A key component to ensuring surgical success and quality patient outcomes is organization. Although practitioners may be able to get by using a paper-based system, they can only truly maximize efficiency and get the most out of their data—including from their electronic medical records (EMRs) and diagnostic devices—using the ZEISS VERACITY Surgical Planner. “I have been using VERACITY for about two and a half years, and I’ve found it to be a really efficient way of doing your surgical planning all in one place,” says Dr. Eduardo Besser, MD. “Rather than having to flip through multiple pieces of paper and then transcribe data from one site to another, everything is done centrally, and I don’t have to rely on my ophthalmic technicians to run several different calculations or to adjust different lenses.”
ZEISS VERACITY steps in to assist right from the moment Dr. Besser takes patient measurements using any of his diagnostic devices. “Prior to VERACITY, every time I did a scan of my patients, my techs printed out the data so that I could analyze it,” he explains. “However, if I performed multiple scans, I might receive multiple sets of scanned data, potentially with variations in measurements. This means that as a practitioner, I either have to make decisions based on one scan, neglecting the data from the others, or I’m running through multiple sets of paper records to compare and contrast, which can be tedious. With VERACITY, I’m able to import the data from multiple diagnostic devices, which transfer and display the data in VERACITY’s dedicated ‘Measurements’ section.” Although all of the measurement data from every scan can be stored and displayed, Dr. Besser can precisely select the keratometry measurements he wants to include in his surgical plan. In the cases where he selects multiple measurements, he can easily display the true-keratometry value of his selections, using the Barrett Integrated K Formula, and use it within his plan.
In the surgical plan, Dr. Besser can select the intraocular lens (IOL) type and model that he plans to use for the surgery and, after indicating his target range and other specifications, is provided with a calculation of the IOL power. In cases where patients have elevated cylinders, VERACITY can also calculate the arcuate incisions needed for correction, the predicted final refraction, and the parameters used during calculation. It’s here that VERACITY’s flexibility shines. For all calculations, users are given a range of formulae to choose from and can adjust the calculation parameters to instantly see the effect of these changes. “All of this really allows you to make comparisons between the different formulae to see which ones may be best for you and which ones you may see benefit from integrating into your calculations,” Dr. Besser says.
But what if there’s a change of circumstances? VERACITY is designed to accommodate this. “The beauty of the software is just how easy it is to change between lenses,” says Dr Besser. “I remember that there was a week in which I had an operation scheduled for Wednesday morning; however, I got a call on Monday night because the particular toric lens that I had intended to use was not going to be available. Because I use VERACITY, I just logged into my account—it’s all accessible simply through an internet browser—selected a different lens, and quickly checked the calculations for it. Being happy with them and able to quickly order the lens, I was able to proceed with the surgery. It was so much easier to make this change with VERACITY, where everything can be done incredibly quickly by the surgeon than it would have been without.”
Once approved, all of the information in Dr. Besser’s surgical plan is transferred to his ZEISS CALLISTO system in the operating room, letting him quickly line up the lens with the VERACITY’s image overlay. VERACITY also provides support on the day of surgery. It features a 'Procedures' tab that lists all the patients Dr. Besser will be operating on that day and an 'Operating Room' module that highlights all the essential information he needs for reference during the surgery. “It is still completely flexible at this point, allowing you to easily maneuver if changes do happen—for example, if you happen to not use these lenses or if there's an issue,” explains Dr. Besser. “You can just flip through and change all of this stuff on the fly. Once you have completed surgery, and you close out of the OR module, VERACITY will know the final state of the surgical plan and the expected refractive outcome.”
VERACITY’s utility does not end after a case has finished. “One month post-surgery, we do a refraction in the office, and my EMR system syncs directly to VERACITY, meaning that I’m able to, very quickly, perform a data analysis which was previously impossible,” Dr. Besser highlights. VERACITY lets users evaluate their last thousand cases and compare their outcomes using different formulae and IOL technologies, as well as between standard phacoemulsification and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery. “You have so much data and power without really having done very much work more than just integrating your EMR system with VERACITY,” he explains. “You can also review your outcomes and compare them to those of everybody else.”
This power and flexibility is why Dr. Besser hasn’t looked back since switching to VERACITY. “VERACITY has really made surgical planning much more efficient and much quicker for me; as a surgeon, it’s really empowered me and lets me determine the best choices for my patients with ease and on the fly,” he says.
