Ophthalmic Lenses

Personalized Lenses: Patients “See the Difference” with a New App

By Thomas Gosling, OD

Match personalized lens education to your patients’ expectations and needs–with the help of new personalized lens apps for electronic tablets. Doing so will remove cost concerns as an excuse not to give this new eyewear technology a try.

At my practice, we offer comprehensive education that explains the benefits of personalized lenses to patients making their understanding more likely. The key: we then show patients what their vision would look like with personalized lenses via apps loaded onto electronic tablets. Getting patients to give personalized lenses a first try by literally helping them “get the picture” is essential because, thanks to the unmatched superior visual quality, once a personalized lens patient, always a personalized lens patient. Here are some of the processes we use at our office to put patients into personalized lenses.

Define Personalized Lenses

Define “Personalized” for Patients

The first mistake many doctors make is assuming patients automatically will understand what “personalized” means. Here is what we tell patients: “A ‘personalized lens’ is a new “form” of lens that has been surfaced with a single tip diamond. The precision of pinpoint surfacing allows the lens to be “customized and optimized” by powerful software. Many new measurements can be taken into consideration when designing a lens with Free Form technology. These new algorithms are used during the surfacing process to ‘personalize’ the lens surface.”
Doctor Prescribes; Opticians Educate

I begin the education process in the exam room, but my opticians play an equally essential role demonstrating the technology to patients and further explaining the benefits as compared to standard eyeglasses. The opticians’ involvement will be critical to the success of personalized lenses. The time involvement with patients may be greater, with the opticians needing to demonstrate the benefits, but also taking the critical free form measurements. This may seem to be a deterrent, but patients will reap the benefits and be impressed with the staff’s attention to their visual needs. This extra time spent with the patient should be billed out or charged back to the patient through the lens cost. The overall effect will be greater patient satisfaction, with lenses that adapt to their world… versus their eye’s adapting to the lenses.

Thomas Gosling, OD
Owner
Optical Matters
www.opticalmatters.com
Littleton, Colo.Practice Founded
1992Locations
One

Staff
Three opticians
One receptionist

Annual examinations
2,500-3,000

Annual revenues
Approx. $1 million

Personalized Lens App Makes It Easy

Getting Patients to Try It is Easy with App that Helps Patients See for Themselves

An app for an electronic tablet like the iPad can show patients what their vision will look like through a traditional, individualized and personalized progressive lens. Patients can also better understand the vision through their eyeglasses with and without anti-reflective coating and/or polarization (for prescription sunwear). The app we use is the HOYA HVC Viewer, which we purchased for $127 in the Apple app store.

Take Screenshot of Vision with App and E-mail Patients

As with all eyewear sales, it is best to seal the deal before the patient leaves the office. But after demonstrating the view to patients with an app like HVC Viewer, if the patient still isn’t convinced, you can take a screenshot of what the patient’s vision will look like with traditional lenses versus personalized lenses and then e-mail the comparison shots to them so they can ponder whether the investment in personalized lenses is worth it–and can even consult with a friend about it.
Use Screenshot to Further Educate by Making Notations Directly on It

If patients need help understanding the exact ways their vision will be improved, you can freeze the screen and draw over the image on the tablet to show the patient where visual distortion occurs with traditional lenses. You can alternate the image to the personalized lens view, showing exactly how and where vision will be enhanced.

Make the Process less Cumbersome with App for Measurement

When I first began offering personalized lenses I was testing out a VisualReal free form measuring device, valued at $10,000. Patients loved the personalized lenses, but I realized that there must be a less costly and easier way of taking personalized measurements such as those that gauge how the eyewear will interact with a patient’s lens and eye movements. With that in mind, I developed an iPad app for HOYA that allows the free form measurements to be taken with nothing more than an electronic tablet. The iPad app, Spectangle, has a one-time-only cost of $399 and can be loaded on up to five different tablets.

Standard vs. Customized
vs. Personalized Lenses

Standardized lenses are the typical lenses you get when you just order typical lenses from your optical laboratory.

Customized lenses involve digital technology on one or both surfaces in the manufacture, however, the technology does not take into consideration specific individual patient differences such as head movement versus eye movement when reading.

Personalized lenses involve digital free form technology in the manufacture plus take into consideration specific individual patient characteristics. Personalized lenses require additional measurements taken with manufacturer-specific equipment. —ROB Editors.

Tie App Pictures of Vision Difference and Background Education to Added Cost

Explain Added Cost

What I want the patient to understand is, that a “personalized lens” is designed not only to the prescription that was just found for them, but also takes into consideration the way the lens sits in front of their eyes and their lifestyle activities. I especially want them to understand that their visual “lifestyle” or the way they use their eyes throughout the week is extremely important in designing a lens to fit their visual needs.

I explain that this new technology is a bit more expensive, but the the advantage of using a “personalized” lens far out weighs the daily cost difference. If they wear their eyeglasses every day for 400 days and the lens is $60 more, that comes out to 15 cents a day for optimal vision. For some, I break it down even further to less then a penny per hour they are wearing the lenses.
Our office uses a 20 percent markup on personalized lenses compared to standard free form lens, as my goal is to get patients into these lenses ASAP. This creates a visual value where patients see the difference, making it easy to maintain their desire for “personalized” lenses at every visit.

Explain that–Surprise!–Insurance Sometimes Covers It

Many patients will say “no” to personalized lenses right off the bat because they assume their insurance won’t cover it. So, it is important to point out that some vision benefits do, indeed, cover the cost. For example, under VSP, personalized lenses are covered as “specialized lenses.”

Market Advantages Pointed Out to Patients in Office on Web Site and Beyond

Patient Personalized Lens Education = Competitive Advantage

As these lenses become better known, patients will begin looking for offices that carry personalized lens. The need to incorporate this message on the ECP’s web site is important. The large lens manufactures will be spreading the word nationally, but the ECP should be thinking locally. The web knows where a possible patient is searching from, so an ECP should “tag” their web site, and by extension, their practice, as a place that carries personalized lenses. This new technology of personalized lenses will change the marketing strategies for everyone.

Personalized Lens Keys
  • Understand. Make sure your staff understands what it means to carry Free Form lenses and the benefits of personalized lenses.
  • Train. Have your opticians understand how to use your Free Form measuring device to its fullest.
  • Educate patients. Educate in the lane, especially after the refraction. Explain the benefits of taking the new prescription to a heightened level by “personalizing” their lenses for their frame, visual lifestyle and new prescription.
  • Publicize. Begin getting the word out that your office carries “personalized” lenses.

 

Related ROB Articles

Prescribe Spectacle Lenses by Lifestyle

Offer Personalized Lenses as a Practice Differentiator

Protect Patients from Eye Strain with Glare-Free Reading Eyewear

Thomas Gosling, OD, is the owner of Optical Matters in Littleton, Colo. To reach him: tgosling@q.com.

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