on the net
Patient education site adds new content on wavefront procedures

The Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance (CRSQA), an independent, nonprofit patient/consumer health information organization, sponsors www.USAEyes.org, a patient-oriented Web site containing comprehensive educational information on the entire range of currently available refractive procedures. Recently, the site added detailed content in layman's language to help consumers and potential patients understand wavefront-guided LASIK, PRK, LASEK and epi-LASIK. This content can be found at www.usaeyes.org/faq/subjects/wavefront_custom_lasik.htm.

"This is important new information that should answer most patient questions about wavefront, and help them make a decision about having a wavefront-guided procedure," says Glenn Hagele, executive director of CRSQA.

In addition to providing information about the various refractive procedures, the CRSQA site emphasizes the importance of choosing the right surgeon to perform the procedure.

The site offers a listing of surgeons who have achieved CRSQA certification by allowing their refractive outcomes to be reviewed by the organization. To meet CRSQA certification standards, a surgeon must meet or exceed national norms for patient outcomes, including visual acuity, vision quality, and limits on rates of unresolved complications.

For patients who may not have a CRSQA-certified surgeon in their area, the site provides 50 Tough Questions For Your Doctor to ask any refractive surgeon as a way to determine his or her skill level.

CRSQA has also created a sister Web site, www.ComplicatedEyes.org, which provides information on complications that can result from refractive surgery. The site offers advice on how these complications can be treated and can refer patients who've experienced complications to surgeons who may be able to help them.

Visit: www.USAEyes.org

If you've discovered a Web site or service that's been useful to you in practice or at home, we'd like to know about it. E-mail Jerry Helzner at helznergi@boucher1.com or call him at (215) 643-8013.