It doesn't take a long time to choose your eye surgeon if you know how. The following article will tell you how. With this list you can decide on an outstanding cataract surgeon in less time than many people devote to picking out their next car.

1.? Do not limit your selections to solely those eye doctors in your insurance network.

Despite what your insurance company's marketing materials may indicate, the essential component in deciding who is "in-network" is who is willing to sign that insurance contract. Presently there is no well-grounded method of ranking eye surgeons and any insurance company that proposes their network of eye doctors is the most qualified is disingenuous at best.

2.? Ask those you trust

Good sources of information include your primary care physician, optometrist, and friends who have had cataract surgery. Even better sources include the operating room technicians and staff at your local hospital. They are often in the operating room with the cataract surgeon and see who uses the latest techniques. Nurses are naturally very helpful people and will often be willing to respond to your question. The challenge will be making it past the hospital's automated telephone menu and getting access to a live operating room nurse.

3.? Research your eye surgeon's education

Where did your eye surgeon train? You may not know which residency programs are the best, but it is simple enough to determine their ratings once you know where your eye surgeon trained. Two objective are U.S. News & World Report's Annual rating of and

Don't get too caught up on the rating order - if your physician trained at a top 20 program he obtained top-notch education.

4.? Research your physician's State Licensure

Your eye surgeon must have an active licens to practice medicine in his state. In addition to verifying licensure, many state license websites will also tell you if there is any history of disciplinary or legal action against your eye surgeon. In California you can look up this data online at http://www.medbd.ca.gov/lookup.html

5.? Confirm that your Doctor is Board Certified

Board certification is a type of "seal of approval" for all physicians. In order to acquire certification an ophthalmologist must successfully pass both a written and oral test. In addition, younger ophthalmologists must recertify every ten years - a process that can take up to three years to complete. You can confirm that your ophthalmologist is board certified by checking the web site: http://www.abop.org or http://www.abms.org

6.? Visit your surgeon's Medical Practice Internet Site

Assuming the above background check is favourable you can occasionally get useful information from your eye surgeon's website. Although some sites do provide educational materials, keep in mind that its primary role is to market the medical practice. You won't learn anything negative about your cataract surgeon there, but it can confirm the positive data you have already found and present you some insight into the surgeon's background and medical practice philosophy.

7.? Ascertain what others have experienced.

Are recommendations available online (doctor grading websites or practice site)? Are testimonies visible in your cataract surgeon's office for your viewing? Will your cataract surgeon supply you the name and phone number of an individual who had eye surgery that you can talk to?

Keep in mind that National privacy laws determine the amount of information your ophthalmologist may be able to furnish you considering other patients who have had surgery. Even So, it should not be too burdensome for your surgeon to come up with a living individual who would volunteer to talk about the cataract surgery experience with you.

8.? Determine how many cataract surgeries your ophthalmologist has done.

There is a reason they call it the "practice of medicine." Just like a sports professional, an ophthalmologist's skills improve with practice and experience. Every surgery differs in its "threshold" number (the number of surgeries required for the average surgeon to become proficient). For cataract surgery I think this number is probably around five hundred.

If you are uneasy inquiring straightaway then take someone with you to the appointment to inquire for you. This is a very important question. These are your eyes. You only have two. Get over your reluctance. Just ask.

9.? Meet the Catarct Surgeon.

The above research can give you an idea if your surgeon is qualified to perform your eye surgery. Notwithstanding, you can't know if this is the doctor you want working on your eyes until you meet with him. In addition to substantiating his or her certifications, you need to be comfortable with this person.

Trust is a serious consideration that can't be sufficiently developed without encountering your cataract surgeon face-to-face.

10.? At Long Last, get a second impression.

Most people wouldn't purchase an automobile without test driving it and at least one other car. Why would you limit your choice of physician because "he's on my insurance" before getting a sense of how comfortable you are with the choice your insurance has made for you? This is a very big decision.

Unless you are totally at ease with your eye surgeon, get a second opinion.

The best eye surgeons do not mind that you have or are going to get a second opinion. As A Matter Of Fact, one quick test of your physician's comfort with her own ability is to let him know that you would like a second opinion. If the physician becomes defensive about this then you know the second opinion was a great idea, after all.

In summary, there are many things you can easily do to confirm that you have made a good decision about who will perform your surgery.? Weighing the importance of your eyesight, you owe it to yourself to complete this inquiry before having cataract surgery.

? Copyright 2009 David D. Richardson, M.D.