Don’t Let Your Patients Give Up on Contact Lenses

It’s not surprising that patients decide that they’re better off wearing glasses when their eyes burn and itch after a few hours of contact lens wear. Dry eye due to contact lens wear affects 38 percent of people who wear the lenses, according to Contact Lens Spectrum’s 2014 Report on Dry Eye Diseases. It’s not surprising that patients decide that they’re better off wearing glasses when their eyes burn and itch after a few hours of contact lens wear. Dry eye due to contact lens wear affects 38 percent of people who wear the lenses, according to Contact Lens Spectrum’s 2014 Report on Dry Eye Diseases.
When patients decide they’re more comfortable in glasses, you lose a valuable source of revenue. Helping patients combat dry eye symptoms can be a boon to your optometric practice.

Financial Benefits of Increasing Patient Comfort

You’ll benefit in the following ways when you search for ways to make contact lenses more comfortable for your dry eye patients:
AppointmentsYou Can Count on Regular Visits. If patients who wear eyeglasses don’t notice a change in their vision, it may be two or three years until you see them again. Because contact lens wearers require a new prescription every year, you can guarantee that they’ll back when you plan your yearly income projections.
You’ll Make More Money from Contact Lens Fitting Fees. Contact lens fitting fees can be a good source of income for your optometric practice. A 2010 Optometric Management article notes that vision insurance companies may pay a higher percentage of contact lens fees than other fees.
Your Contact Lens Sales Will Increase. When your make an effort to work with patients who complain about dry eye symptoms, you’ll probably see a bump in your contact lens sales. Although you probably price the lenses competitively, the higher your sales volume, the more money you’ll make.
Your Older Patients Won’t Stop Wearing Contact Lenses. Because the incidence of dry eye increases with age, it’s not unusual for people who have worn contacts for years to begin noticing symptoms. When they switch to glasses, you can no longer count on regular fitting fees or lens sales.
Contact Lens Patients May Spend More Money Than Those Who Only Wear Glasses. Contact lens wearers often purchase eyeglasses in addition to contact lenses during their visits. Their spending habits help improve your bottom line.
Patients Are More Likely to Return. If you go out of your way to help your patients, they’re more likely to form a positive impression of your practice. Although dealing with dry eye symptoms does require more chair time, you’ll benefit financially if you keep your patients in contact lenses for years to come.
Offering solutions and encouragement to patients with dry eye may allow them a significant number of them to continue to wear contact lenses. When you devote more time to relieving the problem, you’ll benefit financially.

Sources:
Contact Lens Spectrum: 2014 Report on Dry Eye Diseases
Optometric Management: Don’t Let Contact Lens Intolerance Threaten Patients…Or Your Practice, 5/1/17
Review of Optometry: Top 10 Ways to Fail with Multifocal Contacts, 12/15/11
Optometric Management: Dramatically Increasing Your Contact Lens Productivity, 2/17/2010

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