Diagnostics that drive decisions | S12E2

So I want to dovetail on our excellent discussion previously about the underutilization of presbyopic IOLs and why that may be to really dive more into now the process of identifying patients that could be good candidates for a presbyopic IOL, what testing to perform, how to analyze those tests.

And also then how, most importantly, to select the right technology for the right patient.

And even I'd like to touch on a little bit of how to manage some of those unhappy patients that we may have.

So Rahul, first take me through how you first assess these patients.

That's critical.

That's critical.

Yeah, thanks, Jen.

So I think you alluded to one of the sources of dissatisfaction and maybe underutilization of presbyopia correcting lenses is having the wrong lens for the wrong patient that doesn't meet their lifestyle goals and that doesn't match with the health of their eye.

And so this process is exceptionally important, and it really takes a good amount of time, and it's almost an art to customize presbyopia.

a patient's vision.

And you got to have a little bit of fun with that.

So I think there are two components.

One part has to do with the patient's lifestyle and what their goals are and helping them communicate that in the best way possible.

They don't understand these technologies.

They don't even really think about how they use their vision and what their hobbies are, what their occupation is, what activities they do more or less.

And they need to be able to express that to us so we can understand what lens might be good for them.

So The second piece then would be the actual hard diagnostics that help us measure the eye appropriately, screen out for other diseases that might complicate certain lens options.

So starting first probably with lifestyle.

and expressing patient goals.

So my patient journey with my patients starts very early, way before I ever see the patient in the exam lane.

When a patient books a cataract consult with me, they'll have some information sent out to them that they can access on their own time.

One of them is a very simple, low-tech video of me that is sent to them by email, which basically explains what a cataract surgery is, what it involves, that it involves a lens implant, Right.

Because what good what use is a conversation of a patient's learning about a lens implant for the first time in your cataract consult? Let them understand that a lens is going to be put inside the eye right from the get go and that there are options with respect to what lens implants that they have.

Guide them then in that video to say, I want you to think about your eyes and your goals and lead them through separate question and answer maybe that they ask themselves as they go through their life.

There are some specific questionnaires.