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A VIEW OF REFRACTION SYSTEMS

HOW THESE DEVICES CREATE PATIENT AND PRACTICE SATISFACTION

WE HAVE great refraction systems available today. Not only do they save time and make us more efficient, they are accurate, and most integrate with common EHR.

Here, I discuss some other benefits.

BENEFITS

Refraction systems also enable us to schedule additional patients and spend more time explaining and discussing medical eye conditions discovered during the comprehensive exam. The newer systems are exceptionally accurate and combine multiple diagnostic tools, such as an autorefractor, lensometer, aberrometer and topography, just to name a few, into a single device. Essentially, these devices pay for themselves through gains in efficiency and smaller footprints while also enabling us to focus on medical eye care — something optometric pundits say is crucial to the future of the profession. In states that allow for delegation of the refraction, these systems can also help tremendously in being efficient.

In addition, some systems include brightness acuity testing, axial length assessment, topography and cataract imaging through retroillumination. They also do not require the Jackson’s cross cylinder technique, which many patients tell me they dread.

Further, the technology automatically sends the autorefraction, manifest refraction, prior lensometer readings, pupillary distance, vertex and near working distance directly to your EHR, saving staff time and preventing the errors that can occur from transferring these measurements to paper manually.

Finally, refraction systems provide a “wow” factor for patients, especially when you show them the difference between their existing glasses and their new refraction with just the push of a button. OM

KEVIN GEE, O.D. practices in Houston and is an assistant clinical professor at the University of Houston College of Optometry. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, an ABO Diplomate and an OCRT member. Also, he’s on Allergan’s advisory board and is a consultant for Solution Reach. E-mail him at drgee@geeeyecare.com, or visit tinyurl.com/comment to comment.