Five Secrets of "WOW LASIK" Vision
December 14, 2009 @ 06:36 PM — by Jon Dishler
- PREPARATION- This includes a thorough evaluation, education and meeting with the patient to be sure that we can meet their expectations and to limit their expectations to what is reasonable to expect. For instance we cannot be as assured of a perfect result in extremely bad corrections and we also warn about reading vision in patients who are a bit older. Preparation also includes putting in temporary punctal plugs in every patient since some degree of dry eye immediately post operatively is common and best to be avoided. We also use a proprietary mixture of medications tailored to the patient to make them comfortable and relaxed for their procedure. The secret is to avoid the unexpected and make the flow of experience for the patient as pleasant as possible.
- EXPERIENCE- By now after 15 years and about 50,000 LASIK procedures, we have seen most every possible thing that can happen in laser vision correction.. Using our collective past we can gauge how to best approach each situation to optimize the outcome. We talk to the patient and manage any concerns before, during, and after their LASIK to minimize any surprises and head off any problems before they escalate. The secret here is to be proactive and anticipate anything that can detract from the wow experience. Patients do not just rate their vision, they rate their experience and it must be a wow experience for them to be fully satisfied.
- TECHNOLOGY- We may have the best of intentions, but in order to turn that into "WOW LASIK" there has to be a technology component that is exceptional. For us, as has been mentioned this centers on our Visumax laser by Zeiss. Without going into the details, this laser makes a corneal flap like no other. It is virtually pain free, very fast, and heals extremely quickly and almost always leads to a WOW LASIK. The wow is right when we are done, and the patient says, "wow I can see already" which is sometimes accompanied by "wow, that was much easier than I thought it would be", and finally "wow, I should have done this sooner." There is usually a big smile as the person realizes that for the first time they are seeing well on their own. Only part of this is the Visumax, and we do almost as well with the Intralase all blade free approach. Also important is the laser which does the correction that is fast, efficient, accurate, and easy. The secret is that the newest and best technology are worth providing for the high degree of satisfaction that such technology delivers.
- COST- Although many LASIK centers like to minimize cost considerations and it is important to wary of cost as the main consideration, to have a "WOW LASIK" experience, it is important that the person who has it believes that they received good value for their money. While it is impossible to quantify what this really means, it is clear that the cost should be something that leaves the person with a sense of satisfaction that they would not have enjoyed spending the money on anything else more. Along with the actual cost is the ability to finance their procedure so that the impact is spread out over a long enough period of time so that it does not limit them from other expenses that also need to be met. The secret here is that there is value in what is paid for and that delivering an overall excellent experience to them and great vision is well worth what is paid for this improvement. There needs to be sensitivity about cost as an important issue.
- PERSONAL ATTENTION- No one wants to be just another number. While there is some comfort is going to a doctor or center with experience, everyone want to be treated as an individual. This means flexibility with appointment scheduling, not being kept waiting too long, the doctors and staff smiling and knowing you as a person rather than as a case. It comes with spending however much time is required to answer all of your questions, explaining all of your options, and working hard to overcome any special needs that may arise. Sometimes this involves referrals to other providers for special evaluations, sometimes it means filling out forms, sometimes it means seeing a patient at a time outside of regular office hours. The secret here is to treat everyone as a VIP and to cater to their needs as if they were the most important person on the planet. This is what five star hotels do to make their customers happy, and in order to provide the "WOW LASIK" experience, it is important for service providers to make reservations, phone calls, or whatever we can reasonably do to help make the LASIK experience a pleasant journey.
Dishler Laser Institute
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