Presbyopia is by far one of the most common eye conditions that eyecare providers encounter, yet it remains a condition that many of our patients still find elusive and frustrating. Part of that frustration ultimately stems from a lack of awareness around what presbyopia treatment options are available to them. They often think the only near-vision correction options are reading glasses, bifocals, or progressive lenses. They often are not aware of the various types of progressive lens designs, office lens style designs, surgical possibilities, or multifocal contact lens options. In the exam room, the reality is that many eyecare providers are pressed for time. We are faced with a busy clinic schedule and often do not have as much time as we would like to educate patients about their ocular health, prescription changes, or wide-ranging vision correction options. Taking a deep dive into presbyopia treatment options can be an extensive conversation that is difficult to juggle from a time management standpoint, even if it would be ideal for optimal patient care. So how can we eyecare providers ensure that we are offering our patients the best presbyopia treatment tools? The answer is to rely on a team approach to presbyopia.

A team approach to presbyopia is essential, as it takes the entire team to ensure that patients are well-informed about available presbyopia treatments. A team approach involves everyone: optometrists, ophthalmologists, opticians, technicians, managers, and patient service representatives. Each team member has a unique role and set of skills that contribute to the overall care of our presbyopia patients. Team members who have direct contact with patients especially need to be educated on the various presbyopia options and must be able to effectively communicate the available presbyopia options to patients.

Active Listening

This team approach often starts with active listening. Active listening is a crucial skill and is more than just hearing what someone is saying. It is a skill that involves fully engaging with the patient, understanding their needs, and recognizing gaps in their current visual demands. When team members actively listen, they are able to recognize challenges that patients may currently be having and will have the opportunity to make recommendations and help to educate patients. Active listening also involves more effective problem-solving, as identifying visual demand gaps creates an opportunity for an eyecare provider to provide appropriate solutions. This approach leads to better patient care overall and a better patient experience in the office. Active listening is not an innate skill, and many times it requires repetitive training in the workplace. Active listening is the cornerstone of both effective communication and a positive patient experience.

Here are a few ways to create a culture of active listening.

1. Provide training: Weekly meetings, workshops, and one-on-one training sessions that focus on the importance of active listening are helpful. This training can include practical techniques to improve listening skills and can also incorporate exercises, role-playing scenarios, and group discussions.

2. Lead by example: Being a doctor automatically makes every one of us a leader in the workspace. As leaders, we need to engage in active listening ourselves. Showing our team members how to engage with patients, ask clarifying questions, and provide thoughtful recommendations will show our teams how to actively listen to patients.

3. Engender a culture of communication: Encourage open communication by creating a culture that values open communication and active listening. I encourage all team members to provide feedback, sharing their personal experiences with various presbyopia treatment options. If you have an office culture that does not foster this dynamic, then staff members will not be valuable in the team approach to presbyopia.

4. Provide feedback and recognition: Often staff members want to know they are doing a great job. Regularly providing feedback and acknowledging situations when they have demonstrated active listening will further develop a culture of positive and open communication. Tell them how important and crucial they are in the team approach to our presbyopia patients.

 Part of an overall positive patient experience is when a patient leaves the practice feeling educated, informed, and aware of what is going on with their eye health and what vision correction options are available. This knowledge alone can be a practice differentiator in a competitive eyecare landscape. These days, patients not only expect high-quality clinical care, but they also desire personalized attention to have an overall positive patient experience. What better way to deliver a personalized treatment plan than to review presbyopia treatment options that are specific to that patient’s needs at work, during hobbies, or at daily tasks at home?

To help identify areas in which a patient might be struggling with presbyopia (but might not think to mention), develop an office strategy to help identify these gaps in intermediate and near vision. Perhaps this strategy involves a questionnaire, or coaching staff members to ask patients key questions. Streamlining this approach will ensure that you remain efficient in the office yet still deliver an individualized patient experience.

It is also helpful to personalize the patient’s presbyopia journey. Every patient is unique and needs recommendations tailored to his/her specific needs and preferences. Take the time to understand each patient’s concerns, lifestyle, and visual demands. Use this information to provide a personalized treatment recommendation for presbyopia. It also might be helpful to develop educational materials for the patient to take home to read later or to study further about their options.

Perhaps treatments for presbyopia are a blind spot for many eyecare providers because we encounter the condition so frequently. One way my practice identifies blind spots is to seek patient feedback after their eye exams. There are many ways to collect this feedback, and many technology tools make it seamless. Surveys or feedback forms that specifically target their understanding of presbyopia treatment options can help you identify areas in which your team is excelling and also identify areas that may need more attention, training, or improvement.

In addition to human staff members, part of the job of the “team” is also relying on appropriate marketing and educational materials. This part of the job might be as simple as providing information on the practice website, but it could also involve practice-branded brochures, posters, screen savers, or on-hold music that explains various presbyopia treatment options. Relying on these resources can help to close gaps among the patients regarding what they know about their treatment options for presbyopia. Like many others, I am a person who does not like much extra clutter in the waiting rooms or exam rooms. However, I do periodically hang up an educational poster as a test to see how many patients review or comment on it. I am usually shocked at how many patients comment on it, which tells me that a small number of in-office marketing or educational materials might be impactful.

Collaboration with all team members is crucial to educating patients on their presbyopia treatment options. We want our patients to be well informed and know that they have a team of eyecare professionals on their side to make the best recommendations to optimize their visual needs. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it does take a team approach to effectively manage presbyopia in patient care.

Dr. Quint co-owns Smart Eye Care and Smart Eye & Med Spa in Maine. She serves on the Executive Meetings Committee of the American Optometry Association and the Maine Optometric Association Board of Directors and is a member of the Intrepid Eye Society. She has been an active volunteer, presenter, and author.