Incorporating Myopia Management

Myopia is no longer just on ECPs’ radar. It’s a force to be dealt with.

Numerous studies indicate that the prevalence of myopia is increasing in the U.S. and worldwide—and researchers project the trend will continue in the coming decades. In fact, projections suggest that almost 50% of the world will be myopic by 2050, according to the National Eye Institute.

Besides simply representing a refractive change, myopia can lead to increased risk for more serious concerns such as retinal detachments, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. Treatment modalities include soft contact lenses, orthokeratology, glasses, and atropine.

Today, many corporate optometrists have expanded their practices to include a focus on myopia management. Through continued education, certification webinars, and an investment in equipment, many corporate O.D.s can enhance their subleases to incorporate this specialty.

Expanding corporate practice to include myopia management is a great way to provide a valuable service to patients, one that can increase revenue and help provide many different treatment options that an O.D. can be confident in.

Here, three successful corporate optometrists give us a closer look at the offerings and benefits of myopia management:

➤ Bruce Reid, O.D., of LensCrafters in Atlanta, GA

➤ Jenn Winn, O.D., of Pearle Vision in Kanata, Ontario

➤ Glenda Aleman-Moheeputh, O.D., of Walmart in Miami, FL

A RUNDOWN OF OFFERINGS

Dr. Reid shares that his optical business started with myopia management years ago.

The four optometrists in his practice keep current on advances in myopia treatments and offer soft contact lenses and atropine.

To monitor progression of myopia, both Dr. Reid’s and Dr. Winn’s practices have invested in diagnostic technologies that measure axial length. Dr. Winn has incorporated contact lenses and atropine into her practice as treatment options.

These optometrists share that patients and their family members still use their practice’s other services and purchase backup eyewear, as well.

Dr. Aleman-Moheeputh started with ortho-k, but realized not everyone was a candidate.

“Nowadays, I do three modalities of [myopia management] treatments: low-dose atropine, soft disposable dual-focal contacts, and ortho-k.”

BENEFITS + BUSINESS BUILDERS

Many patients are new to myopia management and its lifelong benefits.

Patient education can bring in new patients and their families—and word-of-mouth referrals can be abundant with myopia management.

Case in point: Dr. Aleman-Moheeputh reveals that other optometrists were referring their patients to her for myopia management treatments.

“I had such great success with it,” she says. “I now expanded my myopia management practice to another location.”

Another plus? Myopia management underscores a practice’s ability to remain at the forefront of eyecare technology.

“We have had zero pushback from the corporate side,” says Dr. Reid. “I think LensCrafters is glad when we do something that is cutting edge. They love when we are offering patients the latest and greatest technology.”

Dr. Winn echoes the importance of using this technology to stand out.

“Myopia management has allowed me to differentiate myself from other practitioners in both my approach to taking care of my pediatric patients and in the technology that I use in the clinic,” says Dr. Winn. “It’s attracted parents who want a different solution to their child’s myopia, and they in turn continue to refer more patients into the program.”

➤ Bottom line: Myopia management can be a great addition to your corporate practice. The optometrist experts interviewed here have found successful ways to offer it to their patients—and their corporate optical partners have embraced how it builds the practices as well.

MARIA SAMPALIS, O.D., is the founder of the Corporate Optometry Facebook group (which has more than 30,000 members) and corporateoptometry.com . Currently, she is owner of Sampalis Eye Care in Cranston, RI, and has a sublease at Warby Parker in Providence, RI.