Diagnosis and difficult conversations

Five hundred eyecare professionals joined a webinar organised by the Macular Society and Optical Consumer Complaints Service, hoping to understand how they can better explain macular conditions to their patients.

Macular Society members described the way they had been told about their conditions, and the impact it had on their mental health, as well as what would have made the news easier to take.

Facilitator and qualified optometrist Richard Edwards said: “Delivering this content was one of the most powerful CET events I have experienced. Thanks to the Macular Society we were able to us audio clips from real patients describing the emotional impact of their consulting room experience. I couldn’t imagine a better way to land the key message about how we have to be aware of the impact we create in the way we communicate with patients.”

We know this is a hot topic for patients and professionals, so look out for similar events later in the year.

In the meantime

Consultation time is tight, and patients may not always absorb the huge amount of new information they’re given. So we’ve collected the Macular Society’s most useful resources into a ‘newly diagnosed to-do list’.

Share the link below with patients to save you time and help them feel more in control when they leave.