Re: How do you select an eye surgeon for cataract surgery?

On Thu, 1 Jun 2006 19:14:22 -0400, "JJ Lee" <jjlee@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I'm a 40 year old male and need to have a cataract surgery in my right eye.
My aunt, a pediatrician, recommended an eye surgeon in my area. He has a
good reputation and 24 years of experience. I have high myopia, so he sent
me to a retina specialist to make sure my retina is fine.

That was wise.

The specialist, after examining my eye and doing OCT and FA,
_convincingly_said to me, "You don't have to see like this. Have a
surgery and you'll see much better." In contrast, my eye surgeon's
take on my surgery is something like, "You MIGHT see better." I think
he's very cautious.

I NEVER recommend elective surgeries, like most cataract surgeries,
LASIK, etc.

I inform patients of the risks/benefits, tell them the pros/cons and
answer all their questions to the best of my ability. I tell them
THIS is your problem and THESE are the options (including doing
NOTHING). Then the patient makes their decision after being
completely and fully informed.

I never say, "You need to/should have (elective) cataract surgery", or
"You should have refractive surgery"*

That is IMHO asking for problem. If something bad happens, I do not
want the patient to be able to say, "YOU TOLD ME TO HAVE THIS
SURGERY!"

However, if asked, I will answer the question, "Well, what would you
do if you were me? Or what would you do if you were in the same
situation as I was?"

I know that at the end of the day it's the surgeon's skills that
matter. I guess my question is, "Would you be more comfortable with a
cautious surgeon or an assuring one?"

I'm not comfortable with ANY surgeon who RECOMMENDS a completely
elective surgery.


* (If a patient has a hypermature cataract, a cataract so dense that I
cannot adequately visualize the fundus details, then I will suggest
it. But that is like, maybe, <5% of the time.)
.

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