Insights From Our Editors

How, Where and When Do Patients Use their Digital Devices?

January 28, 2015

You may be surprised at all the activities in your patients’ lives that are associated with digital device usage. In addition to more predictable use of these devices for work, reading and while traveling, many also say they use digital devices when waking up in the morning and during meal preparation, according to The Vision Council VisionWatch 2015 Digital Eye Strain Report. Forty-four percent of respondents say they use digital devices at work, 43 percent use these devices for recreational reading, and 32 percent use the devices when traveling. Thirty-eight percent use digital devices in the process of waking up in the morning, and 26 percent use digital devices during meal preparation.

The greater use of digital devices gives us an opportunity to discuss with patients lens options that will improve their vision and protect their eyes. One such option is Transitions.

Mark Hinton shared with us a great way to introduce a conversation with a patient about Transitions Lenses. Put your UV demonstrator box in the pre-test area. As patients are being pre-tested, have staff take the patient’s current glasses, explain to the patient the lenses are going to be checked to see if they are Transitions lenses, and then put them under the UV light.

If the patient is currently wearing Transitions lenses, there is a 94 percent repurchase rate. That is a home run. Anything in the practice that has a 94 percent repurchase rate needs to be identified in the practice and used with every patient.

If the patient is not wearing Transitions lenses, now we can start a conversation. Did you know that 38 percent of the patients walking into your practice are intending to purchase Transitions lenses? What is the conversion rate in the average practice? Nineteen percent. The difference between 38 percent and 19 percent is the potential growth for Transitions sales in the average practice.

Now, by using the demonstrator in pre-test we can identify those who are currently wearing Transitions and those who are not and begin the conversation with both groups helping pre-set them to purchase Transitions lenses.

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