And according to a recent study in the Archives of Ophthalmology, the number of people who undergo eye surgery each year is on the rise. Today blindness or low vision affects 3.3 million Americans age 40 and over, and this figure is projected to reach 5.5 million by the year 2020, the study predicted. But who they choose to do the surgery may have an important effect on its outcome.

In a recent poll by StrategyOne of 1,021 adults, 96 percent said that it was important for an eye care doctor who performs surgery to had a medical degree, yet 30 percent of people said they did not know what type of eye care professional that they visited and 70 percent said they were confused about which type of eye professional actually has a medial degree.

As it stands, Oklahoma is the only state in the country to permit optometrists to perform eye surgery. One state out of 50 may not seem like a lot, but because of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department’s local privileging system, Oklahoma-licensed optometrists were able to perform up to the extent of that state license at any VA healthcare facility. In December 2004, however, the VA acted to permit only ophthalmologists to perform laser eye surgery in their facilities.

“This is an emerging issue and it does have a public safety impact,” says Michael W. Brennan, MD, the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s International Envoy and a general ophthalmologist in Burlington, North Carolina

To make sure your vision is protected, follow these five ophthalmologist-approved ways to safeguard your health before undergoing eye surgery:

1. Make sure your surgeon is an MD.

He or she should be, experts say. An ophthalmologist is an eye medical doctor — or Eye MD — who specializes in the medical and surgical care of the eyes and visual system. An optometrist (OD) is trained to conduct primary eye care procedures such as refraction and fitting of contact lenses.

Neil Choplin, MD, an ophthalmologist in private practice at San Diego Eye Care in California points out that “no matter what you hear about eye surgery all of it is a big deal and side effects come up and you want your doctor to have training that gives you the ability to deal with side effects,” says Choplin. For example, “optometrists would not have any knowledge about bleeding disorders that can occur with eye surgery,” he says.

Steve Waller, MD, an ophthalmologist in San Antonio, Texas, started out as an optometrist. “In the 1970s, optometrists were seeking to use eye drops to dilate the eyes and there was a lot of pressure from ophthalmologists not to do it, but now all the states permit it,” he explains.

“When we start talking about optometrists doing surgery and cutting tissue and the complications that can occur through the body and using anesthesia, it’s a very different scenario,” he says. “This is not part of an optometrist’s training or mindset.”

2. Make sure your doctor is board certified.

Many (but not all) Eye M.D.s are board certified. A board certified Eye M.D. has passed a rigorous two-part examination given by the American Board of Ophthalmology designed to assess his or her knowledge, experience and skills.

“If your doctor is board certified, they have met requirements for minimum of procedures,” says Choplin, “The American Board of Ophthalmology says a lot.”

If you don’t feel comfortable asking the doctor if he or she is board certified on the spot, research the doctor after the appointment before committing to surgery. But “most of us hang our credentials on the wall and if they are not there, I’d wonder why.” While you are scanning the wall for credentials, also look for any involving fellowships, which take training even further. Fellowships allow for expertise in a subspecialty such as corneal diseases, retina and vitreous diseases, glaucoma, pediatric eye problems, and plastic surgery. Mike Hammer almost lost his vision when he underwent surgery to remove an eyelash that was growing underneath his eyelid.

“I saw what I thought was the proper surgeon, but it was actually a general plastic surgeon not an [ophthalmologist who had additional training in plastic surgery],” says the 64-year-old Nashville, Tennessee. When Hammer asked if there were any precautions necessary to protect his eye, “he said ‘that’s not necessary’ and that made me feel uncomfortable because I had heard it was necessary to protect the cornea.” The cornea is the transparent, dome-shaped window that covers the front of the eye, providing 2/3 of the eye's focusing power.

As a result of the surgery, he developed a corneal and an eye infection, spent five weeks in bed and almost lost his eyesight.

3. Find out where they learned to perform this surgery.

“Ask “who taught you to perform cataract surgery or remove eyelid skin cancer’?” Brennan suggests. “The idea is that you are trying to identify that they learned to do surgery from a surgeon and not from a weekend course in another state,” Brennan says.

4. “Word-of-mouth” references make a difference when it comes to vision.

Vision problems are highly common, so chances are someone you know may have some of the same issues that you do.

“Word of mouth helps. If someone you know had a good experience, you will hear about it and if you know someone who had a bad experience, you will hear about that too, “Choplin says.

5. Put a number on it.

Ask how many of the surgeries he or she has performed because “the more you have done, the more you have seen and the more nuances you understand,” Waller says. A good answer is more than 100 and certainly for cataract and LASIK, that should be kind of a minimum.”

Don’t be shy, he says, “the health of your eyes is just too important.”

© 2005 HealthNewsDigest.com