{"id":9671,"date":"2026-01-27T11:39:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T11:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/?p=9671"},"modified":"2026-02-03T08:39:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T08:39:47","slug":"when-not-to-operate-in-ophthalmology-saying-no","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/eye-surgery\/when-not-to-operate-in-ophthalmology-saying-no\/","title":{"rendered":"When Not to Operate in Ophthalmology: The Importance of Saying No"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”” woodmart_inline=”no” text_larger=”no”]<\/p>\n

In my daily practice as an ophthalmologist<\/strong>, it is very common to meet patients who come to consultation with a clear idea: they want surgery.<\/p>\n

In refractive surgery, this is especially frequent in patients with myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism<\/strong> who wish to become independent from glasses or contact lenses. That motivation is understandable and legitimate.<\/p>\n

However, operating is not always the right decision.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Surgery as a Balance Between Benefit and Risk<\/h2>\n

I have always understood surgery as a balance between benefit and risk<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Every surgical procedure involves risk, even if minimal. This is unavoidable and part of medicine.<\/p>\n

My personal criterion is very clear: when the benefit does not clearly outweigh the risk, I do not operate<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Even when the balance is equal \u2014 when there is a real minimal risk but the benefit is uncertain \u2014 I consider that this risk is not acceptable.<\/p>\n

There is no valid argument that should stand above this principle.<\/p>\n

The Role of the Patient and the Role of the Doctor<\/h2>\n

Ophthalmic surgery is ultimately a decision made by the patient.<\/p>\n

The patient comes requesting a solution, with expectations and a clear goal. That is entirely respectable.<\/p>\n

However, that request requires something essential: a rigorous, honest, and realistic medical evaluation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

My responsibility as a doctor is not to say yes to a request, but to assess whether a treatment can offer a good outcome without putting vision at risk<\/strong>. And that is not always possible.<\/p>\n

Saying No Is Also Medicine<\/h2>\n

Telling a patient that they are not a suitable candidate for surgery is not easy.<\/p>\n

In fact, for many doctors, it is much harder to say no than to say yes.<\/p>\n

Saying yes is often more comfortable. Saying no requires judgment, experience, and the ability to face a difficult conversation.<\/p>\n

But I firmly believe that true medical excellence lies precisely there: in knowing when surgery does not provide a clear benefit<\/strong> and in protecting the patient, even from their own desire to undergo surgery.<\/p>\n

My Commitment<\/h2>\n

For this reason, when I recommend not operating, I do so with the same conviction as when I indicate surgery in appropriate cases.<\/p>\n

Not because it is not technically possible, but because I do not consider it medically correct.<\/p>\n

In ophthalmology, knowing when to say no is not a refusal. It is a profound form of respect for the patient\u2019s vision.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wondering whether you\u2019re a candidate for eye surgery?<\/strong> A thorough, honest assessment is the safest first step<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”” woodmart_inline=”no” text_larger=”no”] In my daily practice as an ophthalmologist, it is very common to meet patients who come<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9670,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[146],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eye-surgery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9671"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9673,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9671\/revisions\/9673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}