PRESCRIPTION SUN LENSES

Sunny Service

EXPANDED LENS TECHNOLOGIES, STYLE CHOICES, AND EYE PROTECTION MAKE RX SUNWEAR AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE CUSTOMER SERVICE AS WELL AS REVENUE

BY SUSAN TARRANT

PRESCRIPTION SUNWEAR is on the move, enjoying a 4.5 percent growth over last year’s sales, according to research by The Vision Council. The category is being buoyed by an increased consumer awareness of the dangers of UV exposure, an explosion of fashion and sport styles, and lens technology that now makes even wrap styles available to a wide range of prescriptions. Making it all available to your patients and explaining the benefits is good service. Capturing second-pair Rx sun sales is good business.

PATIENT SERVICE

Providing for patients’ vision needs is the top priority of any practice or optical shop, yet many ECPs stop short of providing—or even talking about—sun protection. Spectacle-wearing patients need sun and UV protection, and, if warranted, performance lenses for their outdoor activities, just as much as anybody. And they are already in your office.

It’s a best practice to talk to every patient about sunwear needs, and show them an Rx-able collection, whether it’s sporty or fashion oriented.

“What are you putting at risk by not offering these products?” asks Renato Cappuccitti, director of Rx sales for Costa sunwear. “The worst thing we can do is not offer someone something that will serve his or her needs— something that somebody else IS offering.”

Patients are happiest when they know their eyecare professional is teaching them something about their eyes or about vision products they didn’t know were available. Talking to patients about why they need sunwear, even if it doesn’t result in an immediate sale, is in everybody’s best interest.

“Patient loyalty starts with education, and it grows through satisfaction,” says Dennis Deshaies, ABOC, lead optician at Moran Eye Center in Park City, UT.

Rx-ing sunwear allows patients to take advantage of the clarity, performance, and comfort of today’s sun lenses while still serving their prescriptive needs.

{PRO TIP}

Not all digital Rx programs are designed for all base curves. If a patient isn’t choosing sunwear with a proprietary Rx lens program, talk to the lab to make sure the digital design you are choosing will work with the chosen curve. “Don’t just say, “I usually use ‘X’ lens design, so that’ll be good for this sun frame, too,” notes Sam Kotob, founder/designer of Reptile sunwear.

IT’S A WRAP

On the ophthalmic side, patients are getting used to free-form’s “high-definition” lenses and superior optics not available with conventional lenses. We tout the benefits of digital in everyday lenses, yet those very same lens benefits work on the sun side, too. And free-form digital technology is enabling ECPs to make Rx sun recommendations to more patients than ever.

Maui Jim has a proprietary Rx program that takes all the guess work out of fitting Rx sun lenses

“Now, eight-base wrap styles are so much more accessible with greater parameters and far less peripheral distortion. Labs are more willing and able to work with ECPs on wrap sunwear,” says Rob Maser, commercial sales director for Wiley X.

Not only has free-form opened the path for wider ranging and optically superior Rx suns than before, several brands have designs that enable even extreme prescriptions in wrap styles.

High myopes or hyperopes can now get into sporty and stylish wraps via new lens designs. Some examples: Reptile has its SlimPlus that allows a wider range of high prescriptions in a wrap while maintaining thinness. Wiley X has its RimRx, a specialized lens fitting that also opens up the Rx range for higher wraps. Bollé has its B-Thin Active Design Rx program and Serengeti has its Vario Drive Thin design, both of which can put Rx’s of up to +6.00 to -8.00 in its sporty wraps.

“Nobody would have dreamed of putting a +4.00 in a base eight a few years ago,” says Sam Kotob, founder/designer of Reptile sunwear. “Now we can offer these wraps to a wider range of patients, and they come out right, and they come out beautiful.”

Zack Groesbeck, regional sales manager for Maui Jim and Zeal Optics, agrees, even making the argument that it’s the technology, not the frame styling, that should be credited for the category’s growth.

“It all boils down to the new technology,” he says. “The docs are realizing that they just don’t have the non-adapt problems they used to.”

BEING AUTHENTIC

Many sunwear companies have “authentic Rx programs” using authorized labs. It’s a concept that has caught on for several reasons. The ease of ordering allows for quick service, the lab is equipped to deal with all necessary compensation issues, and the patient gets the exact lens they tried on, not the Rx-able next best thing. And the display model never leaves the dispensary, allowing it to be sold again, and again.

“Not only can we do a range of Rx’s, the lab and lens manufacturers can complete special orders such as reverse segs for our shooters,” says Wendy Black, Rx manager at Rudy Project. “Free-form lenses have had an impact as it gives us not only a range of Rx but clearer optics through the periphery of the lens. Materials have become safer, and it is easier to create the special bevels we require.”

Using proprietary Rx programs takes the figuring and guesswork out of the hands of the ECP, and puts it on the brand and the lab.

“When people realize that a brand that they know and want is now available to them, that’s something they can get excited about,” says Cappuccitti.

PALS, TOO

It’s not just high myopes and hyperopes that are benefitting from the new sun lens technology. For progressive wearers, the field has similarly opened up. For example, Maui Jim’s Passport lens is a fully compensated digital design that can handle just about any prescription, and, earlier last year Costa released its C-Scape lens technology for PALs that eliminates swim, even in wraps.

TALKING POINTS

Here are some talking points to help start a conversation about the dangers of UV and glare, and how sunwear can provide the best defense.

PROBLEM

Glare

It’s encountered throughout the day: light bouncing off the road while driving, bouncing off the snow while skiing, or bouncing off the water while boating. It is uncomfortable, and it hides potential dangers.

SOLUTION

Polarized lenses

Cut glare and improve contrast, resulting in more comfortable and sharper vision.

PROBLEM

UV

Chronic exposure to UV can result in ocular disease, cataracts, and skin cancer around the eye.

SOLUTION

UV-blocking sun lenses

UV-blocking sun lenses with backside AR coating.

Why put a PAL in a sun lens? Talk to your patients about their hobbies and lifestyle. If they are interested in a performance lens for biking, they’ll still have to see the gauges on the bike. Everybody drives: the dashboard is easier to see when using zones. Drivers, hikers, bikers, and skiers all have the need to read a map once in a while. And who doesn’t need to see their smartphone while outside (Never mind reading an e-book by the pool!)?

“If you’re going to put progressive lenses in patients’ clear lenses, they’ll be looking for those same zones when they’re wearing their sunwear,” notes Deshaies.

MAKING THE SALE

A premium performance sunwear brand or a high-fashion frame, and a digitally produced high-end sun lens (polarized, variable tint, AR, and maybe some cool mirror tints) don’t come with a low price tag. Here are some strategies to help make that second-pair sale happen.

INVENTORY: Jim Knudsen, owner of Modern Eyes in Bismarck, ND, decided to do something about his eyeglass-wearing patients complaining they couldn’t get any “cool” sunglasses. He won’t carry any fashion sunny or performance sunwear that is not Rx-able. They are ALL cool—and available to everyone.

DR.-DIRECTED DISPENSING: It works for sunwear, too. Eye doctors know that sunwear is imperative in protecting eyes against UV damage, skin damage, and glaring light. Talk about it in the exam room, just as you do about AR, photochromics, and other clear lens treatments.

DISPLAY: Deshaies uses manufacturer-provided sun displays and turnstiles, but will also get patients thinking about sports sunwear by displaying some near a racing helmet or ski gloves.

Knudsen tries to note in his displays whenever a celebrity has been spotted in anything he carries, and keeps his sun inventory on-trend.

SHOW AND TELL: When the patient gets down to choosing between two or three ophthalmic frames, put a sun option on the tray as well. Or, try showing patients the sunwear options first.

EDUCATION: Go beyond the eye health and comfortable vision lessons and talk to patients about the various options available to them, including variable tint, mirrors, and backside AR.

BENCHMARK AND TRACK: Establish a sun-wear goal for the optical staff and create a way to effectively measure that goal as time goes on. Use lens representatives to lead a staff training program. “[Rx sunwear] is an untapped source of revenue,” notes Groesbeck. “So many docs let it walk out the door.”

The RimRx technology from Wiley X allows high Rx’s to fit in its wrap styles

RX ON THE RISE

Rx sunwear is enjoying a growth spurt that would make other categories jealous.

According to The Vision Council, 5.9 million pairs of sun lenses were sold in the past year (September to September). That represents a 4.5% growth over the previous year’s sales of 5.69 million. The year before (2011-2012), the category saw only a 1.6 percent growth.

According to a 2013 survey of ECPs by Eyecare Business: 43% of respondents said Rx sunwear is their fastest-growing eyewear category 15% is the average percentage of eyewear assortment dedicated to Rx sunwear

Display It Proudly
Whet patients’ appetites for Rx sunwear through eye-catching displays that tell a brand’s story. 1 Smith Optics shows off its Rx sports lenses as well as the new Rx-able ChromaPop lens; 2 Serengeti offers a range of Rx-able, polarized sunwear; 3 Costa has added its C-Scape PAL design to its sun line; 4 Essilor’s XperioUV lenses offer polarization and UV protection