March 14, 2024 — New research from the Contact Lens Institute (CLI)’s See Tomorrow initiative highlights “simple adjustments” eyecare professionals can implement that may attract a significantly higher number of contact lens wearers.

According to the report, 47.8% of glasses wearers who have never tried contact lenses are highly interested in doing so, but only 10.5% report getting a contact lens recommendation from their ECP with even lower rates of recommendations from exam staff (6%), optical staff (3%), and administrative staff (2%).

“Our research has consistently shown that vision-corrected adults are waiting for their doctors to raise the possibility of contact lens wear—a straightforward action that enhances patient satisfaction and practice success,” says Stan Rogaski, CLI’s executive director.

Rogaski shares that the in-depth report, set to be published in April, examines how certain behaviors play enormous roles in attracting or dissuading patients from considering contact lenses.

Findings reveal that 51% of glasses wearers said their lack of contact lens trial was directly influenced by in-practice behaviors or lack thereof, including not having been asked about contact lenses (20%), not being told they were a candidate (19%), and not being provided with contact lens information (18%).

CLI emphasizes that although the entire practice team should communicate the advantages of contact lens wear, the optometrist or ophthalmologist must not completely delegate that responsibility, as recommendations from doctors (66%) are more influential among patients than recommendations from exam staff (22%) and optical staff (8%). 

CLI conducted this research through an online survey of 1,053 vision-corrected adults ages 18-64 in the U.S., 579 of whom were glasses wearers who had never tried contact lenses.