EVERYDAY EASY: Polarized Lenses

Karlen McLean, ABOC, NCLC

With the goal of recommending polarized lenses to almost everyone, every day, take new steps to ramp up staff performance and patient protocol, making it easy to slip into a polarized habit

For ECPs, recommending polarized lenses should be an ordinary part of the eyewear presentation. Likewise, patients should use polarized eyewear naturally, as much of a part of their lives as putting on and utilizing their wristwatch.

Renewing your approach to polarized products can make your sales successful, naturally.

FRESH LOOK

Reassessing and re-addressing demographics and psychographics can open your eyes to new opportunities for polarized products.

YOUNGER CLIENTELE: According to the Vision Council of America (VCA), young buyers are a new optical growth sector. More young people are sporting polarized products, especially in the 20- and 30-year-old range. This means dispensing more single-vision Rx's, often in lower powers. This also means polarized wrap lenses will continue to be popular for function and fashion.

Polarized lenses are suited for outdoor work. Image courtesy of Younger Optics

Selling to a younger demographic calls for invigorating the dispensary by keeping inventory highly current and by shifting selling attitude, even hiring fresh new faces.

"We brought in some new opticians and trained them here," says Denise Riching, operations administrator at Bennett Optometry in Ann Arbor, Mich. "They have no preconceived notions, so they sell appropriate products to everyone and don't watch patients' pocketbooks."

This change helped increase sunwear sales by around 30 percent last year, and more than 50 percent of sunwear is now polarized.

POST-OP

The post-op category is also growing. Lasik may leave some with light sensitivity afterwards. Cataract and other eye surgeries can also cause mild to discomforting photophobia. Polarized lenses can help cut discomforting and dangerous glare.

Wrap polarized sunwear is especially beneficial for post-op problems, thanks to its face-hugging fit that effectively blocks even more sunlight, UV, and glare.

Make wearing polarized lenses a family affair. Image courtesy of Vision-Ease Lens

ALWAYS ACTIVE

For anyone who works or plays outside, polarized eyewear should be considered an item on the everyday equipment list. Polarized lenses offer comfort and safety while driving and for even short walks from the car to a building or stepping outside for a lunch break.

Kids can benefit from polarized protection not only for outdoor sports, but also when cycling through the neighborhood to a friend's house or on the playground at school.

"We recommend polarized lenses to all clients who are looking for sunglasses, plano or prescription," says John Morley, general manager of Voorthuis Opticians in Washington, D.C. "We use polarized lenses across the whole range of prescription and lens types with great success."

Polarized lenses can help cut glare. Image courtesy of Essilor of America

NEW STEPS

With the goal of recommending polarized lenses to almost everyone, every day, take new steps to ramp up staff performance and patient protocol to make it easy to slip into a polarized habit.

CLIP-DRIVEN: Displaying, recommending, and demonstrating polarized clip-ons with frames can help drive polarized sales.

"Our Rx polarized sales are driven by our clip-on sales," says Ronald J. Anderson, OD, of Oakwood Optical in Battle Creek, Mich. "Many people like the clip-on option and reorder clips. But some people don't like clips; for example, some are aware of the gap between the clip and the frame. The clips then become a stepping stone to Rx polarized sunwear, since patients like the polarized lenses.

Oakwood Optical sells around 60 percent of its eyewear with clip-ons. They also display high-fashion polarized sunwear so patients can try on not only the styles, but the lenses.

"Once people try on polarized lenses they can see the difference," Anderson says, "and once someone gets polarized, they never go back to just tinted lenses."

REFERRAL-DRIVEN: Referrals happen naturally when patients are enthusiastic about your products and services. But it doesn't hurt to simply say to a happy patient, "Be sure to mention us to your friends and family."

"If you buy a pair of shoes you love, you tell people about them, what they are and where you got them," says Riching. "Word-of-mouth is very strong with polarized lenses because once someone's worn them, they're so impressed with the performance."

Polarization is sunblock for the eyes. Image courtesy of Signet Armorlite

Polarized lenses blend style and safety. Image courtesy of Shamir Insight

SIMPLE SALES

"We sell by example; we show the difference between polarized and non-polarized lenses," Riching affirms. "We walk outside with the patient and have them put on a pair of polarized lenses. It makes the sale every time."

In addition, "we educate patients on glare, crisper vision, and UV protection," she says.

While scripts may not fit into every conversation, a variation on what Voorthuis Opticians tell their patients is highly polarized proficient.

"We tell patients: 'Polarized lenses offer you the best in sun protection,'" Morley says. "'Polarized lenses not only block harmful UV A and UV B rays, they cut horizontal glare. No other lens can offer that.'"

For patients who are on or around the water for recreation or work, Morley takes it one step further, mentioning, "'If you're around water, polarized lenses cut the surface glare of the water to such an extent that you can see down into the water.'"

A doctor's recommendation helps create, generate, and seal polarized sunwear sales. "I tell my patients that it's the glare that gets us," Anderson says.

He also makes a point to inform patients that the darkness of lenses doesn't eliminate glare. "If you get lenses dark enough to eliminate even a speck of glare, they're probably too dark to be worn safely. Polarized lenses don't have to be dark to eliminate glare, so there's better visual clarity, plus glare is blocked." EB