10 Critical Items Everyone Must Be Aware of Before Selecting A Cataract Surgeon
A number of people regard their sight to be their most significant sense. Yet, every week thousands of people have cataract surgery on their eyes without having done any research on their eye surgeon. Who does your cataract surgery is one of the most critical decisions you will make in life.
It does not take a large investment of time to choose your eye surgeon if you know how. The following listing of Ten Vital Things Anyone Has to Know Before Selecting Your Cataract Surgeon will instruct you how. With this article you can decide on an excellent eye surgeon in less time than many people commit to choosing their next automobile.
1. Do not confine your selections to exclusively those cataract surgeons in your insurance network.
Despite what your insurance company”s marketing materials may intimate, the fundamental factor in regulating who is “in-network” is who is inclined to sign that insurance contract. Currently there is no formalized method of rating cataract surgeons and any insurance company that indicates their network of cataract surgeons is the most qualified is disingenuous at best.
2. Ask those you trust
Good sources of information include your primary care doctor, optometrist, and friends who have had cataract surgery. Even better references include the operating room nurses and employees at your local surgery center. They are often in the OR with the cataract surgeon and know which eye surgeon is the most skilled. Nurses are frequently very helpful individuals and will often be inclined to answer your question. The challenge will be getting beyond the hospital”s automated telephone maze and gaining access to a live OR nurse.
3. Research your cataract surgeon”s education
Where did your eye surgeon get his education? You may not know which training programs are the most respected, but it is easy enough to ascertain their rankings once you know where your eye surgeon trained. Two objective reference sources are U.S. News & World Report”s Annual rating of Medical Schoolsand Eye Hospitals
Don”t get too hung up on the ranking order – if your cataract surgeon trained at a top 20 program he or she acquired outstanding education.
4. Research your eye surgeon”s State Licensure
Your surgeon must be licensed to practice medicine in his state. In addition to confirming licensure, many state license web sites will also alert you to any history of disciplinary or legal action against your eye surgeon. In California you can look up this information online at http://www.medbd.ca.gov/lookup.html
5. Confirm that your Doctor is Board Certified
Board certification is a type of “seal of approval” for all physicians. In order to obtain certification an ophthalmologist must successfully pass both a written and oral exam. 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 Practice Internet Site
Assuming the preceding background check is favourable you can sometimes obtain useful information from your cataract surgeon”s web site. Although numerous sites do offer educational materials, keep in mind that its primary role is to market the practice. You won”t encounter anything unfavorable about your cataract surgeon there, but it can substantiate the positive information you have already obtained and afford you some insight into the eye surgeon”s background and practice philosophy.
7. Verify what others have experienced.
Are recommendations available online (physician rating internet sites or practice site)? Are testimonials available in your eye surgeon”s reception area for your viewing? Will your eye doctor provide you the phone number of someone who had eye surgery that you can talk to?
Keep in mind that National privacy laws limit the quantity of information your ophthalmologist may be able to provide you regarding other patients who have had cataract surgery. All The Same, it shouldn”t be too burdensome for your physician to come up with a living person who would be willing to discuss the cataract surgery experience with you.
8. Learn how many surgeries your catarct surgeon has performed.
There is a reason they call it the “practice of medicine.” Just like a sports professional, an eye surgeon”s abilities improve with practice and experience. Every surgery differs in its “threshold” number (the number of surgeries necessary for the ordinary surgeon to become proficient). For cataract surgery I think this number is probably around 500.
If you are uneasy inquiring straightaway then take somebody 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 Eye Doctor.
The above research can give you an idea if your eye surgeon is qualified to perform your surgery. Nevertheless, you cannot know if this is the individual you want working on your eyes until you see with him or her. In addition to verifying his or her certifications, you need to be comfortable with this person.
Trust is a serious consideration that cannot be sufficiently formulated without meeting your doctor in the flesh.
10. In The End, get a second impression.
Most people wouldn”t buy a car without test driving it and at least one other auto. Why would you restrict your choice of eye surgeon because “he is on my insurance plan” before getting a sense of how comfortable you are with the selection your insurance has made for you? This is a very serious decision.
Unless you are wholly at ease with your cataract surgeon, get a second impression.
The best eye doctors do not mind that you have or are going to get a second opinion. In fact, one quick test of your doctor”s comfort with her own ability is to let him know that you would prefer 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 eyes, you owe it to yourself to complete this research before having cataract surgery.
© Copyright 2009 David D. Richardson, M.D.
Article Source: http://www.articledestination.com
David D. Richardson, M.D. is Medical Director of the San Gabriel Valley Eye Associates, Inc. He received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School, is Board Certified, is licensed in California, and has performed over 2,000 cataract surgeries. He is taking new patients. In his spare time he shares his thoughts about cataract surgery on his blog About Eyes.
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