It is important when dealing with difficult employees to act quickly, but it is always appropriate to think before you act. Here are some tips on handling a difficult employee:

• Always act on facts. Don’t base your actions on gossip or rumor.
• Develop a plan. Select a time and a quiet, private place where you won’t be interrupted. Decide whether you need to have others, like an HR representative, present in the meeting. Plan the confrontation and then make it happen.
• Deal with the behavior, not the person. Your goal is to develop a solution, not to “win”. Focus on the inappropriate behavior; don’t attack the person.
• Use “I” statements like “I need everybody on the team here on time so we can meet our goals” rather than “you” statements like “you are always late”.
• Don’t assume the inappropriate behavior is caused by negative intent. It may be from fear, confusion, lack of motivation or personal problems.
• Give the other person a chance to develop a solution to the problem. They are more likely to “own” the solution if they are at least partially responsible for developing it.
• Try to draw out the reasons behind the behavior. As you talk with the difficult employee, actively listen to what they say. Stay calm and stay positive, but remain impartial and non-judgmental. Ask leading questions that can’t be answered in one or two words. Don’t interrupt.

When you do respond to the difficult employee, remain calm. Summarize back to them what they just said, “so what I understand you are saying is”, so they know you are actually listening to them.

If you can find out from the difficult employee what the real source of the inappropriate behavior is, you have a much better chance of finding a solution. Discuss the solution, decide on an action plan and set a time for review. Monitor progress and hold further meetings as necessary until the problem is fixed.

Bell Ophthalmic Technology offers a Preventive Maintenance Program for slit lamps. This keeps your instruments in the best working order. We will completely clean the mechanical assemblies, table, and biomicroscope. All electrical components, wiring, and bulbs are inspected. We make necessary adjustments and, with your approval, replace parts, so your instrument will operate to the manufacturer’s specifications. Our service technicians are factory trained and all parts are genuine factory replacements.

These measures extend the life of your equipment, protect your investment, and save real time and dollars in future repairs.

When the need for service arises, please contact our service manager, Tony Lemma at 800-255-5929 or ATL@bellophthalmic.com

The Reichert Tono-Pen Avia Tonometer is an easy-to-use, hand-held instrument that provides IOP readings that correlate strongly with Goldmann Tonometry.

Tono-Pen Avia is designed to help eliminate operator error and functions in any position, making it ideal for use with all of your patients, including those in beds or wheelchairs. Activated by the push of a button, the IOP measurement is displayed on two large, easy-to-read LCD screens. Avia uses the sanitized Ocu-Film Tip Covers to minimize the risk of patient cross-contamination.

Tono-Pen Avia tonometer features the same proven accuracy as the clinically trusted Tono-Pen XL, but with a more ergonomic design, four-times longer lasting battery and larger LCD screens.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology launched a new campaign called eyeSmart to educate adults on the importance of regular eye exams as they age since few people know about age related eye disease. Nearly 75% of adults in the United States correct their vision: 50 percent of them will suffer from either cataracts or glaucoma by the time they are 80 years old.

The EyeSmart™ public awareness campaign emphasizes the need for Americans to know their risk factors for eye diseases, infections and injuries, and how to prevent, diagnose and treat eye conditions.

At the same time, new research from the Academy finds that most Americans believe they are not at risk and are woefully unaware of the risk factors for eye disease.

EyeSmart will initially focus on raising awareness of five major eye diseases – age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye and glaucoma – and the rise of these diseases among the baby boomer generation. The goal is to limit the impact of eye diseases tomorrow by raising awareness of risk factors today.

For more information on the campaign and the Academy Recommendations, visit geteyesmart.org

Siepser Laser Eyecare recently opened a new state-of-the-art facility in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. But, as anyone who has participated in such a project will tell you, putting everything together prior to ribbon cutting day is never an easy process.
With an equipment budget in place, Dr. Siepser approached us about outfitting his six new exam rooms. Since the doctor enjoys using the Haag-Streit pendulum table system at his other centers, he asked for a quotation for those products, combined with slit lamp imaging capability, room lighting control, and provisions for computerized phoroptors.

Unfortunately, considering the current unfavorable exchange rate vs. the Swiss Franc, the cost for new pendulum tables and slit lamps far exceeded the allocated funds. A real budget buster scenario loomed.

It was time to rethink the situation and move to plan “B”.

Dr. Siepser already owned pendulum tables, exam chairs, and slit lamps that were previously used in his Norristown office. However, this equipment was over 20 years old and in need of a facelift.

With a new direction, our service department removed the equipment, completely disassembled the pendulum tables and phoroptor columns and rebuilt everything using new, fashionable laminates, paint finishes, and modern electronic components. New digital slit lamps were adapted and now transfer images to an EMR system. The old Reliance chairs were overhauled and reupholstered with genuine Italian leather. Beautiful!!

By using a combination of service capability, trade-in opportunity and new instruments, we were able to provide Dr. Siepser with a quotation he could live with. Bell’s regional focus allows us to work closer with customers to provide creative solutions to individual problems and challenges.

Don’t lose a fleeting image again because it’s beyond the human reaction time. Haag-Streit’s IM 900 offers advanced capabilities for perfect images.

• Freeze Technology for high speed capture and data transfer.
• History Trigger.
• Identify the shot area, and slightly depress the trigger. Digital video capture automatically begins.
• Depress the button all the way to shoot.
• Review on the monitor, choose from images before and after you depressed the trigger, and pick the best shot.
• Unique aperture control for depth of field.
• Still imaging with high resolution video.
• Easy Touch – precise image-control.
• Compact design and easy integration with any BQ 900 slit lamp.
• The IM 900 can be supplied with EyeCap or EyeSuite software for image data management.