In continuing to develop a national reputation as a leader in ophthalmology, Stephen V. Scoper, M.D., is the first surgeon in the Hampton Roads area to implant the groundbreaking Higher Power Toric Intraocular Lens (IOL). Now patients with greater than 2 diopters of astigmatism can experience clear vision without glasses after cataract surgery.
The Toric IOL is the first LifeStyle Lens™ option offered by Virginia Eye Consultants that is designed for patients experiencing the blurriness of cataracts who also have pre-existing astigmatism.
"Virginia Eye Consultants is focused on providing our patients with the most advanced technology and leading edge innovations in eye care," Scoper said. "The Toric IOL gives cataract patients with astigmatism the opportunity to enjoy distance vision without depending on glasses or contacts."
If you are interested in learning more about the Toric IOL, or would like to see if you are a candidate for the procedure, call Virginia Eye Consultants at 1-800-321-3937 or click here to schedule a free consultation.
Showing posts with label Cataracts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cataracts. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Friday, March 19, 2010
Stephen V. Scoper, M.D. – Guest Lecturer at CPE Optometry Program Seminar | Fort Worth, Texas | Alcon Campus
Dr. Stephen V. Scoper, Vice President of Virginia Eye Consultants, was a guest lecturer at an optometric student conference in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 12th, 2010 at Alcon's Fort Worth campus. This is one of two conferences that Dr. Scoper has presented at (the first in late January) and over 100 students were in attendance.
CPE Optometry Program is a two day seminar for fourth-year optometry students. This program is an interactive lecture on topics of dry eye, allergy, contact lens, glaucoma and co-management of IOLs. Dr. Lebow was also a guest lecturer at the event.
Visit VirginiaEyeConsultants.com to learn more about Dr. Scoper.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Stephen V. Scoper, M.D. presents Premium IOL Course in Detroit, Michigan
Dr. Stephen Scoper, Vice President and lead refractive surgeon at Virginia Eye Consultants, will be in Detroit, MI, presenting a comprehensive course to area optometrists on the co-management of Premium IOLs on Sunday, January 31, 2010!
Co-Management of Premium IOLs
Co-Management of Premium IOLs
Training Opportunity for Co-Management of Multifocal and Toric IOLs
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Dr. Scoper will be presenting a comprehensive course for optometrists, training and preparing them to manage every aspect of pre-operative and post-operative care for co-management of Premium IOL procedures. Optometrists who already have experience in co-managing patients for routine cataract surgery will be taken to the next level of expertise in providing state-of-the-art multifocal and astigmatic technology to their patients. Upon completion of the course under Dr. Scoper's extensive experience, they will have confidence in recommending the Premium IOL technology to any of their patients with whom they have developed a trusting doctor-patient relationship.
A comprehensive notebook will be provided to course attendees with extensive handouts and forms giving a step-by-step guide to take back to their practices. Premium IOL patients from Dr. Scoper's will describe their experiences and be available to answer questions to reinforce the lectures and consolidate the learning experience.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Stephen V. Scoper, M.D. Premium IOL Presentation in Warsaw, IN
Dr. Stephen Scoper, Vice President and lead refractive surgeon at Virginia Eye Consultants, will be in Indiana, presenting a comprehensive course to area optometrists on the co-management of Premium IOLs on Saturday, January 16, 2010!
Co-Management of Premium IOLs
Please RSVP to Karen Platt, CMA, COA
800-527-3948 ext. 625
kplatt@gecenter.com
Funded by an Unrestricted Educational Grant from Alcon
Co-Management of Premium IOLs
Training opportunity for Co-Management of Multifocal and Toric IOLs
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Registration begins at 8:00 am
Lunch Will Be Provided at 12:30 pm
Grossnickle Eye Center Optometric Conference
Westminster Hall, 9th Street
(between College and Chestnut Ave.)
Winona Lake, Indiana
Registration begins at 8:00 am
Lunch Will Be Provided at 12:30 pm
Grossnickle Eye Center Optometric Conference
Westminster Hall, 9th Street
(between College and Chestnut Ave.)
Winona Lake, Indiana
Dr. Scoper will be presenting a comprehensive course for optometrists, preparing them to manage all aspects of pre-operative and post-operative care for co-management of Premium IOL procedures. Optometrists who already have experience in co-managing patients for routine cataract surgery will be taken to the next level of expertise in providing state-of-the-art multifocal and astigmatic technology to their patients. Integrating care with an experienced Premium IOL surgeon, they will have confidence in recommending the Premium IOL technology to their patients with whom they have developed a trusting doctor-patient relationship.
A comprehensive notebook will be provided to course attendees with extensive handouts and forms giving a step-by-step guide to take back to their practices. Premium IOL patients will describe their experiences and be available to answer questions to reinforce the lectures and consolidate the learning experience.
This COPE-approved three hour course will conclude with the presentation of a Certificate of Completion in the Co-Management of Premium IOLs signed by the Course Director.
Please RSVP to Karen Platt, CMA, COA
800-527-3948 ext. 625
kplatt@gecenter.com
Funded by an Unrestricted Educational Grant from Alcon
Monday, July 20, 2009
Stephen V. Scoper, M.D. to speak for Premium IOL webcast
Dr. Stephen Scoper, Vice President and lead refractive surgeon at Virginia Eye Consultants, will be presenting the first in a series of interactive webcast teleconferences beginning on Thursday, July 30!
-Complete office address
For more about Dr. Scoper, click here!
"The Missing Step to Achieving Better Premium IOL Outcomes"
An interactive discussion on various topics related to Premium IOL procedures
Thursday, July 30
8:30-9:30 p.m. E.T.
The discussion topics presented by Dr. Scoper will be "AcrySof® IQ ReSTOR® IOL +3.0D: True performance at all distances"; "New Aspheric AcrySof® IQ Toric IOL: Precise astigmatism correction, now available in aspheric optics"; "Pre-operative measurements can make or break the deal"; and "Pearls for post-operative care: Aggressively managing ocular surface disease".
To register for this event, call 800-668-0651 or e-mail the following registration information to registration@aristamktg.com:
-Complete office address
-Office phone and fax numbers
-Phone number at the time of the teleconference
-e-mail address
For more about Dr. Scoper, click here!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Restore your clear vision with ReSTOR
Are you finding it harder to focus your eyes while reading or driving? Maybe your vision seems blurry or dim even though you just bought a new pair of glasses. You could write these off as signs of "old age", but they may be likely signs of cataracts. In fact, cataracts are the number one cause of poor vision in adults. A cataract is a clouding of the lens, which obstructs the light from passing through properly. The lens is responsible for focusing images that enter the eye, but the blockage of light causes these images to register as being dim, blurred, and can even effect the perception of color. The only way to properly identify cataracts is to be diagnosed during an eye exam, as cataracts cannot be seen from the outside.
Luckily cataract surgeries have a success rate of more than 95%! Dr. Stephen Scoper, Vice President and lead refractive surgeon at Virginia Eye Consultants, has earned an international reputation as a specialist in every aspect of refractive surgery, including cataract surgery. Since the only way to treat cataracts is by replacing the lens, Dr. Scoper and the team of doctors at VEC have added the revolutionary ReSTOR IOL (intraocular lens) to their list of state-of-the-art cataract treatment options. ReSTOR is a fast and often painless surgery that involves replacing the natural lens with a permanent Intraocular Lens. The tapered shape of the ReSTOR lens allows for all-distance vision and often erases the need for glasses or corrective lenses. During the procedure the doctors will make a very small incision and insert an instrument to dissolve the lens that has become cloudy. After dissolving the old lens, the doctors will insert the new ReSTOR lens in its place. Because the incision in the eye is so small, stitches are not necessary and the eye heals itself.
This procedure has revolutionized the way cataract surgery is viewed and performed. The quick and virtually pain free process provides most patients with the ability to return to normal activities the day following their procedure! In fact, as many as 4 out of 5 patients have reported never having to wear glasses or corrective lenses again.
Are you ready to restore your clear vision with ReSTOR? Schedule your free consultation at www.vec2020.com and call us at (757) 622-2200!
Luckily cataract surgeries have a success rate of more than 95%! Dr. Stephen Scoper, Vice President and lead refractive surgeon at Virginia Eye Consultants, has earned an international reputation as a specialist in every aspect of refractive surgery, including cataract surgery. Since the only way to treat cataracts is by replacing the lens, Dr. Scoper and the team of doctors at VEC have added the revolutionary ReSTOR IOL (intraocular lens) to their list of state-of-the-art cataract treatment options. ReSTOR is a fast and often painless surgery that involves replacing the natural lens with a permanent Intraocular Lens. The tapered shape of the ReSTOR lens allows for all-distance vision and often erases the need for glasses or corrective lenses. During the procedure the doctors will make a very small incision and insert an instrument to dissolve the lens that has become cloudy. After dissolving the old lens, the doctors will insert the new ReSTOR lens in its place. Because the incision in the eye is so small, stitches are not necessary and the eye heals itself.
This procedure has revolutionized the way cataract surgery is viewed and performed. The quick and virtually pain free process provides most patients with the ability to return to normal activities the day following their procedure! In fact, as many as 4 out of 5 patients have reported never having to wear glasses or corrective lenses again.
Are you ready to restore your clear vision with ReSTOR? Schedule your free consultation at www.vec2020.com and call us at (757) 622-2200!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Dr. Stephen V. Scoper | Article: Premium IOLs & OD Comanagement
In the May 2009 issue of Ophthalmology Management, Stephen Scoper, MD describes how allowing optometrists to match patients to premium IOLs improves both patient care and practice growth.
"I belong to a busy ophthalmic practice that performs more than 1,800 cataract surgeries a year, and we have developed a large optometric network to help us comanage these cases. This network worked well for us for years — and then premium IOLs entered the U.S. ophthalmic scene. Suddenly, our smoothly running network came close to disaster because optometrists had not been trained in how these premium IOLs were different. They did not understand the nuances of patient care that were different from a routine, standard IOL.
I knew that for the good of our patients, we needed to address the situation, so I immediately stopped comanaging the premium IOLs and developed a program to teach optometrists what I felt they needed to know. The result was patients who were much happier with their cataract surgery and the quality of life it gave them.
Over time, this presentation evolved into a 3-hour, comprehensive course with a 200-page notebook that I give to optometrists around the country: "Comanagement of Premium IOLs: Training Opportunity for Comanagement of Multifocal and Toric IOLs." And while I am well aware that the ophthalmic community does not have uniformly warm feelings on the topic of comanagement, I do believe that it enables you to run your cataract practice more smoothly and to deliver a superior quality of vision to your patients. Following is a summary of how my course works to educate optometrists; you may want to consider this model for your own practice.
Finding Ready Students
As I said, this course began with my own personal situation and my own network of optometrists. I discovered the need was there, so I now conduct the course in other towns for Alcon Labs. I approach busy ophthalmologists who already comanage and have an optometric network. I tell them about my course and encourage their networks to attend. Any comanaging optometrist from a given area can attend; I tell ophthalmologists, "You send your optometrist, because your competition is sending theirs!"
However, I also make sure there is no territorial fighting — in fact, I don't even permit my attendees to utter an ophthalmologist's name; this course is designed to let O.D.s learn about premium IOLs in a "nondenominational" setting, not to promote any particular ophthalmologist. But ophthalmologists encourage their optometrists to attend my course because they see it as a "win" for all concerned — for themselves, for the O.D.s and for their patients.
I have three goals for my course to make this happen. Number 1 is to give the optometrists the knowledge base they need for premium IOLs. Number 2 is to motivate them and generate some enthusiasm about offering this to patients so that they really believe they can give their patients a better quality of life. Finally, number 3 is to challenge the O.D.s to go out the next day and recommend premium IOLs to their patients — to actually put the information they learned in the course into practice.
Help Them Help You
Please understand that having optometrists put into practice what they have learned about premium IOLs will greatly benefit your patients. The reason is that optometrists frequently know the patients much better than we do, having followed them for years versus the maybe 6 to 10 minutes the surgeon spends with them during an initial examination.
For instance, a standard, monofocal IOL focused at near is an option we can provide our cataract surgery patients — some people are nearsighted and they like to have their glasses off to read at near, while they continue wearing distance glasses. I had such a patient, and not being familiar with her habits, I made a mistake. She was in her mid 70s with a refractive error of -2.50 near. She has read in bed at night all of her life.
So the patient is sent to me and I take away her nearsightedness and give her 20/20 vision at distance with no glasses for the first time, and I think I've done a great job. But guess what? She's distraught, because she can't see at near and doesn't understand that she does see well at near, she just needs to wear glasses. But I changed her whole life, because I didn't really understand what she wanted — she loves to read with her glasses off.
The optometrist who sent her to me should have told me that. He knows her better than I do. He should have said, "Dr. Scoper, leave her -2.50, that's her life, and she'll be happy." I use that example in my course to tell optometrists that they have a huge responsibility to make a recommendation like that when they know the patient.
What They Need to Know
In order to help optometrists play their part in making the patient's cataract surgery as successful as possible, I take great pains to educate them on the latest IOL technologies and options for patients. The latter I present as monofocal for distance/glasses for near; monofocal for near/glasses for distance; monovision (stipulating that this patient must be successful with monovision contact lenses); toric IOLs/monovision for distance/glasses for near; and multifocal IOLs.
Then, within these options, I explain the differences between lens materials, such as acrylic and PMMA. I also cover key concepts like blue light, diffraction and apodization. Presbyopic IOLs, of course, are what all the buzz is about in cataract surgery, so I give optometrists a thorough education in the relevant IOLs on the U.S. market: the ReSTOR (+3.0 and +4.0 Aspheric, Alcon Labs), the ReZoom (AMO), the Tecnis multifocal (AMO), the Crystalens 5-0 and HD (Bausch & Lomb). I detail the mechanism of action for each IOL, provide an overview of U.S. clinical trial results for each and also explain the contraindications for each lens.
Instead of the O.D. just telling the patient, "You have cataracts, so I'm going to send you to Dr. Scoper for surgery," I want them to think about which IOL option is going to be best for the patient. After all, optics and refraction are the core strengths of an optometrist's training and expertise, plus the O.D. has likely known the patient for years and is able to assess their needs with greater perspective. The O.D. should educate the patient about IOL options and make a recommendation to the surgeon.
In my patient-selection segment, I detail who are good candidates for each lens, and who are not — such as patients with unrealistic expectations or ocular pathology.
I also use my course to educate optometrists about comanaging the patient postoperatively. This section includes postoperative complications the optometrists need to know about and four "pearls" of postoperative care that I learned from Eric Donnenfeld, M.D. They are: Treat residual refractive errors; do YAG capsulotomies early; aggressively treat ocular surface disease; and look for cystoid macular edema.
While this course doesn't do everything to prepare O.D.s for comanagement, I think it is the most thorough first step in training currently available. Ultimately, of course, if an ophthalmologist comanages with a group of optometrists, that ophthalmologist has a responsibility to train them and make sure they are capable of comanaging.
The Business Model
Now for the delicate issue of billing in comanagement. I offer the standard 20% comanagement fee that has been used with cataract surgery, as well as with Medicare and other carriers for years, and that has also been used with LASIK. For instance, in most eye care centers that offer LASIK, the ophthalmologist gets 80% and the optometrist gets 20%. I do the same thing with premium IOLs.
Let's say the average charge in the United States is somewhere between $2,200 an $2,500 per eye over and beyond what insurance covers. The patient writes out a check for $2,500. The lens costs about $900 and that needs to go to the ambulatory surgery center. So you take off, say, $1,000 for that. Then there's a $1,500 profit generated; out of that, 20%, or $300, would go to the optometrist and the other $1,200 would go to the ophthalmologist.
Now, it's very important to understand that this is not a kickback. The optometrist is working for that 20%. They know more about the patient's lifestyle and they've got a good knowledge base and they spend time making a recommendation before surgery; then they do a lot in the postoperative care of that patient. So they are providing value for that comanagement fee, and that work translates to less time the patient spends in the ophthalmologist's office. It is a true pay-for-service arrangement.
It is very important, in my practice, that the patient makes three different payments. They buy the lens and pay the ASC for the lens; they pay me 80%; and they write a separate check to the optometrist for the 20%. It is crucial for me not to collect everything and then to write a check from my practice to the optometrist for that 20% comanagement fee. Otherwise, it looks like a kickback. The patients are paying for their care, and the patient has two doctors in this situation. While the idea of allowing optometrists to take a portion of our hard-earned cataract surgery money may seem painful, consider the growth your practice will enjoy from comanagement with optometrists educated about cutting-edge IOL technology. Probably more than 60% of the cataract cases I do are comanagment and I've been able to double my surgical volume because of it. Currently, I do about 1,800 cases a year.
Additionally, my premium lens conversion rate is about 25% of all cataracts I do, and approximately 10% of that is from optometrists taking the course and being able to present the benefits of premium IOLs before they get to the surgeon. The educational process that the patient goes through before meeting the surgeon is so important, so that all this information is not dumped on them suddenly. They can make a really informed decision when their optometrist educates them. And when all components of an eye care practice are on board regarding a new technology and are enthusiastic about it, patients are more receptive to it. In the case of premium IOLs especially, that results is a win for both the practice and patients."-Stephen V. Scoper, M.D.
To view Dr. Scoper's full article online CLICK HERE
For more information on Dr. Scoper's Comanagement of Premium IOLs Course CLICK HERE
"I belong to a busy ophthalmic practice that performs more than 1,800 cataract surgeries a year, and we have developed a large optometric network to help us comanage these cases. This network worked well for us for years — and then premium IOLs entered the U.S. ophthalmic scene. Suddenly, our smoothly running network came close to disaster because optometrists had not been trained in how these premium IOLs were different. They did not understand the nuances of patient care that were different from a routine, standard IOL.
I knew that for the good of our patients, we needed to address the situation, so I immediately stopped comanaging the premium IOLs and developed a program to teach optometrists what I felt they needed to know. The result was patients who were much happier with their cataract surgery and the quality of life it gave them.
Over time, this presentation evolved into a 3-hour, comprehensive course with a 200-page notebook that I give to optometrists around the country: "Comanagement of Premium IOLs: Training Opportunity for Comanagement of Multifocal and Toric IOLs." And while I am well aware that the ophthalmic community does not have uniformly warm feelings on the topic of comanagement, I do believe that it enables you to run your cataract practice more smoothly and to deliver a superior quality of vision to your patients. Following is a summary of how my course works to educate optometrists; you may want to consider this model for your own practice.
Finding Ready Students
As I said, this course began with my own personal situation and my own network of optometrists. I discovered the need was there, so I now conduct the course in other towns for Alcon Labs. I approach busy ophthalmologists who already comanage and have an optometric network. I tell them about my course and encourage their networks to attend. Any comanaging optometrist from a given area can attend; I tell ophthalmologists, "You send your optometrist, because your competition is sending theirs!"
However, I also make sure there is no territorial fighting — in fact, I don't even permit my attendees to utter an ophthalmologist's name; this course is designed to let O.D.s learn about premium IOLs in a "nondenominational" setting, not to promote any particular ophthalmologist. But ophthalmologists encourage their optometrists to attend my course because they see it as a "win" for all concerned — for themselves, for the O.D.s and for their patients.
I have three goals for my course to make this happen. Number 1 is to give the optometrists the knowledge base they need for premium IOLs. Number 2 is to motivate them and generate some enthusiasm about offering this to patients so that they really believe they can give their patients a better quality of life. Finally, number 3 is to challenge the O.D.s to go out the next day and recommend premium IOLs to their patients — to actually put the information they learned in the course into practice.
Help Them Help You
Please understand that having optometrists put into practice what they have learned about premium IOLs will greatly benefit your patients. The reason is that optometrists frequently know the patients much better than we do, having followed them for years versus the maybe 6 to 10 minutes the surgeon spends with them during an initial examination.
For instance, a standard, monofocal IOL focused at near is an option we can provide our cataract surgery patients — some people are nearsighted and they like to have their glasses off to read at near, while they continue wearing distance glasses. I had such a patient, and not being familiar with her habits, I made a mistake. She was in her mid 70s with a refractive error of -2.50 near. She has read in bed at night all of her life.
So the patient is sent to me and I take away her nearsightedness and give her 20/20 vision at distance with no glasses for the first time, and I think I've done a great job. But guess what? She's distraught, because she can't see at near and doesn't understand that she does see well at near, she just needs to wear glasses. But I changed her whole life, because I didn't really understand what she wanted — she loves to read with her glasses off.
The optometrist who sent her to me should have told me that. He knows her better than I do. He should have said, "Dr. Scoper, leave her -2.50, that's her life, and she'll be happy." I use that example in my course to tell optometrists that they have a huge responsibility to make a recommendation like that when they know the patient.
What They Need to Know
In order to help optometrists play their part in making the patient's cataract surgery as successful as possible, I take great pains to educate them on the latest IOL technologies and options for patients. The latter I present as monofocal for distance/glasses for near; monofocal for near/glasses for distance; monovision (stipulating that this patient must be successful with monovision contact lenses); toric IOLs/monovision for distance/glasses for near; and multifocal IOLs.
Then, within these options, I explain the differences between lens materials, such as acrylic and PMMA. I also cover key concepts like blue light, diffraction and apodization. Presbyopic IOLs, of course, are what all the buzz is about in cataract surgery, so I give optometrists a thorough education in the relevant IOLs on the U.S. market: the ReSTOR (+3.0 and +4.0 Aspheric, Alcon Labs), the ReZoom (AMO), the Tecnis multifocal (AMO), the Crystalens 5-0 and HD (Bausch & Lomb). I detail the mechanism of action for each IOL, provide an overview of U.S. clinical trial results for each and also explain the contraindications for each lens.
Instead of the O.D. just telling the patient, "You have cataracts, so I'm going to send you to Dr. Scoper for surgery," I want them to think about which IOL option is going to be best for the patient. After all, optics and refraction are the core strengths of an optometrist's training and expertise, plus the O.D. has likely known the patient for years and is able to assess their needs with greater perspective. The O.D. should educate the patient about IOL options and make a recommendation to the surgeon.
In my patient-selection segment, I detail who are good candidates for each lens, and who are not — such as patients with unrealistic expectations or ocular pathology.
I also use my course to educate optometrists about comanaging the patient postoperatively. This section includes postoperative complications the optometrists need to know about and four "pearls" of postoperative care that I learned from Eric Donnenfeld, M.D. They are: Treat residual refractive errors; do YAG capsulotomies early; aggressively treat ocular surface disease; and look for cystoid macular edema.
While this course doesn't do everything to prepare O.D.s for comanagement, I think it is the most thorough first step in training currently available. Ultimately, of course, if an ophthalmologist comanages with a group of optometrists, that ophthalmologist has a responsibility to train them and make sure they are capable of comanaging.
The Business Model
Now for the delicate issue of billing in comanagement. I offer the standard 20% comanagement fee that has been used with cataract surgery, as well as with Medicare and other carriers for years, and that has also been used with LASIK. For instance, in most eye care centers that offer LASIK, the ophthalmologist gets 80% and the optometrist gets 20%. I do the same thing with premium IOLs.
Let's say the average charge in the United States is somewhere between $2,200 an $2,500 per eye over and beyond what insurance covers. The patient writes out a check for $2,500. The lens costs about $900 and that needs to go to the ambulatory surgery center. So you take off, say, $1,000 for that. Then there's a $1,500 profit generated; out of that, 20%, or $300, would go to the optometrist and the other $1,200 would go to the ophthalmologist.
Now, it's very important to understand that this is not a kickback. The optometrist is working for that 20%. They know more about the patient's lifestyle and they've got a good knowledge base and they spend time making a recommendation before surgery; then they do a lot in the postoperative care of that patient. So they are providing value for that comanagement fee, and that work translates to less time the patient spends in the ophthalmologist's office. It is a true pay-for-service arrangement.
It is very important, in my practice, that the patient makes three different payments. They buy the lens and pay the ASC for the lens; they pay me 80%; and they write a separate check to the optometrist for the 20%. It is crucial for me not to collect everything and then to write a check from my practice to the optometrist for that 20% comanagement fee. Otherwise, it looks like a kickback. The patients are paying for their care, and the patient has two doctors in this situation. While the idea of allowing optometrists to take a portion of our hard-earned cataract surgery money may seem painful, consider the growth your practice will enjoy from comanagement with optometrists educated about cutting-edge IOL technology. Probably more than 60% of the cataract cases I do are comanagment and I've been able to double my surgical volume because of it. Currently, I do about 1,800 cases a year.
Additionally, my premium lens conversion rate is about 25% of all cataracts I do, and approximately 10% of that is from optometrists taking the course and being able to present the benefits of premium IOLs before they get to the surgeon. The educational process that the patient goes through before meeting the surgeon is so important, so that all this information is not dumped on them suddenly. They can make a really informed decision when their optometrist educates them. And when all components of an eye care practice are on board regarding a new technology and are enthusiastic about it, patients are more receptive to it. In the case of premium IOLs especially, that results is a win for both the practice and patients."-Stephen V. Scoper, M.D.
To view Dr. Scoper's full article online CLICK HERE
For more information on Dr. Scoper's Comanagement of Premium IOLs Course CLICK HERE
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Lecture: Premium IOL Technology: What Does the ReSTOR® +3.0 Mean to Your Patients?
On Friday, May 15th, Dr. Stephen Scoper lectured to Orlando ophthalmologists about exciting new technology concerning premium IOLs for patients undergoing cataract surgery. The lecture, hosted at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Orlando, Florida, focused on the advancements brought forth by the new ReSTOR® Aspheric +3 add intraocular lens. This lens was FDA-approved in January 2009.
Dr. Scoper presented his first lecture on the ReSTOR® +3 IOL at the New Orleans Academy of Ophthalmology on the first weekend of February, 2009. The ReSTOR® +3 IOL had been available in the United States for only 2 weeks at the time of Dr. Scoper's lecture.
As compared to the original ReSTOR® +4 add IOL, the +3 IOL has a focal point at 16-20 inches which is a more comfortable working distance for most patients. The ReSTOR® +4 IOL has a working distance of about 12 inches. The new +3 IOL also improves intermediate vision allowing "arms length" vision of the computer screen.
Dr. Scoper reviewed the binocular defocus curve (shown, left) which demonstrated the scientifically-proven effectiveness of the ReSTOR® +3 IOL, providing for a much greater range of vision for patients who participated in clinical trials.
(For a larger, detailed view of the binocular defocus curve, click the image above. View related slides by clicking the pictures below.)
Additionally, Dr. Scoper discussed the newly FDA-approved AcrySof® IQ TORIC to correct astigmatism at the time of cataract surgery. This lens now has the aspheric surface desired to correct positive spherical aberrations– reducing glare and halos while increasing contrast sensitivity for patients. This aspheric technology has been available on the ReSTOR® multi-focal IOL for over two years and has recently been approved for the AcrySof® TORIC IOL.
Dr. Scoper presented his first lecture on the ReSTOR® +3 IOL at the New Orleans Academy of Ophthalmology on the first weekend of February, 2009. The ReSTOR® +3 IOL had been available in the United States for only 2 weeks at the time of Dr. Scoper's lecture.
As compared to the original ReSTOR® +4 add IOL, the +3 IOL has a focal point at 16-20 inches which is a more comfortable working distance for most patients. The ReSTOR® +4 IOL has a working distance of about 12 inches. The new +3 IOL also improves intermediate vision allowing "arms length" vision of the computer screen.
Dr. Scoper reviewed the binocular defocus curve (shown, left) which demonstrated the scientifically-proven effectiveness of the ReSTOR® +3 IOL, providing for a much greater range of vision for patients who participated in clinical trials.(For a larger, detailed view of the binocular defocus curve, click the image above. View related slides by clicking the pictures below.)
Additionally, Dr. Scoper discussed the newly FDA-approved AcrySof® IQ TORIC to correct astigmatism at the time of cataract surgery. This lens now has the aspheric surface desired to correct positive spherical aberrations– reducing glare and halos while increasing contrast sensitivity for patients. This aspheric technology has been available on the ReSTOR® multi-focal IOL for over two years and has recently been approved for the AcrySof® TORIC IOL.
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