This week we have a Focus on Efficiency. Today, putting it all together – a complete case.
Over the past week, we have had five consecutive days where we focused on efficiency in the operating room. We studied so many important lessons: first a breakdown of an experienced surgeon’s case, then a video showing how I think for efficiency, the importance of your scrub tech, analyzing cycle times, achieving the state of flow, and now today, putting it all together. This is a routine case with good dilation and only moderate nuclear density. The patient is a +3 hyperope and the other eye is +6 with a significant degree of anisometropic amblyopia. We are implanting a monofocal IOL with a goal of plano in this eye. This case represents my goals for efficiency: no wasted movements, a pretty ballet dance of surgery, precision with every step, and a fantastic visual outcome for the patient. I have certainly done faster cases in my youth (see this embarrassing video), but now my goal is not speed but rather making the surgery as beautiful, safe, precise, and predictable as possible. I truly give the same high level of care and surgery that I would want to receive. When I need a cataract surgery, I would be so grateful to have this exact surgery performed on my own eyes. If there is something I can improve in this video, please leave a comment below — I am committed to lifelong learning.
