Eye wear may be a fashion accessory, but when you depend on it for seeing the world, it's a lot more. Today, many people are turning to refractive laser eye surgery, such as Lasik surgery, to improve their vision. However, this high-cost surgery is normally not paid for by insurance because it fails to meet the conservative therapy test and is classified as cosmetic. This trend is shifting.

We are seeing an increasing number of circumstances where refractive eye surgery is determined to be medically necessary and, therefore, payable by the insurance provider. For example, if conservative therapy treatments fail or if a patient is intolerant of contact lenses and cannot wear glasses because they might pose a risk in their job (e.g. police or firefighters), refractive eye surgery may be the most medically viable treatment option.

Conservative Therapy Options:

Examples of conservative therapy treatments include the following:

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) - a refractive laser surgical procedure that is often done (and covered) for a patient that suffers from recurrent corneal erosion (e.g. diabetics). With PRK, a laser is used to remove corneal tissue to correct vision problems.

Patching, epithelial debridement (mechanical removal of faulty tissue), and bandaged contact lens placement - treatments that often don't work. Stromal puncturing - a procedure involving the physician puncturing the anterior corneal stroma - can also be used but can fail or result in permanent vision loss. In such cases, PRK is the best alternative for removing the damaged cells (or membranes) and possibly correcting the vision problems.

Physicians can help patients who are in medical need of laser eye surgery make a stronger case by initiating the following:

Document a full medical history of the patient's eye complaints Show proof that the patient has not responded to conservative treatments and that the purpose of the surgery is for medical reasons other than simply improved eyesight.

Still, even when the physician does this, each decision is taken on a case-by-case basis and is subject to the extenuating circumstances clearly noted in the patient's medical record.

For more information about medical necessity reviews on cases like this, visit our website or call us at 1-800-400-9916.

Every 3 seconds there is an online search for an eyecare provider-related product or service!

According to data obtained from Overture, a leading online advertiser that tracks keyword search queries, in July 2004 there were more than 800,000 search queries for such terms as optometrist, eyecare provider, eyeglasses, contact lenses and lasik. Is your practice optimized to get its share of the nearly 9.5 million online vision care searches expected per year? Can you afford to ignore this growing population segment estimated to be upwards of 110 million U.S. residents (according to an August 2004 report by PEW/Internet and ComScore) that have reportedly used search engines?

While attending a 2004 search engine strategies conference (a symposium of the most cutting edge tips and techniques to "optimize" your search engine marketing initiatives), I was overwhelmed when presented with some interesting facts - facts about online users, use of search engines and how online marketing has boosted both the top and bottom lines for many companies, both big and small.

While the prospect of mounting an online marketing campaign may sound daunting to many of the "non-technically-oriented" folks out there, there are some very simple measures that even the least internet-savvy business professional can take to capture a bigger slice of that huge, online searcher pie.

Welcome to the 21st Century First of all, if you do not have a web presence, a website where people can learn about your practice and the services you provide, get one. I recently surveyed approximately 80 eyecare practitioners, and asked them what their most pressing concern was regarding their contact lens practice. Not surprisingly, competition from online contact lens retailers was the most common response. Yet, even with this huge concern, 2 out of 3 practices surveyed did not have their own website, and only 1 in 12 could offer their patients the convenience of online ordering from their practice.

If eyecare providers aren't providing their patients the kind of service and convenience they obviously want, then where is the merit in condemning the likes of 1-800 Contacts? They are not stealing your patients; they are simply filling the void in service that you are not offering your contact lens patients. For those of you who are starting to get the picture, there is no time like the present to take action! There are a host of service providers out there today that will provide you with a website for little or no upfront investment. Many of these service providers offer a template format for setup. That means there is little for you to do except develop the text for your site and then copy and paste it into a form field on your computer. Throw in a few digital photos of your practice waiting room/dispensary, your exam rooms, your "high-tech" equipment and your staff (to create that "personal" touch) and… Voila! You now have a site on the World Wide Web!

While the process here has been oversimplified, the bottom line is that it is nearly that simple to do. Now that you have a website, it will cost you approximately $25-$50 a month to maintain. Not a bad investment if it brings one unsolicited new patient into your doors a month. There are no guarantees except that without a website, you will not capture any of those potential patients conducting online searches for eyecare-related products and services.

The next big issue to tackle is the online sale of contact lenses to your patients. Here again, there are several providers that can set your practice website up with online contact lenses ordering (e-commerce) capabilities without breaking the bank. Several leading providers also offer an automated 1-800 phone commerce system so that your patients can access a toll free number to reach your service. So instead of complaining about somebody stealing your contact lens patients, invest in your future and the future of your practice. Provide yourself with a modern tool to retain your valued patients.

Let's face it… more people used the Internet to shop for and purchase goods and services this year than a year ago. This trend is not likely to change anytime soon. While this concept is still fairly new to many in the independent eyecare practitioner community, it is certainly a unique opportunity to distinguish your practice from that of a competitor. More convenience, more options… if your patients want to order online, they might as well order from a trusted professional they know and who knows them!

Yes, you will still likely lose a patient or two. But by positioning your practice for the future, you can effectively improve patient retention and satisfaction. And, at least you can rest assured that at the end of the day you did something to stop the flood of contact lens prescriptions out of your office to some online retailer. As a consumer who prefers the ease and convenience of purchasing online, I'd much rather give my business to a trusted professional whom I know than buy from someone I don't know or trust. Give me that option!!

To learn more, eye care providers can visit Responsible Marketing Consulting Services online at www.resmarkconsulting.com.

LASIK surgery is correcting people's vision every day with very little complications. The common myth behind LASIK is the effects of the surgery. Many believe that after LASIK they will be free of glasses forever. This is just not the case unfortunately. Having the correct expectations of LASIK will help you not only decide if you want the operation done but also prevent any disappointments in the future.

The first thing to expect if you want this operation is going through the pre-screening process. You can even take the pre-screening questionnaire online to see if there is any chance that you would not qualify. This will prevent someone who is not a good candidate from undergoing the surgery and potentially having more serious complications than normal. Not everyone qualifies for LASIK, however, there still could be an alternative solution.

If you do qualify, understand how LASIK can benefit you before having the operation. LASIK does not 'cure' your vision for the rest of your life; it will however decrease your dependency on corrective lenses. How long the effects last is different for everyone. Many go on without glasses for many decades and other start wearing them again after ten or fifteen years. Since LASIK has only been around for that long, most people today are not wearing glasses but in ten more years, they could be.

Some expect immediate results after the operation. After surgery, many will not have clear vision for at least several hours. Normal recovery is several days before you head back to work or start driving again. While your eyes are healing, expect to go back and forth between clear and blurry vision for several weeks. Everyone's recovery is different, some go back to work the next day and others wait much longer depending on any complications. Do not expect fast results, you could have to return to get a slight adjustment.

Repeat treatment may be necessary, depending on how your eyes heal and the results after surgery. Some need to have an adjustment or re-treatment. Since LASIK costs a few thousand dollars, check to see if the office where you are having the surgery done offers free re-treatments. Most places offer it for a certain amount of time, somewhere between six months and five years. This could save you a lot of money depending on where you go.

Vision results differ between patients as well. The legal driving vision is 20/40 and 95% of all LASIK procedures produce better than 20/40 results. Most people experience between 20/30 and 20/10 vision. If you have less than seven diopters of myopia, you will have close to a 99% chance of better than legal driving vision. Of course, everyone's eye deteriorates over time and you can expect these numbers to get worse but if your eyesight before LASIK was 20/1500, there is an obvious difference.

LASIK is not for everyone and it could take several months before you can 'see' the difference clearly. Technology is getting better and major complications are rare but remember that LASIK is not a permanent solution, but in the short term, you can throw those glasses away and begin to leave free of corrective lenses.