Sept. 21, 2024—In an education course, “The Business of Contact Lenses,” Melissa Barnett, O.D., FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA; Mile Brujic, O.D., FAAO; and Jessilin Quint, O.D., MBA, FAAO, explored the business aspects of contact lenses in the optometric practice with information on strategies to creating a contact lens patient base, the impact of contact lenses to an eyecare practice, and how contact lenses can improve practice profitability. 

Ahead of the course, held on Friday, Sept. 20, during Vision Expo West in Las Vegas, EB spoke with the industry leaders to learn more about key takeaways and how ECPs can benefit from these learning objectives.

EB: The eyecare industry is constantly evolving, and the contact lens space is no exception. How can ECPs prepare for these changes, specifically regarding the business of contact lenses?

Dr. Barnett: I like to focus on personalized options for each patient and consider innovative solutions.

Dr. Brujic: Think about it every opportunity you get. Always make your clinical decision based on what is in the best interest of the patient, and make sure that you have a business model that supports your ability to provide them with great care.

Dr. Quint: Our patients’ visual needs are always evolving. It’s important to embrace new innovations in order to have solutions to solve our patients’ vision needs. Patients appreciate a personalized approach with specific recommendations that will benefit them directly. 

EB: How do you balance offering contact lenses and other optometric services?

Dr. Barnett: Contact lenses offer many benefits, including the freedom to look and feel young, improved peripheral vision, multifocal options, and enhanced sports performance. I believe in offering contact lenses to every patient. Just as you choose different shoes for various activities, I provide contact lenses to enhance my patients' lives.

Dr. Brujic: Contact lenses are part of providing full-scope care to our patients. We feel this so much that many of the processes we have in place are to foster the best lens wearing experience and contact lens access from our office.

Dr. Quint: Patients have different vision and eye health needs and thus likely need a variety of contact lenses, glasses, and optometric clinical services to keep them seeing and feeling their best.

EB: What common business challenges do optometrists face with contact lens sales, and how can they overcome them?

Dr. Brujic: The biggest challenge is alternate sales channels that place profit over patient care. It is important to communicate the value proposition for the patient to purchasing lenses from your office. There are really three advantages: [First,] we stand by the lenses [the patient] purchases from our office so that if [their] prescription changes, we can replace those for [their] updated prescription, [second,] with vision benefits, [the patient] can utilize the allowance towards the lenses purchased, and [finally,] with a year supply purchase of lenses, [the patient is] often eligible for a rebate that reduces the cost substantially.

Dr. Quint: A challenge ECPs face is not embracing innovation because they think it will take more chair time. They often then continue to prescribe a lens out of habit rather than making a personalized contact lens recommendation for that patient. Taking a moment to think outside the “hamster wheel” of recommendations will ultimately deliver better patient care but also ensure your patient is getting the newest innovation that will benefit them the most.

EB: What marketing strategies are most effective for attracting new contact lens patients?

Dr. Barnett: Communicate with other professions to offer contact lens technologies. For example, explaining the benefits of scleral lenses to rheumatologists, neurologists, etc. We educate other health care professionals about contact lenses that help with light sensitivity and migraines. 

Dr. Brujic: Internal marketing—take the best care of the patient in your chair and that will create word of mouth referrals. Communicate to other professionals and let them know your passion for contact lenses and specialty contact lenses. Write articles for local publications (both real and virtual publications) educating the community about new contact lenses.

Dr. Quint: Focus on the patient in the chair. Give them the best experience and word-of-mouth referrals will easily grow a practice. [Additonally,] social media is a useful and low-cost way to advertise your contact lens services. 

EB: What is the biggest takeaway/lesson you’d like attendees to have from the “Business of Contact Lenses” course at Vision Expo West?

Dr. Brujic: Don't make assumptions about your business based on perceptions. Be objective and logical. Numbers don't have emotion and neither should business owners when they are making business decisions. Understand your costs—fixed and variable—and the margins on the lenses you're selling. Create a plan to support successful lens implementation in your practice. When you do, you will realize that the business of contact lenses is an important and viable component to the eyecare business model. 

Dr. Quint: Focus on the patient in the chair. Give them the best experience and word-of-mouth referrals will easily grow a practice. [Additionally,] social media is a useful and low-cost way to advertise your contact lens services.