Choosing a qualified eye care physician with
the right credentials is critical to achieving a successful
outcome. Perhaps you are looking for someone who will take the
time to explain things on your level, has a great chair-side
manner, current magazines in the waiting room, or even a sharp
dresser. To others, training, reputation, and specialty are
preferred criteria for selecting the right vision specialist.
Some may even look for the most expensive surgeon, yet others
look for the least expensive doctors. Whatever your criteria,
iEnhance has put together a comprehensive list of physicians
that can give you a head start on your search for the right
vision correction specialists that meet your needs.
When considering undergoing laser vision correction or any vision
correction procedure for that matter, you should select a qualified
eye care physician to evaluate, diagnose, and superiorly perform
the appropriate procedures. Like choosing other medical specialists
it is a very individualized decision and one that should not
be taken too lightly.
On a general basis there are two main types of eye care physicians,
optometrists and ophthalmologists, each specialized
and trained in different aspects of providing the best quality
of vision for you, the patient. After reviewing our sections,
you may want to work with a specialized ophthalmologist directly
or work with a co-managing optometrist with whom you have entrusted
your general vision needs over may years.
Whatever your decision, conduct additional independent research
on each. Sometimes speaking to a patient or friend that has
had a similar procedure performed can help you feel more assured
of your own decisions. You may also check out the "My
Story" section for personal experiences from patients that
have had similar types of vision correction procedures. We have
provided you with a list professional organizations at the end
of this page to assist you in verifying the physicians credentials
as well as a "Physician Locator"
to help guide you to a well-trained eye care specialist that
can be chosen by location, name, and experience, or by association
affiliation, university affiliation, or laser center affiliation.
"What are some of the preliminary verifications I should
make prior to scheduling a consultation?"
Verify that the surgeon is certified by the American
Board of Ophthalmology ("ABO"). ABO-certified physicians
have graduated from an accredited medical school, completed
one year of internship and three or more years of specialized
medical, surgical and/or refractive training and had experience
in eye care.
You can confirm a physician's Board certification by clicking
to www.abms.org
(American Board of Medical Specialties), selecting the "Who's
Certified" button, then typing in the doctors name. The verification
will tell you which board certified the doctor. Alternatively
you may call the American Board of Ophthalmology at 610-664-1175.
Verify that the surgeon has had specialized training
in refractive surgery. Not all Board-certified ophthalmologists
are trained in laser vision surgery and other refractive surgical
procedures. Also, it is important to ask how many procedures
in which you may be considering that the doctor has performed
in the past year.
Verify the education of the physician. Verify through
the Liaison Committee on Medical Education www.lcme.org
that the medical school listed by the physician is accredited.
Your physician may also list membership in medical associations,
academies or societies. You may want to contact the specific
organization to inquire about its entry requirements (website
address listed below).
Verify the physician is licensed to practice medicine
in the state he/she is located. Contact the State's Medical
Licensing Board. This number is listed in the State Government
section of your phone book.
Check past or pending legal actions. Contact the
County Clerk's Office of the county in which the physician has
practiced or is practicing to verify court actions. Please use
discretion.
Alternatively, you may use a Physician Credential Verification
company to conduct the checks for you. iEnhance has partnered
with www.SearchPointe.com
to assist our users in verifying doctors' credentials. When
in SearchPointe's home page, click on "Doctor Search", enter
the search parameters and click "Search Now". Within a few seconds,
SearchPointe will provide a free report that gives you the doctor's
name, phone number, address, specialty, education, school and
residency information. Then for a small fee, you can order a
License and Sanction report on that doctor.
Additional things you may want to look for in an experienced
refractive surgeon. Find out if the doctor has completed
a fellowship program or a mini-fellowship program in corneal
specialty. Is the doctor part of research teams in relationship
to the types of procedures you are considering? Finding out
if a doctor is reputable within his community of physicians
can be a form of comfort and assurance for you. Is he published
in his research areas or has he written for scientific publications?
An additional source of comfort may come from finding out what
avenues the doctor has written or lectured in (local, regional,
national or international).
Some of these can be a simple call to the office manager of
the doctor's practice you may be considering.
Once you've done all this and determined that the
doctor you have in mind is competent and qualified you may go
ahead and make a pre-screening appointment for laser vision
correction or other vision correction procedures you are considering.
In our next section, we'll talk about questions to ask your
doctor once you've met face to face, and making sure that your
expectations are realistic.
Ask the physician the following questions during your consultation.
These questions are fairly standard, he/she should willingly
provide you with answers. Please click on the "Questions
for your eye care physician."
CAVEAT: Selecting a Board-certified physician assures
you that a doctor has completed extensive training and passed
rigorous examinations in his/her specialty. However, this does
not guarantee that you will obtain the exact results that you
desire. Carefully read about the procedure in our Procedures
section, understand the risks associated with the procedure,
talk to the doctor's past patients who have undergone the procedure,
and perhaps obtain a second opinion from another doctor. In
sum, thoroughly research the doctor and procedure before proceeding!
Click on the links below to verify the doctor's credentials:
http://www.lcme.org
- Liaison Committee on Medical Education. This organization
accredits medical schools in the US and Canada. Click on "Directory
of Accredited Medical Education Programs" to verify the accreditation
of your doctor's medical school.
http://www.abms.org
- American Board of Medical Specialties. ABMS is the umbrella
organization for the 24 approved medical specialty boards in
the United States. From the homepage, select the "Who's Certified"
button, then type the doctor's name. The verification will tell
you which board certified the doctor.
http://www.abop.org
- American Board of Ophthalmology - one of the approved medical
specialty boards that make up the American Board of Medical
Specialties. This is the board that certifies ophthalmologists.
You may call the ABO to verify an ophthalmologist's certification
status at 610-664-1175.
