To celebrate our 40th year, Eyecare Business reached out to our board members and past #EBGameChangers for their thoughts on how eyewear and eye care have changed since our launch in 1986. Here are reflections from 2023 EB Game Changer, Carissa Dunphy, ABOC, founder of Optician Now and digital marketing associate at PECAA:
“Looking back over the past 40 years of eyewear, one of the biggest shifts has been the evolution of glasses from purely corrective tools to mainstream expressions of personal style. Before eyewear became a fashion trend, I remember the rise of LASIK, when many people hoped to eliminate the need for glasses altogether. Yet in recent years, eyewear has made a strong comeback and is more popular than ever. I’ve also seen how cyclical frame fashion can be—from oversized frames in the 1980s, to tiny B measurements that made fitting progressives nearly impossible, and now back to bold, oversized styles. Keeping up with iconic eyewear trends is essential because you never know when a patient will ask for frames inspired by Audrey Hepburn, John Lennon, Sally Jessy Raphael, Harry Potter, Sarah Palin, or Oprah.
“In eye care, technology has made patient care faster, more convenient, and more accessible. The way patients find an OD, schedule appointments, and complete medical histories has changed dramatically over the past 40 years. Even basic tasks like measuring acuities have become more digital, efficient, and precise. During COVID, offices with digital phoropters were able to continue providing care more safely. Many ECPs remember the shift from referring patients out for visual fields or OCTs to performing those tests in-office with their own equipment. Patients were equally excited by new handheld devices that eliminated the need for the dreaded air-puff test. Together, diagnostic and technological advances have become more cost-effective for practices to own and offer, while also helping expand access to care in eye care deserts around the world.”