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SOCIAL MEDIA DO’S AND DONT’S FOR OPTOMETRY

Reading time 6:15

We know social media participation is important to our practices.  And of course, we want to do it well. But it’s not as easy as it sounds.  For every inspired post you create, how many more times did you struggle to find something to say?  The fall back post is always something about the importance of routine eye exams, or the latest frames in your office.  

I will try and share some helpful hints for improving social media participation.  Included are ideas that help you make a bigger impact on your audience.  Converting visitors to your page into patients in your office could be a secondary benefit.

SOCIAL MEDIA ENHANCES YOUR BRAND

You want your pages to have a personality that reflects what a patient will experience in your office. For example, if your office is casual, then the content should not be formal and stiff. If your office is friendly and open, then your content should be interesting and engaging. Consistency across all means of communication is important to your brand.  You don’t want a patient to enter your office expecting one thing and then experiencing something different. 

Today it can be difficult to make a connection with our patients when they are in our offices.  We no longer have the luxury of time to talk to our patients, share common interests and develop a rapport.  That is one way social media can be an asset to our practices. It allows patients to learn more about us in the informal setting of social media. 

It is well known that we relate better to people than to an impersonal business entity. On social media, we can showcase ourselves and our staff as individuals. Or share our hobbies and outside interests.   We can feature the charities we support and show our community involvement.  This information may also be available on our websites.  But, our patients are more likely to be on social media than on our websites. 

SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT THE SAME AS ADVERTISING

One of the biggest problems with social media is we try to treat it like conventional advertising. That is a big mistake! Experts in the field of social media marketing stress that social media is different.

In traditional advertising, the message is what the owner chooses to convey.  But, that doesn’t work on social media platforms. With social media, the emphasis should always be on what the consumer wants and finds interesting.   Social media requires that we orient the content on our pages in a different way. Content needs to reflect the interests of the consumer.  The format needs to have a strong visual appeal. It should be engaging and entertaining. 

You want to create a connection with your audience.  You want visitors to your page to like, comment and share your content.  Comments allow you to begin a conversation with the visitor to your page.  But, sharing increases your audience.  Shared content allows your posts to reach many more people and introduces your practice to a new group of potential patients. But, sharing content will only happen if you provide interesting and engaging content on a routine basis.

THE RULE OF SEVEN

You also want visitors to come back to your page to see new posts. Studies have shown that one exposure does not usually convert a visitor to your page into a visitor in your office.   In marketing, there is the Rule of Seven. It says that a consumer must hear the advertiser’s message at least seven times before they take action to buy the product or service.  Other studies have suggested different numbers of exposures. Some say more than seven and some say less.  But all agree that increased exposure to your brand will convert more people from a visitor to a patient/consumer. Don’t let that number discourage you.  Instead use it to inspire you to create better content.

CREATING CONTENT

So to maximize the sharing of your posts and encourage returns to you page, content must be interesting and unique.  The types of posts should vary and include photos, illustrations, graphics and videos.  You don’t want all your posts to look the same.  The posts should stand out and capture the reader’s attention.  Content topics should also vary. Alternate between educational information, sales oriented material and miscellaneous posts to inspire or grab their attention. Fun and entertaining input is also essential.

Don’t make your whole purpose, and all your content, sales oriented. That is a huge mistake!  Readers on social media are very savvy to over-selling. They will not stay on your page for long, and they definitely will not return, if all they see are frames and posts instructing them to have an exam or buy glasses. Think about your own response when you see one ad after another. Do you seek out more of the same? You know you don’t!

If the thought of trying to create your own content does not appeal to you, then consider delegating. Do you have a staff member who is creative and loves social media?  They can be a good resource for your practice. They can take your ideas and put them into an interesting post for social media. Keep in mind, there are also social media subscription services who not only create the posts, but post them for you as well.  Our company has a service that we are proud of and encourage you to check it out.  http://uzk.d11.mywebsitetransfer.com/services/#Communication

CONTENT OVERLOAD

There is so much content available to us.  People can pick and choose what they want to spend their time on.  Make sure you’re providing content that appeals to your target audience or they will not visit your page and spend the time reading it.

 We have become a society obsessed with scanning and rejecting content faster than ever before.  Think about what you do when looking at social media.  What makes you stop and examine something?  What makes you return to a site?  You can learn from other people’s content. Always be observant and try and incorporate the ideas of what you find interesting when designing your own content.  But, also be careful to not violate anyone’s copyrighted material.

PROMOTE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES

To encourage visits to your social media pages be sure to have signage in your office.  Put you social media information on your business cards, receipts etc.

Ask your patients to visit your pages. It never hurts to ask them.  They may not even be aware you have a page.  Don’t be passive and sit around hoping patients will find you on social media.  Encourage them to go to your pages and then reward them with great content.

Contests are also a great way to increase engagement. Read Facebook’s rules on contests to be certain you are not in violation. Rather than having people fill out a raffle ticket- liking, commenting or sharing can earn a person entries into a raffle.  For example, a like could be worth one point. Sharing is more valuable to you and could be assigned a higher value like two entries per share.  Since commenting requires more than just a click, it would have the highest value. This encourages people to interact with your social media page. 

If you are having a contest, you can get creative with the prizes.  Personally I don’t like it to be something from my office like a discount or free frame.  People view this as self-serving.  Patients interpret this as you just trying to get them to buy another pair of glasses because they will still have to pay for the lenses. There are many potential problems when patients want to use their insurances. It can get complicated.  It is not quite the enticement you may think it would be. 

Be creative and come up with something that will appeal to your patients.  Gift certificates to other local businesses can show your community involvement.  Tickets to movies, concerts or games can have high appeal.  

You can find great items on Zulily, Haute Look, QVC and other internet sites. Items that tie in with your frame lines can be a natural like purses or wallets from Vera Bradley, Coach, Kate Spade and other designers.  If you look for good deals, you can get a great gift that would impress your patients and still not break the bank.  You don’t have to do this every month, but doing it now and then can boost the activity on your page.

NOW TAKE ACTION

Take the time to look at your social media presence and come up with a plan on how to improve and expand it.  Share your knowledge about the eye and vision. Remember your excitement when you first learned about the eye and use that when you create content.  Your patients will find it interesting too, especially when you put it in a way they can understand. 

Remember social media is not a static entity.  It changes quickly and requires you to post fresh new material on a regular basis.  It can be an effective tool to help build your practice. But for it to be most effective, you must promote it to your patients and fill it with information they will find interesting. Ask your staff and patients for content ideas.  Be creative. Let your social media pages enhance your patient’s experiences with your practice.  

If you would like to learn more about social media mistakes that are commonly made here is a link to a Forbes article on that topic.   

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2018/05/01/12-social-media-mistakes-that-will-drive-followers-away-from-your-brand/#6f2da4e6855a

Do you use social media to market your practice?  If so, how did you decide which social media platforms to use?  Do you vary your content from one platform to the next, or use the same content?  How often do you post?  Leave your comments below and share your suggestions on how to use social media effectively.

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TAKE A LOOK AT READY-MADE READERS

Reading time 5:09

ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN

During my first year on staff at the Cleveland Clinic, I learned a valuable lesson from a first year resident in ophthalmology. I was responsible for teaching the residents the basics of primary eye care. That included optics, refraction, contact lenses, low vision, and anything else that came up.

 I was fresh out of school and ready to tackle the world.  Little did I know how much more I had to learn. 

One of the residents was asking me about ready-made readers and what I tell my patients about them.  I considered for a moment and then said I would say that custom glasses are better for you.  

The resident had an interesting addition to my response that I had not considered before.  She said that she first reassures patients that ready-made readers won’t hurt their eyes, but then points out that custom made pairs are better.  It’s a small distinction, but an important one. Keep in mind this was in the 1970’s long before transparency became such a priority in communication.  As it turns out, trust and honesty have always been important to building a practice.

Her argument was if you try and convince people that ready-mades will harm their eyes- it’s a losing proposition in many ways. For example- you have just completed a full exam and pronounced their eyes healthy except for presbyopia.  Then the patient asks you about the ready-made pairs.  Let’s say your response was negative and you told the patient how much harm ready- made readers can cause their eyes. 

But let’s take the story further.  What if that patient has actually been using readers for years and just doesn’t tell you about them.  You just pronounced their eyes healthy. And in the same breath, stated they will harm their eyes with ready-made readers.

You have just lost this patient’s trust and respect.   You now look like a liar and an opportunist trying to sell them expensive glasses.  Once you lose a patient’s trust on something so basic, it’s hard to ever get it back.

DEVELOPING PATIENT TRUST

The resident’s response made so much sense to me that it changed the way I speak to my patients.   I want my patients to always trust me and know that I will always be honest with them. I want my patients to come to me for advice about their eyes and not go somewhere else. This conversation took place in 1978 long before Google, the internet and social media.  This was a time when patients were not playing as active a role in their care as they are today. I think honest communication is even more important now.

Now when I am asked about readers, I confess that I actually have several pairs laying around my house. I use them for emergencies if I don’t have my progressives on. 

I do tell my patients that ready-made readers won’t hurt their eyes. But I point out the reason they are cheaper is the quality of the lenses and frames are not as good as what we use in custom eyewear.   I explain that readers may have increased aberrations and distortions that can result in headaches and eye strain.   

I also point out that ready-mades assume that a person’s correction is the same in each eye and that the patient has no astigmatism. Then I honestly share if I think their prescription might create any problems for them in using ready-made readers. I offer my opinion on whether they will work for them. But, I never say or imply that they will harm themselves.  

Most people treat ready-made readers as disposables and have multiple pairs.  Almost everyone knows someone who uses ready-mades. And most people who use readers will also admit they have some pairs that give them a headache or eyestrain.  This supports the information I give my patients about the decreased optical quality of these lenses.  

AN OPPORTUNITY TO EDUCATE

The public has a basic distrust of us because of the high cost of premium optical products.  They look at the ads and wonder how the cost of glasses can be so different from one office to another.  I believe patients want to understand why there are such discrepancies. If you don’t use this opportunity to educate them, their natural conclusion is that the doctor is making a huge profit. 

This is where transparency can be helpful.  The less explanation you offer, the more they will assume the worst.  I know that others may disagree about discussing the cost of these glasses.  But I feel my willingness to discuss the wide range in pricing helps patients understand the differences and builds their trust in me as their doctor.  

I often use the analogy that there are different qualities of TVs, computers, and cars.  People understand that. They know that there is a difference in the quality and reliability of a reputable product versus a cheaper one.   We have all learned this through painful and expensive lessons.  We know we get what we pay for.  

This discussion also allows you to offer the importance of proper frame selection, optical measurements and adjustments of a frame to best serve each patient.  And that can lead into information on warranties and how your practice stands behind any glasses you dispense.

RESPECT YOUR PATIENTS

When you’re honest, you keep your patients’ trust. You don’t look like you’re just trying to make money off an unnecessary expense. Realize that patients may not have the money for new glasses now.  Presenting them with options in an honest and open way allows them to make choices and understand the differences. Demonstrating the difference in the readers vs. their custom made set shows your willingness to help them make the right decision.  Often they will notice the difference themselves and make the right choice. You can also offer them other options such as multifocals, computer glasses and contacts.

CONTACT LENS WEARERS AND READY-MADES

Something else to consider. What advice do you give contact lens wearers who are beginning to notice presbyopia? They may be just having a little intermittent trouble at near.  They’re not ready yet or don’t want to be refit in mono-vision or a multifocal contact.  Don’t you tell them to pick up a pair of ready-made readers? 

Don’t be a hypocrite. What do you imagine your patient will think when they know that you told their relative or friend to not wear any ready-made glasses?  Now, for the contact lens wearer, you’re telling them to go get a pair. Honesty and consistency are always the best.

MAKING A DECISION

In my practice, we always had some readers on hand to use with people in our office.  Patients could use them to fill out forms if they forgot their glasses. Ready-mades were also useful if a patient needed to read something while they were dilating.  We would even loan them out if our patient had to return to work. We wouldn’t charge the patient anything if they returned the glasses in good condition.   If the readers weren’t returned, the patient was then charged for them. Our patients appreciated this and did not abuse this benefit.

We also offered ready-made readers for sale. I got tired of seeing so many patients using readers and buying them outside my office.  Since people look at them as disposable anyway, there is not a lot of adjusting or repair required if you decide to inventory them.   You can also offer better readers or ones with anti-reflection coatings.

It has always bothered me when someone else makes a profit off of readers when I am the most qualified person to see to my patient’s visual needs. Though I don’t have the data to prove it, I really don’t think we lost many sales of custom eyewear by having ready-made readers available.  If a patient wants ready-mades, they will just go somewhere else and find them if they’re not available in your office.

I know that my ideas may be controversial or unacceptable to some. Everyone has to decide what works best for them. But, I do hope that this blog at least makes you think about what, and how, you answer your patients’ questions.

How do you handle questions like this in your practice?  Do you place yourself in your patients’ position and try to imagine what they’re thinking? What is your opinion on having ready-mades available in your office? Leave a comment below on how you handle the question of ready-made readers with your patients.  Or leave a comment on the best ways to communicate with your patients. We would love to hear your ideas.

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ARE THERE SUPERPOWERS IN OPTOMETRY?

Reading time 3.26

Ever thought about your superpowers?  Sure optometry allows us to help our patients by taking care of their eyes and visual system.  That’s the reason we all wanted to become optometrists.  It also allows us to make a decent living and provide for our families.  But did you ever stop to consider the superpowers it also grants us?

OUR SUPERPOWERS

What am I talking about?  Here are some of my thoughts on our special powers.  We develop excellent night vision from all the hours we spend in a dark room.  My patients often comment about me writing my clinical notes in the dark (in the days before EMR). But, I think nothing of it.  I have become adept at dark adapting and functioning quite well in the dark.

We have great strength in the arm and shoulder muscles allowing us to keep our arms elevated for long periods of time while we refract our patients. This is especially true when faced with that patient who wants to see every choice two or three times.

Our thumbs are powerful from popping lenses in and out of frames.  Strong thumbs and fingers are also vital for prying our patients’ lids open. And even more challenging is keeping those lids open long enough for an examination or instillation of drops. 

We have an odd superpower of being able to recognize the front and back surfaces of transparent materials.  Once we develop this skill, we don’t think about it much. We use this skill daily when examining the cornea and the lens. 

But, it also comes in handy when we inspect lenses for defects and scratches and it allows us to identify the damaged surface.   It is useful when cleaning spectacle lenses, or in windows when at home.  We can tell if a scratch or smudge is on the front or back surface of a pane of glass or a windshield.  I took this skill for granted. I thought that everyone could do this.  But, it turns out to be somewhat unique to ocular fields. It is possible that others may share this ability. However, I still think it is unique enough to qualify as one of our superpowers.

Our spatial awareness is keen since we must reverse right and left for patients all day long. But, there is a down side to this.  When I am giving directions, I actually have to stop and think since my brain is so programmed to reverse right and left for my patients. My sisters know it’s better to watch which way I point rather than listening to what I say.

Weird math skills are also in our arsenal.  To be honest, they’re not really weird, just not skills most people practice anymore. We need the ability to do math in our heads. How many times a day do we transpose a prescription from plus to minus cylinder, calculate a spherical equivalent or just do lensometry?   

But it turns out that we do other things that throw off most people. We are comfortable with both positive and negative numbers.  We have no trouble adding or subtracting numbers with unequal signs.  Subtracting a larger number from a smaller one doesn’t throw us like some people.   If you don’t believe me, then ask someone to subtract- 5.25 from +1.75.  For us, it’s just basic lensometry.  Additionally, we are adept at working with decimal points and especially good at dealing with .12 and.25 increments. 

And let’s not forget the metric system that confounds most Americans.  It’s a snap for us as we move from metric to English measurements while explaining findings to our patients.  Imagine a patient leaving our office confused, and likely depressed, if we told them they had 6/6 vision in both eyes.  Or if we told them that most people work at 40 cm (16 inches) at near.

OUR TRUE POWERS AND ABILITIES

Joking aside, we know these are not true superpowers. Yet do our patients understand what we really do in an eye exam? I suspect they know our ability to diagnose and treat eye disease and refractive errors.  But do our patients know we are looking for ocular complications of systemic disease and medications?  Are they aware we are checking their neurological status? And that we need to be up-to-date on optics and the design of both lenses and contacts. Do you teach your patients what an eye exam is and how it differs from screenings they may receive other places? If not, perhaps you should consider explaining how much we are doing.

All super heroes require a costume and alter-ego. I’m not sure what ours should be. Do you have any ideas?  Perhaps, we just need a discrete little cape added to our lab coat or maybe an emblem with a giant eye or glasses. I’m not sure what our super hero would wear, but I am certain that our alter-ego would be wearing a great set of glasses (like Superman/ Clark Kent).    

 

Can you think of any optometry superpowers I missed?  How about suggestions for our costume?  Please leave any comments in the section below.

 

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AMBLYOPIA-CAN WE DO BETTER?

 

Reading time  5.18

The Problem

Do you ever get frustrated when a patient presents with a preventable problem?  Whenever I see a patient like this, I feel compelled to review my attempts at patient education.  Did I do enough?  Is there something else I could do that would be more effective in the future?

The source of my recent discomfort was a child with bilateral refractive amblyopia.   I have practiced for more than forty years and can’t believe this can still happen.  With all the advances we have made in other aspects of eye care, I would have thought we could have made some progress in this area too.

How can parents still be surprised that their child needs a professional eye exam before they attend school?  Many people still don’t know amblyopia is preventable, especially if caught early.  And for that matter, the public doesn’t know that amblyopia does not mean an eye “drifts”. These are facts that the general public can’t seem to grasp.  Speaking for myself, I know that I need to do a better job educating the patients in my care.

The patient I mentioned happened to be the nine year old son of a good friend and long-time patient of mine.  Her son appeared for his first eye exam at age nine.  He is a good student and plays on several different basketball teams.  Not only does he play on several teams, but also happens to be one of their best players.  He is a perfect example of a child who shows no visible sign of any eye problems.

I can’t say his parents don’t care because his parents are attentive and would make sacrifices to be sure their children didn’t suffer in any way. I won’t go into detail on all the clinical findings. Suffice it to say, his best corrected visual acuity in both eyes was only 20/50-.  His refractive error was more than five diopters of hyperopia with some astigmatism in both eyes.

I am optimistic that with therapy and close follow-up, we will be able to reverse some of his amblyopia.  Still his findings made me consider what I can do to step up my education of parents in my practice.

Patient /Parent Education

I am disturbed by any child who presents with amblyopia, but this one hit me especially hard.  Patient education is a big priority for me.  Telling parents that their children need a full eye exam between the ages of 3-5 is standard in my practice.

I point out that pediatrician and school screenings can miss many problems.  The development of the visual system is discussed.  Information is given on how amblyopia can develop.  I also share that the earlier the risk factors are detected, the better then outcome will be. But, even with that, it still allows children to slip through the cracks and develop amblyopia anyway.  I don’t know what the answer is, but I think it is something we need to consider.

We are all faced with the dilemma of deciding how to keep the levels of our care as high as possible.  How do we provide quality care, but also educate our patients?  Patients expect us to provide excellent care for their current problems. Though unspoken, patients also expect us to advise them on how to guarantee that their vision stays good for their future.

A Unified Approach

It is possible to change public opinion.  We can do a better job teaching the public about children’s eye care. It’s not impossible. When I get discouraged, I always think about the example of dentistry. They have educated new parents well. No parent would wait until school for their child’s first dental appointment.  Nor would they wait until their child complained about their teeth to take them to a dentist.  Yet, parents just assume that they will know if their child needs eye care.  Or worse, they have the false security that a screening will pick up any visual problems their child might have.

AOA began a public education campaign about the importance of early eye care when InfantSEE® launched.  There were a lot of public service announcements then, but they seem to have disappeared.  Ophthalmology has not done any better at educating the public.  And I’m not sure if all pediatricians are even aware that their screenings can miss potential problems.

A possible good start on changing the narrative on children’s eye care would be to team up with pediatricians and ophthalmologists and present a unified message to the public.  Pediatricians are vital to preventing amblyopia since they are always the first, and maybe the only doctor, to see infants and toddlers. Just as they instruct parents to take their children to the dentist, they could also emphasize that children need a full eye exam by an eye care practitioner.

It would be wonderful if all professions involved in the care of children could join forces to educate the public.  Even better would be enlisting the help of an industry leader in children’s health to underwrite the cost to get the message out.  That is well beyond what I can do, but would be a great dream for the future.

Begin in your Community

In the meantime, there is nothing to stop us from trying to make changes in our own communities.  We can work with the schools, pediatricians and ophthalmologists in our communities to come up with a plan that everyone can support.  Talk with local pediatricians and share with them your concerns about preventing amblyopia and identifying children who are at risk. Discuss the problems with screenings instead of full exams.

I think the responsibility comes back to each doctor in his/her practice.  We educate our patients about cataracts, dry eyes, glaucoma and macular degeneration to name a few.  But, be honest with yourself, how often do you discuss the importance of early childhood eye exams and the prevention of amblyopia?

I have thought long and hard about how to approach this with my own patients.  Since my time in the exam room is at a premium, I need to think of other alternatives to help.

I have no new revolutionary ideas to present.  Pamphlets, flyers or posters around the office could help. Creating a special education campaign could be part of your Back to School efforts. Giving a handout to all parents with children is an obvious possibility. Printed materials are helpful, but the problem is they don’t always get read. Providing additional information on our websites, blogs and social media platforms can be useful, but only if a parent chooses to read it.

For these reasons, I concluded that I must make an effort while parents are in my office when I have their full attention.  I will continue to make a renewed effort to provide information on childhood visual problems. That presentation will stress our ability to prevent these problems.  Without us providing the answer to why early eye care is so important, our efforts may fail.

This educational effort may be a place where we can all learn to delegate. If we don’t have the time, then maybe we should consider training one of your staff to take over that duty. Our staff could also be an effective addition to the other educational efforts in our office.  Most offices use staff effectively for contact lens training, so why not consider expanding that to cover other issues.

No parent wants to neglect their child’s health.  If we provide them with the proper information, hopefully they will make the right choice.

Every doctor needs to consider how to handle this best in their practice.  We need to address amblyopia prevention if we expect to provide the best care we can to our patients and their families.

 

What measures do you use in your practice to educate about the importance of early childhood eye care?  Do you use your staff to help with education efforts? Tell us how you handle pediatric care in your office and leave ideas that may help others in their practice. Please leave your comments below and join in this important discussion

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SHOW AND TELL- EDUCATION FOR OPTOMETRY

Reading Time 4:13

 

Recently I realized how important show and tell can be in taking care of our patients.  We all learned early in our careers to never assume a patient knows how or what they should be doing. For that matter, are they actually doing what they say they are? On our tight schedules, it is so easy to just accept what our patients say.  But, the fact is we can’t trust them to always tell the truth for a variety of reasons.  Leading that list of reasons is that the patient knows what they’re doing is wrong.  They don’t want to confess their shortcomings because they know a lecture will soon follow.  We must also wonder if our patients ever received the right instructions in the first place.  This is especially true with patients who are new to our practice.

All doctors have their own set of horror tales of patient education gone wrong.  It takes time, listening and careful questioning to make certain that our patients understand our instructions.  Even then, it is no guarantee that they may not do something that could affect their treatment and final outcome.

Last week, I had a man come to my office for his exam.  He began by telling me that he works in a dirty environment and that he has dry eyes.  Artificial tears were used to help the dry eyes. The dirty environment meant he needed to wipe his lids while at work.  I could have let it go at that, but I wanted to know more.  Upon further questioning, he said he used the tears when he felt his eyes were dry. There was no routine frequency of use.  When I asked how he wiped off his lids, he offered that he was using alcohol preps!

As I continued the exam, I saw a notation I made on his last exam. I noted that he was a poor responder on refraction with variable results on his last visit.  On external exam his eyes looked irritated. Based on that and my note from his previous visit, I decided to use some artificial tears to improve the quality of his tear film for the refraction.

I opened a trial bottle of artificial tears, but instead of putting them in myself as I usually do, I decided to let him do it instead.  What I saw shocked me.  He ran the bottle along his lids just below his lash line. He administered approximately 4 to 5 drops, none of which even looked like they made it to the eyes.  The tears ran down his face and there was no doubt the bottle was now contaminated.  And that was in a clean office environment.  Imagine what happened to him on a daily basis while at work in a dirty environment.  This was the worst attempt at instilling drops I had ever seen.

I was thankful that I had given him the bottle instead of just doing it myself.  Valuable information would have been missed in how I advised him on his future eye care.  I would have assumed that he knew how to instill drops since he offered that he was doing it on a daily basis.  The treatment I suggested wouldn’t have been successful since the drops weren’t handled correctly.

I took the time to instruct him in the proper way to instill drops and then watched him do it several times in each eye. Yes, it took some additional time, but it made the difference in whether the total treatment plan succeeded. Needless to say, he was also instructed to abandon alcohol preps as a lid wipe and alternative treatments suggested.

I couldn’t help but think of all the patients I prescribe drops on a daily basis. Artificial tears, rewetting drops, allergy drops, and medications are all prescribed routinely.   But, how many times have I stopped to make sure their technique was proper and efficient?

Another Lesson Learned

I also learned another lesson about instilling drops from my own mother.  She has a dry eye as well.  I gave her artificial tears and told her how often to use them. In her case, I had showed her how to instill the drops and watched her do it several times.  A few days later she told me she was having problems.  So when I was at her house, I asked her to show me how she was using the drops.  Her technique was good except for one major thing.  She was trying to do it while standing up.

I never thought to tell her to only attempt instilling drops from a seated or supine position.  I realized that I had never included this piece of information to any of my patients.  But, I have since changed my instructions. I had never considered that a patient would attempt putting in drops while standing. The possibilities of losing balance or falling while instilling drops concerned me.

This is especially worrisome in the elderly patients who are often the ones most likely to need drops. They are also the group most likely to have problems with balance. I now make the suggestion that they only use drops when seated or laying down. Of course, it is possible to put drops in while standing, but it is more difficult.  Having a patient tip their head back can cause problems with equilibrium and could precipitate a fall.  Why not err on the responsible side and give patients instructions that keep them safe?

Show and tell may seem like an antiquated children’s game, but in my practice, it has become a valuable adjunct to my verbal patient education.  We would never think of dispensing contact lenses to a new wearer and not offering instructions in their care and handling. I don’t know of anyone who would expect a patient to learn how to insert and remove their contact lenses on their own.  Maybe we need to think about our instructions in other areas of eye care as well. If there is no time in your schedule for this instruction, then why not consider training one of your staff to become your patient educator.

Have you ever experienced problems with patients harming themselves by doing something wrong? Have any of your patients not gotten the proper results because of an error in the way they used the drops?   What do you do in your office to be certain patients learn proper procedures?  Do you use your staff to help in educating your patients?  Leave your comments and suggestions below.