Eye lasers - what patients should pay attention to

Commission refractive surgery again guidelines

04/03/2014

Anyone who dreams of a life without glasses or contact lenses and has opted for an eye laser surgery (LASIK), then loses most of the time in the jungle of hundreds of providers. Finding the right clinic here is often a difficult task for laymen. Dr. Kaweh Schayan-Araghi, medical director of the Artemis Ophthalmic Clinic in Frankfurt and board member of the Professional Association of Ophthalmologists Germany (BVA), explains what patients should pay attention to when choosing the right ophthalmologist:

LASIK-TÜV points the way
A good orientation aid in the search for a clinic is the so-called LASIK-TÜV-Süd-Siegel. Doctors and clinics bearing this label adhere to established treatment and hygiene standards and are regularly scrutinized for the quantity and quality of their operations. On the basis of the TÜV quality label, interested parties can see at first glance which clinics offer good quality, meet modern requirements and have already carried out many of these interventions. Attention: It should not be confused with the TÜV seal without LASIK addition, which does not evaluate the medical procedures.

First impression crucial
Basically, the number of operations performed and the success rate indicates the quality and competence of the physician. An experienced eye surgeon, who performs about 250 procedures a year, usually masters his craft. In addition, all technical devices should comply with the latest technology and just like the other equipment make a hygienic impression. Although it is often not easy for laypersons to judge these points, it is still worth a critical look at the first visit, and here too the famous one counts „first impression“. In addition, a good ophthalmologist takes a lot of time for comprehensive counseling, aptitude tests, and addresses the patient's personal needs and circumstances. He presents various procedures, explains advantages and disadvantages and finds out in a detailed discussion which method is most suitable in the individual case.

Wide range of treatment methods
Importantly, the physician also has other refractive surgery techniques such as: offers the lens exchange or the implantation of additional lenses to the body's own lens and thus has a great deal of experience. This is the only way to ensure that the best possible procedure is used and not the one offered as the only one.

Doctor should be represented in KRC list
In particular, an innovation is particularly important for patients: From now on, the Refractive Surgery Commission, which assesses and ensures the quality of such interventions, recommends in their guidelines throughout the treatment chain the constant presence of an ophthalmologist on the KRC user list. From diagnosis and the need for surgery, to information and screening, to surgery and follow-up, patients should consult a clinic with KRC-listed colleagues. Patients should then be careful to see a KRC-trained ophthalmologist at the preliminary and preliminary interview and not to be examined by a refractive surgeon with little experience, or even by a medical assistant (such as an optometrist). In addition, clarification and explanation of the need for intervention must be made prior to the surgery day in order to ensure a sufficient reflection period. (Pm)