June 2, 2025
Photo Credit: Getty Images
“Dr. Google” is either in the pocket or purse of all your patient encounters. With the information at our patients’ fingertips at all times, it can be difficult for them to decipher which information is the most credible or whether it is just someone’s opinions. How can one be certain the information they read is truthful and reliable or not? Having a consultation with a health care professional.
Patients Are Doing Research
According to a 2023 survey from the American Health Information Management Association, nearly 97% of patients use a search engine to find answers to their medical questions.1 Similarly, a 2017 PubMed study on the effect of Dr. Google on doctor-patient encounters in primary care found that 66.7% of patients search the internet prior to a health consultation, and that doctors do not see this as a “threat,” as well-informed patients contribute to the consultation in a positive way.2
Despite these figures, it may be surprising to know that researching before a consultation doesn’t always have great outcomes. Another survey found that 66.7% who researched beforehand found the information unreliable; the remaining 33.3% reported being confused after their search. Only 5% of patients had less confidence in the practitioner after searching online.
Building Trust with Patients
In my practice, many new patients are unaware of myopia management treatments. They are often surprised to hear about myopia management for the first time, and many will ask why their previous doctor hadn’t ever mentioned it.
However, there are also cases where patients have gone online and researched myopia management – on “Dr. Google” specifically. In these cases, parents will immediately start asking me questions when they come into the exam room with their child.
The most common thing I typically hear from patients who have done research on myopia management before their child’s appointment is: “I researched that myopia management is ‘safe’ for my child; however, I only want to do treatments that are FDA approved, but I’m still hesitant to put my child in contact lenses.” When I am having conversations with parents, it is important to remember that I am treating the patient and not the disease. I usually explain to parents that the benefits of myopia management treatment outweigh any of the potential risks. In these instances, I also tell parents that I typically don’t fit contact lenses in patients younger than 6 years old.3
FDA Approval
When parents are particularly set on FDA-approved treatments, I also explain to them that while there are several treatments in our current myopia management toolbox, only one is FDA approved. Meanwhile, it is only FDA approved for children ages 8–12 years old at initiation of treatment. While the other treatment options are considered off-label, they are successful at slowing myopia progression and safe for use. In addition, it isn’t uncommon for the child to be hesitant about contact lenses; however, this shouldn’t deter us from treating the disease. We also can’t let a child’s age stop us from implementing treatment. When having this discussion, I’ve found that parents are happy to receive a thorough explanation, and they often ask for my recommendation on what the next steps should be for their child.
Addressing Parents’ Concerns
Every interaction with parents and patients are different, and it’s our job to cater to their concerns and needs. I once had a parent play detective with me during their 8-year-old child’s very first eye exam. During the course of the exam, the parent was waiting for me to recommend/prescribe myopia management for their child.
Once I mentioned it, the parent told me the real reason they came in was because the child had a vision screening done with the school nurse – who used a spot screener – and it revealed that the child’s prescription was -1.00sph OU. The parent was concerned because there was no family history of myopia. The parent also told me that her son plays a lot of video games, and after she did her own Google search, she learned about myopia control contact lenses to slow the progression down. She even told me that the lenses could potentially lead to reduced contrast sensitivity or peripheral vision.4
How I Handle It
It’s not uncommon for parents to come into our offices armed with this kind of information, and I always want parents to know that I appreciate their enthusiasm and care for their children’s eye health. In these situations, I’ll often tell parents, “Wow! I wish all my patients’ parents were like you. You’re concerned for your child’s overall eye health, and you are looking for solutions, and I appreciate you coming in to see me!”
To address her question, I explained that her concerns were right – because the lenses have peripheral defocus, they create a controlled blur in the periphery to slow down the progression. In regards to the contrast sensitivity, it usually occurs in areas with low lighting, so I always recommend that lights are on – especially if the child plays a lot of video games.
In this specific case, I also recommended that the child is at least arm’s length away from the monitor when he’s playing, and when he is sitting in the gaming chair, his eyes are looking down at the monitor instead of up at it. Also, since he is only 8years old, he is not driving yet, so he doesn’t have the same concerns as teenage patients, and when he is in gym class or playing sports, it is typically down during the day or afternoon. My ultimate goal is to make sure he has the lowest prescription possible in the future, so that his contrast sensitivity and peripheral vision will be much better when it’s time for him to get his license and start driving.
Embrace the Technology
When talking to parents, I always want them to know I’m giving them all of the information I have, I’m answering all of their questions and addressing all of their concerns. Knowing things about the child’s lifestyle and hobbies makes it easy to offer advice targeted to their specific situations.
The internet and “Dr. Google” will not be going away anytime soon, and artificial intelligence is expected to make things easier in the eye care space for us practitioners. We need to embrace technology and give our patients everything we have. When talking to parents, focus on education and guidance, as well as the ultimate goal: helping children see their future more clearly!
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Dr. Vittorio Mena works as the Sports Vision Director at Optical Academy in Clifton, New Jersey, and works alongside the New Jersey Education Association. He also serves as an Advanced Clinical Director for the Special Olympics Lions Club International Opening Eyes program for the state of New Jersey. Dr. Mena is also on the Board of Directors of NJSOP and is a Board Member of the AOA Sports Performance Vision Section. To contact Dr. Mena, email him at Menavitt@gmail.com |
References
- Van R., Noor et al. The effect of Dr Google on doctor–patient encounters in primary care: a quantitative, observational, cross-sectional study. BJGP open. May 2017. PubMed.
- https://www.healthecareers.com/career-resources/on-the-job/how-to-talk-to-patients-in-age-doctor-google
- Lawrenson JG, Huntjens B, Virgili G, Ng S, Dhakal R, Downie LE, Verkicharla PK, Kernohan A, Li T, Walline JJ. Interventions for myopia control in children: a living systematic review and network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2025 Feb 13;2(2):CD014758)
- Richards J, Jaskulski M, Woods J, Guthrie S, Kollbaum P. Optical characterisation and vision quality assessment of two myopia control contact lenses. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2025 May 6.
