Dr. Satyajit Sinha, S06634, Dr. Pooja Sinha
Aim : Our aim was to analyze patient satisfaction levels when they saw their eye disease on the screen in real time in a regular OPD on a photo slit lamp.
Method : We did a comparative study from March to April 2017 of 638 patients who needed care for corneal pathologies. We saw 313 patients on a slit lamp without camera and 325 patients were seen on high end slit lamp with camera. The patients were immediately shown pictures of their corneas.
Result : Satisfaction levels were very high in patients who were seen on photo slit lamp. We were able to explain them the management process and prognosis better. Comparative analysis on the progress of the disease, saving pictures for medical record department and medico legal needs were added advantages.
Conclusion : For our day to day practice, buying an auto refractometer, a good operating microscope and a good phacoemulsification machine is extremely important but it is equally important to acquire a state of the art high end photo slit lamp.
This study was undertaken from March 2017 to April 2017 to analyze satisfaction levels of patients when they were managed by showing their eye photo on the monitor after taking their eye photo on Photo Slit Lamp. 638 patients coming to our OPD were enrolled in this single center study. High resolution picture were taken by Topcon SLD 701 photo slit lamp.
Patients with sub conjunctival hemorrhage, SPKs, corneal ulcers were shown the picture of their cornea on the slit lamp monitor. For corneal ulcers, as much as it was convincing for the patient, it was easy for eye doctor to compare and the corneal ulcer from previous visit and plan further management. Patients with trauma were especially shown their eye picture keeping in mind medico legal points. When patients were shown changes in Tear Break Up Time in diagnosis and management of dry eye through the video mode of the photo slit lamp, they were much more convinced. We saw 313 patients on a slit lamp without camera and 325 patients were seen on high end slit lamp with camera. The patients were immediately shown pictures of their corneas, sclera and lids as was the case.
Satisfaction levels were very high in patients who were seen on photo slit lamp. We were able to explain them the management process and prognosis better. Comparative analysis on the progress of the disease, saving pictures for medical record department and medico legal needs were added advantages. For our day to day practice, buying an auto refractometer, a good operating microscope and a good phacoemulsification machine is extremely important but it is equally important to acquire a state of the art high end photo slit lamp.
Additionally we went one step ahead and took extra efforts to make the patients also keep their eye details records by asking them to give us their smart phone on camera mode and then right in front of them in the OPD without needing to take a print out, without charging the patient extra, we would just take a picture off the computer screen in the patients mobile (with flash off) and ask them to keep it for their records. This way they were easily able to see for themselves too and show the progress of their eye ailment in their relatives at home too.
Authors have no financial interest in any of the products mentioned above.
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