How To Encourage Your Patients Before a Prosthetic Eye Procedure

Losing an eye, and eventually living with a prosthetic eye is a challenging season to navigate for patients. There are many emotions to process. Patients are coping with grief from losing an eye, uncertainty about living with an artificial eye, and even feelings of anxiety about the prosthetic eye procedure.

As a provider, you want to be a source of support for your patient. Whether you’re a referring physician, a therapist, or a healthcare professional involved in the process of getting an artificial eye, there are some ways to provide empathy and encouragement during this sensitive time.

Encouraging Patients Before a Prosthetic Eye Procedure: 3 Tips

Reassure patients of the facts about prosthetic eye procedures.

Your patient may have undergone an evisceration or enucleation, and their experience with those surgeries can affect how they perceive an upcoming prosthetic eye procedure. As a provider, you can share some positive facts about the process of getting an artificial eye.

Fact #1: It’s a non-invasive procedure. 

Fitting the prosthetic eye does not involve surgery. It’s simply an external process of making sure that the custom eye fits the shape of your patient’s eye socket.

Fact #2: It’s all done on the same day.

For trusted clinics such as Carolina Eye Prosthetics, we offer appointments where you can have your prosthetic eye fabricated and delivered all on the same day. For many patients, this is an exciting time and reassures them that the process will be convenient.

Fact #3: They can ask questions.

Patients are free to ask questions before, during, and after their prosthetic eye procedure. They can also call us, and this will help them gain clarity and support on their healing journey.

Provide a safe space to talk about their thoughts, fears, apprehensions, and other feelings before a procedure.

Patients experiencing eye loss or injury are in a vulnerable state and can experience a mix of emotions about what happened to them. They can also be apprehensive about the prosthetic eye procedure.

As a provider, understanding where they are coming from and helping them accept that it is normal to have such emotions can positively impact their outlook. You may share these sentiments prior to surgery, or even before considering options on custom artificial eyes.

In addition, finding an ocularist that provides an empathetic, warm environment will give your patient an easier transition from your office to the next chapter of their life with a new prosthetic eye.

Empower your patient with resources.

There is power in the resources you can share with your patient. Whether through website information, specialist referrals, therapy recommendations, or home instructions, your role is crucial in pointing them to the right tools as they navigate this challenging season.

Some of the resources can include:

• Mental health: Referrals for counseling, therapy, or websites such as Mental Health America and National Alliance on Mental Illness
• Family support: The National Alliance for Caregiving and the Department of Health and Human Services
• Understanding prosthetic eye procedures: CEP has a great resources on the process of getting a custom artificial eye as well as prosthetic eye before and after success stories
• Financial aid: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, MedlinePlus, and your patient’s health insurance provider

Learn how you can benefit through a partnership with CEP.

Explore the advantages of partnering with Carolina Eye Prosthetics as a provider. Foster a positive experience for your patients, gain client trust, and receive reciprocal referrals when you work with us. 

Questions? Contact us at (336) 228-7877 or send us an email here. We look forward to hearing from you!