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Worth a Thousand Words

Take advantage of our visual culture by showing patients ocular photos.

GINA M. WESLEY O.D., M.S., F.A.A.O.

Will the concept of MGD be grasped by the patient who just asked me whether cataract surgery involves scraping the film off his eye . . . after I just explained what a cataract is?

I would love to think my verbal repertoire paints a detailed, yet concise and vibrant picture for each patient. But, how many times do we explain conditions only to receive blank stares? So, I’ve invested in ocular photography — the proverbial, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” I’d argue it’s worth more than that.

We are a visual culture. We watch movies on our phones, take thousands of pictures of our kids, vacations and, heck, even food. Take that habit up a notch by using ocular photography to both document that corneal foreign body and educate your patient. Here are three ways to utilize ocular photography:

1 Take before and after shots

Want to make sure your patient appreciates you got that bit of sawdust off his tarsal plate, or that his retinal heme really did resolve? Show the patient before and after pictures. Patients may still not know exactly what they see, but they will probably appreciate your technology and explanation. I’d bet it’s more information than they’ve seen at most other eye-related visits.

“Do you know why your eye hurts? This is your corneal abrasion…”

2 Utilize photos for handouts

As my library of interesting photos has grown, I’ve changed the handout I give to patients to educate them on the value of our screening retinal photos. It includes examples of ocular pathology in an 8-year-old, AMD in a 70-year-old and large nevi in patients of various ages. All pictures are labeled with the patient’s age and layman’s description of the diagnosis. For those patients wondering what can be detected with screening retinal pictures, this handout provides visual value and has elevated our capture rate.

3 Use photos as a running “story” for patient care

Many of you probably do this already, but tracking pictures through time for changes in, say, diabetic retinopathy or treated MGD, is a fantastic way to show patients pro- gression (or lack thereof).

A patient may hear you say the retinopathy is progressing, but the picture showing increased retinal hemorrhaging vs. previous pictures is likely very compelling. Don’t just review those pictures yourself; share them with your patient while reviewing.

Amaze your patients

The patient’s response to ocular photos sometimes surprises me. I often take advancements in patient care for granted, yet these images amaze patients, and they really learn from them. That picture is not only worth a thousand words, but also an investment in long-term patient care and loyalty. OM

DR. WESLEY PRACTICES AT COMPLETE EYE CARE OF MEDINA, WHICH SHE OPENED IN 2008. SHE WAS HONORED AS MINNESOTA’S OPTOMETRIST OF THE YEAR IN 2011. E-MAIL DRWESLEY@CECOFMEDINA.COM, OR VISIT TINYURL.COM/OMCOMMENT TO COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE.