Of these, three (5 percent) were happy, while 54 (90 percent) were unhappy. Sixty of the 210 patients were implanted with the ReZoom lens. Seventy percent reported being unhappy, usually due to glare and halos (68 percent), difficulty seeing at night (59 percent), and dependence on glasses (58 percent). Using key words, we found a total of 210 presbyopia-correcting IOL patient postings. This survey retrospectively looked specifically at comments from ReZoom, ReSTOR and Crystalens presbyopia-correcting IOL patients during the entire year of 2008 ( See Table 1). Recently, we conducted a second Internet survey, which we now report. This was a wake-up call to us that many dissatisfied multifocal and accommodating IOL patients are using this Internet health site to search for information and support. Stated another way, each multifocal IOL was about 60 times more likely to cause an unhappy eye Internet posting than a monofocal IOL. Although these three "premium" lenses are used in approximately 10 percent of patients, the volume of complaints was amazingly 6.87 times more in presbyopia-correcting IOLs (206 complaints) than all monofocal IOLs combined (30 complaints). We were startled at the number of complaints posted by ReZoom, ReSTOR, and Crystalens presbyopia-correcting IOL patients, particularly with regard to dysphotopsia and blurred vision. Patients also expressed dissatisfaction about the extra expense of multifocal IOLs and the failure to achieve expected outcomes. Minor problems included foreign body sensation, watering, persistent redness, irritation, dryness and the need for frequent lubricants. Major postoperative complications included retinal detachment, swelling of the retina, epiretinal macular membranes/macular pucker, posterior capsular opacification, displaced IOLs, IOL power/ residual refractive error problems, IOL exchanges or repositioning, retained cortex, vitrectomy and/or scleral buckle, optic neuropathy, glaucoma and uveitis. Two patients reported being completely blind: one due to infection and one due to bleeding. We summarized unwanted visual aberrations (dysphotopsia), night vision problems, blurred vision, unexpected dependence on glasses, pain, retina and other problems, and patient satisfaction with their surgical result.Īll 341 discussion threads began with a question about or statement of a problem, complaint or dissatisfaction. The multifocal IOLs were almost all ReZoom, ReSTOR and Crystalens presbyopia-correcting IOLs. Of these, 341 could be analyzed for causes of dissatisfaction. 8 We identified 750 postings and reviewed the entire discussion threads. To summarize Internet patient concerns about cataract surgery/intraocular lens implantation, we conducted a retrospective study of all postings between Novemand on the two MedHelp eye care forums dealing with cataract surgery and IOL implantation, recovery and satisfaction with results. We are two of the four ophthalmologists who answer patient questions. The eye-care forums receive approximately 260,000 viewings each month. The site includes two eye-care forums ("Ask a Doctor" and "Eye Care Medical Support Community") that are controlled by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Its forums are viewed more than 6.5 million times each month. One of the largest health-care websites on the Internet is MedHelp ( ), which was founded in 1994. They may also provide unique and important medical research data different from the usual office/hospital/ambulatory surgery center setting. 1-7 For example, they provide education, emotional support and may reduce medical costs. Studies suggest that Internet health forums provide a number of benefits. The Internet is increasingly being used by patients to gather health information and to discuss surgical complications and outcomes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |