automobile.
1. Don't limit your selections to just those eye doctors in your insurance network.Despite what your insurance company's marketing brochures may indicate, the essential factor in deciding who is "in-network" is who is willing to sign that insurance contract. Presently there is no well-grounded method of scoring doctors and any insurance company that suggests their network of doctors is the most qualified is disingenuous at best.
2. Ask those you trustGood sources of information include your primary care physician, optometrist, and friends who have had eye surgery. Even better references include the operating room technicians and staff at your local hospital. They are often in the operating room with the cataract surgeon and recognize which surgeon is the most skilled. Nurses are frequently very helpful people and will often be disposed to respond to your question. The difficulty will be making it beyond the hospital's automated telephone maze and getting access to a live operating room nurse.
3. Research your eye surgeon's trainingWhere did your eye surgeon get her education? You may not know which training programs are the best, but it is simple enough to find their rankings once you know where your surgeon trained. Two objective resources are U.S. News & World Report's Annual rating of Medical Schoolsand Eye Hospitals
Don't get too caught up on the rating order - if your physician trained at a top 20 program he experienced superb training.
4. Research your eye surgeon's State LicensureYour physician must be licensed to practice medicine in his state. In addition to confirming licensure, many state license internet sites will also inform you if there is any history of corrective or legal action against your cataract surgeon. In California you can look up this data online at http://www.medbd.ca.gov/lookup.html
5. Confirm that your Eye Doctor is Board CertifiedBoard certification is a type of "seal of approval" for all doctors. In order to acquire certification an eye surgeon must successfully pass both a written and oral examination. In addition, younger eye surgeons must recertify every decade - a process that can take up to three years to complete. You can confirm that your ophthalmologist is board certified by checking the internet site: http://www.abop.org or http://www.abms.org
6. Look up your surgeon's Medical Practice SiteAssuming the above background check is favourable you can sometimes get useful information from your eye doctor's web site. Although some sites do provide educational materials, keep in mind that the website's essential goal is to market the practice. You won't see anything unfavorable about your doctor there, but it can confirm the constructive data you have already found and give you some insight into the ophthalmologist's background and medical practice philosophy.
7. Find out what others have gone through.Are testimonials available online (eye surgeon ranking internet sites or medical practice site)? Are testimonials accessible in your eye surgeon's reception area for your review? Will your cataract surgeon offer you the contact information of someone who had surgery that you can talk to?
Keep in mind that Federal privacy rules restrict the amount of information your cataract surgeon may be able to issue you regarding other patients who have had cataract surgery. Notwithstanding, it shouldn't be too onerous for your cataract surgeon to come up with a live person who would be willing to talk about the eye surgery experience with you.
8. Learn how many cataract surgeries your doctor has performed.There is a reason they call it the "practice of medicine." Just like a sports professional, an eye surgeon's skills improve with practice and experience. Every surgery differs in its "threshold" number (the number of surgeries necessary for the typical surgeon to become proficient). For cataract surgery I think this number is probably around 500.
If you are uneasy inquiring straightaway then take someone with you to the appointment to ask for you. This is a critical question. These are your eyes. You only have two. Get over your reluctance. Just ask.
9. Meet the Physician.The above research can give you an idea if your cataract surgeon is well-qualified to perform your surgery. Nevertheless, you cannot know if this is the ophthalmologist you want operating on your eyes until you meet with him. In addition to confirming his or her certifications, you need to be comfortable with this person.
Trust is a fundamental consideration that can't be sufficiently built up without encountering your cataract surgeon face-to-face.
10. At Long Last, get a second impression.Most people wouldn't buy an auto without test driving it and at least one other car. Why would you limit your choice of eye doctor because "he's on my insurance plan" before getting a sense of how comfortable you are with the choice your insurance has made for you? This is a very serious decision.
Unless you are totally at ease with your surgeon, get a second opinion.The most experienced doctors do not mind that you have or are going to get a second opinion. In fact, one quick test of your ophthalmologist's comfort with his or her own ability is to let him know that you would like a second opinion. If the ophthalmologist becomes defensive about this then you know the second opinion was a superb idea, after all.
In summary, there are many things you can easily do to affirm that you have made a good decision about who will perform your cataract surgery. Looking At the importance of your vision, you owe it to yourself to complete this inquiry before having cataract surgery.
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