Assignment #12: Essential Question

Essential Question: How can I, as a future ophthalmologist, communicate with patients in a way that will reduce their pre-operative anxiety?

What many people do not realize is that during eye surgery patients are essentially awake during the procedure and able to respond to requests of the surgeon to look in particular directions. Of course, patients are numbed and given medicine to help them relax during the procedure but patients are typically very anxious leading up to their operation not only because their vision can be at risk but also because they will not be given general anesthesia. I selected this as my essential question because I am interested in knowing how ophthalmologists make their patients feel comfortable enough to go through with the procedure. What excites me most about answering this question is that each surgeon likely has their own techniques when it comes to creating a trustworthy relationship with their patients. Because of this, I will have the opportunity to learn multiple methods. Hoping to become an ophthalmologist one day, I will need to use the information I collect on this topic everyday as I hope to expand the number of patients I operate on.