The Reasons

Every day, a large segment of your patients who present for a comprehensive eye exam are candidates for contact lenses. Yet, many of them leave with only a spectacle prescription. This is a missed opportunity, because these patients are missing out on the benefits of contact lens (CL) wear.

Let’s consider the common barriers to fitting patients in CLs and a few ways to overcome these barriers.

Common Barriers

• Assumptions by doctors and staff that the patient is not interested if they don’t mention it.

• Time constraints during the exam, leading to doctors feeling rushed or believing there’s not adequate time for a fitting and additional patient education on the value of CL wear.

• Overfocusing on vision correction and not enough on lifestyle.

Overcoming These Barriers

1. Be proactive. Have a technician introduce the idea to patients with low-pressure verbiage, such as, “Are you interested in learning about contact lenses today, even just to try them?”

2. Minimize doctor time. If the patient is interested, have a tech insert a trial. Let the experience do the convincing. Reschedule a CL fitting another day if necessary.

3. Reframe the value. Tie the product to the patient’s lifestyle with language such as, “These are great for working out and playing sports.”  OM