By Maria Sampalis, OD
Many contact lens patients lack up-to-date or attractive eyewear—so they won’t wear their eyeglasses when they need to give their eyes a rest. Suggesting to patients an eyewear update helps to promote their eye health and it’s a practice revenue-builder, as well.
Wetell all our patients who wear contact lenses: You need good eyeglasses in your current prescription, because there are times when you need to remove your contact lenses and give your eyes a rest. We find that patients are more compliant when they have attractive eyewear that they don’t mind being seen in.
Our key reason for saying this is our concern for the eye health of our patients. However, this also provides a great revenue-building opportunity for our dispensary, since we can call attention to new and fashionable frames that our contact lens patients may otherwise not have considered. We have had success in selling more eyewear to contact lens patients(and measured it because I amdirectly involved in delivering this message and because our staff reinforces the eye-health and vanity advantages of it, as well).
Many of the approximately 500 contact lens wearing patients in my practice do not look forward to wearing their eyeglasses. That is because many do not have glasses equipped with their latest prescription, or the glasses are so old and out-of-fashion that they would be embarrassed to be seen in them. It is important from an eye health perspective for contact lens wearers to be able to take out their contacts when necessary or to simply give their eyes a break. But it also is important to encourage these patients to invest in eyewear from a practice-building perspective.
Prescribing eyewear for all contact lens patients, effectively managing the hand-off to the optical shop and providing these patients with incentives such as special discounts or deals, is an essential strategy for building revenues. Of my approximately 500 contact lens wearing patients, I estimate that 60 percent have so far purchased eyeglasses from my practice. That is a sizable number, but I am striving to do even better. Here are some pointers for selling eyewear to those who primarily wear contact lenses.
Maria Sampalis, OD
New College of Optometry
Class of 2007
Current Practice
Sampalis Eye Care
Started cold in 2012
Locations
Two
Doctors
One
Support Staff
Two
Contact Lens Patients
500
CL Patients Who Have Purchased Eyewear from Practice
60 percent
Comprehensive Examinations
1,600 annually
Ask Patients to Bring in All Eyewear
The push to increase eyewear sales to contact lens patients begins when the patient calls for an appointment. Our receptionist knows to ask all patients, including contact lens wearers, to bring in all current eyewear. Doing this allows the doctor to see if the current eyewear is up-to-date from a refractive standpoint, and it also provides a jumping off point in the optical dispensary. For instance, if the patient only has glasses with conservative tortoise shell frames, an optician might suggest: “Mrs. Jones, those glasses are very nice and I can see how they work well for you, but you might also want a fun pair–something you can wear out on the town on those nights when you may not feel like wearing your contacts. You might be surprised–a great pair of glasses can be the perfect accessory to a new outfit. We just got in cat’s eye frames in different colors that you might want to take a look at it.”
Use Waiting Time to Browse or Look at Frame Photos
The wait time in our office prior to appointments is not great–no more than about 10 minutes, but that doesn’t mean we don’t use the time to introduce patients to our eyewear selection. Patients are shown pictures of our frame selections and are offered the chance to browse the optical dispensary if it looks like it will take longer than around 10 minutes for the doctor to see them. When the optician starts the conversation about eyewear possibilities before the doctor has provided a prescription for the patient to buy new glasses, it primes the patient to be more receptive to the doctor. The patient who has already spotted frames she likes is going to look forward to the doctor’s prescription for new glasses–it gives her an excuse to get a new pair with the frames she loves.
Prescribe from Exam Room
The doctor’s prescription for new eyewear is the most important part of encouraging eyewear sales to contact lens patients. The doctor needs to be involved for this to work. It’s all about presenting not only the contact lenses, but the need for eyewear, to the patient. I will fit the patient with the best contact lens for them, explaining the new technology of hydrogels (comfort, oxygen permeability and UV protection depending on lens). I then tell them that even with all these advancements, all contact lens patients need glasses.The doctor must link the importance of cornea health of contact lens wearers with wearing glasses. “You can’t wear your contacts for more than 12 hours a day. Glasses will help with this and we have affordable eyeglasses that you can use just for home or for back-up in case of an infection. A pair of stylish glasses will also give your eyes a break from dry eye symptoms that are experienced from long periods of lens wear.”
Give Patients a Vanity-Related Reason for Eyewear
The most important message about why contact lens wearers need up-to-date eyeglasses is for the sake of their eye health, but it is often necessary to motivate a patient with the promise of a new look. I might say to a hesitant patient who only has a ratty pair of glasses at home: “We have new lines of eyeglasses from top brands to give you a different look.” One strategy is to couple the information about the exciting frame fashion opportunities in your office with a prescription for colored contact lenses. Our women patients often get colored contacts in addition to clear contacts. I usually fit two types of lenses at this point in our discussion during the exam–clear and colored as many women patients want the colored contacts for weekends or for fun. Introducing them to colored contacts drives revenues, but it also puts the patient in a fashion mindset so they may be more open then to considering a new pair of glasses.
Don’t Forget Option of Prescription and Plano Sunwear
Don’t forget, if the patient doesn’t want eyeglasses, another option for style (and eye health) are both plano and prescription sunwear. Plano sunwear sells better during the summertime, but adding a sale for contact lens wearers during the slow times of the year, such as the winter, helps. I also link sunglasses to enhanced vision while driving and the importance of protecting eyes from UV rays to help prevent macular degeneration and cataracts. I also point out the importance of sunwear to contact lens patients who work outside most of the day, and offer computer eyewear to those contact lens wearers who have office jobs.
Perfect Your Optical Dispensary Hand-Off
The hand-off of contact lens patient to opticians is critical. I walk the patient to the dispensary and give the optician a summary of the eyewear I prescribed for the patient in the exam room: “Hi Steve, this is Mrs. Brown. She is approved to order a year’s supply of contact lenses, and she also wanted to take a look at a selection of polarized sunglasses and some new fashion frames for new eyeglasses. She has the beginnings of cataracts and the polarization will reduce the glare that is giving her trouble when driving.” The optician would then show the patient new frames for updated eyeglasses, as well as a selection of polarized sunwear to try on to literally see the difference it makes.
Related ROB Articles
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Stimulate Eyewear Shopping with an OD Recommendation and an Inviting Optical
Capture Rate Booster: Train Staff to Fill Patient Prescriptions
Maria Sampalis, OD, is the owner of Sampalis Eye Care in Warwick, RI, and North Dartmouth, Mass. To contact her: msampalis@hotmail.com
