ANTI-REFLECTIVE LENSES

BY KARLEN MCLEAN

Glare, like sunlight, is an automatic part of everyone’s day. It’s natural; it’s so much a given that we don’t think about it very much as we go through our days. But as ECPs, we have to think about glare and anti-reflective/anti-glare lenses in order to give our patients the best vision protection possible.

Keeping the AR message fresh and simple—for patients and staff members—can be challenging, yet rewarding when done right. Since AR has evolved from being an add-on to part of lens packages, it has become inherently part of the sale. Yet AR still must be explained to stand out as an appealing part of the whole, and so patients understand what they’re getting. And if your practice can do this well, satisfied patients and soaring sales figures follow.

Making AR an automatic part of the lens sale takes a concentrated effort. EB talked with some top-performing practices with high-percentage AR numbers who shared what they do to succeed and exceed in the ARena.

ALL ABOUT AR

You don’t need to be a large practice to have outstanding AR performance. Just follow a complete, concise, and consistent model.

“I practice in rural Oklahoma, in one town of about 1,500 and another of 15,000, and surprisingly the smaller, more rural practice has the higher AR sales percentage,” says David Jones, O.D., at Northwest Eye Associates in Shattuck and Woodward, OK. “On average our AR percentage is 80 to 90%. All our lenses are priced with AR already included. The bottom line is very simple: your practice has to believe it’s best for patients to have AR to give them the best possible vision.”

If you haven’t already, forget about adding on AR. Tagging AR onto a sale, rather than making it a part of it, is a sure way to turn patients off.

“Our AR sales percentage is around 85% on average,” says Amy Schye, ABOC, store manager of Ulla Eyewear in Madison, WI. “We package AR with the lenses we sell and include it in the price. We do not sell it as an add on.”

Include AR on all lenses appropriate for every day, special use, office and digital wear, and sunwear, and for every age group, so everyone can experience anti-glare benefits.

“Discerning Eye averages 97% AR on our clear lens sales and 80% AR on sunglasses,” reveals Joni Schrup, owner of Discerning Eye in Iowa City, IA. “We are in a college town, and our practice base is professionals. As a high-end optical retailer, our customers expect premium lens products, and that always includes a premium AR.”

Adds Heather Davis, practice director of Florence, Tuscumbia, and Muscle Shoals Eye Centers and Specs Downtown, based in Florence, AL, “Our AR percentage is between 85 and 90% in all four of our stores. We find there are a wide variety of patients that are interested in glare-free lenses. We focus on the things that they do that make glare-free lenses beneficial.”

ALL IN

AR is a natural. It is a given. And it should be inseparable from the lens.

“We don’t think about AR separately, it’s just part of the lens,” Schrup explains. “We build AR into the lens price. All our employees wear it and we’re happy to demonstrate the difference aesthetically using a frame with uncoated lenses versus a frame with AR lenses. “Our staff is well-versed in the benefits of AR and we take the time to educate our customers. By not considering AR as an extra or add-on, we eliminate push-back from customers.”

“We explain the benefits of AR to patients as part of the lens we’re recommending,” adds Schye. “We don’t separate AR from the actual lens, as we count it all as one whole.”

What you tell patients about AR matters, of course, but AR must be part of your personal and practice’s belief system.

“Our doctors and staff believe in glare-free lenses, and they prescribe the technology for every patient they see, regardless of the type of insurance or amount of money they believe the patient has to spend,” Davis explains. “All our staff and physicians wear glasses with glare-free lenses and demonstrate those to patients. They know when the doctors and staff are sincere and believe in a product, and they will purchase it.”

“Having AR on your lenses is first about considering the expectation of what we would want for ourselves,” adds Dr. Jones. “Not a single staff member or doctor here has a pair of lenses without AR, and why would we not want our patients to have the same expectation? It comes down to explaining our expectations that we have for our patients, and that we want them to have the best vision possible.”

Use your own AR lenses for demonstration, and tell your own personal experiences with AR to elicit patient understanding.

“All of our employees have AR on our lenses, and we use our own lenses to demonstrate the clarity and reflection-free benefits,” says Schye. “Pointing out the benefits with night driving, clarity, lens protection, and longer warranty, plus the aesthetics of AR when a customer has concerns, usually helps relieve them of concerns.”

“The mentality of our staff is, we want each patient to have the best visual experience they possibly can, and to understand that comes with AR,” Dr. Jones summarizes. “It’s not about sale—that’s a benefit—it’s about the quality of vision.”

ONCE IN, ALWAYS IN

First time AR wearers often become automatic lifetime AR wearers.

“Once a customer has been successfully using lenses with AR,” Schrup says, “there’s no question that subsequent lenses will come with the same great coatings.”

And when doctors discuss AR with patients during or after the exam, briefly mentioning key points and expectations, it helps AR evolve into a medical recommendation and a must-have.

“I personally discuss the benefits of AR in the exam room, but only have to do so with new patients, because when our patients experience improved vision with AR, it becomes a quality vision necessity,” explains Dr. Jones. “Key points include: 1. Light that’s normally reflected from the surfaces of a lens causing glare now can become refracted (focused), enabling higher quality vision; 2. AR increases detail and reduces glare caused by devices which emit light, like computers, cell phones, street lights, and headlights; and 3. An added bonus is that AR comes with scratch protection at no additional cost.”

Start (or restart) somewhere; you have to have an AR goal in order to grow your AR business. Don’t get discouraged. You may need to weather setbacks, and then keep going, in order to meet and achieve your goals.

“Set a goal for AR,” Davis advises. “In 2006, we made it our mission to begin trying to improve our profit margins by selling glare-free and other specialty lens products. We started small, making our goal one glare-free sale per day. We didn’t make our goal every day, but you have to start small and believe in what you’re selling. We educated every single patient and over the years it’s paid off.”