Contact Lenses

Solve Problems and Meet Lifestyle Needs with Daily Replacement CLs

By Jennifer E. Davis, OD

Daily replacement contact lenses–now available in toric and multifocal designs–are great problem solvers for many new and existing contact lens patients. Listen well to a patient’s vision needs and lifestyle patterns, then show how daily replacement lenses can meet those needs.

We often talk about lifestyle prescribing for patients when it comes to spectacles, but the same philosophy holds true for our contact lens patients. Honing your communication skills in the exam lane can make all the difference. Start by asking the right questions. This key is to create opportunities for prescribing daily replacement contact lenses. You should not attempt to present solutions to a patient’s problem before he realizes/admits there is a problem. Only after a patient has verbalized there is room for improvement will he be receptive to the solutions you offer. Explain the many benefits of daily replacement contact lenses, then allow your patients to experience the benefits by giving them at least 10 pairs of diagnostic lenses to try.

I have found that most of my patients do best in daily replacement lenses. Approximately 60 percent of my soft contact lens patients are daily replacement wearers, up approximately 80 percent from five years ago. Key conversations must take place with patients on why daily replacement contact lenses are the right choice for them. I ask questions to patients about their lifestyle and ocular discomfort typically during the examination after I have looked at their cornea and contact lenses behind the slit lamp.

Jennifer E. Davis, OD
Associate
Vision Tech Optometry Center
Waynesboro, Va.

University of Houston College of Optometry
Class of 2001

Per-Patient Revenue
Greater than $500

Contact Lens Patients
More than 35 percent of practice’s patients

Specialties
Hard-to-Fit (distorted/post-surgical) contact lenses
Orthokeratology
Glaucoma

“We are a low-volume/high-touch practice.”

Lifestyle Questions Geared for Daily Replacement

In general, patients who describe their life as hectic have a great opportunity to wear lenses that are very low maintenance. Simple is more! Additionally, patients who are non-compliant can easily become interested in daily replacement contact lenses once they realize it means no more solution, no more cleaning, no more cases, no more having to keep track of replacement schedule, etc.

Ask your patients if they are planning any trips to the lake or beach this summer. Ask if they ever swim (for recreation or exercise) in their contact lenses. I explain to patients that contamination from oceans, lakes, hot tubs, or even shower water can cause some of the most sight-threatening eye infections. Contamination with daily replacement contact lenses is a non-issue since the lenses are thrown out each day. Also, ask your patients if they travel frequently. Explain how convenient it is not to have to carry solutions through security or in carry-on luggage. Patients are typically surprised to learn that disinfecting solutions containing hydrogen peroxide have been known to set off alarms in the security line.

Daily Replacement CLs Reduce Allergens

Ask your patients about eye allergies and the subsequent disadvantages of decreased wear time during allergy season. For example, Alcon’s daily replacement contact lens has an FDA approval for reducing the symptoms of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis related to contact lenses, making them a suitable prescription for patients with ocular allergies. The edge profile on the Dailies Aqua Comfort Plus lens is also very thin, thereby decreasing mechanical friction and upper lid irritation when papillae are present underneath the upper lid.

Dry Eye Can Be Helped By Eliminating Multipurpose Disinfecting Solution

If you elicit symptoms or discover signs of dryness with the patient’s current lenses, kindly explain that certain preservatives present in multipurpose disinfecting solutions may contribute to your exam findings. You can explain that multipurpose solutions do a great job cleaning the lenses but over time, day after day, when inserting lenses on the eye after soaking in the cleaner, those preservatives may begin to irritate an already sensitive ocular surface and cause more discomfort.

ROI of Keeping Patients Comfortable in CLs

Having these conversations is essential to keeping patients in contact lenses–and thereby growing your practice’s revenues by decreasing contact lens dropouts. According to “New Data on Contact Lens Dropouts: An International Perspective” by John Rumpakis, OD, MBA, a study published by the Review of Optometry in 2010, the loss of a single contact lens patient may cost your practice up to $24,000 over the patient’s lifetime. Finding the contact lens that best suits each patient will keep those revenues in your practice and create satisfied patients eager to refer you to friends and family.

Top Lifestyle Factors that Influence My Prescribing Habits

Daily-Replacement
Patients having difficulty remembering when to replace their contact lenses

Patients desiring a more convenient contact lens alternative

Presbyopic patients whose routine vision correction at the office (monovision or multifocal), is not conducive to their outside-the-office activities (single-vision DVO for playing sports, hobbies, etc.). These patients are perfect for part-time wear with daily replacements.

Less responsible patients

Younger patients

Patients who plan to swim while wearing contact lenses

Patients who tend to have chronically soiled hands (i.e. car mechanics)

Patients with ocular allergies

One-Month Replacement

Any patient who admits to sleeping in their contact lenses is better suited for monthly replacement contact lens that has been FDA-approved for extended wear.

Presbyopic patients who want to try multifocals often do well with the newer monthly multifocal contact lens designs.

Related ROB Articles

Eliminate Two-Week CL Prescriptions: Boost Compliance, Decrease Drop-Outs

Ride the Demographic Wave: Fit Baby Boomers with Multifocal Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses

Ask the Right Questions to Keep Patients in Contact Lenses

Jennifer E. Davis, OD, is an associate at Vision Tech Optometry Center in Waynesboro, Va, and a Member of Alcon’s Speakers Alliance. To contact her: jedavisod@hotmail.com

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