{"id":6946,"date":"2012-01-20T15:15:09","date_gmt":"2012-01-20T15:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reviewob.dev\/2012\/01\/20\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/"},"modified":"2012-01-20T15:15:09","modified_gmt":"2012-01-20T15:15:09","slug":"communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/","title":{"rendered":"Communication + Frequent Replacement = Happy Contact Lens Patients"},"content":{"rendered":"

ByBradford Ripps, OD\"\"<\/h3>\n

Make sure patients know how to care for their contact lenses–and explain why shorter replacement cycles help to maintain eye health and comfort. <\/em><\/p>\n

Contact lenscaremaintenancehas become easier with the advent of disposable contact lenses, but patients still need guidance to wear contact lenses comfortably and healthfully long-term. Whenever possible I move patients into daily disposable contact lenses, which have the easiest of all maintenance cycles–as easy as tossing the worn pair in the trash at the end of the day. Here are some of the key ways I guide my patients to successful long-term contact lens wear.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Four Keys to Successful Long-Term Contact Lens Wear<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keeping patients’ eyes healthy and comfortable in contact lenses begins with the doctor’s prescription for proper contact lens replacement and maintenance, but these steps also help ensure happy long-term contact lens wear:<\/p>\n

Show it<\/strong>. Use graphic images to show patients what deposition on their worn contact lenses looks like.<\/p>\n

Tell it<\/strong>.After you show patients images that tell the story of the effects of worn contact lenses, emphasize to them the difference that frequent replacement makes.<\/p>\n

Reinforce it.<\/strong>Reinforce lensreplacement and care messages by staying in touch. One way to stay in touch are auto-reminders such as Vistakon’s ACUMINDER.<\/p>\n

Make it affordable.<\/strong>Make daily disposable contact lenses affordable for all of your contact lens patients by offering special package pricing if necessary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ask Questions to Illustrate Importance of Compliance<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even patients with significant problems like end-of-day dryness will typically answer “fine” when I ask “How are you doing in your contact lenses?” So now I ask them more pointed questions such as: “When you take your contact lenses out at the end of the replacement cycle and put in new ones, do the new contact lenses feel the same?” If the answer is “No,” it gives me an opportunity to talk about how contact lenses change with wearing time; and how, as they’ve just said themselves, fresh contact lenses are more comfortable.<\/p>\n

I explain to patients that no matter how good the contact lenses are or how much they do to keep them clean, all soft contact lenses absorb proteins, lipids and other chemicals that cause them to degrade with time.<\/p>\n

Show Pictures to Bring Maintenance Prescription to Life<\/strong><\/p>\n

To bring the importance of proper contact lens maintenance home to patients I invested in a video system (the Topcon DC-3) that can show patients the deposits on their own lenses. Connecting these visible surface changes to the difference in feeling between a fresh and a worn contact lens helps patients understand how important it is to replace their contact lenses frequently and as directed. Many patients think contact lens discomfort is normal because it’s all they’ve ever known, but I make sure my patients understand that their contact lenses should always feel good. When I prescribe two-week contact lenses, I explain that they are good for up to two weeks, but I instruct patients to change them sooner if they become bothersome.<\/p>\n

Move Majority of Patients to Daily Disposable Contact Lenses<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our practice now has 67 percent of contact lens wearing patients in daily disposable contact lenses. Because fresh lenses feel so comfortable, some patients without a single-use option in their prescription will accept a small compromise in vision (with eyeglasses on top for certain tasks) to stay in daily disposables.<\/p>\n

Price to Make Daily Disposable Contact Lenses Viable Option<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have committed to taking care of patents and to making the products that are best for them as affordable as possible. We price our contact lenses to make them competitive with other sources; and we stay profitable by charging appropriately for our fitting and examination. This price structure makes the best contact lenses accessible to patients while also communicating the value of our professional services.<\/p>\n

Keep in Frequent Touch with Contact Lens Patients<\/strong><\/p>\n

We reinforce our message with frequent patient contact, bringing all of our patients in for checkups every six months. For contact lens patients this is typically a quick visit, and, if all is well, I prescribe another six-month supply. Occasionally, however, a patient will admit that he or she still has contact lenses left over from the previous supply, which gives me an opening to talk again about the potential problems of over-wear and the value of proper replacement.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Send Auto-Reminders to Patients to Aid Compliance<\/strong><\/p>\n

My prescription in the exam room for contact lens care and replacement is essential, but what also helps our patients comply with contact lens maintenance are auto-reminders. The one my practice uses is Vistakon’s ACUMINDER, a free service that sends an e-mail or text message reminding patients whenever it’s time to replace contact lenses or purchase new ones.<\/p>\n

A recentpatientsurvey sponsored by Vistakon showed that for those who adopted the ACUMINDER system, compliance with their doctors’ prescribed replacement schedules increased from 40 percent to 77 percent.<\/p>\n

ACUMINDER also reminds my patients when it is time to come back for their next appointment. Bringing patients in for six-month visits and recommending ACUMINDER helps me to address compliance problems early.<\/p>\n

Frequent communication also builds solid relationships with our patients, who in turn, build our practice by recommending us to friends and family.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Related ROB Articles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Retain Profitable Contact Lens Patients with Good Lens Care Recommendations<\/a><\/p>\n

Address Discomfort, Minimize Dropouts<\/a><\/p>\n

Auto-Reminders Improve Patient Compliance<\/a><\/p>\n

Bradford Ripps, OD,<\/strong> is the owner of Total Eyecare in Lake Hopatcong, N.J., and Vernon, N.J., and consults with Vistakon. To contact him: dr.ripps@totalicare.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

By Bradford Ripps, OD<\/p>\n

Make sure patients know how to care for their contact lenses–and explain why shorter replacement cycles help to maintain eye health and comfort. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":76,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[98,1],"tags":[51],"yoast_head":"\nCommunication + Frequent Replacement = Happy Contact Lens Patients - Review of Optometric Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Communication + Frequent Replacement = Happy Contact Lens Patients - Review of Optometric Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Bradford Ripps, ODMake sure patients know how to care for their contact lenses--and explain why shorter replacement cycles help to maintain eye health and comfort.   \" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Review of Optometric Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reviewob\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-01-20T15:15:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/243070111_251276950339761_6709466794271584798_n.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"365\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark Gulledge\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ReviewOB\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ReviewOB\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mark Gulledge\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mark Gulledge\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4e6e9be41eb4bc933296d2e8494ee152\"},\"headline\":\"Communication + Frequent Replacement = Happy Contact Lens Patients\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-01-20T15:15:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-01-20T15:15:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/\"},\"wordCount\":922,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"NULL\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Contact Lenses\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/\",\"name\":\"Communication + Frequent Replacement = Happy Contact Lens Patients - Review of Optometric Business\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-01-20T15:15:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-01-20T15:15:09+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Communication + Frequent Replacement = Happy Contact Lens Patients\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/\",\"name\":\"Review of Optometric Business\",\"description\":\"The OD\u2019s Online Business Consultant\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"ROB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Jobson Medical Information LLC\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/ROB_logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/ROB_logo.png\",\"width\":\"553\",\"height\":\"234\",\"caption\":\"Jobson Medical Information LLC\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reviewob\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/reviewofoptometricbusiness\/\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reviewob\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ReviewOB\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4e6e9be41eb4bc933296d2e8494ee152\",\"name\":\"Mark Gulledge\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/126051069958f5cf0f2ab8d7a04bb71d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/126051069958f5cf0f2ab8d7a04bb71d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mark Gulledge\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/author\/mgulledgejobson-com\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Communication + Frequent Replacement = Happy Contact Lens Patients - Review of Optometric Business","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Communication + Frequent Replacement = Happy Contact Lens Patients - Review of Optometric Business","og_description":"By Bradford Ripps, ODMake sure patients know how to care for their contact lenses--and explain why shorter replacement cycles help to maintain eye health and comfort.   ","og_url":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/","og_site_name":"Review of Optometric Business","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reviewob\/","article_published_time":"2012-01-20T15:15:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":365,"url":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/243070111_251276950339761_6709466794271584798_n.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mark Gulledge","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ReviewOB","twitter_site":"@ReviewOB","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mark Gulledge","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/"},"author":{"name":"Mark Gulledge","@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4e6e9be41eb4bc933296d2e8494ee152"},"headline":"Communication + Frequent Replacement = Happy Contact Lens Patients","datePublished":"2012-01-20T15:15:09+00:00","dateModified":"2012-01-20T15:15:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/"},"wordCount":922,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#organization"},"keywords":["NULL"],"articleSection":["Contact Lenses"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/","url":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/","name":"Communication + Frequent Replacement = Happy Contact Lens Patients - Review of Optometric Business","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-01-20T15:15:09+00:00","dateModified":"2012-01-20T15:15:09+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Communication + Frequent Replacement = Happy Contact Lens Patients"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/","name":"Review of Optometric Business","description":"The OD\u2019s Online Business Consultant","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#organization"},"alternateName":"ROB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#organization","name":"Jobson Medical Information LLC","url":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/ROB_logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/ROB_logo.png","width":"553","height":"234","caption":"Jobson Medical Information LLC"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reviewob\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/reviewofoptometricbusiness\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reviewob\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/ReviewOB"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4e6e9be41eb4bc933296d2e8494ee152","name":"Mark Gulledge","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/126051069958f5cf0f2ab8d7a04bb71d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/126051069958f5cf0f2ab8d7a04bb71d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mark Gulledge"},"url":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/author\/mgulledgejobson-com\/"}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Communication + Frequent Replacement = Happy Contact Lens Patients","url":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"Contact Lenses","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mark Gulledge"}],"creator":["Mark Gulledge"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Review of Optometric Business","logo":""},"keywords":["null"],"dateCreated":"2012-01-20T15:15:09Z","datePublished":"2012-01-20T15:15:09Z","dateModified":"2012-01-20T15:15:09Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Communication + Frequent Replacement = Happy Contact Lens Patients\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reviewob.com\\\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reviewob.com\\\/communication-frequent-replacement-happy-contact-lens-patients\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"\"},\"articleSection\":\"Contact Lenses\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Mark Gulledge\"}],\"creator\":[\"Mark Gulledge\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Review of Optometric Business\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"null\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2012-01-20T15:15:09Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-01-20T15:15:09Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-01-20T15:15:09Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/reviewob.com\/p.js"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6946"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6946\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewob.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}