Three months to 2 years. That’s the amount of time it takes the average person to decide to have an elective surgery such as LASIK vision correction or laserassisted cataract surgery with advanced Lifestyle Intraocular Lenses (IOLs). How quickly someone moves through that process depends on what type and amount of education they receive. This is a fact that is often overlooked by practices—especially when it comes to marketing. It is simply not viable to create a singular advertisement and expect patients to stream into your practice for elective surgery. The patient education journey is long and requires different degrees of attention during all stages of the process.