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Ten Critical Things You Must Be Aware of Before Selecting Your Cataract Doctor

By: David Richardson Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Most people regard their vision to be their most important sense. Yet, every year thousands of people have eye surgery on their eyes without having done any research on their cataract surgeon. Who does your eye surgery is one of the most critical decisions you will make in life.

It doesn't take a large investment of time to choose your eye surgeon if you know how. The following list of 10 Critical Items Anyone Have to Be Aware of Before Choosing Your Eye Doctor will instruct you how. With this article you can decide on an excellent ocular surgeon in less time than many people dedicate to selecting their next automobile.

1. Don't restrict your choices to simply those cataract surgeons in your insurance network. Despite what your insurance company's marketing materials may hint at, the main factor in specifying who is "in-network" is who is willing to agree to that insurance contract. Presently there is no well-grounded method of scoring cataract surgeons and any insurance company that indicates their network of eye doctors is the most qualified is disingenuous at best.

2. Ask those you trust Good sources of information include your primary care doctor, optometrist, and acquaintances who have had cataract surgery. Even better sources include the operating room technicians and employees at your local surgery center. They are often in the operating room with the eye surgeon and see who is the most skilled. Nurses are by nature very helpful individuals and will often be happy to respond to your question. The challenge will be making it 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 train? You may not know which residency programs are the best, but it is easy enough to discover their ratings once you know where your cataract surgeon trained. Two objective 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 eye surgeon trained at a top twenty program he or she encountered superb education.

4. Research your surgeon's State Licensure Your cataract surgeon must have an active licens to practice medicine in her state. In addition to verifying licensure, many state license sites will also alert you to any history of disciplinary or legal action against your eye doctor. In California you can look up this information online at http://www.medbd.ca.gov/lookup.html

5. Confirm that your Cataract Surgeon is Board Certified Board certification is a type of "seal of approval" for all physicians. In order to acquire certification a cataract surgeon must successfully pass both a written and oral test. Additionally, younger eye surgeons must recertify every ten years - a process that can take up to three years to complete. You can confirm that your surgeon is board certified by checking the website: http://www.abop.org or http://www.abms.org

6. Visit your surgeon's Practice Site Assuming the preceding background check is favorable you can occasionally obtain useful information from your ophthalmologist's website. Although many websites do offer educational articles, keep in mind that the website's primary goal is to market the medical practice. You won't learn anything unfavorable about your doctor there, but it can substantiate the constructive data you have already obtained and afford you some insight into the physician's background and medical practice philosophy.

7. See what others have experienced. Are recommendations available online (ophthalmologist rating web sites or medical practice site)? Are recommendations visible in your cataract surgeon's reception area for your viewing? Will your ophthalmologist offer you the name and phone number of someone who had eye surgery that you can talk to?

Keep in mind that Federal privacy regulations limit the quantity of information your eye doctor may be able to supply you regarding other patients who have had eye surgery. However, it shouldn't be too troubling for your surgeon to come up with a live individual who would volunteer to discuss the surgery experience with you.

8. Determine how many eye surgeries your eye surgeon has done. There is a reason they call it the "practice of medicine." Just like a sports pro, an eye surgeon's abilities 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 uncomfortable asking straightaway then bring somebody with you to the appointment to inquire for you. This is a critical question. These are your eyes. You only have two. Get over your hesitation. Just ask.

9. Meet the Surgeon. The above inquiry can give you an idea if your ophthalmologist is qualified to perform your cataract surgery. Still, you can't be certain if this is the cataract surgeon you want working on your eyes until you see with him or her. In addition to confirming his or her certification, you need to be comfortable with this person.

Trust is an essential consideration that cannot be sufficiently developed without meeting your cataract surgeon face-to-face.

10. Finally, get a second opinion. Most people would not purchase an auto without test driving it and at least one other car. Why would you limit your choice of physician because "he's on my plan" before getting a sense of how comfortable you are with the choice your insurance has made for you? This is a very important decision.

Unless you are altogether at ease with your eye surgeon, get a second opinion. The most experienced surgeons do not mind that you have or are going to get a second opinion. In fact, one quick test of your cataract surgeon's comfort with her own ability is to let her know that you would like a second opinion. If the doctor 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 confirm that you have made a good decision about who will perform your eye surgery. Considering the importance of your eyesight, you owe it to yourself to complete this research before having cataract surgery.

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 eye surgeries. He is taking new patients (even those without cataracts), and is always willing to offer a second opinion for those who would like the peace-of-mind that such a consultation would provide. In his spare time Dr. Richardson enjoys sharing his thoughts about cataract surgery and disorders of the eye on his blog: http://www.about-eyes.com

San Gabriel Valley Eye Associates, Inc. 207 S. Santa Anita Street, Suite P-25 San Gabriel, CA 91776

626.289.7856

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: David D. Richardson, MD Medical director and surgeon Trained in the most Advanced Cataract Surgery Techniques Dr. Richardson joined SGVEye in 1999 and became San Gabriel’s first ophthalmologist to use such modern technologies as the accommodating Crystalens. He has performed over 2,000 cataract surgeries. A teacher as well as a surgeon A highly regarded, accomplished surgeon, Dr. Richardson is also a volunteer faculty member at USC, where he teaches ophthalmology residents.