Photo courtesy of Spectrum Eyewear Gallery
By David Britzke, OD
Sept. 16, 2026
Over the past 18 years, I’ve grown my cold start private practice to a 3,800-square-foot freestanding location with nine employees and one associate. And while ownership comes with challenges, it’s also been one of the most rewarding parts of my career, and I’ve enjoyed watching the practice grow and evolve.
Today, I’m seeing the fourth generation from some families and a lot of third-generation patients. I even have people who have been with me for 24 years, since I started my career in a corporate-affiliated location. One patient told me recently, “You’ve been my only eye doctor.” She received her first pair of glasses when she was 12, and now she’s 36.
That kind of long-term relationship with patients is one reason I take product decisions seriously. Patients trust our recommendations, and when something becomes part of the practice, it needs to make sense clinically and for the business as well.
That was part of what drew me to PECAA early on. I joined when I was about five years into ownership and looking for help getting the practice to the next level. The business support that PECAA Max provides has helped me build a strong back-end infrastructure and given me the confidence to explore outside-the-box opportunities for practice growth and differentiation.
That’s why when I heard about PECAA promise™ contact lenses, I was simultaneously curious and cautious.
WHY PRIVATE-LABEL PRODUCTS MAKE SENSE FOR OUR PRACTICE
Photo provided by PECAA
From a business standpoint, private label options make a lot of sense because it gives us something that is truly ours. It helps keep private practice private. It provides us a brand we can offer that patients can’t get anywhere else, and that exclusivity matters.
I’ve been using PECAA’s private label eyewear collection for a long time, and it’s been a valuable addition to our optical.
As a result, I was honored to be part of the in-market assessment for PECAA promise™ contact lenses, manufactured by CooperVision and based on MyDay® and clariti® 1 day silicone hydrogel lines. This gave me an early introduction to the family of lenses, available exclusively through PECAA Max, to truly test before the full rollout to my patients.
Over three weeks, I fit approximately 20 patients in the lenses and received positive feedback. My patients reported that the lenses were comfortable and provided crisp, clear vision. That early experience gave me confidence in the product and, just as importantly, gave me a way to add value during patient conversations.
Additionally, because PECAA promise™ is exclusive to PECAA Max members and backed by a brand I trust, I can start the conversation confidently. If patients have questions or hesitation, I can explain that it’s a tried-and-true lens that has been tested and well received. And because of the trust my patients have in me, they typically follow my recommendations. They don’t require a long explanation – they simply know I’m steering them toward something that will work.
Implementing PECAA promise™ into my practice has been smooth sailing as I have been able to make the lenses available in our office and through our online store. Patients have responded quickly. It was fun to watch because adoption took off faster than I expected.
Now I’m putting almost all new patients into PECAA promise™ and have switched many of my existing contact lens patients over as well. In the past six months, I’ve introduced these contact lenses to more than 70 patients, more than half of whom are now wearing PECAA promise™ lenses.
A BETTER FIT FOR MORE PATIENTS
The comprehensive parameters of the PECAA promise™ family have allowed me to fit every patient in the lenses. That matters in a busy practice. Whether we’re talking about astigmatism or multifocals, it’s mostly a matter of finding the right lens. When a product has that kind of range, it saves time and helps the whole team work more efficiently.
There’s also a patient experience component that can’t be overlooked. Some patients are thrilled to switch to a daily lens because their eyes feel better than they have in a long time. Others love the convenience of a brand-new lens every day.
Weekend-only wearers appreciate how easy it is to use all day and throw away, with no solution or maintenance. Those are real-life benefits patients understand quickly.
THE VALUE OF THE BACK-END WORK
PECAA did a tremendous job getting this product to market. From my perspective, they did their homework, and it shows. That front-end effort makes life easier for practices.
In my opinion, PECAA has always worked hard to bring value to our practices. The business advisory services, HR support and especially the local peer-to-peer dinners have all been meaningful for me. I am privileged to lead the quarterly local dinners in my area for several years, and I find that my colleagues always give me something to think about, whether I implement it right away or just keep it in mind for later.
For me, PECAA promise™ contact lenses fit into a bigger philosophy: give patients something excellent, keep the practice independent and make sure the business side supports the clinical side. That’s a combination I believe in, and PECAA helps me deliver it.
This article is sponsored by PECAA
Read more about how PECAA supports private practices here.
Read more on contact lenses here.
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David Britzke, OD, is the owner of Spectrum Eyewear Gallery in Elkhart, Indiana. |
